What’s up with the Writing about Cops and Terrorists?

Not long ago I was at a book signing for my latest novel, OPERATION SCORPION, and a reader asked me the question – why do you write so much about cops and terrorists?

I looked up, smiled and said that was what I knew. We then had a wonderful
conversation about the genre of police thrillers, which I actually believe are
more psychological thrillers since I always delve into the minds of the
characters. What is the protagonist thinking, feeling, experiencing? What is the
antagonist also thinking, feeling, experiencing?

The concept of writing one dimensional characters never crosses my mind as I sit
behind the key board. People have breadth, depth, needs, desires (both good and
bad), but mostly they are human. They may be fictional characters but they are
real to me and hopefully to my readers.

Why would someone believe it is the correct thing to do to murder someone? Why
is that? As a person with a background in psychology, this ultimate betrayal of
human life has always fascinated me. As an ex-cop it sometimes was part of my
duty to investigate homicides – too many it seems – but to write about what is
in a murderer’s mind really intrigued me.

The stories I write concern the human element – be that good or evil. It is what
it is seems to be the cliché running circles through the English language lately
but is that true? A murderer, no matter the motive cannot be taken lightly.
There was something there which triggered the one homicide or multiple homicides
they committed. That is what intrigues me when writing about characters in my works.

Understanding, if we can be as arrogant as believing we can, what causes a
person to take the life of an innocent seems a bit absurd but we do both in
reality and non-reality. That is the job of the writer to make fiction appear to
be non-fiction.

It is the same with the other characters, especially the main or protagonists.
Each of mine are flawed humans with deep emotional scars within their souls. I
think this makes for a better character – one readers, and myself, can relate
to. Most humans, from my research have events in their past which makes them or
at least assists them into who they are today.

Why should it be different for fictional characters?

That’s why I write what I write – I want my readers to visualize that even
though a person may be evil they have deep seated issues which may have pushed
them toward being evil. This is not an excuse for them since evil is evil and
everyone has the opportunity to turn away from such but it may be an idea of why
they are who they are.

And the good may have gone through similar experiences – granted perhaps not so
grievous as the antagonist(s) but they have scars just the same. The difference
is that good always prevails and that is the way it is or at least should be
while we travel on this great ball in the sky.