A Small Mountain Murder delivers a high-stakes investigative thriller where three reporters unravel a web of murder, corruption, and intrigue against the unique backdrop of skiing culture. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

I was a journalist on television and the radio for over 40 years. I covered a lot of crime and murder. I also spent decades competing as an amateur ski racer. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing great people, greater racers than I ever was and some influential people in the ski industry.

My novel, A Small Mountain Murder, is about a small ski area. Small ski areas are just like most other small businesses, they run on a shoestring budget and a lot of passion. Passion can get you to do strange things. And if you think a line has been crossed, you might even kill for your passion. Don’t believe me? Just read the headlines. Police call it a “Crime of passion.”

Presently, there are small ski areas across the United States being purchased by much larger ski resorts who are in the process of creating a nationwide network. Some of the employees and customers of those little ski areas are resentful. They didn’t ask for change. The result has been a great deal of resentment. Is that a good reason to kill someone? How often do you really hear of a good reason to kill someone?

Did you base the characters of JC, Milt, and Robin on real-life journalists, or are they entirely fictional?

Any number of people have suggested that I write a story about my life. I’m grateful to have led a pretty interesting existence, so far. But a book about me didn’t sound very interesting. However, a book based on my experiences with some embellishment? That sounded like some interesting fiction.

JC Snow is a television reporter. I was a television and radio reporter for over 40 years. The crimes that I describe in my books are often based on crimes that I really covered as a journalist. And the outdoor adventures I describe are based on some of my own outdoor adventures. That includes decades of ski racing and some jarring crashes while in a race course.

And there are pieces of Milt and Robin that also come from real stories and people that I really knew. Milt is a compilation of talented news photographers that I’ve worked with. Some were a little eccentric. The beautiful and talented Robin reflects the adoration and exchanges that I have with my own wife, Carolyn. But Robin also serves another vital purpose. She is often the sound of reason and reflection.

How did you balance the multiple storylines to create such a seamless resolution?

I want my stories to be plausible. I want the reader to feel that this story they are participating in could really happen. It resembles real life. There are no superheroes. And real life isn’t neat. It doesn’t follow a straight line. Events in life overlap. So, that’s how events unfold in my books. There is already stuff going on when something else crops up. When I was a journalist, I just had to juggle all the balls that I found circling in front of me. I was covering one good story when another good story came up and I just had to figure out how to cover them both.

And it wasn’t unusual to find that a career criminal was responsible for more crimes than the one he or she was being investigated for. Criminals are, in most ways, like the rest of us. When they find a way to get something done, they become comfortable with that technique. That’s their modus operandi. So, when investigating a criminal’s behavior, sometimes you’d stumble over other devious deeds they are responsible for. You also stumble across things someone else is responsible for. Life is complicated. But I do try to resolve most of the issues on the table by the time the book ends.

Can we expect a sequel or future stories involving these characters and the intriguing world you’ve built

Thank you, I do find this world I have contrived to be intriguing. So do a growing number of readers. Now, I have published six Murder on Skis Mysteries. A Small Mountain Murder is my 6th. And more are on the way. They tend to arrive at stores each November. To keep up with our plans and publications, go to our website at murderonskis.com.

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