About my writing

Darlene D. Bolesny

Past History - or what leads one
to become an action-adventure author. . . .

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The early years - Iran

Camel picture

As was the common custom back in the 1960's, I married my sweetheart Vietnam veteran just after graduating from high school. Since there wasn't an abundance of work in the United States for helicopter mechanics at that time, my then husband, Kenny Johnson, took a job with Bell Helicopter International. Suddenly, I found myself living in Isfahan, Iran. This was way back when the Shah was still ruling Iran. It was certainly a fascinating experience.

Iranian mosque

We did the obligatory (and interesting) sightseeing. The only American television shows available were Bonanza and Star Trek (the original series), and even then, they were in Farci (the Iranian language). I learned some of the language, but only remember snippets of it now. We had an American Club, which was, basically, a place we could go and drink (if we so desired), but they had a pool and a snooker table, and I was taught how to play pool by an American who'd spent far too many hours playing for money in various ports as a sailor in the Navy.

An Iranian market

We lived "on the economy," which meant that we had to fend for ourselves as far as housing, food, etc. went. The picture of me here on the left was taken in front of a typical Iranian market. For those of you who have visited me in the French Quarter of New Orleans, you might notice JUST how much this looks like our French Market!! I must admit that one of the things which drew me to the French Quarter was the old world feel that the French Quarter has.

After a race Racing on the desert

The other hobby I pursued while living in Iran was motorcycles. We had quite an active club which met every weekend to camp in the desert and race. We had hill climbs, motocross, flat track, and the infamous river race, where it didn't matter HOW you got to the finish line -- as long as you got there first! Laying in wait for your buddies along the river bank was quite popular. When you saw them, you slid your bike up to them, covering them in mud and, hopefully, covering their bike with enough of it that it would stall out and buy you some precious time! Now, this is not a recommended practice! (Very bad for a motorcycle.) But we were young and motorcycle parts were inexpensive.

At the time, I was a little bitter when we returned from Iran. I had spent some of my best years there (age 17 - 21) and had missed some VERY American happenings here in the states -- like Star Wars (!) and Watergate (well, some things you didn't mind missing). But it was an experience that few have had, and as the years have passed I have come to appreciate the experiences I had there. As an author, it gave me a wealth of memories to draw from for my writing.

The Fire Department Years (1978 - 1982)

You would think that living in Iran would have been enough strangeness in my life, would you not? Nah. When we returned to the states, I spent a couple of years as a housewife and then found myself going into training to become a firefighter/EMT (emergency medical technician). Why and how is a story unto itself, which there isn't space for here. (If you get to meet me at a convention, ask me about it!) I worked for the City of Denton, Texas for 5 years as a firefighter/EMT. (Yeah, that's me there in the red helmet.) By the time I quit, I had obtained the rank of "relief driver," which meant that I worked as an engineer (driving and working the engine) when the regular driver was sick or on vacation. I also worked ambulance on the side, working motorcycle races, rodeos, and volunteer ambulance for several of the small towns I lived in. I kept my EMT license active for 8 years after I quit the department, but finally let it go. It was a strange period in my life, but again, gave me a wealth of experiences with which to feed the writing. To paraphrase a quote from the movie January Man, "It's your basic crazy person's job - everyone else runs out, you run in!"

Life in the French Quarter

There have been many things which have shaped my writing, but three things shaped my writing the most - the years in Iran, my years as a firefighter, and my close friendship with Robert (Bob) Lynn Asprin. As this strange life of mine has unfolded, I have worked as a fire department secretary, a deli clerk, a deli cook, a typesetter in an advertising department, an executive secretary, a medical secretary, legal secretary and paralegal. At the end of my second marriage, I found myself drawn to the French Quarter of New Orleans. It's the type of place that you either love or hate - I don't know anyone who's a fence-sitter on that particular issue! Bob had moved here not long before, and when I came down to visit I fell in love with the city. It's noisy, it's raucous, it's strange -- but it quickly became home.

The N.O. Quarter Sword Club

There were many things which Bob taught me, and one our earliest shared hobbies was our mutual love of swordfighting. Bob founded and ran the N.O. Quarter Sword Club, with the original intent of building a synchronized sword drill team to march in local parades. The club originally worked with rapiers, but eventually the parade concept was abandoned and it focused more on traditional fencing. The rapiers are a LOT of fun. (These are the swords you see them using in the Musketeer movies.) But there were problems keeping the club going such as hot summers, weird schedules, etc. But it was CERTAINLY invaluable for my writing!

Pool and The French Quarter 9 Ball League

Another hobby has been pool (remember, I learned how to play way back in Iran). It all started when Bob got tired of listening to me complain about the condition of the "house cues" and so he bought me a relatively inexpensive cue stick for my birthday. Since he was getting me one, he got himself one. It is, after all, a nice, relaxing, inexpensive sport here in the Quarter. Something which can be done when it's too hot for the swords. Wellll, we were approached by the locals who shot league pool and asked if we could put together an 8 ball team. We did, the Agents of Chaos, and started playing on Wednesday evenings. The team won the Division it's first time out. Then we placed 2nd the next time, and then 3rd, and then 1st again. . . . Then the 9 ball league got started, and we added 9 ball on Monday's. Then the Quarter shooters decided that they wanted to run a league in the French Quarter just for the French Quarter (not part of the city-wide leagues). To quote one of Bob's Myth books, "Do you know what an organization like ours needs. . . ?" Somehow I ended up with the job of creating and running the "French Quarter 9 Ball League". . . . I finally laid the French Quarter 9 Ball League to rest because it came down to "run a league" or "write." Yep. Writing won out....

And there are and have been other hobbies. I was a member of a very irreverent Mardi Gras krewe, The Krewe du Vieux, a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism, and when I have "extra" time I play Ultima Online to relax. (For you UO players out there, I play on the Nappa Valley shard and have been a proud member of the Marrach Faol Guild!) I also purchased a motorcycle again after moving to the French Quarter, and have slowly been "upgrading" what I ride. I currently ride a Yamaha 650 V-Star Classic.

Post-Katrina:

Ah yes, Katrina. Another validation of my sometimes 'tag line' - "Some have to seek adventure, others have no choice. . . ." There are books and movies and endless commentary on that deadly storm and its aftermath - I'll not add to it here. I weathered the storm from Lafayette, Louisiana, where I evacuated and stayed with SCA friends. But I had friends who chose to remain in the French Quarter (in Bob's case, he insisted on it!), and getting them out was an adventure and stress unto itself.

The law firm I worked for laid off 70 of us after the storm, so for me, Katrina was followed by worry about friends, and then 3 months of unemployment. (I had to wait for the businesses to start to return to the City!) I moved from the French Quarter to a safer location within commuting distance of the City, where I still work downtown, now at Fowler Rodriguez Valdes-Fauli. But despite moving out (to Covington, north of Lake Pontchartrain), I still come into the Quarter to keep up with the news of all my friends.

My gratitude certainly goes out to all the brave people who weathered the storm and worked to save others afterwards. For myself, I will always be grateful to the SCA members who helped me - not only the friends who took me in just before the storm, but the ones who helped me get moved from my 3rd floor condominium when the movers I tied onto decided they were going to just leave half of my belongings behind - it was dark days during that time and there were a large number of irreputable people in town "helping." For those who are a little more curious about my SCA activities, the Shire I belong to is the Shire of Northover. And I certainly could not let any of that swordfighting practice go to waste... So here is a photo of me at Gulf Wars - the one in the red sash (chirurgeon's [first aid] sash).

May 22, 2008

Then, on May 22, 2008, I lost my best friend - Bob Asprin. We had been close for many years, but after Katrina we became much closer. On May 22nd, I was supposed to pick him up after I got off of work to take him to the airport so he could attend MarCon. I spoke to him in the middle of the afternoon - everything was fine and on schedule. But when I went to pick him up, he was not standing outside as would have been normal for him. I called his house; he didn't answer and I knew in my heart of hearts that something was seriously wrong.

I parked the car and used the key I had to go inside. His bag was packed for the convention, sitting on the back of his sofa. He was dressed and ready to go, with his cat, Princess, at his side, Terry Pratchett's book, Soul Music (which I know Bob had read before), lying on his stomach with his place marked, with his left hand on the book and his right hand at his side - his glasses just a couple of inches beyond. I had seen him nap this way before; he loved to sit in bed and read, and he was one of those rare people who could stop reading and nap, without setting an alarm, and then wake up a few minutes later. Only this time he didn't wake up.

I know that he died without pain, or else one hand or the other would have been moved from where they lay. He died as many of us would love to go - in our sleep, reading in our own bed, without any pain. He had not had any serious health issues although there had been some warning signs of heart problems, which he consciously chose to ignore, despite the pleas of all of his friends. (He deeply distrusted doctors, having spent too much time in the hospital for a 'mystery' stomach problem many years earlier. That, and a lack of health insurance, and the scarcity of readily available health care in New Orleans post-Katrina all contributed to his procrastination.)

As far as the many years we knew each other goes, Bob often commented to new people whom we met that he and I had "traveled some" (quoting a line from the old western, El Dorado). And that was very, very true. For those of you who might be interested, some of my many photos of him can be found here. Many of them were taken at Halloween, which was one of our favorite times in the French Quarter.

A Leap to the Present

I know that my time with Bob will always hold a special place in my heart, and the memories I have from over 20 years of friendship with him are simply incredible. But life goes on, and with it are things which had been going on even before Bob left my side - DarkStar publishing had approached me concerning republishing my first book in the Duanor series and then publishing the rest of the series, and they had also signed a contract with Bob for his mystery which was set in the French Quarter, NO Quarter. It is some consolation to me that Bob knew before he died that my writing was finally on track again, and it was something he was quite pleased with. Likewise, I have continued to remain active in the SCA, and I continue to go to the French Quarter on a semi-regular basis so I can keep up with all the Quarter happenings and my French Quarter friends.

And thus, my own adventures continue. All of the foregoing events have woven my life into a marvelous tapestry. It has given me a wealth of experiences to draw from for my writing. One other thing that Bob always said to me, often when commenting about his and my relationship, but also with regard to life, in general: "One thing I can promise you - it will never be dull." Indeed!