The Making of Tribal Honor by T.G. Brown
- T.G. Brown
- Apr 21
- 3 min read
It all starts with an idea… I couldn’t tell you how or why an idea comes to me, but
when it does, I do my best to capitalize on it. Here’s a little behind the scenes look at
how Tribal Honor came to fruition.
When I sat down to write Tribal Honor I knew that I wanted a story that would
shed light on the sensitive topic of elder abuse. It’s a crime that we as a society know
little about. It’s not something that you see in the news, or read in the paper. To be
blunt, it’s overlooked by many.
Being a police officer on a tribal reservation, I saw my fair share of elder
exploitation cases where the victim was abused in a number of ways. Native American
elders get victimized on a daily basis. Criminals will exploit them financially, and/or
physically abuse their victims to feel powerful. Elders are as helpless as a newborn
child when they reach a certain age.
When I sat down to write Tribal Honor, one of the many goals was to educate the
general public on how horrific these crimes can get. Perhaps the story would reveal
clues that people would be more aware of in their own lives.
I understood early on that a book centering around this could come off as dry or
be too dark for some. There needed to be a payoff for the readers if they were going to
go for a virtual ride along with my characters.
I followed three simple rules.
Entertain.
Enlighten.
Educate.
The three e’s of a good story.
I knew that I could educate anyone on this topic with the experiences I had, but I
needed to make this entertaining. That sprouted another question: How do I do that?
This is when I created Warren Lawson, our flawed, yet lovable, hero.
He needed to be someone who inspired hope, but at the same time be relatable.
I also wanted him to be physically strong, as well as intelligent. This was particularly
challenging because he seemed too perfect in the first draft of the novel, so I had to
make him a bit more edgier in the following edits.
This led to some much needed humor in the book when I detail some explicit
internal thoughts he has throughout the investigation. I started to find a flow for the
novel and could feel myself following the three e’s of storytelling.
Next came the Native American brother’s, Mato and Anakin. I needed that
physical presence for Warren to fight. Something that off-set the mental and emotional
battle that the characters faced with the elder abuse storyline.
My villian, Marvin Bingham, in my eyes was all the evil I could handle for one
story. I didn’t need another villain, but I needed someone that’d stand in Warren’s way
and be a threat. Anakin and Mato became the perfect “anti-heroes” of the story, which
became the final puzzle piece of Tribal Honor.
Off I went, writing what would become my first International Award winning book!
I never imagined in a million years that my first book would receive the recognition it got.
There’s a theory I have on that, though.
In the first pages of the novel, there’s a “dedication” section. The year I published
Tribal Honor, my beloved Aunt Liz passed away due to health complications. My Aunt
Liz was one of the toughest people I know. Family members of mine knew her as the
Godmother of the family. She always was a parent to all of us and protected us
whenever she could. I heard many words of wisdom from my Aunt Liz over the years. I
miss her every day.
When my editor asked me who I wanted to dedicate Tribal Honor to, I decided to
dedicate it to my Aunt Liz. That wasn’t always the plan, I’ll admit, but when the time
came to make the dedication, it was perfect.
I wouldn’t describe myself as much of a spiritual person, but I do believe in this. I
think my dear Aunt Liz has found a way to help me in the afterlife. I believe that she had
something to do with Tribal Honor’s success, somehow, someway, I can’t explain it, all I
can do is feel it. I imagine she’s up there, looking down at me with a smile on her face.
And that… Well, that makes the pain of losing her feel a little bit better.
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