Alaska Bloodlust plunges a private investigator into a fight for survival as he faces a deadly cult tied to Inuit mythology, navigating a web of danger that stretches from Memphis to Alaska’s wilderness. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

I lived in Alaska a full year and inspiration came from a meeting with a backwoodsman who worked as a guide and wildlife photographer. He had 100s of pictures and after looking through his entire collection, the image of an arctic wolf stood out and I bought it on the spot. There was something about the wolf I couldn’t explain and for a long time I couldn’t get it out of my mind but later it became the basis for my novels. The picture hangs on my office wall and is also on the cover of Alaska Deadly.

Race Warren is a deeply layered character. How do you approach developing his personal struggles alongside the action?

Warren often relies on instinct when he’s in a pinch and the unexpected happens but at other times when quick action is not required, he still prefers a proactive response. He tries to be prepared for any contingency but if caught off guard he relies on an inner sense to direct him. He never lets an adversary gain control of a situation if he can help it and a main rule is to never wait on an opponent to make the next move. But his biggest fear is that he might let down those he loves and these inner struggles beset him throughout the story.

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

The principal theme is revenge, which is the driving motivation for the villain Kallick Smith but as the narrative unfolds and Warren sees the great evil wreaked by Smith, the young private eye becomes almost single-minded in his determination to set things right. This near obsession with Smith may lead the reader to suspect Warren himself is afflicted with vengeance. The theme of love appears early in a casual way but becomes more central as the book progresses and Warren tries to balance destroying evil with saving those he loves.

What research went into depicting the cult and shamanic elements of the story authentically?

I read several books on werewolf mythology and shapeshifting which looms large as an underlying influence in the native cult although it is never instantiated in the story. These elements form the basis for the sect’s religion which was delved into more deeply in the previous book but in Alaska Bloodlust these themes appear as undercurrents and any suggestion of the supernatural is left unfulfilled. But all of these motifs both shade and shape the shaman’s (Smith) primary motivation which is revenge. Smith appears as a principal figure, fleshed out and revealed as an arch-villain bent on destroying Race Warren as well as other main characters.

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