My books are mostly set in Maine, and they serve up a pretty realistic portrayal of the state and the places I’ve been. Mill towns, rural villages, the Portland waterfront—I try to describe what readers would see if they came to the real Maine, and the kinds of people they would meet here (if they hung out with cops and criminals).
But where does reality end and realistic fiction begin? And can these books be too real for their own good—and mine?
I’ll let you in on a conversation I had recently with my editor at Down East Books, Michael Steere. He was editing DAMAGED GOODS, the ninth McMorrow novel, due out in February. A big chunk of the novel takes place in a small city on Maine’s midcoast. Physically the city is a lot like an existing one; the towns that surround it have their real names but this one has a fictional moniker. So, Michael asked, why not name this one?
Good question, and one I’ve considered every time I write a novel set in a real place filled with fictional characters. So let’s consider DAMAGED GOODS. Much of the book is set in a small coastal city called Galway, Maine. It looks a lot like Belfast. It’s geographically in the same place. If you followed McMorrow from his home in Prosperity, with the directions in the novel, you’d end up in Belfast. So where does the resemblance end?
With the characters. DAMAGED GOODS centers on a young woman named Mandi who works as an “escort” in this small town. Are there women like her in real-life Belfast? I suppose there must be. There are ads for such services for most places in Maine. But I don’t know for sure.
Mandi isn’t based on a real person, certainly not one in Belfast, Maine. Nor is the police detective who investigates Mandi and Jack’s connection to her. Nor the pistol-toting guy from Massachusetts who has Mandi scared to death. But here’s the rub. If I set the book in Belfast, Maine, a very small place, and there happened to be a prostitute working on Main Street, and she bore a resemblance to my character (attractive, big-boned, a wide mouth and deep-set brown eyes); And she is, in fact, the only prostitute working on Main Street, and therefore, people who know her would assume that my character was modeled on this real person. Then they might assume that all of the things I attribute to Mandi are based on this real-life escort. And that would not be good. Or true.
I was told early in my career that libel cases can spring from fiction as well as the newspaper. Even with the disclaimer that says any resemblance to actual persons is coincidental. And the problem with libel cases, like most legal actions, is that even the winner loses. A libel suit can suck you dry.
So I made up Galway, Maine, but modeled it physically on a real place. It is populated by wholly fictional characters. I hope readers find them to be real; I hope real people don’t read about them and see only themselves.
This post first appeared on Murder *By*4, a blog created by mystery writers. If you haven’t already, check it out.
In PORT CITY SHAKEDOWN, the first Brandon Blake novel, Brandon gets a full dose of bad guys. A brawl in a funeral home introduces him to Joel Fuller, a sociopathic hustler. Fuller is fresh out of jail and determined to take Brandon out—after Fuller and his sidekick Kelvin shake him down.
Rocky isn’t a tough guy. He’s a skinny little kid with crooked glasses, and he shouldn’t be homeless in Portland, Maine. When McMorrow and Roxanne pluck him from under the stomping feet of a gang of street kids, Rocky latches onto McMorrow–and drags him into a world of murder, both old and new. Why is McMorrow protecting Rocky? The cops want to know. Why is Rocky on the run? McMorrow wants to know. Why does death follow in Rocky’s wake? Jack and Roxanne need to find out before they’re added to the list. 
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Looking forward to your newest book about “Galway, Maine”. Having moved to that small city, (based on Belfast) back in the late 70’s (from Northern Maine), I can tell you it was a bit rough and tumble back then and has “matured” quite a bit since as more folks (without a criminal record) have discovered it. It was and is a great place to live, work and visit, no matter what you want to name it. I’m loving this part of Maine and eagerly awaiting your portrayal of our little city and her “fictional” characters! It will also be great to have Jack back for another appearance.