Blaze In, Blaze Out follows two detectives that after putting away a crime lord are now in danger along with their families. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?

Up until Blaze, my books featured adolescent boys with cops as side characters. I wanted to change that up a bit and feature two/three cops that my readers enjoy. Pat O’Connor, Paul Eiselmann, and Jamie Graff. There is quite the back story on all three, and I wanted to explore that with the reader. I also wanted to give a shout out to law enforcement for their commitment, for sometimes putting the lives of others above their own. There were two spots in particular where that came out: Eiselmann’s inner dialogue about his family and the danger he and his family were in, and with O’Connor’s conversation late at night with Brian.

In previous books, there were mentions of hunting and fishing with the boys going on trips with those three cops. I used hunting and fishing as the backdrop for Blaze for several reasons, both subtle and not so subtle.

There were a lot of strong and dynamic characters in Blaze In, Blaze Out. What was your favorite character to write for and why?

Wow, great question! Trying to pick a favorite character is much like trying to determine who my favorite child is. Each is unique and special in their own way, much like my characters. However, if you had a gun to my head and asked that question, I would Brian because of the depth of the character. Having been a teacher, coach, counselor and administrator for 46 years and counting, I’ve come to know many, many kids struggling like Brian. Trying to find who they are and to be accepted for who they are. His strength, not so apparent to himself but to others, stands out.

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

I think the themes of loyalty, perseverance, family, love, and acceptance are important. They are themes all of us deal with daily. More importantly, to explore the reactions when loyalty is betrayed, when family and love are in conflict, and when acceptance is withheld. Those are themes near and dear to me, because I’ve witnessed these in my roles in education.

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

I am in the middle of a book tentatively titled, Fan Mail about a fan who takes it to the extreme. It explores some of the same themes in my other books, but as with my other books, there is a crime/thriller/mystery in it. I hope to have it available sometime in 2022.

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