Today
we’re joined by Seamus McCree from mystery author James M. Jackson’s Seamus
McCree series. Learn more about James and his books at his website.
What was your life like
before your author started pulling your strings?
In a word, boring. I was working for an outfit
called Criminal Investigations Group (CIG). It’s a nonprofit that assists local
police departments with expertise they don’t have. After I’d quit my Wall
Street job, where I was the top-ranked bank stock analyst (yawn), the head of
CIG talked me into creating a financial crimes group for them. This wasn’t long
after 9/11 when the FBI transferred much of their white-collar crime resources
to battling terrorism, and local departments were struggling.
I convinced a lot of good people to help CIG
develop a crackerjack team of computer geeks and forensic accountants who can
track money wherever it goes. When that became routine, I asked CIG to allow me
to work directly with police on some assignments.
Be careful what you ask for.
What’s the
one trait you like most about yourself?
If I say I’m going to do something, I will.
What do you
like least about yourself?
I can be a tad stubborn.
What is the
strangest thing your author has had you do or had happen to you?
He made me submit my recipe for homemade pizza with
applesauce topping for a cookbook he and bunch of his friends put together.
It’s called KP Authors Cook Their Books,
and it’s free on Kindle if you’re interested.
Do you
argue with your author? If so, what do you argue about?
Well, we sure as heck didn’t agree on that recipe
idea. We don’t argue a lot. I’m a very good listener, so I can let him vent,
and when I want something I’m so subtle he usually thinks it was his idea! After
I’ve mastered something, I get bored with it. That’s when I hack his dreams and
plant ideas, like “let Seamus work directly with the police” or most recently,
“let Seamus bring someone to his remote camp in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to
protect them.” He lets me do it, but it doesn’t always go the way I
anticipated.
What is
your greatest fear?
He’ll stop caring about what happens to me and my
family. Then we’re goners.
What makes
you happy?
My family has always made me happy. Even when my son,
Paddy, infuriates me, I’m proud as punch about everything he has accomplished.
And now that I have a granddaughter—well, I was born to be Grampa Seamus.
If you
could rewrite a part of your story, what would it be? Why?
It’s back-story I’d like to change. I was (okay, am)
a driven man. During the time I worked on Wall Street, I didn’t spend enough
time with my family. When rough times come to a couple they need to draw on
their emotional bank accounts to get through. Problem was, when our challenges
came, I had already overdrawn my account. It would have been better for Paddy
to grow up with two parents in the house.
Of the other characters in
your book, which one bugs you the most? Why?
That’s easy. The Happy Reaper and not just because
he’s an extremely competent assassin. He exhibits qualities that I admire. I’m
all about my word being my bond; his business card promotes his “Results
Guaranteed.” Plus, he could have killed me, and I don’t like owing anyone
anything.
Of the other characters in
your book, which one would you love to trade places with? Why?
My granddaughter, Megan. Even though I say I
wouldn’t want to be a kid these days, I’m a late baby boomer. My generation has
screwed up its chance to change the world in a positive way. I have hope the
kids can do it. She’s curious and smart, and she loves to read. I have the
feeling she’s going to be a “take charge” kind of woman.
Tell us a little something
about your author. Where can readers find her website/blog?
He splits his time between the remote woods of
Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and Georgia’s Lowcountry. He claims the moves
between locations are weather-related, but I think they may have more to do
with not overstaying his welcome. His blog is on his website, https://jamesmjackson.com. There, you can
sign up for his newsletter, check his social network links, and find out more
about him and me. If you want to chat with me directly, I have my own email address:
SeamusMcCreee@jamesmjackson.com
and I’d love to hear from you.
What's next for you?
I was shocked to learn my Uncle Mike was murdered.
He named me his executor, which meant I needed to return to my native Boston.
Problem is, the legacy he left me to take care of consisted of more than
tangible assets, and he left no clear instructions.
Empty Promises
A
Seamus McCree Novel, book 5
Seamus
McCree’s first solo bodyguard assignment goes from bad to worse. His client
disappears. His granddog finds a buried human bone. Police find a fresh human
body.
His
client is to testify in a Chicago money laundering trial. He’s paranoid that
with a price on his head, if the police know where he’s staying, the information
will leak. Seamus promised his business partner and lover, Abigail Hancock,
that he’d keep the witness safe at the McCree family camp located deep in the
Upper Peninsula of Michigan’s woods.
Abigail is furious at his incompetence
and their relationship flounders. Even his often-helpful son, Paddy, must put
family safety ahead of helping his father. Seamus risks his own safety and
freedom to turn amateur sleuth in hopes he can solve the crimes, fulfill his
promise of protection, and win back Abigail. Wit and grit are on his side, but
the clock is ticking . . . and the hit man is on his way.
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