A Mind Divided

October Roads

FBI Special Supervisory Agent Jason Gideon

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I think Jason Gideon was one of the most interesting characters on TV—brilliant, driven, tortured, socially awkward.  When he drove off into the sunset at the beginning of the third season of Criminal Minds, I knew his story wasn’t over.

What could possibly redeem this man?  What would allow him to forgive himself for his part in the brutal death of his friend?  Could he ever find meaning again in a life that no longer made sense to him?  I wanted answers to those questions.

A couple of other things I wanted to try with this story…

Since the dynamic between men and women totally baffles me, I wanted to really dig into it, explore the current research on what men and women really want from each other, what triggers attraction, what happens to our sex lives as we grow older, what cultural and biological elements come into play.  I spent a lot of time researching for this story.  I still am.

I also wanted to take a stab at creating a bipolar heroine.  There’s so much to consider, so many possibilities, I took the easier path of making Diane Clary more like myself than trying to pull in other aspects of bipolar disorder that I don’t know so intimately.  Giving Gideon a bipolar love interest also offered some juicy dynamics to work with.  Here’s a guy who chases nut jobs for a living—he should know better.  Or maybe he does.

This story is on hold while I tackle other projects.  I just wanted to whet your whistle with the first chapter.

Click here for Chapter One.