Redlands Resident Weaves Thriller Tale in “Deacon’s Winter”

Redlands resident Roger Burgraff did not set out in his early years to be a writer, but at the age of 72, he now has three published books under his belt. As an internationally known public speaker, Burgraff, who has lived in Redlands for 32 years, spends his time traveling the world, speaking on communication, and writing thrillers. Burgraff began writing in his late 50s, after his interest in writing in the genre was piqued after years of reading thriller novels during his travels. “I have a love of theater, and acting and art. I love the creative aspect of life. I’d read books constantly and in my late 50s and early 60s I wanted to try writing as another creative expression. I love the ability to create something from nothing.” His most recent novel, which took him three years to complete, is a mystery thriller called “Deacon’s Winter,” and tells the story of a Catholic deacon struggling to make the decision between staying with the Roman Catholic church or leaving, when “he is thrust into a terrible, violent situation and he must use reason and faith to get him through." A Chicago native, Burgraff admits to writing erratically, both carving out time to write and writing when inspiration strikes—even jotting down descriptions of objects or people he sees while out in his daily life. “Occasionally I will jot down a description of something I see, like a face for a character, or a hat or a cool jacket, and I will later incorporate that into my book,” Burgraff said. Burgraff also incorporates strong settings--areas he knows well—to help bring a sense of authenticity and realness to his stories, he shared. His first novel is set in South Africa, where Burgraff regularly visits; his second takes place in England, where he lived for 8 years; and “Deacon’s Winter” throws his protagonist into a world of murder, blackmail and political corruption in Burgraff’s native Chicago. “I think setting is just one aspect of the whole novel. I pick areas that I know, so I can talk about the streets and the buildings. Setting is important as a natural aspect,” he said. Unlike his first two novels, which Burgraff credits with helping him to understand better the craft of writing, “Deacon’s Winter” was purely about his audience’s reading pleasure, he noted. “I wrote this novel with the readers in mind. I wanted them to get absorbed into a story for a few hours, and they could go into it with interesting characters, and danger and excitement. Hopefully when they put it down they can’t wait to pick it up again. When I began it, I told myself I didn’t want any boring parts—you know, 40 pages where nothing happens. I wanted this to be exciting, and to keep hopping along.” And he has some words of advice for aspiring writers, including reading books on how to write and consulting with published authors, but he encourages writers to do just that—write. “Dive in and start. Elmore Leonard [the American novelist and screenwriter] said to just get in there and write, and let other people put in the commas and the punctuation,” said Burgraff. “The most important part is to get your story out and then go back and edit it.” Burgraff received his Bachelors of Arts and Masters of Arts degrees from DePaul University and holds a PhD from Denver University. He travels around the world giving seminars on communication. Before working as an author and public speaker, Burgraff was a clinical speech pathologist, and has earned much recognition for his work over the years. Burgraff’s last professional role as a speech pathologist was at the Jerry L. Pettis Memorial Veterans Hospital in Loma Linda, where he worked from 1978 to 1988. He lives in Redlands with his wife, Marjorie.