Fallen Deer follows a woman and her friends as the town they live in quickly spirals into an intricate mystery involving arson, hidden children, and a chilling murder that seems to connect to forces far greater than the town itself. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

You might be surprised if I told you a deer fell out of the sky and landed on our car, but it’s true. My husband was driving during a rainstorm, and apparently the deer was hit by a truck in the other lane and went airborne. My husband never saw it coming since it fell from above the car. He only knew what happened because another driver stopped to tell him. He was in shock when he called me—he hadn’t even dialed 911 yet—and I was startled that a career fire lieutenant, who was trained to respond to danger, would react to a crisis the same way the rest of us do. As we talked about the accident in the weeks after it occurred, I knew it would be the catalyst scene of Fallen Deer. I just added a little Cadence extra to it. The symbolism of the falling deer gave me the title, too, and the storyline for the character who falls the farthest.

The other inspiration was the political battle over immigration reform during election season. I wanted to put a face on the individuals who sacrifice everything to come to a country where half the people hate them and describe them as “venom” or worse. What is their motivation and thinking behind the decision to embark on such a treacherous trek that may end in being sent back to the place from which they fled? What is the history of immigration and who gets to tell the story of it?

What were some ideas that were important for you to personify in your characters?

I wanted to explore greed; resilience; revenge; retribution; discovering one’s inner strengths and weaknesses; trust; redemption; and, finally, acceptance and love.

What scene in the book did you have the most fun writing?

Aside from the opening scene of the falling deer, I liked writing Oliver’s journey of self-discovery. His is a late coming-of-age story, and his scenes are fraught with terror, insecurity, angst, comic relief, and glimpses into his parents’ intrusive relationship with him. Oliver first appeared in Stone Coat Man (A Cadence Mystery #5), where he shied away from the action. I wanted to dig deeper into his story and take him on his personal journey from shy, reticent kid, whose parents still send him care packages of essentials, to a self-reliant adult, who may not like where his thoughts are taking him, but who knows he’s the only one in a position to act upon them. The scene in which he envisions his vehicle passenger and a huge stag standing in front of the vehicle as Minecraft characters was really fun to write, but I am no gamer. I had to do research and then revise and revise to get the right balance of humor and suspense. I especially enjoyed writing the dialog between Oliver and his passenger.

What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?

I don’t have a title yet for the book I’m working on now, but it will be book 7 of the series, A Cadence Mystery, and it’s going to be a frightful thriller! I’ve had nightmares about the asanbosam, a creature from Ghanian mythology, that appears in the book. Often, my dreams take my books in directions I hadn’t considered, or they resolve questions when I feel stuck or suffer writer’s block, so I am always open to what they show me. The book deals with a terrible chapter in our history, doppelgangers, and the power of suggestion. I’m about 36,000 words in and plan to release the book in December 2025.

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