Firing up the Muse

By Leona DeRosa Bodie, Author of SHADOW CAY


Have you ever read a great book and wondered what spark fired up that author? Was it pure imagination or real kindling in the author’s past that ignited the writer’s burning desire to spin the tale? The catalyst that drove me to write my fictional thriller, SHADOW CAY, was our personal story.

Some years ago, my husband Walt and I suffered through a rough NJ winter. This particular November, we carved our two cars out of an icy parking lot three times in one week and skidded an hour to work. Right there and then, we decided Florida living was for us. We were so desperate to escape our version of Antarctica, we decided to quit our jobs and move. Fortunately, a highly reputable company offered Walt not only a thrilling job in the “Sunshine State” but also a rich relocation package that generously covered all our moving expenses.

I still remember my husband’s excitement after the new employee orientation. But weeks later, when he discovered huge irregularities, his enthusiasm for the job soured. As the months and years flew by, he suspected illegal activities and criminal wrongdoing. What should an employee do in a situation like that?

That’s what inspired SHADOW CAY. It’s the story of two people who discover a secret that threatens a million lives worldwide. My thriller, however, starts far from corporate America in a remote Bahamian island paradise that soon collides with Miami big business, when a vigilante and an amateur detective join forces. They risk their lives to expose the man behind the world’s most profitable enterprise. But, no one’s EVER crossed Rico Salazar and lived to talk about it.