Terror Bay follows an injured detective who, while in a coma, has a presence emerge in his consciousness and must figure out who she is and her connection to him. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

The emergence of creative ideas is as mysterious to me now as it was twenty years ago, and it’s different for every book. I do have several personal contacts who have lived through coma and traumatic brain injuries, and I’ve read a number of studies with some very interesting reports about where the brain “goes” during those unplugged times and it’s of eternal fascination to me. But I started with the character of Kurt Farin and it sort of took off from there. 

Kurt’s story is one of self-discovery as well as solving the mystery of who Genevieve is. What were the driving ideals behind the character’s development throughout the story?

I had to make him sort of devolve into madness and touch bottom, because that’s where he learns what really matters to him. As the story progressed, he started peeling back layers, learning more, and deepening his resolve to find the truth despite the risks to his family, his career, and his sanity. 

What are some things that you find interesting about the human condition that you think make for great fiction?

The clarity that emerges from times of challenge and deep internal crisis. 

Were you able to achieve everything you wanted with the characters in the novel?

Yes and no. I write complex crime thrillers, and I find it’s a hard balance sometimes between tying up every single loose end and spoon-feeding your readers. I like to leave some things to the reader’s imagination and not try to control every moment of their reading experience, but I also need to resolve the larger plot elements in a story. 

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