BIGGEST
BIGGEST TALENT. WE ARE GETTING ONE 4@OF OUR FIR LISTENS TO THE BAND BELL
SYSTEMS.
>>> 4@FIRST, 4@TONIGHT, IT IS A
PIECE 4@OF ADVICE FOR WRITERS
THAT IS STRAIGHTFORWARD.
WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW.
>> BRUCE ROBERT COFFIN TOOK IT
TO HEART.
HE HAS ALWAYS LIVED AND WORKED @
IN GREATER PORTLAND, 4@AND HAS
JUST PUBLISHED HIS 4@FOURTH
NOVEL, THE 4@BOOK WITHIN 4@PLAI
SIGHT.
WRITING BOOKS LIKE THIS IS
SOMETHING COFFIN WANTED TO DO
SINCE HE WAS 11 YEARS OLD.
>> STEPHEN KING PRETTY MUCH
RUINED IT FOR ME.
OR RUINED ME, I GUESS, 4@AS IT
WERE.
I HEARD ABOUT SALEM'S LOT, AND
HAVING READ IT, BEING 4@WAY TOO
YOUNG TO READ IT, IT HAD THE
DESIRED 4@EFFECT.
SCARED ME.
>> Reporter: BRUCE COFFIN WENT
TO THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN
MAINE WITH THE AIM OF BECOMING
A WRITER.
BUT THAT DID NOT PAN OUT.
SO HE CHANGED COURSE, JOINED
THE POLICE DEPARTMENT 4@IN 1985
AND WENT TO WORK AS A PATROL
OFFICER.
>> WALKING THE BEAT I WORKED MY
WAY UP THE CHAIN.
I DID, FOR 4@A LONG TIME, I WAS
ON PATROL, BECAME A MEMBER 4@OF
THE TRAFFIC UNIT, AND 4@FATAL
ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION UNIT.
I HAD A PART 4@AS A DRILL
SERGEANT AT THE CRIMINAL
JUSTICE ACADEMY AND FINALLY
DETECTIVE SERGEANT.
AND THAT RANK I HELD FOR THE
LAST 13 YEARS OF MY CAREER.
>> 4@WHEN YOU WERE A 4@DETECTIV
OVER THAT 4@TIME, WHAT KINDS OF
CASES WERE 4@YOU GENERALLY
INVESTIGATING?
>> FIRST I DID STOLEN CARS,
MISSING PERSONS AND WORKED MY
WAY UP TO ROBBERIES, AND THEN
WAS PART OF 4@THE TEAM THAT 4@W
MISSING PERSONS AND WORKED MY WAY UP TO ROBBERIES, AND THEN WAS PART OF 4@THE TEAM THAT 4@W@
INVESTIGATING 4@HOMICIDES.
>> YOU KNOW THE LINE THAT WHEN4
PEOPLE MEET A COP IT IS USUALLY
THE WORST DAY OF THEIR LIFE.
>> WHEN YOU GET HIRED THEY ASK
YOU QUESTIONS YOU 4@ARE NOT SUR
WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO SAY.
THE JOKE WAS ON US.
WE THOUGHT WE WERE GIVING THEM
THE 4@COMPANY LINE.
AS ABOUT S4@IX MONTHS OF DRIVIN
FAST AND DARE 4@RIG THE GUN AND
HAVING THE SHINY BADGE, YOU
REALIZE THAT YOU REALLY DO HAVE
THAT JOB BECAUSE YOU WANT TO
HELP PEOPLE.
I THINK THERE IS A 4@HALF LIFE.
I THINK OFFICERS DO THAT UNTIL
THEY GET 4@TO A POINT WHERE THE
HAVE SEEN THE WORST LONG 4@ENOU
AND THEY NEED 4@SOMETHING 4@
DIFFERENT.
FOR ME 4@IT WAS 27 YEARS.
>> THREE DECADES AFTER GIVING 4@
UP WRITING HE WROTE A BOOK.
IT WAS NOT A GOOD ONE.
>> 4@I SAT BY THE FIRE WITH 4@M
IPAD AND WROTE A 92-THOUSAND
WORD MANUSCRIPT AND THAT WAS
PUBLISHED.
>> WHEN YOU SAT DOWN TO WRITE
THE FIRS4@T NOVEL 4@OR COUPLE O
NOVELS, HOW HEAVILY DID YOU
BORROW ON YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE
AS A POLICE OFFICER IN
PORTLAND?
>> QUITE A BIT.
AND I STILL DO.
I THINK PROBABLY EVEN 4@MORE NO
THE ONLY RULE I SET FOR 4@MYSEL
WAS I WASN'T GOING TO WRITE
THINGS THAT HAD ACTUALLY
HAPPENED.
I DIDN'T 4@WANT4@ TO WRITE TRUE
CRIME AND I STILL DON'T.
I FEEL LIKE I HAVE HAD ENOUGH
OF THAT.
THE STORIES ARE 4@FICTIONAL BUT
PLUG A LOT OF EXPERIENCES IN.
>> THE 4@MAIN CHARACTER, JOHN
BYRON, IS A PORTLAND POLICE 4@
DETECTIVE.
COFFIN WAS A PORTLAND 4@POLICE
DETECTIVE.
HE IS QUICK TO ACKNOWLEDGE
THERE IS SOME OF HIM AND HIS
COLLEAGUES IN THE CHARACTERS HE
CREATES.
>> I WANTED TO SHOW 4@THE GOOD
AND THE BAD OF THE PEOPLE THAT
DO THIS JOB EVERY DAY AND 4@MAK
A REAL PERSON.
AND NOT 4@SOME COMIC BOOK HERO.
SO HE HAS BAGGAGE, JOHN HAD A
LOT OF BAGGAGE, BUT I THINK THE
BAGGAGE HE CARRIES IS
REPRESENTATIVE OF THE PEOPLE
THAT 4@DO THAT JOB.
>> YOU DON'T TRY TO CREATE
PORTLAND WITH 100% 4@ACCURACY O
THE PAGE?
>> NO.
>> BUT IT IS ABOUT 85 OR 90%. 4@
ANYONE WHO 4@KNOWS PORTLAND AND
THEN READS YOUR BOOKS IS GOING
TO INSTANTLY IDENTIFY WITH THE
CITY YOU 4@HAVE LAID OUT.
>> WHAT I LOVE IS GETTING
MESSAGES FROM PEOPLE THAT COME
TO VISIT 4@PORTLAND AND THEY'LL
SEND ME A PRIVATE FACEBOOK
MESSAGE SAYING I JUST DROVE
OVER THE RAILROAD TRACKS WHERE
YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS AND I
JUST 4@FIND THAT FUNNY.
IN THEIR MINDS, IT HAS BECOME
REAL.
>> YOU WORKED FOR THE PORTLAND
POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR A LONG
TIME YOU 4@KNOW 4@A LOT OF PEOP
IN 4@LAW ENFORCEMENT.
WHAT DO THEY THINK?
>> I WAS APPREHENSIVE.
COPS ARE A TOUGH LOT AND THEY
CALL WHEN 4@THEY NEED TO.
I THINK I WAS AFRAID THEY WOULD
CALL ME OUT ON THINGS FOR NOT
BEING ACCURATE OR 4@WHATEVER, A
THE ODDEST THING HAS HAPPENED.
THEY ALSO HAVE LOVED THESE
CHARACTERS AND WANT TO KNOW
WHAT IS GOING ON NEXT.
THAT IS REALLY REWARD FOR ME.
>> THEY HAVEN'T TOLD YOU TO
TURN IN YOUR WRITING BADGE?
>> NOT YET.
>>> IT IS INTERESTING HE SAID
HE DOESN'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT
TRUE CRIME, HE HAS HAD ENOUGH
OF THAT.
YOU COULD 4@TELL BY THE TONE OF
HIS VOICE HE REALLY HAS HAD
ENOUGH OF THAT.
>> KIND OF MAKES YOU THINK HE
IS WORKING THROUGH SOME OF THE
STUFF HE SAW BY WRITING IT DOWN
ONTO THE PAGE.
>> WELL, 4@27 YEARS IS A COP, Y
SEE A LOT OF BAD 4@4@STUFF.
YOU SEE SOME STUFF, 4@A LOT OF
BAD.
>>> HE WILL BE TALKING ONE WEEK
FROM TONIGH4@T ON