Dialect ~ Lend Me Thine Ear

When writing my contemporary novel, HARMFUL INTENT, where my Brooklyn born and bred female PI is place in Texas, I had to get the rhythm and tone of the Texas accent right. So I listened to hours Kenneth Copeland tapes. I compared Copeland’s voice to that of his wife Gloria and also a bit to their son John.

Kenneth Copeland likes to throw in little tidbits about Texas life and has quite a few stories to tell. In a few instances, I stole from him. I don’t feel too bad because I understand his long time friend Jerry Savalle has also stolen from his sermons over the years.

Now that I’m writing my next detective novel, set in the north east, I find myself listening to hours of Mel Brooks and Billy Crystal tapes on You Tube to get the cadence and tone of my Jewish political activist character down pat.

A quick look at the story line of HARMFUL INTENT…

Betrayal runs in private investigator Veronica “Ronnie” Ingels’ family. So, why is she surprised when her husband of one year cheats on her? The real shock is his murder, with the local lawman pegging her as the prime suspect.

Ronnie Ingels is a Brooklyn bred private investigator who travels to west Texas, where her cheating husband is murdered. As she hunts the killer to clear her name, she becomes the hunted.

Deputy Sergeant Dawson Hughes, a former Army Ranger, is a man folks want on their side. Only he’s not so sure at first, he’s on the meddling New York PI’s side. As the evidence points away from her, he realizes the more she butts in, the more danger she attracts to herself.

Sweet, askance romance, warm intimacy, sophisticated themes presented tastefully.

Purchase Link/Amazon