FAQs Archive - T. R. Softly's Gang

Q: Q. Did T. R. Softly ever have a different name?

A. Not really. For the first several months of the first draft, before he enters the story in Part II, he was known in the author's notes as "Our Guy." His name appears in a list of 50 or more potential names for the character, but by the time his nine-year-old self gets socked in the jaw in the first line of Chapter 6, the Softly name was firmly embedded.

Q: Q: How long does it take to write a detective novel?

A: Feigning politeness, it depends on the book. Oh, you mean this one? We have data. The author began writing page one on June 29, 2018, and finished all but what was then the last chapter on June 29, 2019. The final chapter was completed in early August, after he returned from what has turned out so far to be his last travels. Though a year or more had elapsed, not all of that time was in front of the keyboard; perhaps nine out of the twelve months were devoted on a daily basis to the manuscript. Editing the manuscript, in stages (through 15 revisions), consumed another year, roughly from September 2019 to September of the First Pandemic Year. For example, an entire week was required to eliminate the many overuses of 30 common words. A final major line edit consumed November and December and part of January 2021. Along the way, chapters decreased in length and increased in number from 12 to 26. Though the structure of the book did not change markedly from first to last draft, some significant features were added much later. The short Prologue arrived around October 2019, and the important "Presidential Treats" did not appear until the sixth or seventh revision in February 2020.

Q: Q: In what year did the story recounted in Everything Is Jake take place?

A. The Author won't say , but he also claims that any intrepid reader of detective fiction can figure it out from clues salted in the story. Consider cultural references, the length of time the characters were in school, and calendar references to specific dates sprinkled throughout the text. Add your deduction to a Comment, and the Author will confirm all correct deductions if you leave a working email address.

Q: Q: Do the character names have some sort of hidden meaning or significance?

A: Yes, many do. Some have both. A few names or places, like the name Luana, TR's mother, are a wink or nod to an old friend; and TR doesn't live on Dumbarton Street in Georgetown just by accident. Some are tributes to other writers; Formerly Mumford, for instance, is a salute to the great Ross Thomas. Other names have a meaning, though perhaps not always very deep, which a few moments thought will usually reveal. You needn't have studied Latin to understand the odd juxtaposition of the two parts of the Deckled Don's last name; he's first met on line 3 of chapter 1, and you can consider at leisure whether the name suits his revealed character.

Q: Q. Where do the characters' names come from?

A: Most come from a list of Potential Character Names the author has been maintaining for more than a quarter century. Some come from corruptions of names encountered in books or TV credits, a few from reconstructions of names of people the author has met, and most are conjurations from a will-o-the-wisp of perfect names.