What was the impetus for you writing “Cookesville U.S.A: The Wildest, Wickedest, Wealthiest Big Small Town In the West?”

Perhaps you can remember a regular article in the Reader’s Digest called, “My Most Unforgettable Character.” Well, I eventually met someone whose chosen profession and lifestyle so shocked and impressed me that I had to tell his story. When I heard that someone in Hollywood also wanted to tell his story, I was totally hooked. “Lynnie” was the “fixer” for the leading criminal defense law office in town. He was a dedicated snoop and investigator in the old gumshoe style—but with immense panache and style. I had been very involved in the Bakersfield community for decades, through various social and career choices when I met the man who is still my partner today. He spent decades in the legal community—first as a criminal defense attorney, then a public defender, eventually a family law specialist, and finally as a Deputy Commissioner for the Board of Parole Hearings in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). With him, I have met and socialized with many people in the local law enforcement community. However, one of his associates was a stand-out. My fictional character, “Lynnie,” is based upon that unforgettable character, and he served as the final impetus for writing stories about this town—its social and political scandals, crimes, trials, and torrid love affairs (extramarital and otherwise). There is good and evil in every community, but when a community has defined borders (unlike the wide expanse of Southern California), the stories become more potent, volatile, personal and positively erotic and exciting. If you’ve lived here long enough, and been active in the community, you realize that others can tell a story about you—whether it’s true or false. The investigator I knew personally shared the most salacious stories I had ever heard, and most community leaders knew this man well. He did impeccable work and he left his indelible mark on Bakersfield. In fact, he made his mark all the way to Hollywood and back. Dennis Quaid approached him about making a movie about his involvement in a nationally known murder trial, which took place in Bakersfield. When “Lynnie” (fictional) shared this with Steve and I, in my home, over dinner, I knew that I must write his story.