Reciprocity follows a retired US Navy SEAL to the Philippines who is leading a search mission for a missing relative who has been kidnapped by human traffickers. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

An old friend of mine suggested the idea, saying that the ending of Montagnard, my previous novel in the series, was a perfect segue into it. This friend volunteers to sponsor women who are getting out of bad situations. I resisted the idea. I was not sure I wanted to do it. Human trafficking is such a dark topic. Then, I saw the movie Sound of Freedom; that movie had a profound effect on me. After seeing that movie, I watched a couple of documentaries on the subject, leading me to do some research. What I found shocked me. I just decided it was a subject that needed to be talked about. The story just naturally grew from there. I guess my friend was correct; it was a fantastic lead-in – at least, in my opinion.​
​
My books cover dark topics that some might find depressing or destructive. But, as my editor once told me, moral or redemptive threads always wind through the story. I think those threads bring hope.

How has character development for the main character changed for you through the series?

I would start by saying I love my characters. I treat them like real people, and most are composites of the many people I have met, gotten to know, been friends with, or even enemies of over 60+ years. So, they are genuine to me. And I think all people have the capacity for great good or great evil. Few are completely good or downright evil. I believe my characters illustrate that idea.​
​
As far as JD Cordell, my main character, I guess you could say that he represents who I wish I were. I mean, what man would not want to be handsome, intelligent, dangerous, passionate, quiet, mysterious, patriotic, and underneath it all, just a good man? Being human, we all have our strengths and weaknesses; it is just human nature. In fiction, anyone can escape to a world where heroes still exist.

I certainly think JD has seasoned a bit over the series. He retained much of his family values and upbringing when he became a Navy SEAL. For example, I don’t think he even used one curse word in the first book, Serpents Underfoot; even though the men he serves with all curse like sailors. Being a former military member, I think that is pretty typical; nobody says “golly gee whiz” when the bullets are flying. Now, in the third book, Reciprocity, I think JD says, “shit” or “damn” one or two times. So, in a way, you could say JD is evolving. But to me, the important thing is that, throughout the series, JD’s core values and principles do not waiver or change. He is who he is. I see that as a good thing. I think JD epitomizes the idea of the good man.

I felt that the action scenes were expertly crafted. I find that this is an area that can be overdone in novels. How did you approach this subject to make sure it flowed evenly?

Forty-five-plus years of traditional karate training focused on self-defense probably helps. In that environment, as in the operating environment of a spec ops warrior, there’s no trophy to win. You want to go home at the end of the day. The goal is not to win a fight, but to shut down the attack. So, these scenes will not resemble the 20-minute battle royals you see in the movies. Even in Taylor’s unsanctioned fights, while euphemistically seen as a sporting event, efficiency would be key to surviving. These fights are brutal, so you don’t want them to go on longer than necessary. I try to make the fight scenes short enough not to be overdone, but realistic and efficient. And that is something I have learned to do. Nobody likes a good fight scene more than me, and with my martial arts background, it is easy to add too much detail. I had to learn to keep that under control.

Can you tell us more about what’s in store for JD Cordell and the direction of the next book?

I plan to back off from the globe-trotting nature of the first three stories in the series and do something within the US. Perhaps a family vacation to the Adirondack Park in upstate New York that goes awry, and JD becomes embroiled in a bad situation. It’s not new, so I must create a unique twist. I think I have a few good ideas floating around in my brain.

Also, I like my characters, Hana Hahn and Bill Taylor. I am trying to decide if a ‘Hana origin’ story or the ‘future adventures of Bill Taylor’ might be worth venturing into. And then there is Ajax, the SEAL k9, from the first two stories. I loved the dog’s character, as did most of my readers. Some were quite mad at me for how things unfolded in Montagnard. This was due to a newbie timeline error on my part in Serpents Underfoot. So, Ajax did not get the treatment he deserved, being such a loved and heroic character. I would not be surprised to see an ‘Ajax” story emerge in the future to correct this injustice.​
​

Author Links: Goodreads | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Website | Amazon