Blog Archives
A Crisis Of Confidence
Jetsam follows a divemaster collecting water samples who stumbles upon terrorists and smugglers putting her life in danger. What was one of the hardest parts of this novel for you to write?
My concept for the series has always revolved around evolution. Each book takes place in a new setting (first, Palau in Micronesia, then Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, and now in Thailand and Myanmar), brings in both new characters and prior characters in expanded roles, and, most critically, Ricky Yamamoto’s evolving personality and ability to interact with others. In this book, I chose to bring some of Ricky’s vulnerabilities to the forefront. This series is written in the first-person, requiring I put myself into the head of a narrator struggling with a crisis of confidence. It was an uncomfortable space to live in as I wrote and refined the book.
Some events in the book were chillingly similar to real-life events. Did you take any inspiration from real life when developing this book?
I love to research. I spent quite a bit of time researching the various locales, issues, and people before deciding where and when this story took place. Each book in the series weaves some sort of environmental or social issue into the story line. In the case of Myanmar, I had so much to choose from. As I wrote, and deepened my research, the story changed dramatically to integrate what I found to be a more interesting and less publicized aspect of the events of the past decade.
How do you balance story development with shocking plot twists? Or can they be the same thing?
As often as not I’m also shocked by the plot twists. Although I tend to loosely block out the book, I seldom know which character will be taking a given action and how others will react. That often leads to twists I never expected. I try to let the story write itself and I enjoy going along for the ride. So, yes, absolutely, they are the same thing — at least when it involves a Ricky story. I seldom know what that woman is going to get into next.
I hope the series continues in other books. If so, where will the story take readers?
The fourth book, Lagan (it is a real word and related to Flotsam, Jetsam, and Derelict as a term related to shipwrecks), finds Ricky back home in Hawai’i. But her itchy feet lead her on a deep adventure to the bottom of the Bikini Atoll, a Cold War scar, site of dozens of nuclear tests, and resting place for a ghost fleet of ships committed to the deep during those tests.
Jetsam
Jetsam by Tracy Grogan is the third book in the A Divemaster Ricky Adventure series. It is a story about Ricky’s involvement in a mission where she was supposed to collect water samples to gauge the water pollutants in the sea. It seemed like a simple mission on the surface, but as Ricky dives deeper into the ocean, the mission begins to churn into a mill of deception and fake identities. With multiple close combats where she can lose her life, she surfs through several legal and illegal activities throughout the book.
The writing style of the book is engaging and fast-paced. I found myself stuck to the pages once the story caught momentum. Even though this is the third book of A Divemaster Ricky Adventure, you will find no difficulty in understanding the proceedings of the book. Multiple plots run throughout the story. The characters are well-developed. The twists of the stories never stop coming, and even when I predicted a few of them, reading them unfurl was an enjoyable experience.
The story is focused mainly on international waters and the Myanmar territory. Myanmar’s political and social conditions in 2016 form the central portion of the story setting. The terrorist groups, the smugglings, the role of US agencies, and the corruption prevailing in that have been explored by the author. It got heavy to read, at times, when things morphed into reality instead of fiction. The story is beautifully crafted, and the deaths keep the feeling of reality and morbidity alive in the narrative. I enjoyed the fun banter and the thrill that the book provides. Some heavy topics were explored in the book, but they add substance to the fictional events. Also, the in-depth discussions of the sea and the handling of the weapons left me with a feeling of actually being there with Captain Rich while he rants off about so many subjects he holds expertise in.
Overall, Jetsam is a thrilling mystery novel with nonstop action to keep readers hooked from start to finish. It will fill readers with a feeling of exhilaration and adrenaline rush after every ambush the characters step into. In addition, the book provides a heavy dose of reality checks with a shot of entertainment.
Pages: 358
Ricky, Like So Many Protagonists Is Broken
Derelict follows a divemaster who, after a devastating explosion, launches her own investigation and finds herself in a dark and lonely place. What were some sources that informed this novels development?
First was a scouting trip to Dahab, and a dive in the Blue Hole, along with trips into the canyons of the Sinai Peninsula and the Bedouin villages along the coast. Second, discussions with divemasters who work or worked at dive shops in Dahab. Third were discussions with a dive safety officer in charge of our local university’s dive operation — to make sure I did a good job blowing up a dive shop. And, finally, discussions with divers who have discovered and mapped century-old wrecks.
Ricky is a character I enjoyed following. What were some principles you kept in mind while creating Ricky’s character?
Ricky, like so many protagonists is broken. She has overpowering trust issues, is incredibly stubborn, reckless to the extreme, and has a strong moral compass.
This seemed like a fun book to write. What scene in the book did you have the most fun writing?
The sand dune scene. I passed the dune while riding on my camel to the village of Ras Abu Galum. After dropping off my dive gear and meeting my bedouin host, I returned to the scene and began to map it out. That scene remained almost exactly as I walked it out, despite many editorial cycles.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
The next book in the series is Jetsam, due out March 1, 2023. (It takes place in Thailand and Myanmar.)
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In the wake of the Arab Spring, disorder continue to reverberate throughout Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. December, though, piles on misery and mystery for Ricky and for her fellow divers. A bizarre disappearance and a devastating explosion have authorities baffled and clumsily pursuing what seems to be an aimless inquiry, while Ricky goes rogue and launches her own investigation. When that leads to a dark and lonely place, she is left to question the path she has chosen.
Derelict: A Divemaster Ricky Mystery
Ricky Yamamoto, a scuba diving guide comes to Egypt during a time of political unrest for work only to find herself caught up in a perplexing mystery. Sasha, a fellow scuba diver, goes missing one night during a routine dive. This leaves Ricky and her team shaken. As she tries to come to terms with the possibility of never seeing Sasha again, she is met with unexplainable events that lead her to suspect that there’s more to the disappearance than she thought.
Derelict, by Tracy Grogan, immerses readers in a world full of culture and introduces readers to breathtaking landscapes and exotic locations deep in the northern parts of Africa. The author crafts a strong and quick-thinking female character that never gives up hope; and was one that I loved following. Ricky is an anchor in this suspenseful yet heartwarming story about connections and greed. The secrets and hidden agendas of every character introduced to readers will keep them engaged and guessing the whole way.
The author’s conversational and descriptive way of writing makes this book great for readers who enjoy rich scenes and being immersed in a moment. While I enjoyed the mystery at the heart of this story, I was really drawn to the well developed characters. They felt authentic, or as genuine as a character can be when embarking on a riveting adventure.
Derelict is an enthralling adventure novel that skips the purple prose to give readers a story that is immensely entertaining because it’s so easy to read. Readers who are looking for an action oriented story will enjoy Ricky and the Russian’s fast-paced chase scene while those who find investigations entertaining will love Detective Bakhoum’s sharp no-nonsense attitude.
If you’re looking for the next crime thriller to get lost in then Derelict is heartily recommended. With a puzzling mystery and some compelling characters, this book is fun all around.
Pages: 398 | ASIN: B0B6GRL2L9
A Reluctant Protagonist
Flotsam follows a diver that stumbles upon two murder victims. While assisting in the investigation she becomes the next potential victim. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I knew from the beginning that Ricky would be a reluctant protagonist and that it would be tied to her being a divemaster, so that was the first step. The second was that it needed to be something that was outside of the normal divemaster experience — dive accidents are something they train and any accident would reflect badly on Ricky, so it couldn’t be anything having to do with a diver. As I tried to figure this out, I decided that “place” might help in the decision. Once I decided on Palau, and its complex relationship with the Japanese, I began to research the yakuza and found a story about the yakuza kidnapping a South Korean politician with plans to weigh him down and throw him overboard into the Sea of Japan (spoiler alert: Japanese officials intercepted the boat just as the yakuza were bringing him up to the deck and he was saved)
Ricky is a complex character that even other characters have trouble understanding. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
Ricky doesn’t think she’s complex. She is, at her core, conflict-averse. That’s why she tries to keep whole oceans between her and her family. But she has a trigger, which is an innate sense of responsibility. And when that trigger gets flipped, when others refuse to take responsibility and accountability that is theirs, she is stubbornly going to work to right the wrong. But there’s a better answer: Ricky is based on roughly a dozen women divemasters I’ve met over the years. They work and live in a male-dominated environment, 24 by 7. They have to know when to be conciliatory and when to be dominant. They are fun-loving but incredibly reliable once they step on the boat. For Ricky, the history that influences her decision of when to make that switch goes back to her teenage years in Hawai’i and her experience with a man who murdered her best friend.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Obviously, I’ve included a mix of local politics and environmental advocacy in the book. These are prominent in Palau’s everyday experience. In fact, when you enter Palau today, they take up a whole page of your passport with the Palau Pledge. It begins “Children of Palau, I take this pledge as your guest to preserve and protect your beautiful and unique island home.” Palau is at the forefront of the concept of shark sanctuaries and continues to expand that model. I don’t think you can tell a story about Palau without including that.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
Most people will be disappointed to hear that it’s not called Jetsam. There are actually four categories in maritime law that relate to shipwrecks. Derelict and Lagan are the other two. Book two will be Derelict. I’m a big fan of Tana French and her concept of keeping the story fresh by maintaining certain elements but shifting others around in the Dublin Murder Squad. The sites change and the protagonists change. Minor characters become lead characters. I decided that I would use a primary characteristic of expat divemasters and that every book would be in a new locale. Derelict is based in the Sinai Peninsula in Dahab, a small town with a very famous (and dangerous) dive site. I went to Dahab on December 27 of 2012, one day after the new president imposed a new constitution, spurring protests and clashes throughout the country. Some of my experiences made it into the book. It will be available in June of 2022.
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When her morning dive is interrupted by a spinning tangle of chains and bodies, she is dragged into an international free-for-all. As authorities bicker, and rumors fly, the villains fight to eliminate loose ends, tracking Ricky through WWII tunnels, on a high speed chase through the lush tropical islands, and back to where it all began – the edge of her favorite cliff.
FLOTSAM
Flotsam, by Tracy Grogan, is a slow-burn thriller that follows an ex-pat to the Palau Islands named Ricky. Ricky Yamamoto is a divemaster for a local dive shop who enjoys her time underwater far more than life on solid ground. That is until she comes across two bodies during a leisure dive and gets herself tied up in a crime much bigger than originally anticipated.
Readers are introduced to the major plot almost immediately in this work of fiction. This suspenseful novel is richly detailed and builds readers curiosity leading them through the hair-raising adventures of Ricky while building up to an incredibly intense final act.
The story is broken up into specific times and wherever Ricky is currently at in terms of the story. Readers will find this type of story setup helpful in keeping track of the story setting as they try to follow the events of the investigation and Ricky’s personal life. This mystery novel presents facts and information leading the readers down many possible paths, not knowing what information will be useful to solving the mystery of the murders.
Readers who enjoy the thriller or mystery genre will be kept on their toes in this intriguing novel. This is an engaging story that readers will enjoy following just as much as they enjoy solving the mystery at the heart of the novel.
Ricky remains a mystery throughout most of the novel, leaving readers to draw conclusions until the author decides to reveal key characteristics and personality traits. This style allows readers to be their own judge of character and draw their own conclusions without the author explicitly telling them how to view a character, making the mystery more entertaining.
Flotsam is incredibly well-written and readers will find Ricky intriguing and likable. Readers of mystery and thrillers will love this travel adventure mystery that is filled with international crime and murder.
Pages: 386 | ASIN : B09KPZVJ81
LITERARY TITAN 