Lagniappe revolves around a former Marine and covert operative in search of a quieter life who discovers that the child he thought died years prior may, indeed, still be alive. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

I wanted my protagonist, Brock Beckett, to confront a fundamental conflict; his anger after his sister’s death on 9/11 and his love for the family he had in Jolene and Cissy. That required a confrontation that allowed both things to continue to develop throughout the book, and frankly, through the series. The confrontation was realized in Cissy, so I introduced it as what seems to be a chance meeting in the opening of the book.

Which scene was the most emotionally difficult for you to write, and which was the most rewarding?

The exchange of gifts between Beckett and Cissy at the Christmas party was difficult to write because it required the gifts to represent a number of things: Acceptance between Beckett and Cissy, discovery of the unknown between them, commitment, and the expression of their love as father and daughter. The most rewarding scene of the book is the ending; the irony and the impression of closure.

Several characters are forced to confront long-buried secrets. Why are hidden histories such a compelling storytelling tool for you?

Mysteries are based upon missing context, which does not need to be confined to the overarching mystery that drives the plot narrative. The mystery in Lagniappe and The Destiny, Arkansas Series involves more than Brock Beckett.

What is the next book you are working on, and when will it be available?

The second book in The Destiny, Arkansas Series is Gravitas, which I hope to publish by the end of August. Brock Beckett returns, and former prosecutor Winston Cordell, reporter Candy Pilgrim, troubleshooter Rusty Knight, and Destiny Police Chief Harley Randle are introduced to unravel the threads of a decade-old murder that will test the “gravitas” of Destiny, Arkansas.

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