Backlash Venom and Vendetta from ‘Nam follows a man getting his life back together after the Vietnam war who becomes the target of his former CO, who is trying to destroy his life and all that he loves. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

The Vietnam War was hugely important in my life. We watched it in color on TV during dinner. I protested it in college. My brother missed the lottery call-up by days. I had a boyfriend in the 80s who had spent time in Saigon right at the end of the Vietnam War with Army Intelligence. He had dealings with NSA there and told me many stories about the people he met and things they did. I always had the desire to write something about Vietnam, but having no direct experience of it, I had to find a character who could narrate his experience. Quint was out of school and the right age to be enlisted. He needed a reason for abandoning his daughter. Hence, his service in Vietnam, activities with NSA, and subsequent prison term, the experiences he carried forward into 2007, the time of Backlash. 

A lot of time was spent crafting the character traits in this novel. What was the most important factor for you to get right in your characters?

Easy! Their emotions. How would people feel in these kinds of situations? I played around with possibilities, continually deepening character’s, especially Quint’s, feelings until I was satisfied the characters rang true. I wasn’t interested in a superhero. I wanted  Quint to be deeply flawed and the other important characters, including Nader, the antagonist, to be believably motivated and complex.

Who are some of your favorite authors that you feel were influential in your work?  What impact have they had on your writing? 

I always start with Lisa Towles, thriller writer, whose latest is Terror Bay. Her books are intricate puzzles to be pieced together. His characters are deep, flawed and motivated. I try to emulate her depth. I’m a superfan of Cara Black’s Aimee Leduc Paris mysteries. I stole the idea of crimes happening in different districts of Paris for my Mexico books where crimes happen in various “colonias and delegaciónes”. And two literary writers, Geraldine Brooks and Barbara Kingsolver whose books are amazing, beautifully written and always take me on a trip to somewhere I haven’t been, or even thought of. Try Horse (Brooks) and The Poisonwood Bible (Kingsolver). Reading high literature is a great way to steer your own writing. 

Can you tell us where the book goes and where we’ll see the characters in the next book?

In book six, JadeAnne, Dylan, and Pepper will have arrived back from California and Quint will be settling down into his investigations with the existing team. I don’t have the specific crime yet, but I know we’ll have some fun. Maybe a wedding or two? That said, I’m writing #1 of the Dafne Olabarrieta Mexico Mysteries, Kickback. It’s a spin-off of the JadeAnne Stone books taking place in Mexico in 2019. Kidnapping, murder, and a political conspiracy. The conspiracy is from the news. The rest, from my imagination and my “Deep Throat” Mexican consultant.   Look for Kickback this summer.

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