I can't believe it! A detective Karst imposter!

"I can't believe it," I mumbled to myself as I called Detective Karst.

"Hi there," he says.

"Glen, you just won't believe it, I still can't believe it."

"Believe what?"

"I just heard from a reader, and guess what he's going to be for Halloween?"

"I have no idea.  What?"

"It's not what, it's who."

"Okay, who?"

"He's going as you!  Detective Glen Karst."

Laughter...more laughter...louder laughter.

"You're kidding, right?"

"Nope.  Now you know you've made it big when someone chooses to dress as you for Halloween."

More laughter.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, he's sending a photo."

More laughter.

As the days progressed, I had forgotten about the contact from a reader until last night when the photo arrived.  A man dressed in a black duster and black hat, complete with a badge on his hip, posed in the same position as Detective Karst on the back cover of MURDER'S A CINCH.  

The man's name is Bill and he's from Malcolm, NE.  I immediately sent the photo of the impostor to Detective Karst. 

This morning, it hit me.  What if we have a Detective Karst Halloween costume contest????  Good idea?  Great for some laughs.  (I'm so grateful no one chose to dress like me!). Details at the end of the post...

 Serves him right, you know.  He's supposed to be a character in my books, but he's taken over the reading audience.  They love him.  When we tour together, it's Karst who has his picture taken with the readers, it's Karst who gets asked all the fun questions, it's Karst who draws the crowds, and he's not even the one who has to create and write the stories.  He has the easy job; he has to look strong, handsome, and rugged, and yet be kind and gentle.  As I've learned over the years, all the men want to be him and all the women want to date him. 

I created him.  Well, not the real Karst, but the character Karst, even if he is modeled after the real Karst.  So did I really create him or discover him?  Will my books still sell as well if I killed him off in my Elusive Clue Series?  I've contemplated that one before.  I think he'd come back to haunt me and the books as a ghost.

I've created a monster, a character I can't get rid of.  So monsters, Halloween, it all fits.