Question: I just finished reading the new book, Disbelief, and I think I found something that just would not happen. I don’t really believe <Character A> would have let <Character B> know what was going on like he did. Don’t you agree that was a mistake to write that part?

First of all, for those reading this, I’ve edited the question a bit to avoid this becoming a spoiler that gives away any real details of the story. But, I thought it was a fair enough question that I ought to respond too. The idea is that at some point in Disbelief, the third Emily Graham story, that one of the characters does something that really tells another character more than the person sending the question thinks he should have told. It is true that Character A basically reveals the “big plan” to Character B. No doubt about that. The questioner believes that this would not happen in the “real world”, and that my writing that part breaks the trance of the story and was a “mistake”.

Let me say that I kind of asked myself the same question when I first wrote that scene. I sat there and re-read it several times and debated about changing it. Instead, I went for a walk and had a conversation about it with Character A.

Yes, I talk with my characters. A lot. Many times it’s more argument than talk. But this time, I just asked Character A why he would do such a risky thing and give Character B the information that might actually end up creating a real problem for him. Character A just smiled that annoying smile he has. It’s that smile that comes from his being so all-fired certain that he is always right, and that nothing will ever be able to stop what he is doing because God wants him to win.

Do you ever find that kind of thing annoying?

So, after a twenty minute walk, I just accepted the fact that Character A was doing exactly what Character A would do, whether in the story or right out here in the real world with the rest of us. To him, there was no risk in giving the information. To him, there were no risks at all. Ever. So, the only mistake would be if I insisted upon changing what I had written, and pretended that Character A wasn’t who he really was. And if I did that, well, heck, then Emily would have shown up and tore into me too, and I just wasn’t up to that at the time.

So, questioner, thank you for reading Disbelief, and thank you for asking your question. But, no, it was not a mistake. And if it helps, if you go take a look at a newspaper today, or check the news online or on TV, I think you will find a lot of people out there who pretty much ignore the reality of what they are doing and saying because they have this idea that they have some special understanding of things that guarantees they are right, are going to “win”, and can pretty much do anything they want to do.

And, if you’d like to know how that kind of attitude usually turns out…Emily will be happy to show you. Disbelief is now available in both eBook and paperback!