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What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?

I was listening to a congressional hearing, and I still don’t know why I had even tuned in. I guess I heard the word “deepfake” and stopped to see what the conversation was all about. Turns out, Congress was begging for new laws around deepfake videos and AI. Witness after witness kept laying out worst-case scenarios, which just kept giving me more and more novel ideas, and they warned of what could happen if these tech tools go unchecked without real guardrails.

One witness called the technology dangerous, and another called it the wild, wild West. When I heard them say it was “dangerous,” my ears perked up. I went to get some popcorn and plopped back down on the couch to hear more. Then, after listening for a while, I grabbed my laptop and refused to step away until I had a short theme and a logline for a potential novel I could fictionalize and write someday soon. That novel became Race of Deception.

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

I love reading books where the world has fallen. I don't want to write those books, but I can't get enough of them. Books like Dread Nation by Justina Ireland, Run by Blake Crouch, Birdbox by Josh Malerman and Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

The Reformatory by Tananarive Due and Malorie by Josh Malerman.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

The end scene where Mya and her father Robert have a heart to heart in the mist of complete chaos going on around them. And what Robert said he learned throughout all the mess that was caused and how it changed him going forward.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

No, but I thought about trying to burn some type of aroma therapy candle while I write. I just never got around to it. Still might try though.

Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?

"If you think you can or can't, either way you're right." - Henry Ford

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

On how he's able to take serious and heavy topics such as racism, child abuse, mental health, and others, treat them all with care, and still create an intriguing suspense thriller out of those heavier topics.

What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?

This is a series, and I wanted the second installment to show Milo’s growth as a police officer. I also wanted to show the human side that is often overlooked—that sometimes what is happening in our personal lives affects our work.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of your book, what would they be? (Meant to be fun. Skip if you need to!)

Ridin' The Storm Out by REO Speedwagon.

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

Murder mysteries and detective series.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

Clew Bay Detectives by Pan Lecky, and The Alienist by Caleb Carr (currently reading)

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

The climax of the book when the Dim Lantern is raided.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

I like to write in low light. The only illumination in my writing room (a small spare bedroom) is a desktop globe with a light inside that I turn on when I write. The ambiance it creates lends itself with the type of writing I do.

Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

Friendship should be cherished because you don’t know how long it will last.

What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?

I read an article years ago now about a teenager whose father was shot in the woods. As a parent of teens, I kept worrying about the boy’s state of mind and how hard it would be to keep going after being forced from the safety of his father’s guidance. It kept coming back to me, so I crafted a version with an ordinary woman in a deadly landscape and asked: What happens when the place you thought you understood becomes part of the deadly threat?

The setting for my novel was obvious: Yellowstone’s rugged magnificence houses geysers, thermal pools, wild animals, unpredictable weather, and miles of wilderness far from any help.

That became The Kill Line. At its heart, it’s a survival story and a cat-and-mouse thriller. Still, it’s also about what happens when someone refuses to accept the narrative others believe, especially when those beliefs underestimate the will to survive.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of your book, what would they be? (Meant to be fun. Skip if you need to!)

For the protagonist, I’d pick “Freedom” by Beyoncé. I love the line about keeping running because winners don’t quit on themselves. Jane must keep moving forward; if she doesn’t, she’ll die.

For the antagonist, I’d go with “Paint It, Black” by The Rolling Stones. There’s something beautifully ominous about it! And the killer would appreciate the drama.

And for Yellowstone itself? “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” Well, except in this case, the mountain doesn’t care if you live or die.

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

I read a lot of mysteries and thrillers, and atmospheric suspense hooks me quickly every single time! I love books that make me feel as if I’m somewhere I’ve never been…and then make me very nervous about being there.

That’s also what I love writing. I’m especially drawn to stories about smart, determined women who find themselves in situations outside their comfort zones. Give me a dangerous landscape, a secret someone will kill to keep hidden, and a woman who refuses to quit, and I’m hooked.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

So many! I get the best book recommendations from fellow writers. Thankfully, I read on my Kindle app—otherwise, my office would be too full of books to navigate. I bounce between mysteries, thrillers, literary fiction (I just finished Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather), craft books, and contemporary romance.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

The badger scene was particularly poignant. The bison were another exciting set of scenes. I enjoyed learning more about Jane when she was alone in the wilderness because I could lean into the tension between the beauty of Yellowstone and the danger surrounding her. I love that contrast: everything can look breathtaking while something is wrong.

My favorite thriller moments are when a new choice by the protagonist moves the goalposts. I do love a good twist…

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

My Killer Nashville mug sits on my desk. It reminds me of all the brilliant writers I meet at that conference and how they’re honing their craft and building their success.

My real quirk is that I disappear down research rabbit holes. If I need to know how something works, I need to know exactly how it works. So, when I was writing about Yellowstone, I had to visit! I talked with my Uncle Paul, who had been a park ranger there for many years. He has so many stories! I put some up on my Substack. I also had to read extensively on the topic. There is always one more fascinating thing to research, and I want to know everything.

Also, I apparently believe that improving a thriller manuscript involves making a character’s day worse.

Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?

“Every clue is a risk.”

That’s the tagline for my J.J. Cagney mysteries and thrillers, and it captures how I approach both writing and storytelling. A clue provides information, sure, but it also forces a character to make a choice, take a risk, or see the world differently.

I recommend curiosity. Granted, it has created most of the trouble in my books (and my life!).

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

I’d love for readers to remember that sometimes the most dangerous thing you can do is assume you know the entire story. Take Jane. She’s terrified, vulnerable, and wants to quit. But she keeps going anyway. That takes grit and determination, which is something I strive to show in each of my novels.

What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?

I wanted to write about what it would feel like to come home after twenty-five years—and what it would feel like to be the people who had spent those twenty-five years wondering whether you were alive or dead. Jessie Carver has been part of the Windermere story from the beginning, even when he wasn’t physically there. Claire and Elias never stopped carrying him with them, Jessie never stopped thinking about them, and Finch was the one person who knew both sides of that story.

What interested me most wasn’t simply why Jessie disappeared. It was what twenty-five years of absence does to friendship, family, guilt, and loyalty—and whether coming home can ever give you back what was lost. At its heart, this book is about people finally getting the chance to say the things they waited far too long to say.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of your book, what would they be? (Meant to be fun. Skip if you need to!)

Jessie Carver — “The Long and Winding Road,” The Beatles. Twenty-five years away, and everything keeps leading him back home.

Claire Bennett — “The Climb,” Miley Cyrus. Claire keeps moving forward regardless of what Windermere throws at her. Elias Monroe — “I Won’t Back Down,” Tom Petty. That is Elias in about five words.

Finch — “The Sound of Silence,” Simon & Garfunkel. He knows more than he says, watches everyone, and carries secrets for a very long time.

Parker Johnson — “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” Pat Benatar. Because Parker would probably consider that an invitation.

Windermere itself — “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” John Denver. Because sooner or later, everybody seems to find their way home.

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

I enjoy mysteries, especially stories where the mystery involves ordinary people rather than superheroes. I like trying to figure out what happened, but I care just as much about why people made the choices they made.

That is also what I enjoy writing. The Windermere books have murders, secrets, investigations, courtroom battles, and old records, but the mystery is really the framework. What interests me most is loyalty, friendship, public service, second chances, and what people are willing to do for their community. I want readers to keep turning pages because they want the answer—but I also want them to care about the people who are looking for it.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

Mostly history. I have always enjoyed reading about real people, real events, and the decisions that changed what happened next. I think that probably carries over into my mysteries. I am fascinated by the idea that the past never completely disappears. There is usually a record somewhere, a person who remembers, or a consequence that shows up years later.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

My favorite scenes are the ones where the mystery stops being about evidence for a moment and becomes about the people. In this book, I especially enjoyed writing the moments involving Jessie and the people who had waited so many years for answers. After twenty-five years, there are things that cannot be fixed with one conversation, but there are things that can finally be said. Those scenes meant the most to me.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

I take care of two dogs, so apparently my writing schedule is actually their schedule. I can be in the middle of solving a murder, uncovering a conspiracy, or writing an important courtroom scene, and one of them will decide that this is exactly the moment I should get up and open the door. They are very good at making sure I do not take myself—or my writing—too seriously.

Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?

Kindness is the key to a good life—for yourself and for others. I believe the way we treat people matters, especially when there is nothing in it for us. A little kindness can change somebody’s day, and sometimes much more than that.

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

I spent time in the Navy and was sometimes away from home for six months to a year. One of the things I learned was that coming home is not as simple as returning to the place you left. The people you love have continued living and changing while you were gone—and so have you. You have to find your place in each other’s lives again. That feeling is something I wanted readers to understand in this book. Sometimes the hardest part of leaving is not the goodbye. It is learning how to come home.