More than a decade ago, I had an inspiration to write a story about a man I saw standing at the corner of the Denver Civic Center Building. He was selling hot dogs, though at the time I saw him, he was deeply engrossed in listening to an audio tape cassette. I thought he was listening to music, but as I got closer, I realized he was repeating words and phrases in a foreign language. I was immediately both impressed and intrigued, and within seconds, my imagination took this hot dog vendor and began to weave stories and tales around him, his cassettes, and his hot dog cart.
The person who emerged was a washed-up Denver Detective (did I mention that the hot dog vendor was only a couple of blocks away from Police Headquarters?). I also knew that the detective got there through a stint in the military–not a draftee (there was no draft anyway), but someone who joined out of a sense of duty. Of course he would join the Marines.
I also knew that he didn’t go to college. He might have been just an average student in high school, probably one of those who went out for sports: football, baseball, maybe even wrestling. Not basketball…he was too short to be exemplary in that sport, though heaven knows he would have given it his best.
But he isn’t stupid. In fact, he’s quite smart, but is also very conscious of his academic limitations. When in the Marines, he served over in Europe where he saw so many people who spoke two or more languages. That, more than anything, motivated him to begin to learn languages on his own.
Once you have such a character in your mind, he takes on a life of his own. As a writer, you’d like to think that you are in control, but the truth is, your characters often take over your story and tell it the way they think it should be told.
But it is, after all, a collaboration between me and the characters I imagine. And after 27 novels and 3 novellas, I thought the story of the Hot Dog Detective was done. But is it?
I have a question for the fans of the Hot Dog Detective…should there be more stories? Should we find out what happens to Mark MacFarland and Cynthia Pierson after their trip to Hawaii? Or should there be more novellas that take place during the time frame of the original series? Leave a comment and let me know what you think.