Stan Crader's novels are inspired by people, places in Bollinger County

Stan Crader started writing letters within his company, CDC-BME, but has turned his love for the written word into a book series. His first book, "The Bridge" was released in 2007, and he recently released "Paperboy" as a sequel. Crader said he writes "everywhere" in his spare moments while waiting for meetings or between phone calls. He lives with his wife Debbie and golden retriever Roxie outside Jackson. Crader's books are available at Gospeland in Cape Girardeau. He will be signing books from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Gospeland and will be at the November First Friday event at O'Tenem Gallery with the artist who painted the cover of "Paperboy." Visit semoEvents.com to find more signing events.

SE Live: You have a pretty technical job. Is writing your only creative outlet or do you have others?

Crader: My wife and I enjoy hiking in the Rockies. While there, we've taken several great photos and share them with others through note cards, calendars and large canvas prints. And we have a farm near Millersville, and we enjoy clearing brush and keeping it mowed for our family to enjoy. Clearing brush isn't really creative, but it provides instant gratification and is an outlet of sorts.

SE Live: Was either book based on someone you know or knew?

Crader: The characters for both books are either blends of people I know, or knew, completely fictional [characters], or real people I've never met. Few characters in either book are based solely on one individual. One of my paper route customers actually flew fighter planes in World War I, but he didn't teach Ira Biffle to fly. Ira Biffle, of course, was a real person and from Bollinger County, and he did teach Charles Lindbergh to fly, but his role in "Paperboy" is fictional.

SE Live: Did you always plan for "Paperboy" to be a sequel or did the series just develop?

Crader: "Paperboy" came to me after "The Bridge." I needed a way to get more characters into the story. So, I used my experience as a paperboy to introduce a wide variety of characters. And all stories need to have a character who experiences a journey of sorts. In "Paperboy," it's the town that experiences the writer's journey.

SE Live: Describe the third book in the series.

Crader: The next book is going to occur as the band of boys turn 16. The boys will be torn between antics typical of their new found freedom and the lesson they're learning while studying about George Washington. The story is very rough and an outline is coming together, so it's difficult to say at this point how it will be in final form. And I don't know how long it will take, maybe Christmas 2012, hopefully sooner.

SE Live: Who helped you during the writing process?

Crader: I've had so much help along the way. With "The Bridge" I belonged to a writer's group of which I was the worst and least-experienced member. The ladies had all the patience of Job and were a great help. And then my wife provided constant encouragement when she'd laugh at the scenes I was working on. Many friends and family have helped with "Paperboy," especially with the edit. "Paperboy" is written in third person, and I struggled to learn that voice.

SE Live: What do you hope people get out of "The Bridge" and "Paperboy"?

Crader: My writer's goal for "The Bridge" was for reader's to associate a character or two in the story with someone they knew and consequently let the story be a bridge to their own memories. I thought the name was really clever. With "Paperboy" I want the readers to realize that everyone has a story of some sort and that everyone has a redeeming quality, even though with some the redeeming quality might be very difficult to see.

SE Live: When you're not writing or working, what do you enjoy doing?

Crader: When I'm not working or writing, I'm reading. I love to read or listen to books on my iPod. For exercise I go to the farm and clean brush or cut down dead trees. The recent wind storm provided me enough down trees to last a lifetime.

SE Live: Tell us about your family.

Crader: My wife and I raised three boys, two of whom graduated from [Southeast Missouri State University] and one from [the University of Missouri-Columbia]. We live just outside of Jackson along with our golden retriever Roxie. Debbie enjoys working in the yard and sometimes makes me help her. I enjoy more macro outdoor work, like cutting an entire tree down rather than trimming limbs, but the yard always looks better after some pruning. We have a second home in Colorado and enjoy being there during the dog days of summer, but there's nothing like spring and fall in Missouri.