In ‘Altered Sense’, I wanted to create a crime story, but I also wanted to present it in a different way, with a non-traditional protagonist. I started with the idea of someone having supernatural visions and I then applied this to crimes being investigated traditionally. With these visions Will began to experience, I wanted to explore the way others would respond to him, as most often people refuse to believe things they can’t see themselves or can’t understand, which is a recurring challenge within this story. Will was intentionally designed as an introvert and lacking in confidence as I wanted to show how ordinary people can become extraordinary when thrown into difficult situations. Throughout the story, Will undergoes tremendous personal growth, and I really grew attached to him, and I hope others will as well.
Write what you know
I often think about this concept, and perhaps there is some validity to it. I am drawn to writing crime and thrillers because this is what I enjoy reading. However, I also appreciate how great things can happen by stepping out of your comfort zone, and by blending the supernatural with a crime story, I pushed myself to create something quite unique.
I began Altered Sense with a very small idea. What would happen if someone had a vision about a crime yet to occur? Firstly, what would it take for a person to believe themself? How could they separate thinking they are unwell to knowing something very real, and very strange is happening to them. That is where Altered Sense was born. Pushing this idea further, I asked myself, how would you then convince others of the things you were seeing? It was this question that began to form a simple idea into the complications within my novel. After I developed these plot issues, I formed the crimes around them (writing what I know and love).
Rather than focusing on one crime, Altered Sense has three separate and linear criminal investigations. I did this intentionally, not to make the novel busy, but to focus on the development of Will’s visions and his character. As the crimes occur around him, he battles his own mind to find ways to prevent these crimes, and by the end of the story, he has undergone incredible growth.
Now that Will has accepted his gift and has found the trust of those closest to him, I look forward to the second novel where I can further explore the mix of supernatural visions and crime thrills.
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