The Writer's View: Alan Brenham

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Alan will be awarding a $50 Amazon Gift Card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

The View inside My Writing Space

My writing space is the size of a regular office. The area where I create the storylines for my books consists of a pine-colored double-pedestal desk with a matching hutch. High up on the wall behind the hutch are all my certificates from college, law school and different government employers which double as name generators.

To my immediate right is a 3-shelf bookcase with a printer resting on the top shelf. On the two shelves underneath are various thesauruses, dictionaries, and legal code books for reference and research.

Directly in front of me is the 21-inch monitor. A keyboard sits on a sliding shelf. Next to the monitor is a laptop computer to be used in the event my main computer develops a glitch or something worse.

On top of the desk and the bookcase are stacks of legal pads and what my wife labels as a hodgepodge of disorganized notes. She openly wonders how I manage to find anything.

A tan-colored recliner-lounge chair sits to my immediate right. It’s where I go to work my way out of writer’s block and think through plot problems.

Pinned and taped on the walls are memos and hints on writing do’s and don’ts, such as keeping the story moving forward, remember setting, and an evaluation of my first ever manuscript to prevent me from repeating fundamental drafting errors. Things to keep me grounded and focused.

The View outside My Window

My writing space has two windows. One, a smaller window, provides a nice view of a ten-year old oak tree and a grassy area for people-watching as they walk their dogs. It’s great for picking up mannerisms and behavior patterns for use in my stories.

The second window is a large picture window on my left. The view is of a few Norfolk pines, a greater grassy area, and a fairly busy street, especially at rush hour. It’s perfect for more people-watching since it provides a greater viewing space.

Both windows are similar to one-way viewers. I can see them but they can’t see me watching. Spooky, I know, but for ideas for drafting characters with real-life mannerisms, it can’t be beat.

The view outside is very useful. Inside, it’s probably a messy, disorganized writing space but it’s mine and I’m comfortable with it.

His focus is on solving the murders—until the unthinkable happens…

Recently widowed, Austin Police Detective Jason Scarsdale works to solve the murders of two pedophiles, while trying to be both mother and father to his five-year-old daughter. During his investigation, Scarsdale is forced to navigate between the crosshairs of two police commanders out to get him. Drawn to Austin Police Crime Analyst, Dani Mueller, who has also suffered tragedy, Scarsdale fights both his attraction and his suspicions that something just isn’t right…

She is hiding a secret, one that could not only cost her a job—it could end her life…

Dani hides a deadly past. After her daughter was brutally murdered, Dani exacted her revenge then changed her name and fled to Austin. But if her secret ever gets out, she knows there is no place she can hide from the murderer’s vicious family.

Pulled into a web of malice and deceit, Scarsdale and Dani discover the value of breaking the rules. Then just when they thought things couldn’t get worse…they do.

About the Author:

Alan Brenham is the pseudonym of Alan Behr, an American author and attorney. He served as a law enforcement officer before earning a law degree. He worked first as a prosecutor then defense attorney for the next twenty-six years. His travels took him to several European and Middle Eastern countries, Alaska and almost every island in the Caribbean. While contracted to US military forces, he resided in Berlin, Germany for a few years. Alan and his wife, Lillian, currently live in the Austin, Texas area. He has authored two crime fiction books, Price of Justice and Cornered, and is working on a third titled Rampage.

Website
Buy the book at Amazon or Black Opal Books.