Author Mel Harrison isn’t just a writer of thriller stories—he’s lived the life.
A former special agent and regional security officer with the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, Mel is the creator of the six-book Alex Boyd series, with the newest book, “Crescent City Carnage,” having been released in October. Here’s a look at the story:
Special agent Alex Boyd and his wife Rachel Smith are only a day into their New Orleans vacation when they discover their good friend and colleague, Simone Ardoin, has been brutally murdered. Simone’s parents, members of New Orleans’ high society, are devastated by the tragedy and implore both Alex and Rachel to work with local police to find her killer. The more Alex and Rachel delve into the case, the more deeply they’re drawn into a labyrinth of secrets as twisting as the city’s alleyways, and as dark as its hidden corners.
Mel talks about the New Orleans setting and its role in the book, as well as his background and how it shaped the story. He talks about writing a series and how his main character has evolved over the years.
Why was New Orleans chosen as the setting and how does it serve to drive the story?
While New Orleans is the first domestic setting in my six-book Alex Boyd thriller series, I selected the location because it has characteristics that are conceptually similar to my first five overseas adventures. The Louisiana culture in general, and New Orleans specifically, is unique in America. It is a rich gumbo of black and white, hard-working and laid-back, and innovative and corrupt. When you blend in the amazing food, incredible architecture of the city, and history, it forms the perfect backdrop for a heart-pounding and emotionally captivating story setting.
How was the character of Alex Boyd created and how has he changed over the course of the series?
I developed Alex Boyd’s character based upon my own background as a special agent and regional security officer with the U.S. State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service. Of course, I enhanced certain things to make Alex exciting and memorable to the readers. I created his physical appearance to set an image in the mind of the audience. He’s tall, good-looking, a tough guy, and big enough to handle most situations.
I felt it vital that he also have a keen sense of humor. After-all, in the Foreign Service you meet a range of people in both the embassy and among the foreign community who have divergent views and customs. And you are dropped into dangerous situations that would stress most people. Humor helps deal with this. Also, Alex is successful because he is dedicated to the job and to keeping people safe.
Rachel Smith’s parallel career in the Foreign Service as a press officer and later a senior political officer was created by me to bring readers into the real world of smart couples trying to make it in the challenging world of diplomacy. The humorous banter between Alex and Rachel continues in all the books. As for how he has changed in the series, once he meet and falls in love with Rachel Smith he realizes there is much more to life than merely “the job.” Being a team in every aspect of their life is vital to him.
Was it always your intention to write a series?
Yes, I always wanted to write a series, I just wasn’t sure how many books would be included. I was certain I would have the same protagonist throughout the series. In addition to having Alex Boyd as my lead character, I knew I wanted to have a strong female lead, Rachel Smith, who was an intellectual match for Alex, and also a physical match as well. As I intended to put both of them in harm’s way, I gave each of them the fighting skills to deal with adversaries. I also decided it would be useful to bring back a few secondary characters into subsequent stories, thereby creating linkages that would exist in real life.
How has your professional experience helped you as a writer?
The first bit of advice I learned when I decided to be an author was to write what you know. I have drawn on my knowledge of living overseas, working in American embassies, and dealing with real crisis’ to craft my stories. All of my books are set in locations where I have either lived for several years or worked there from time to time. My characters are fictional, yet they are a composite of people I worked with in different settings. The stories are occasionally based upon events that actually happened, but I have taken the liberty to jazz them up or modify them to excite the reader. As for the extraordinary relationship between Alex and Rachel, well, you will have to draw your own conclusion.
What got you into writing in the first place and why is the thriller genre the one you chose to work in?
Toward the end of my career, I believed I had enough interesting and exciting experiences to write thrillers that would appeal to a broad range of readers. Picking the thriller genre was a no-brainer for me. Thrillers and action-adventure novels are the types of books that I personally enjoy reading. My knowledge of dealing with terrorism, riots, kidnapping and verbal foreign policy disagreements was sufficient to form the basis of each story. When I retired to Florida and moved into my current community, I found it had numerous writing groups to help individuals create the type of books that they yearned to create. I am very grateful to all those who helped my writing improve.
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