On Choice, Chance, and Circumstance in Crime Fiction ‹ CrimeReads

I was asked recently to describe my work as a novelist in two or three words. It was, I think, supposed to be a bit of comedic question at the end of an interview. I was told other writers had said, "caffeinated and crazy" "trying hard," and, "poor sales." As much I like (and related to) those answers, and as much as my gut told me to say, "rural and southern," I instead went with "choice and circumstance."
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I write a great deal about choice and circumstance and how the two elements relate. My characters seem to always find themselves at the cusp of some moral dilemma. And when it comes time for them to choose-to make their ultimate decision that will then reverberate throughout the novel-I make sure the events of their past have a say in which direction they go. I don't do this for dramatic effect. Rather, it is the most accurate way for my characters to mirror actual human beings and how we often make our own decisions.