WHAT I KNOW

I suppose many of you wonder why I titled this blog “Gayle T Reece on duty”.  The novel I recently wrote, and am hoping to get published, primary characters are a police sergeant, a state fire investigator and a retired sheriff’s department captain. I hope to write more books in that series.

My current project concerns a Fish and Game officer. They say when you start writing – write about what you know.  First responders are my area of familiarity and experience. Those folks work is most often described as their duty, their duty hours, when at work they are on duty

WHERE ARE ALL THE PAY PHONES?

As I was walking, out of the grocery store yesterday, limping might be a better term because walking up and down the store aisles encourages the MS in my leg muscles to rebel and try to quit working, but back to my story.  I saw a black metal object in front of the store, was it a sculpture. No, it was where two pay phones were once mounted.

Was I asleep or in hibernation the last ten or twenty years? When did we quit using pay phones? I remember as a young girl being asked before leaving the house two important questions…was I wearing clean underwear and did I have money for the payphone. It was a dime in my younger years, but did go up to a quarter sometime or other. Then came those glorious calling cards. We thought those were the ultimate deal because we could spend every last cent we had on our activities whether legal or not. What do you expect I went to high school in the 60’s? Now, where are the pay phones?

I started my cell phone journey with the cumbersome bag phone when it first came out. Gee did I think that was hot stuff, even though two tin cans on a string provided more clarity.  Then I got the smaller more convenient phone that I’d need to park the car and get out and walk around the car to find a spot for any somewhat decent reception. About a dozen or more cell phones later I am using an iPhone, that talks back to me, tells me where to go and how to get there and I never noticed our old friend the payphone disappearing one by one.

THE FORGOTTEN HEREOS

We have numerous TV shows and movies about  police in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, and Chicago and other large cities. Granted they are dedicated, work hard and are brave, but what about the fine officers in our smaller towns and cities. These officers are trained to handle anything, but spend most their time working car accidents, domestics, dog calls and other rather mundane tasks. They need to be ready and prepared when serious crimes do happen in their cities and they do.

They experience the politics and challenges of the job just as the officers in the big cities. They also are flawed human beings and are challenged by family issues.

I want to be the voice for these officers. I  am trying to develop fictional characters that have several of the traits and attributes I saw in other officers and myself. I also want to create characters who develop disabilities and must reluctantly take off their badges.  I especially want to address the Multiple Sclerosis disease because it is so unpredictable and doesn't usually effect one every minute of their life, but does limit their employment options. Because of my MS I had to leave the career I so loved -protecting and serving the people who lived and visited where I worked and lived.

I will introduce you to some of my characters in upcoming posts.

WELCOME

Welcome to my blog, so glad you are here. On this blog I plan to discuss my books, their venues and characters. I want to also start conversations concerning happenings in our society that concern me.