Ever wondered how you might persuade a group to follow you into battle, walk out in protest against the food served in the cafeteria, or perform a polar bear plunge into Lake Ontario in February? 

How did you research your book?

They say that you should write what you know, and I think that this is either good advice or bad, depending on the circumstances. If writers wrote only what they knew, we’d have no Lord of the Rings, no Chronicles of Narnia, and precious little science fiction. (We might not even have the Bible.)

On the other hand, the things you know best are apt to contain the most powerful forces in your life. Why not harness them?

“Because I could not stop for Death, he kindly stopped for me.” 

                                    — Emily Dickinson

How did you decide on the title?

Its 7:30 AM, and still dark out. The dogs mill around, looking out the front window as if they, too, are wondering if they want to go for a walk. It’s the eighth day of temperatures in the -20’s, and I certainly don’t.

PI Dan Sharp interviews his creator, writer Jeffrey Round

DAN SHARP: If I might dive directly into the subject at hand, what drew you to the story of Toronto’s now-notorious serial killings?

What was the inspiration or overarching themes behind your new book?

Writing is a lonely effort. While the raw material for Blamed and Broken came from countless hours spent talking to other people, translating their words into a coherent and undeniable narrative fell solely to me. It was difficult. Not just because the scope of the book spans more than a decade in the lives of so many people. Not because it required a fresh look at thousands of pages of documents that had either been hidden or carted off to archives.

My grandmother told a lot of stories. In her 84 years, she’d experienced a lot, and felt a duty of sorts to impart her knowledge learned on anyone who would listen. Luckily, she was a very engaging storyteller, and had the sort of perspective that was always worth considering, even if you ultimately disagreed with it. It’s been 12 years since she passed away after a long battle with cancer.

Afghanistan loomed large in my imagination long before I ever set foot there. I grew up listening to my Grandfather tell tales of serving in British India, hanging on his every word. In my mind, Afghanistan was a wild place on the border of civilization. It was a place for adventure.