Out of the Blues author Trudy Nan Boyce served on the Atlanta Police force for thirty years. Boyce says she feels writers write in order to understand life and make sense of things. The debut author said, “Although I’m ‘of a certain age’ I’m still very interested in learning to be better; a better person, a better wife, mother, grandmother and learning to be a better writer. It fits with the goal of writing to better understand myself, life and others.”
Boyce said some of the content in Out of the Blues came about because of questions she had or issues she was interested in exploring. “Growing up white in the segregated South, I felt cheated when I learned about the blues and I wanted to know more both about the blues and the cultural context in which the music was created and nourished. And I’m constantly interested in the beautiful and complicated city I call home, Atlanta.”
Taking the reader on a journey in which they solve a crime while finding answers to other mysteries is what Boyce keeps in mind as she writes. One of those mysteries was the death of a renowned blues guitarist. Boyce said, “Michael Bloomfield was one of the finest guitarists in the history of the blues. The circumstances of his death still remain unclear. He was found dead of a drug overdose in his car. Bloomfield’s death served as a gateway for me to investigate both a murder and the influence and origins of the blues in Atlanta.”
I was on slow patrol, windows down to better hear, see and smell trouble coming, when out of the shadows leapt a woman…
Coming up with complex characters can be a difficult task. Not so for Boyce, who had thirty years of exposure to them. “The characters in Out of the Blues are mostly amalgams of people I worked with, citizens I met on the job and folks on the other side of the law. One of the challenges in writing is to stay inside the shoes of the characters when they’re ‘on stage.’ That’s also a challenge for cops, to both resolve situations while remaining empathetic with the people involved. And when one achieves that in either writing or in life it feels like a joyous win.”
Boyce recalled one encounter she had late one night in a very destitute neighborhood. The houses were dilapidated, the lots vacant, and all but one street light shot out. “I was on slow patrol, windows down to better hear, see and smell trouble coming, when out of the shadows leapt a woman, all skin and bones, hair patchy, someone the street would call a ‘geek monster,’ a person whose life had been consumed by a crack addiction.
“She was all herky-jerky, jittery and asking me to help her find her man who she’d ‘cut.’ She said they just always fought and when I asked her why they stayed together she pranced in front of my headlights, grabbed her crotch and sang out that it was because, ‘He loves my cooda-pot-pie!’ The woman’s fictional counterpart became central in the beginning story that led to Out of the Blues, as did her fictional family, Lil D, and the rest.”
Find out more about Trudy Nan Boyce at trudynanboyce.com.
So much writing, especially in a first book, seems to come from the writer’s life.
Characters make or break a book, so I love it when an author works to write rich complex ones. Thanks for sharing!
New author, interesting characters
This sounds like a very interesting book! I would love to read it! Thank you!
I can’t wait to read this one!
As a member of a mystery club, this books sounds like a good read for one of our book discussions. Looking forward to reading it.
Interesting characters. I have never heard of that description before (and probably won’t again). I only know boring normal people.
Out of the Blues sounds like a great read!
Out of the Blues sounds like an intriguing book. 30 years on the police force in Atlanta must have been educational and eye-opening! Thank you for sharing!
My husband is a police officer. I always enjoy reading about this profession! Thanks for the contest!
Enjoy learning about new authors; and, at the same time knowing proceeds from books are being used for a good cause.
Sounds like a great book. Thanks for a chance to win a copy.
This sounds like a great book. Thanks for a chance to win a copy.
Thanks for introducing me to a new author I will read.
Sounds like a great book. Would love to read!
Thanks for this as this book sounds so good!
I enjoy learning what motivates authors and how their life experiences affect their writing. Thanks for the chance to win.
I’ve often thought that some of the people that I’ve encountered would make great characters in a book. Thanks for the chance to enter your giveaway. robeader53@yahoo.com
Thanks – This book sounds good.
Sounds like an amazing book. Definitely adding to my TBR list.
I love that she has the badge background to write from
Sounds like a good book. Nitty gritty makes for an interesting story.
Can’t wait to read it – just put it on my reading list.
thanks.
A subject of which I have no knowledge–don’t you think I need to become familiar with Trudy Ann Boyce’s characters and Blues?
Thank you for the article about Trudy and the H.O.P.E. team, I enjoyed reading about.
Thanks Sabine, I’m glad you liked it.