Readers often enjoy happy-ending stories, but everyone craves stories with intrigue, nail-biting dilemmas, and unusual storylines. Since the beginning of time, humans have told (as well as listened to) the tales that weave unusual and unexpected ‘dark’ threads together. Sometimes these stories become a golden fabric by the end of the weaving.

As writers, wanting to explore the entire spectrum of emotion, for this story we wanted to check out the dark side of a storyline, even if it was just to peek at that edge of murky gloom. Writing about a subject that even scares us (!) was something we wanted to try in Tree Pose.

Tree Pose follows a couple on their dream vacation to Tasmania who end up in a nightmare of mystery, murders and ghosts from the past seeking revenge. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

One of our favorite short stories is The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving. It is hard to top a headless horseman, a shaky schoolmaster named Ichabod Crane, a night of relentless shadows, a discarded hat on the ground, and the remains of a shattered pumpkin.

As one of the components of Tree Pose, we created a short ghost story. And Tasmania gave us all the elements to build that ghost story. Several Australian states were used as a penal colony starting with the arrival of the first British fleet in 1788. Tasmania was an isolated island at the lower end of Australia reserved for prisoners deemed the worst, or even just recalcitrant at being ‘transported for life’.

The mixture of a naturally beautiful island with the brutality of the prison system led to the desperation and hopelessness felt by the men, women, and children convicts locked up in Tasmania. These images provided us with a ‘ghostly’ backdrop for this embedded story. It also helped to visit the remnants of the prison buildings which are spread throughout Tasmania. Many have what are called ‘nightly ghost walks’ and guides recounting the horrid tales of the past.

Ghosts became a theme within the entire story line. Elaina picks off a leaf from Ric’s clothes that is from an iconic Australian Ghost Gum tree. There is a joke between Ric and Elaina about ‘The Ghost of Christmas Past’ and the movie Ghostbusters. The ghosts from Ric’s past have haunted him throughout the first three books.

Ric and Elaina, our protagonists, move between the joy and elation of their budding romance to dealing with a past that haunts them both. This includes dark secrets Ric cannot reveal. While Ric and Elaina share the beauty of coming together there is a darkness—from hitmen to multiple warnings, to ghost stories. These are wrapped up and delivered within the storyline.

And that is why the dedication in the eBook and Audiobook is in part: To All Ghosts – Past, Present, and Future. There is nothing like ghosts to help explore the darkness … and light within a story.

How did you come up with the idea for the antagonist in this story, and how did it change as you wrote?

There are four main antagonists in Tree Pose. Two remain a threat throughout the story, two turn out to be different than expected. We wanted to use these changing patterns contrasted against a combination of people caught in the throes of life altering events.

The events of the story help create the varying feelings of regret, hatred, seeking revenge and settling a score among the different antagonists.

Both authors have had varied backgrounds including working and living in various parts of the world. This includes military service, law enforcement, restoring a presidential yacht, cleaning up hazardous waste sites and working in Middle Eastern oil production areas with live minefields … just to name a few. With that background we have seen a variety of antagonists of varying degrees, as well as done significant research in various psychological realms. Further we drew on personal experience for the some of the emotions of the antagonists in Tree Pose.

But like all humans, changes do occur over time. The raw motive of revenge, the elements of pity, self-doubt and remorse, and finally redemption, which can turn a character from a vengeful monster into a caring human. But not all characters make this transition. Their storyline thus becomes a tragedy.

Was there a reason why you chose this location as the backdrop for your story?

The Australian island-state of Tasmania is well known as a tourist destination, a ‘go-to place’ for throngs of visitors from Australia and from all over the world. It is a stunning part of the world and like no other. While living in Australia, we became fascinated with the state and more so with its dark beginnings and history.

At one point, Tasmania was inhabited by First Nations Australians during the time of lower sea levels when the area had a land connection to the mainland of Australia. But with a sea level rise, those early inhabitants and the flora and fauna were cut off from the mainland. Imagine that for 12,000 years, a few thousand people were isolated and cut off from anyone else on the planet.

When European settlers first arrived, Tasmania was established as a penal colony for the British Government. Men, women, boys, and girls were transported by sailing ships to Tasmania shores.

The crimes were often minor, such as stealing food and clothing. Hardened criminals were also ‘transported for life’. The contrast of Tasmania as a popular destination for tourism, compared to its dark past as a penal colony actually attracted us for this very distinction.

We thought it helped provide the contrast for our main characters coming to a beautiful place to sort some things between out between them, while being met by the darkness and dangers that faced them in Tasmania. It was irresistible.

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

We are long term planners and writers. We have produced three eBooks and three audiobooks in three years.

Our next book is Warrior Pose. This book is set in another one of our favorite locations in the world—the islands of New Zealand, and particularly, Nelson, on the South Island.

The next book is also a homecoming for Ric Peters, since he was born in New Zealand. His partner in the crime solving mystery series, Elaina Williams, will be meeting Ric’s parents while there. Does it sound like we think our characters are real? You bet!

New Zealand is an island chain of volcanoes, thermal pools, snowcapped peaks, fertile valleys, and forests spread from the tropical North Island to the cooler alpine climate and topography of the South Island. It has ‘drop dead’ gorgeous scenery, which is perfect for two crime-writers.

As expected, we will explore several themes, and a mysterious death or two. The eBook will include an audiobook some months after, as the previous writings.

As far as the upcoming books, Book 5 is Half Moon pose set in the south of France, Book 6 is Dragon Pose set in Melbourne, Australia and Book 7 is Goddess Pose centered, in Greece and the Mediterranean.

As with all our writing we ground truth all story locations as part of our research. If you see us walking around, we are the ones with cameras, notebooks, measuring tapes … and spare change for the coffees we sample along the way.