“Christmas in Cave Creek” follows Lucy Vaughn who, after a shocking accident involving an unidentified creature during a Christmas visit to her hometown, must unravel the unsettling mystery. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

I have always loved cryptozoology – the study of animals whose existence is, as of yet, unsubstantiated, or animals thought to be extinct and then rediscovered. I grew up in a small Virginia town with its own creature folklore, and even organized a cryptozoology club. These experiences helped my imagination foster a “what if…” scenario that became the basis for the plot.

Lucy and Thorne are interesting and well-developed characters. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?

I wanted characters that were at once relatable and unique. Each of their personalities have a natural inclination for pursuing clues and getting to the bottom of a mystery. Lucy likes entering sweepstakes as a hobby, which comes with certain personality traits. She doesn’t mind taking chances and keeps at it because she believes perseverance breeds luck. At the same time, she cares deeply about her friends and family and can put aside personal goals to ensure their safety. Thorne is a great compliment to Lucy since he believes in facts and research instead of luck. His tenacious personality was a perfect fit for his life goal of news reporting. But he also cares about people a great deal which is what brings passion to his work and to solving the perplexing mystery in Cave Creek. And his passion for Lucy? Well, you’ll have to “read all about it” as the journalists say.

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

Set against a fun, fast-paced creature mystery, the prominent thematic elements in the book explore relationships – long-standing, ex, and new relationships between family, friends, and lovers. It’s through these relationships that you learn who the characters are, what they are made of, and the lengths to which they will go to either help or destroy the people in their lives.

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

I’m in the final polishing stage for The Ballad of Buddy, a stand-alone spin-off novel from the Lucy Vaughn Mystery Series that delves further into the story behind and mysterious disappearance of Lucy’s problematic ex-boyfriend Buddy Wilson. Like the Lucy novels, Buddy’s story combines mystery with a bit of romance. The Ballad of Buddy will be available this year. But Lucy fans can look forward to a third book in the series coming soon after!

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