My two main objectives as a writer 🧐

When I started writing years ago, my main objective was to create compassion and understanding. I wanted people to understand other people's perspectives and situations with less judgment. I felt like people were cold and cruel as a teenager, so my writing allowed me an avenue to potentially make the world a little kinder.

Of course, that was my objective as a teenager when I still was idealistic about the world and thought it could be a little kinder and more compassionate. These days I'm a little less optimistic and focus more on my second objective as a writer, to make people think.

In my books, I bring up various topics and issues in hopes that people consider the opinions of my characters or the general situations they're to see other points of view. I write about criminals, so my characters have a unique perspective on everything. Some of the topics I bring up are indigenous issues, government, Big Pharma, family issues, and many other things throughout my series to encourage different ideas or thoughts. Of course, there are minor topics that deal more with everyday life too.

Since Jorge Hernandez is the protagonist in my books, the views are through his lens and often are blunt, direct, and harsh. He's not one to pussyfoot around, which may feel like a brick on the side of the head, but that's who he is and how he expresses himself.

I'm sure most writers have more simple objectives, such as to entertain people, and I probably should too. Don't get me wrong, that is in there, but as a writer, I've always had to have something more to keep me motivated, and this is it.

The Devil May Lie - Let's talk about a pivotal moment in the book 😱 (Updated)

Until about the halfway point of  The Devil May Lie, the format was similar to previous books in the series. Not to suggest that the story was predictable, but fans understood how my characters reacted to any given situation. For that reason, I decided to throw a monkey wrench in the halfway point of the book, intrigued to see how things would fall into place.

I wrote about a tragedy in an indigenous community, then demonstrated a combination of racism and government neglect. This was reflective of what I believe is often happening in indigenous communities in my country. The event in the book was difficult to write about and didn't get easier with each set of edits but, I felt it was necessary to make a point. In the story, it's this straw that broke the camel's back and causes outrage throughout the country that quickly spills over to the demographic of Canadians who also feel neglected by the government; those living in poverty, immigrants, and essentially anyone who seems to have slipped off the radar. In turn, this pushes the government to do something drastic; they approach a charismatic Canadian named Jorge Hernandez to join their team.

I don't need to point out the irony of a dangerous criminal with blood on his hands asked to join a political party. But you have to remember, nothing is officially 'known' by the public, and therefore, they see a strong candidate who isn't afraid to say what he thinks on the platform. They see an immigrant, someone who calls out his government and has risen from rags to riches, making him both relatable and inspiring at the same time. I feel it also demonstrates how low many political parties are willing to sink to find a winning candidate. Perhaps it is not such a stretch to say that they would nominate the devil himself if they thought it would result in them winning.

Let's talk about Chase Jacobs 🥊 (Updated)

Chase Jacobs is a fan favorite because he is gentle, kind, and very much the boy next door. He tries to do the right thing in most situations and is known overall as a salt-of-the-earth kind of guy. However, as the series moves forward, this changes. 

Chase came along in the first book for the Hernandez series, We're All Animals, and has stuck around ever since. When we first met him, Chase is 18 years old and just graduating high school. Suddenly dumped by his high school sweetheart, he's hanging out at a house party, confused and depressed. When party guest Audrey sets her sights on him, she slips something in his drink to 'loosen him up', and the two end up hitting the sheets. Although it was automatically a regrettable mistake for Chase, it becomes more so weeks later when he learns that she is pregnant. From this point on Chase's life starts to spin out of control.

We continue to follow along with Chase as the protagonist in Always be a Wolf, and we later switch gears when Jorge Hernandez jumps in the driver's seat from that point on. But don't worry, Chase continues to go on for the ride.