Third and Long: What Makes the Retro Series Compelling

Grab a copy of Third and Long Now!

Writing 'Third and Long'

Writing 'Third and Long' has been an experience that feels both nostalgic and profoundly reflective. As part of the Keegan Retro Series, this book takes us back to an early case in John Keegan's career—a pivotal investigation involving Martin Reeves and his partnership with Matty Long. The core idea of this retro series is that these books actually double as episodes in Keegan's current-day TV show, where older Keegan looks back on significant cases from his career, offering a mix of personal growth and detective work.

Young Keegan and Matty Long

In 'Third and Long,' we see Keegan paired with Matty Long, a detective Keegan initially considered "old" back in 2000. Keegan, in his youthful certainty, found himself doubting the abilities of a man he saw as past his prime. And yet, Long turned out to be the partner he needed, offering perspectives that young Keegan never expected. Now, Keegan is the older detective, and reflecting back on his younger self, he finds it ironic how his perception has shifted. The things we are so sure of when we're young—the certainties and judgments—often soften as we age, transforming into questions or, at the very least, considerations we previously ignored.

The Challenge of Writing from Two Perspectives

It's both compelling and challenging to write this series because it involves looking back on a year like 2000, a time when both Keegan and I were younger, more driven by impulse than wisdom. This is where the tension of writing comes in: I often catch myself writing from the older Keegan's perspective instead of his younger self's. It's a strange dichotomy to navigate—letting that older voice creep in, offering moments of retrospective wisdom without overshadowing the rawness of Keegan's youth. But I think that balance makes it real. We all have those moments where our future self seems to whisper back to our past decisions, pointing out the growth or the flaws we couldn't see then.

Matty Long's Influence on Keegan

Matty Long is at the heart of what makes 'Third and Long' so special for me. In the story, he's a detective that young Keegan saw as outdated, someone with one foot already out the door. But Matty’s mentorship becomes a crucial piece of Keegan's journey, shaping his path in ways he didn't understand until much later. Now, older Keegan reflects on those moments from a wiser vantage point, and the dynamic takes on a deeper meaning—almost as if he’s teaching the audience, and himself, what it means to respect the past without romanticizing it.

Reflecting on the Past While Looking Forward

In my own life, writing this book has allowed me to look back and draw connections between then and now. As I work on the current series, which explores the modern-day cases of Keegan, I find myself pushing forward, always looking for what comes next—just like we often do in our real lives. But working on the Retro Series, and particularly 'Third and Long,' has reminded me of the importance of reflecting. The future is always there, and sometimes it feels daunting, especially as we get older. We can lose the same excitement we once had for it. But looking back, we often see that things weren't always as great as we remember, and that maybe, just maybe, the future still holds as much brightness—and perhaps more—than those days we left behind.

The Journey of Writing 'Third and Long'

These stories are a journey, both for Keegan and for me. They're about trying to find the right lens for the past, one that acknowledges mistakes, growth, and the moments that define who we are—even if we can't fully understand them until years later.

Third and Long releases in January. Pre-order a copy now!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

When Two Paths Diverge: Crafting Parallel Stories and a Dual Narrativ

Image
When Two Paths Diverge: Crafting Parallel Stories and a Dual Narrative For years, Keegan's wife, Pauline, has nudged me for more space in the novels. So, in The Fallen , she gets it, taking a bigger role in the story. But that didn't satisfy the call for more attention. I felt she deserved something more detailed, that she had a larger story to tell. So, I took a shot at doing something I thought I might regret. Turns out, I hit on something that rang true. One of the most exciting turns in writing the John Keegan Mystery Series arrived with The Lies That Bind Us . In that novel, I experimented with a dual narrative—shifting between John Keegan’s investigation and Pauline McCrory Keegan’s covert search for answers. It created an immediate tension: two detectives (though Pauline technically isn’t one) entwined in the same case, yet walking very different roads. The challenge was to capture both perspectives within a single book without diminishing either character’s depth or mot...
Read more

Revisiting Time Stand Still: Editing, Nostalgia, and Growth

  Revisiting Time Stand Still : Editing, Nostalgia, and Growth I love writing the Keegan series. It's my main work and it's fulfilling and my most productive area of writing. But, there's one book I wrote almost twenty years ago that has been a sort of favorite. While Keegan is more of my polar opposite, Darren Camponi from Time Stand Still  is a little more like me. And the story, going back in time and reliving younger days, has always intrigued me. But the book is flawed and needs some attention. Hence, the revisit. Time Stand Still is  a story outside my John Keegan series, yet one that oddly links back, as the main character, Darren Camponi, makes an appearance in To The Bone and joins Keegan’s ever-expanding world. And this year, I decided to do what Darren does in Time Stand Still, go back to my past and relive it. Only I can make changes that don't impact the present too much. I hope ;) It’s strange to open up something I two decades ago, seeing my own words fr...
Read more

Revisiting Soft Case: A Decade (and More) Later

Going Back to the Beginning Soft Case will always hold a special place in my mind and heart. It's my first (published) novel and I love it for all it represents, including how far I have come since. I usually do some small updates every two years to my books but Soft Case has long needed more than that. And I guess I avoided it because it was a huge endeavor. Now, it's done. It was quite an experience. When I first wrote   Soft Case , I was a first-time author with big dreams, a decent amount of self-doubt, and, let’s face it, very little leverage. My goal back then was simple: get published. It’s a goal many writers share, and one that can overshadow other creative aspirations. The publisher and editor had their ideas about what the book should be—ideas I didn’t always agree with but wasn’t equipped to challenge at the time. Let’s just say I didn’t yet have the gravitas (or courage) to tell the editor “no.” In hindsight, some of those compromises gnawed at me over the years. T...
Read more