When Iredell native Kent Westmoreland decided to create a private-eye character for his book, “Baronne Street,” he wanted a hero who differed from many of the life-worn, unhappy characters of many such novels.
“The main character is always a middle-aged guy who is not very successful. They’re mad at the world,” he said.
So he made his character, Burleigh Drummond, a younger guy, 28, successful and reasonably happy with his lot in life. “He’s a cool guy,” Westmoreland said.
Westmoreland will be discussing his novel as part of the Visiting Writers Series at Mitchell Community College at 7 p.m. Thursday.
Westmoreland is a native of Iredell County and he grew up on a local farm. He is a 1974 graduate of South Iredell High School. After high school, he moved to Charlotte and went to Central Piedmont Community College for data processing. In the early 1980s he moved to New Orleans, and that’s where he’s been since.
New Orleans provides the backdrop for his novel. The city, with its history of political corruption, has always been in the back of Westmoreland’s mind as the setting for a detective novel. So about three years ago, he began developing the Drummond character and the storyline that ultimately became “Baronne Street.”
Westmoreland said he’s always been interested in writing, starting as a youngster. “I was always writing goofy stories, as early as the second grade,” he said.
His writing began to flourish after he moved to New Orleans, and his short stories about Drummond appeared in several magazines including “Thrilling Detective” and the “Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine.”
He developed the character more fully for “Baronne Street,” which was published in September. The initial sales figures exceeded his expectations, Westmoreland said.
Westmoreland said he’s looking forward to talking about his book with folks from his hometown during the Visiting Writers Series.
“I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “It will be good to see friends and family.“
The Visiting Writers Series is being held at Shearer Hall on the MCC Statesville campus. There is no admission fee.
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