On Wahoo Reef follows a PR executive from Atlanta who quits his job to open a scuba diving operation in the Caribbean. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

In twenty-plus years of working as a scuba instructor and boat captain in the Caribbean, I’ve met a lot of visiting divers who fantasize about doing just that, without realizing how much hard work goes into running a small business in the tropics. Something’s always breaking. Something’s always going wrong. Nothing works the way it should. Getting parts from the hardware store isn’t an option when there is no hardware store. The pretty beaches, palm trees, and hammocks are for tourists.

​Many readers will be able to identify with Wally. Are there any emotions or memories from your own life that you put into your character’s life?

Some of Wally’s predicaments are so close to real life, I winced as I wrote them. The dread of opening the boat’s engine compartment every morning to see what broke overnight. Will we be able to cover payroll at the end of the week? It costs how much to repair that? But there are good memories, too, the reasons you stay in spite of all that. I drew on those for the scuba diving scenes, for the nightlife scenes, and for making the island itself a character in the book.

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

Do what you love, and keep doing it no matter what obstacles pop up to complicate things. Every job has complications and negative aspects, but if you’re doing what you love, they’re worth the trouble.

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

In a Sandy Lie’s protagonist is an unqualified land surveyor sent to Blacktip Island to scout land, on the sly, for golf course construction. He discovers the island is geologically useless for golf, but sends back glowing, bogus reports while using the company expense account to have an extended stay in the tropics. It’s a small island, so the locals know he’s hiding something, and concoct all kinds of wild rumors to explain his motives and doings. More comic misadventure in the same vein as On Wahoo Reef. It will be available as soon as I can get it finished.

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