Raptor Canyon follows a gin-brewing recluse, who witnesses a murder, and sets out to investigate what is happening in the canyon. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

Discovering ancient petroglyphs in unexpected places off-trail sparks curiosity and imagination: What do some of these unusual shapes mean? Is it possible that some depict extinct dinosaurs? This possibility inspired this key question in Raptor Canyon.

All of your characters are unique, and readers would not automatically expect them to be put together in a story. What was your approach to writing the interactions between characters?

Conflict and contrast between characters display their personalities and also shove the story forward, sometimes in surprising ways. I like to let the contrasts create conflict. I especially like to let those contrasts erupt into humor.

Your novel takes readers through some hair-raising action at times. How did you balance the action scenes with the story elements and still keep a fast pace in the story?

I think the story elements often happen best when the characters are running for their lives. I think you have to tell the story through the action.

What will the next book in that series be about, and when will it be published?

The Relic novels are not a “series,” strictly speaking. Sometimes I refer to them as a series, so readers know they are closely related, and involve the same key character, but each is a “stand alone” novel. The next is Moonshine Mesa, set to be released later this month.

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