LUCY BURDETTE: I'm writing this on Tuesday afternoon, so do not come here for the latest breaking news and opinion, okay?
Well, okay, you can come for opinion. Today's guest, Brad Parks, is hilarious. If you are ever at an author dinner event, and worried about being, ahem, bored? Sit by Brad. He is incredibly entertaining. And, I might add: Talented. His brand new book got a star from Publishers Weekly. And that, darling readers, is difficult to obtain.
The gloriously starred thrilled is THE BOUNDARIES WE CROSS. The title implies instant conflict, right? And, we instantly know, as we open the book, that someone is crossing some line. Or...are they?
WHAT HAPPENED ON WEEK ZERO
by Brad Parks
It’s happened to you.
I bet it’s even happened to Hank. And we all know Hank is perfect.
Still, there it is: someone accuses us of something we know we haven’t done. But we can’t prove it.
Sometimes it’s relatively benign. Did you eat the last cookie? Did you leave those dishes on the table? Did you forget to put the toilet seat down?
(Okay, maybe that last one only applies to, ahem, a few select guest authors here at Jungle Red.)
But other times . . .
Did you steal? Did you cheat? Did you lie?
A false accusation is at the core of my new thriller, THE BOUNDARIES WE CROSS ,which features Charles Bliss, a young English teacher at a well-to-do Connecticut boarding school who is fired for having an inappropriate relationship with a student.
He swears he didn’t do it . . .
But when the student disappears under suspicious circumstances, Charles is the obvious—and only—suspect.
That’s the fictional setup. Though for me, and I’m sure for many of you, there’s an element of this book that’s very much nonfiction.
Do you remember the first week of the pandemic? I always refer to it as Week 0, because none of us even knew what had started. On Monday of that week, when all of us were still stumbling around blissfully maskless—and “the coronavirus” was a thing only people on Italian cruise ships were worried about—someone I loved accused me of having done something pretty terrible.
I knew I hadn’t done it.
But I also couldn’t prove it.
And so, as that horrible Week 0 progressed and our lives became incredibly small overnight (lockdown? what’s that??), I was dealing with a different drama. What I was accused of may never have happened. But the impact it was having on an important relationship in my life was quite real.
Thankfully, it resolved itself fairly quickly. By the next Monday, the person realized they had been mistaken. All was forgiven. (Julia would never have Clare let Russ off the hook so fast.)
But for me a seed was planted. I realized the false accusation—and that awful, sinking feeling of being unable to establish your innocence—would make a delicious setup for a novel. And I subjected poor Charles to 405 pages of sheer hell as a result.
What about the rest of you? What’s the worst thing you’ve ever been falsely accused of doing? (I’m talking even worse than the toilet seat thing . . . which, for the record: It wasn’t me!)
Do you remember that awful feeling? Did you get it sorted out? Or is it still lingering?
LUCY: Great question! We are eager to hear what you have to say, Reddies!
And: One random commenter wins a free signed copy of THE BOUNDARIES WE CROSS. For more on Brad, visit his website .
Congratulations, Brad, on your new book . . . and on your star from Publishers Weekly . . . .
ReplyDeleteI'm sitting here feeling bad for poor Charles and looking forward to reading your book. [Hopefully, he finds redemption after those 405 pages of hell . . . .]
I think the most serious thing I was ever accused of was when a colleague insisted that I'd acted inappropriately to get a teaching assignment. Of course, I hadn't, but, at the time, it was a huge thing in my life. Sadly, after everything was clarified and classes were assigned, it was proven that I hadn't done anything inappropriate, but that colleague never felt compelled to apologize :(
OH! That is SO terrible! Joan, you would never..ah. I am so sorry that happened to you. xxx
DeleteSee? I told you Hank was perfect. :)
DeleteOoops. That's me, Brad, saying that. (I didn't mean to be anonymous when extolling Hank's virtues.)
DeleteYou are SUCH a troublemaker! xoxoxo (Not you, Joan...:-))
DeleteI remember meeting Brad at Bouchercon Long Beach. Glad to see this book!
ReplyDeleteAnd ugh, in a legal case for work, the judge (who could not understand a technical process that I was describing) stated in his judgement that he thought that I was lying. Maddening! I was such a scrupulous person at work, and I had no opportunity to defend myself.
DeleteHey, Lisa. Nice to see you again (virtually). That story is just the worst. We rely on judges to be wise but sometimes they're just imperious jerks!
DeleteUgh. Poor Charles! I was once fired from a job on the pretext that my performance was unacceptable. All of my reviews were positive; my bosses kicked me to the curb because they wanted to use my salary to expand their services by acquiring a much smaller company. I wasn't given an opportunity to defend myself or my record. It didn't help that at least 2 individuals were trying to sabotage my projects to advance their careers. (Flora)
ReplyDeleteThat's a great premise, and congratulations on the new book, Brad! Also, glad you worked things out quickly with your person.
ReplyDeleteI can't think of anything more serious than minor household things I've been wrongly accused of.
And now I return to my deep mourning for our country - and myself.
Edith, I am feeling the same. Remember the old curse, "May you live in interesting times?" That is where we have landed.
DeleteThank you Edith for mentioning how deeply troubling Trump's rise to power will be for our nation, Ukraine, Palestinians, health care and medical insurance, the environment, and those who keep our nation running smoothly and strong - Immigrants.
DeleteBrad, I know the sick feeling of which you speak. I was in my 20's and oblivious to how things looked, was extremely careless about image and was accused of having an affair with an older man by his wife. Ew-w. At the time, I had frequented his stable of horses because he let me lead horseback rides into the desert. Lesson learned. Sick though. An older co-worker explained where I had gone wrong but the horses sang a siren song back then. I never returned to that stable.
ReplyDeleteHey Judy. It's awful, isn't it? Sadly, that poor woman's husband probably HAD cheated on her some other time . . . just not with you!
DeleteBrad, love that you "subjected poor Charles to 405 pages of sheer hell". No wonder you're always in what seems a good mood, having the ability to do that!
ReplyDeleteI have, sadly, experienced a very serious misunderstanding, about an old and deep wound that my daughter thinks I caused. She still refuses to believe that what she was told I did never happened. The trajectory of her entire life has hinged on this lie, and I am powerless to help her see that it's not true.
A big reason that I DETEST liars.
Karen, how painful that must be for you. Hugs from northern Ohio.
DeleteHugs from NE MA, too, Karen.
DeleteOh, Karen. That's just terrible. I'm so sorry.
DeleteThank you. We work hard to overcome it, but the hurt defines her.
DeleteMy heart and hugs go with you Karen. I don't mention my CA daughter very often as she still believes the poisonous lies about me.
DeleteOh, no, Karen. How awful. It is really incredible to think of how many people out there are carrying the weight of someone's lie, that separated them from a loved one. It's equally incredible to think of all of the people out there who have chosen to be lied to for the next four years.
DeleteNo kidding, Judy. It beggars belief.
DeleteThat is so awful. Heartbreaking. I am so sorry. xxxxx
DeletePlease don't be upset for me. My daughter and I still have a close relationship. It has a glitch in it, one that is not present in my relationship with the other two daughters, although it took some heartbreak to get here. My biggest concern is that she has so much scar tissue from believing the hurtful lies that it has affected her whole life.
DeleteCoralee, my heart goes out to you for the same reasons. Namaste.
So sorry, Karen, and Coralee. I can't think of much worse than a misunderstanding with a daughter.
DeleteTerrible wounds! I am sorry for you all. I am also sorry for our country which died last night. If you think it will be only four more years, you are very naive. There will be no more Presidential elections.
DeleteI personally will be moving to a wonderful existing democracy. The USA is dead!
Karen in Ohio, so sorry about your misunderstanding with your daughter. Children think that adults know everything. I have been guilty of this myself. As a child, I thought adults knew everything. After I became an adult, I learned that adults do not always know. Growing up, I remember some people would lie to me about my parents. Because of this, I made sure to get to know my parents well and communicate clearly. Skilled liars can cause a lot of trouble!
DeleteWas Brad Parks’s the host of a tv game show in the 1980s?
ReplyDeleteNo, but Burt Parks (no relation that I know of) used to sing at the Miss America Pageant. Maybe that's what you're thinking of?
DeleteYes! That was who I was thinking of. Thank you.
DeleteDon't let him fool you! That was definitely OUR Brad. :) He's very entertaining, and a terrific singer, so it MUST be true!
DeleteBrad Park's novels are captivating and intriguing. Yes, I was accused of causing a rift in the family which exists to this day. Unfortunately it seems in life history repeats itself.
ReplyDeleteThere was an incident that I had forgotten until today. I was falsely accused of doing something to a classmate during recess and I still do not know exactly what I was accused of! What I vividly remember is that our teacher was the female version of Snape from the Harry Potter stories. Our teacher put me outside and I sat outside in very cold weather without a coat! The teacher came out from time to time asking me if I did it and I was taught to be honest. I said "No, I did not do it." So she left me outside! I was at death's door when the teacher asked me for the last time if I did it and I said "Yes", with no idea what I did! I finally went back into the classroom. That was the first time in my life that I ever lied to save my own life. Since then I always had problems staying warm. The mentally unstable classmate, who lied about me, Never ever explained to me what I did!
ReplyDeleteThat happened many years ago and that classmate made it clear that they were not a friend to me. Many years later I ran into the spouse and their toddler without Horrid, who was in the other room at an event. The spouse introduced themselves and I said nothing. They knew who I was.
In all of my relationships, I never ever mentioned this classmate. This horrid person is part of my past and I would rather leave that person in the past. Horrid Never apologized to me. Last time I saw this horrid person, they just looked at me and did not say anything. I think this horrid person is ashamed and maybe feeling guilty now about the way this horrid person treated me. This horrid person's twin sibling tried to strangle me at the age of 3 (we all were 3 years old ).
Brad Parks, congratulations on your novel! Your story sounds like a thriller!
ReplyDeleteSuch a troubling topic, such a great plot inspiration, though Brad. I am sad to see that my btl friends had these experiences that have stayed with them. My hope is we learned from them and became stronger. I have learned from my emotional bruises that I am not the label someone attaches to me. Also learned that I cannot prove a negative so best keep on moving forward.
ReplyDeleteThat's one reason the familiar mystery plot of trying to clear someone resonates so well with me.
ReplyDeleteIt is a great plot, Mark. But a terrifying premise.
DeleteMy false accusation case came about because my sister Barb framed me! A not-atypical high schooler at a time when the drinking age was 18, she liked to indulge in alcohol with her friends. (The place to hang out and drink was the local elementary school playground after dark.) She had a half-filled bottle at home, and was leery of hiding it in her own room. So she stashed it in our 13-year-old brother's toy chest, figuring he wasn't using it any more, but it was easily accessible. Unfortunately for her, our Mom found some old toys while cleaning and went to toss them in the chest... you can follow the action from there.
ReplyDeleteUnder the withering questioning of Mom, who could have given the FBI lessons, Barb revealed the person behind the bottle of Jack Daniels was... me! A 21 year old studying in London. According to Barb, I had stashed it there before I left, swearing her to secrecy.
To her credit, my sister figured I was 3000 miles away at a time when no one made international calls unless someone had died, and would therefore be safe from our mother's wrath. She underestimated Mom's ability to BLISTER the pages of an airmail letter. I swear, it burst into flames when I opened it.
Unfortunately for the conspiracy, Barb hadn't mentioned her ruse to me, so I was utterly confused as to why my mother was yelling at me for exposing my brother to booze. When I replied - keep in mind it took about a week door to door - Mom thought I was trying to deny my crime by playing dumb. Eventually, it all got sorted, but it took long enough so Mom had calmed down, and Barb got off WAY more lightly than I would have. She also used my left-behind college ID to make a fake ID for herself, which Mom also found, but that's another story.
I want to assure you all that Barb has reformed from her criminal past. She is now an upstanding and honest citizen of Alexandria, VA, and if any of you are in the market for a house in the DVM area, give Barbara Scheeler, Realtor, a call.
If your sister Barb had been honest from the start and admitted that she stashed the bottle in the toy chest, then what would have been the punishment?
DeleteNow we understand why you went to law school and became a lawyer!
What a crazy and funny story.
DeleteAt that age, Julia, I was much like Barb, yikes. I looked older than I was and had my older roommate’s old ID- didn’t change the ID but certainly used it.
As a 6th grader, I was accused of talking back to a teacher and it wasn’t me. It was the only time I went to the Principal’s office in my schooling and for something I didn’t do. Not a major deal though. (Heather S)
Back in the 90s, someone told a lie about me that caused me to lose my job. This person was unscrupulous to the point that I think he was able to convince himself that he was right. It was a bad time for people who did my kind of job to be out of work. For the next two years I worked a series of temporary jobs, found a permanent part-time night job, and continued applying for permanent jobs. I went through my savings. Eventually, I was hired by the town where I live, and I worked there until retirement twenty-one years later. In the end, losing that job turned out to be good: In n my new job, I had excellent benefits, a pension, and I made the best friends of my life!(The job I lost had no benefits and no pension.) Even though we’re all retired now, we see each other regularly, and we’re like family to each other! I don’t know what I would do without them!
ReplyDeleteDebRo
Congratulations on the book, Brad. I heard you talk about it on the SinC podcast with Julie Hennrikus and thought it sounded very intriguing.
ReplyDeleteI did lose a job once because of something someone said. But it was less a case of "I didn't do it" than he labeled me a troublemaker because - gasp! - I gave my honest opinion and he didn't want to hear it.
Hi Brad! Gosh, what a great premise for a novel--and such a terrible thing to happen in real life. I think we will all feel better if your Charles manages to get justice against his accusers!
ReplyDeleteVictoria, So sorry this happened to you. It sounds like you had NO knowledge of what happened to your sister and she Thinks you knew and did nothing. So sad for everyone involved. Please take care of yourself, ok?
ReplyDeleteA young relative was abused by an evil nanny and her partner. The young relative's parents did not know. Though I suspected, I did not know for several years until the evil nanny's partner bragged about "forcing (my relative) to obey". I was furious when I found out that I did not want to have anything to do with the evil nanny and her partner! Before I found out, this young relative would hit me for no reason and now I think I know why it happened. The poor kid probably thought that I supported the evil nanny and her partner's abuse. Thankfully when my young relative's life circumstances changed, the evil nanny and her partner broke off contact with the family. My young relative and I finally started to communicate. I think my young relative began to understand that we are on the same team. When I found out, I apologized to my young relative because I honestly did not know!
Oh my goodness! Abuse is so insidious in the way it worms itself into the fabric of a family's life. Having exited from two abusive marriages - emotional, not physical - several did not believe me because I had no bruises, etc. Your young relative is lucky to have you and you can help show the way to a healthy, whole life free from the horrors of abuse. If they haven't already, I strongly suggest you help them get some counseling so they understand they are not the problem and can assemble a toolbox of approaches to relationships in the future. I went through a year of counseling to, as my husband put it, "get me fixed." It did just that and I left the marriage. Counseling is very empowering when you get the right counselor. -- Victoria
ReplyDeleteVictoria, thank you! Yes, my young relative saw a therapist regularly and continues to see a therapist. Now an adult and thriving! Sorry to hear that you were in two abusive marriages and glad you are finally out of these abusive relationships! Yes, with the right counselor, therapy can be empowering!
ReplyDelete