Survive the Day follows a top-secret FBI task force who are on the trail of an international criminal organization that they suspect is dealing in human trafficking. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

As I began my first “Crime Thriller,” The Other Side of Good, a friend suggested I read the book Filthy Rich, co-written by James Patterson. This non-fictional novel about the American pedophile and sex trafficker, Jeffrey Epstein opened my eyes to the existence of human trafficking in our country and provided me the lowest of all levels for vile criminals. Research indicated traffickers targeted asylum-seeking immigrants at the United States’ southern border, making the first chapters of Survive the Day credible.

I felt that the action scenes were expertly crafted. I find that this is an area that can be overdone in novels. How did you approach this subject to make sure it flowed evenly?

Lots of research. My action-oriented experience in life comes from the military, not enforcement, so I have to source the expertise of friends with police backgrounds for the crime thriller novels I write. Too often contemporary literature and popular movies present enforcement officials who combat crime as comic-book-style “action heroes” who possess superhuman capabilities. I prefer to create more realistic characters with whom normal people can relate. Our heroes in life might be equipped with specialized training to perform unique skills, but they usually share the same ambitions, emotions, and flaws as the rest of us.

What experience in your life has had the biggest impact on your writing?

Quite honestly, retirement from full-time employment. While I’ve enjoyed writing since the fifth grade, the relentless demands of family and career consumed most of my available time before retirement. Anybody can put words on paper, but to write well takes time and effort.

What do you have in store for Special Agents Butnari and Hill in the future?

The two agents make good partners, and their next unusual assignment takes them to the Bahamas to assist a mysterious undercover enforcement resource in a case involving high-level corporate espionage. Readers of past E. A. Coe novels will enjoy the return of one of the most popular characters from The Other Side of Good, and Pastor Tom Burns makes a cameo appearance to continue his streak as the only common character in all six of my novels.

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