What Led Me to Write Creepers

Hello everyone. I thought I would give you a little insight into my book 'Creepers'. The idea came to me while I was living in Memphis. In my travels throughout the area I couldn't help but notice all of the kudzu vines draped over everything, trees, power poles, buildings, cars, fences, you name it.

That's when the "what if" popped into my head. I also knew that it had to be more of a story than just plants of the region, and that's when my other observation about the area came into play. Being from the Southwest, I had never really seen the racial divide as up close and personal as I did in Memphis.

It seemed to me that many of the people in the South were still fighting the Civil War. There were long held hatreds and mistrust on both sides. It was palpable. When my friends came to visit, they even commented on how thick the racism was in the air. So I knew this had to be an important part of my novel. As a result, a lot of the personal interactions within the book are from personal experiences, or the experiences of friends.

At times it is very distasteful, and for me, difficult to write. I am not saying that everyone in the South is like this, quite the opposite. Most of the people I met had kind hearts. There was however, a subculture that truly exhibited these unfortunate beliefs and characteristics.

In the end, the book is a work of fiction with very real characters. However, if you find yourself driving through the South and see the vines covering everything, be careful where you park. You never know...