Several of us have over the last three years described how we’ve come up with or developed some of our stories. But as I have so often observed, no two writers work in exactly the same way—the “creative process” (how I loathe that phrase! but clichés do have the advantage of being unambiguous, so I’m going with it anyway) is by its nature unique to every individual. So through the offices of John M. Floyd, in our guest spot today we’re featuring Stephen D. Rogers’ description of the genesis of one of the 31 stories in his new collection, Shot to Death.1

Stephen sent the column to me without a title, so I intervened as is my god-like right as editor (although I confess to being, at best, a third-rate god—oh, all right, fifth-rate), and decided to riff on the acronym in his story’s title by combining it with one that should also be familiar to fans of crime fiction, viz., “Be On the Look Out.”

—JLW

BOLO FOR BOGO

by Stephen D. Rogers

She was waiting for him in canned goods, walking up and down the aisle, placing an occasional item in her cart so she wouldn’t appear suspicious.

—“BOGO in Aisle Three”

Within that beginning lurks the ending of the story and everything that happens between the beginning and the end. Or at least it seems that way to me.

What drew me to that line was the “wouldn’t appear suspicious.” Someone walking up and down a single aisle of a food store for any length of time wouldn’t appear suspicious? Who does she think she’s fooling? Herself?

And the “him” she’s waiting for. Is he also fooling himself? Why are they meeting in a food store? Her idea? His?

There’s something I like about her. I can definitely see her pushing that cart up and down the aisle, trying to appear in control. Trying to appear normal.

Why meet in a food store? Because people feel comfortable there? I hear soothing music. I see shelves of canned foods, neatly stacked and organized.

Canned foods allow you to be prepared for any eventuality. Or, they allow you to think you’re prepared. They create a sense of preparedness.

While there is consumerism in a food store, there is also necessity, and the gray area that separates the two. No matter how many cans she puts in her cart, the person at the register
has probably seen more.

She’s waiting, which implies she’s early, or at least on time. I like that she’s there to meet someone, which sounds proactive, and I like that too.

She places “an occasional item” in her cart. To me that says she’s not impulsive. She is, however, distracted. She’s not picking up what she needs while she waits. She’s there in the food store for one purpose and one purpose only. She is focused.

All of this tells me she’s an average person who is stepping outside her comfort zone. The appearance of normality is fragile. Canned goods are sturdy. Her, not so much.

And what of him?

He’s keeping her waiting. That’s not earning him any points with me. Yes, maybe she’s ridiculously early, but then wouldn’t she wait outside? Arriving too early and hanging around would only arouse suspicion and she’s trying very hard not to do that.

She’s fragile, and he’s keeping her waiting. So he’s a bad egg. But still she’s meeting him. In fact, she’s waiting for him.

So she’s shopping for trouble.

That suggests that she isn’t meeting a wayward brother or some ex, someone whose trouble she has inherited. She’s in that food store shopping for new trouble. (Most food stores
aren’t that big on “used.”)

The title, “BOGO in Aisle Three”. Buy one, get one. When you’re shopping for trouble, you probably don’t want more than you bargained for. BOGO usually implies “buy one, get one free.” Free, whether you want it or not.

What else does she say about him? If she’s an average person, he isn’t. If she appears calm, he actually is. If she’s waiting for the meet to happen, he’s resistant to the idea or at least reluctant to meet her.

Why, because she’s fragile?

I don’t imagine it’s very wise to form a criminal enterprise with someone who’s in any way fragile. How could you trust the person when things go bad?

So he’s hesitant. He’s late because he’s careful, not because he disrespects her. After all, he is going to show. “She was waiting for him. . . .” That implies a “when,” as in “when he
finally appeared.” If the sentence read “She waited for him. . . ,” then his appearance would be in question.

Why is he keeping her waiting?

He’s giving her time to think. She’s in a food store, safe. She’s not at the back of some dark bar or at the end of an alley in the bad part of town. She’s safe and free to go at any time. All she needs to do is dump the cart.

But how free is she to do that? I shop. I’ve worked in stores. I’ve seen people pushing carts while children screamed and spouses fought. I’ve never seen someone abandon a cart and leave.

Once you put the stuff in the cart, it’s yours! You don’t just give up what’s yours.

So she’s free to leave and she isn’t free to leave. She’s made a decision and she hasn’t made a decision. She’s proactively changing her life and . . .

She’s killing time in aisle three to meet with the hitman she’d contacted. He’s not so sure that she’s so sure and once she gives the order there’s no going back.

All that remained—for me anyway—was the writing.

1. Stephen is kindly offering our readers a chance to win a signed copy. To enter the drawing, submit your completed entry here. If you’d like to purchase a copy from your favorite bookseller, the ISBN is 978-0982589908. [↩]