Every book – fiction or non-fiction – starts with an ‘aha moment’ when its author sees, hears, or experiences something that becomes the genesis of a story and, 90,000 words later, a book.
For Neal Sanders, the author of a dozen popular mysteries, there are at least that many ‘aha moments’. There’s the spouse fuming across a table at a charity dinner as her drunken husband works a captive audience, soliciting their business for his ‘wealth management’ services. And there’s reading the memoir of a pheromone research scientist – and wondering why there isn’t a molecule to keep cats from scratching sofas, or why scientists can’t be the protagonist in a good ‘how-are-they-going-to get-away-with-it’ caper. Sanders will speak at the Library, where he will share those ‘aha moments’ – most of which are laugh-out-loud funny. He’ll also explain why all of his protagonists are strong, independent women.
Sanders came to writing late in life; he spent 35 years in high technology mergers and acquisitions. Almost 13 years ago, though, he traded Excel spreadsheets for a typewriter, and began setting down stories that had been percolating in his mind, some for decades.
“Strong, Independent Woman” explains how being part of a family tree where such women are the dominant species sets the tone for his fiction. He will talk about his metaphorical gym bag where he collects all the interesting conversations he overhears in the course of a day, and then shakes them out onto a table when it comes time to combine those vignettes with an ‘aha moment’ to create a book-length story that will hold a reader’s attention. Sanders books will be available for purchase and signing.
This program is free and open to the public. Seating is limited so please register for the program at www.portsmouthlibrary.org or call the library at 683-9457.