A quick look back

 

I believe it’s been about a week since "Asset Denied," the first book in The Gene Bukowski Files, went live on Amazon. I thought it would be a good time to share where it all started and why.

The first question you might be asking is, who is Gene Bukowski? He is a legacy character who has been with me for a very long time. My editor can confirm that they first encountered him twenty-five years ago as the main character in a story set on Mars, where he chased bad guys and drove buggies. In a way, Bukowski was a version of me—how I envisioned myself if I were not a wheelchair user, or more accurately, how I saw myself without the limitations of disability.

You could say that Bukowski’s initial appearance was little more than a "Mary Sue" character; he represented me in a way.

Over time, I evolved. I finished university, earned a master’s degree in social and community work, worked, fell in love, got married, lost my job, faced health challenges, secured another job, encountered more health issues, and eventually found stable work again. Throughout this journey, I continued writing. Bukowski finally made it into a book, but while it was decent, the rights reverted back to me after a year, and the book was taken down. Once again, Bukowski was buried. During this time, I had "Dragoon: First
Strike" was published through Three Ravens, and I also collaborated on a short story that is now being developed into a trilogy with Michael Lavoice.

I wanted to revisit Bukowski and decided to rewrite his story with a different setting. After I completed the rewrite, I asked Michael to read it, secretly hoping he would advise me to put it away. Instead, he loved it. When I discovered that my old mentor was an editor at another small press that favoured short-length works, I submitted the manuscript to them. You can read their feedback here.

So, who is Bukowski now? He’s still an undercover agent, but his character has much more depth than it did twenty-five-plus years ago. I really hope you’ll enjoy "Asset Denied." Please consider leaving a review once you’ve finished, as I would greatly appreciate your feedback.