On the day I write this (5/16/10), there are only three people who will probably fully understand the meaning behind this page. Those three people are myself, my younger brother, and one of my co-workers. Don't worry, once you read Detective Jake: Phantoms, the meaning will become crystal clear. I'd go into more details, but I'd probably end up giving away the major plot twist at the end of the story. The only reason I'm presenting the facts I do is to give you a little information about the book and how my mind works.
     Of the things I can tell you, one of those is that I "stole" the idea for the end of the story from my younger brother, Keith. "Stole" might be too strong of a word; after all, I discussed it with him and asked him for his permission to use the idea before I began creating my outline for the story. I think he was actually excited that someone didn't just brush him off by telling him he was being silly and would never grow up. There will probably be people who read Phantoms who think that way about both of us by the time they reach the end. I'll let my readers decide.
     So how did Keith come up with the idea? By being silly and never growing up ... both of which are traits I love about my brother. He and his scout troop participated in a forensic weekend at a local museum. Part of the learning experience was for the boys to search for clues, interview "witnesses", and discover the murderer. I don't know if any of the boys "arrested" the correct suspect, but I know Keith didn't. When he named his suspect, the boys rolled their eyes and groaned.
     I didn't groan, I thought it was a great idea. Because I did, I wrote it into the story line. Even if no one else likes the ending, I wrote the book for Keith and I know, or at least hope, he loves the way I handled his evidence and suspect. I enjoyed the challenge of working what might seem like a silly idea into the main actions of the other suspects and the people working the investigation.
     If you read Phantoms and think I've lost my mind for using Keith's idea, I'll be back to complete sanity before writing my next novel. I hope you understand my tendency to take on a challenge and that you enjoy the rest of the story. If you read the book, decide I'm not crazy, and you enjoy the unusual twist, drop me an email telling me so.
     I won't blame Keith if the book is a bust because it was my decision to incorporate his idea. If the book is a success because of the ending, I'll give him all of the credit ... at least for providing the original idea for an unusual parts of the story.