INTERVIEW WITH DETECTIVE KATIE SCOTT FROM AUTHOR JENNIFER CHASE'S THRILLER SERIES

Today we sit down for a chat with Detective Katie Scott from author Jennifer Chase’s Detective Katie Scott Thriller Series.

What was your life like before your author started pulling your strings?

I had a simple and quiet life where not much of anything ever happened. I liked my life, but my author sure knows how to turn up the thrills.

 

What’s the one trait you like most about yourself?

Even though I suffer from PTSD, I have the courage and perseverance to push ahead out of my comfort zone to catch killers.

 

What do you like least about yourself?

I carry a lot of baggage. I keep to myself about many things and I would like to be able to talk to my closest friends more.

 

What is the strangest thing your author has had you do or had happen to you?

Well, there have been a few things. But the one that stands out was when the bad guy locked me and my partner in a cargo container. I don't have to tell you how scary that was.

 

Do you argue with your author? If so, what do you argue about?

No, we rarely argue. Sometimes I question whether or not I should do something, but other than that we're fine.

 

What is your greatest fear?

No being able to save a victim and not being able to work another cold case.

 

What makes you happy?

It's having my good friends and my uncle to be there for me if I need it. And my military K9 Cisco always makes me happy, especially after a bad day.

 

If you could rewrite a part of your story, what would it be? Why?

Hmm. That's a tough one. I would have to say that my parents weren't killed in a car accident when I was a teenager. I would love to have more time with my parents especially after being in the Army and joining the police department.

 

Of the other characters in your book, which one bugs you the most? Why?

Most of the co-characters are pretty cool. It's the bad guys and serial killers that really bug me—to the point of anger. I get tunnel vision and I will eventually catch them.

 

Of the other characters in your book, which one would you love to trade places with? Why?

It would be fun to trade places with Denise, my friend and co-worker; she's such a kind and wonderful person. She works as the supervisor in the records division at the sheriff's department. I love spending time with her because her temperament is opposite of mine.

 

Tell us a little something about your author. Where can readers find her website/blog?

I respect my author. She always plans such exciting cases for me, but I remind her frequently that she needs to take some time off to relax. You can find her at her website.

 

What's next for you?

I'm not sure, but there are more cases for me to solve. My author keeps things quiet until I have to jump into action. There is another book in the series coming up soon.

The Fragile Ones

A Detective Katie Scott Thriller, Book 5

 

When the bodies of eleven and twelve-year-old sisters, Tessa and Megan, are found at the bottom of a ravine—dressed in matching pastel summer outfits, their small bodies broken from the fall—Detective Katie Scott is called to one of the most shocking and heartbreaking crime scenes of her career.

 

Carefully picking through the fragile remains, Katie makes the first of many disturbing discoveries: the girls were not biological sisters. The youngest, Megan, is a DNA match to a kidnapping case years before. The tiny number burnt into her skin the mark of a terrifying killer intent on keeping count of his collection.

 

Her PTSD from the army triggered, Katie is left reeling as she maps other missing children in the local area.Has this twisted soul found a way to stay nearby his victims? Could he be watching now as Katie hits one dead end after another? 

 

A wild storm building, matching a fiber found during the autopsy to a nearby boatyard is the break Katie needs. But when another girl goes missing, just as lightning strikes and the power goes out, Katie only has her instincts, her team and her service dog to rely on. As time runs out for Katie to finds the stolen child alive, who will become the next number on this monster’s deadly list?

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GUEST AUTHOR LINDA COUSINE MINES HER OWN FAMILY HISTORY FOR WOMEN'S FICTION

When most girls her age were dreaming of becoming prima ballerinas, Linda had dreams of becoming the next Erma Bombeck, never mind the fact she was a ten-year-old Puerto Rican girl without a long-suffering husband or problems with her plumbing. But fate, (and her mother) had other plans. Instead, Linda became a teenage beauty queen and had minor success as an L.A. model. Forty years later and now more tarnished than her old tiaras, Linda writes from her home in Orange County, California where she lives with her husband and a dog named Dude. Learn more about her and her books at her website. 

In our eyes, our kids are the cutest things ever, right? Perfect in every way; the smartest and the sweetest little dickens on God’s green earth.

But what if you were meeting those same children for the first time and through the eyes of someone else? Would you feel the same way? Would they still be the cutest kids on the planet with intelligence par excellence? Would you be instantly connected? And more importantly, could you put an unfamiliar baby to your breast to nurse, simply because you were told that baby was yours?

Such is the basis of my book, Twenty-One Trees, inspired by the story of my paternal grandmother who lost all memory of her husband and four children after suffering a mental breakdown shortly after the birth of her last child. No longer was she a married woman with four children, one an infant. Instead, her mind retreated to a better time—a simpler time—the years of her adolescence. And there she remained, young and carefree, her mind locked in the happy memories of her youth, a stark contrast to her reality, committed to a state run mental institution where she lived for the majority of her long life.

Write what you know, someone once told me, and so I tried to do so in Twenty-One Trees; writing about a woman who suffers from psychogenic amnesia—much like my grandmother—a result of PTSD and postpartum depression. The characters in my story are not cardboard cut-outs. They are flawed, as am I. They are real—as am I, (if you don’t count the two perkier replacement parts.) The heroine can be self-absorbed (who, me?) and my hero would be well served to grow a pair, as they say. Their children are not your standard Baby Gap ad kids. Instead, they are redheaded and freckled, shy and awkward. The twin girls are missing their front teeth, and their boy has a lazy eye in need of surgery. They are perfectly imperfect; everyday kids like yours and mine.

I believe most authors leave a bit of themselves on the pages of their books. I’m sure readers of my books would not be surprised to find out I’ve suffered from abuse, spent time in therapy and had loved ones struggle with drugs and alcohol (Or oddly enough, I must have a thing for men in black Calvin Klein underwear. Three books—three unrelated references. What gives?).

Writing Twenty-One Trees was cathartic for me. Completed in just a little over three weeks, the story came without a previous outline and from a stream of consciousness that felt as if someone was whispering in my ear. It was written during a troubling time when my adult children were struggling, and more than once I would have liked the option to forget that they are mine, but like my character, I motored through the chaos. I brushed aside the tears; I looked into big brown eyes and I saw adult children just trying to find their way in a confusing world, hurting in ways I can only imagine.

As I begin the second half of my life (assuming I’ll live to be 116), there's a possibility I may one day no longer remember my children. Not because I’ll fall off a ladder and hit my head like Savannah, or develop psychogenic amnesia like my grandmother, but because of the dreaded disease of Alzheimer’s, a tragedy hitting the parents of so many of my friends, some forced to reintroduce themselves to their parents with each heartbreaking visit. And so, in the meantime, I will relish each moment with my girls and try to keep my condemnations and judgments to myself because life is too short to sweat the small stuff, and if we're honest, aren’t we all perfectly imperfect[?

Twenty-One Trees

When trauma gives Savannah May Holladay dissociative amnesia, life as she thought she knew it is gone—and only her childhood friend’s undying love provides any hope for recovery.

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Linda is giving away a FREE two-book starter set of her “Wit Lit” series, Middle-Aged Hottie, a tongue-in-cheek look at one woman’s experience with life after 50. Get yours here.

HEALTHY LIVING--GUEST AUTHOR AMY SHOJAI, SERVICE DOGS & #PTSD

Photo Used With Permission: Service dog training for German Shepherd, image by domaco/DepositPhotos.com 

Amy Shojai is a nationally known authority on pet care and behavior, a certified animal behavior consultant, and the award-winning author of 30 nonfiction pet books. She also writes thrillers with bite!—including the dog-viewpoint thrillers Lost and Found, Hide and Seek, and Show and Tell. Learn more about Amy and her books at her website and blog.

(Note from Anastasia: For information on keeping your small dogs healthy, click here.)

Show and Tell, PTSD, & Pet-centric Characters

I’m a longtime reader and lover of all-things-pets and knew that dogs (and cats) would be part of my thriller series. But as a “pet journalist,” I also wanted to enlighten readers, not only entertain them. In Show and Tell, my two main characters share this burden and are a reflection of people and pets that I know.

Animal behaviorist September Day continues to suffer from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder.) Many of us are very aware that military personnel face challenges from the experiences they’ve encountered in service to their country. In fact, anyone can develop debilitating stress from a past or ongoing traumatic experience. September’s flashbacks and panic attacks arise from an abusive relationship in her past. Since then, she’s been stalked, kidnapped by the abuser, and nearly burned to death when he tried to kill her.

In response, September turned her house into a fortress, shut herself off from the world, and became frozen by fear and unwilling to risk new relationships. September only begins to heal through working with animals and falls in love with Shadow, a German Shepherd who becomes her service dog.

Through Shadow’s viewpoint chapters, I wanted to showcase the fact that service dogs also suffer emotional challenges and even burnout. In real life, military dogs can also suffer from PTSD, and Shadow has been through so much, he’s also emotionally damaged. He feels responsible for keeping September safe. It’s “a good-dog’s job” to search through the house to be sure it’s safe, to become an 80-pound weight to hold September down until her panic fades, and to recognize and alert September prior to a flashback. But Shadow worries all the time that he might fail and lose his person forever—and be alone.

September’s mother is embarrassed by the panic attacks, and believes September just needs to toughen up. Outsiders raise eyebrows when Shadow acts like a dog rather than their pooch-perfect ideal, and are surprised there is no “service dog test/license” or tag/harness identification requirement. When September’s autistic nephew reappears, Shadow worries he’ll lose September and be returned to “his-boy.”

Shadow’s presence reduces September’s PTSD to manageable levels, and his early warnings of imminent episodes or danger boost her confidence. In turn, Shadow relies on September for the love and family he’s always craved. They are each other’s support, chosen family, and share an almost mystical connection. September refers to Shadow as her “heart.”

And then an intruder breaks into September’s house . . .

Show and Tell

An animal behaviorist and her service dog race a deadly storm to expose a treacherous secret others will kill to protect.

A blackmailer returns to sell a deadly cure.
A mother’s denial dooms millions of children.
And a dog shows true loyalty…when he runs away.

With her stalker finally caught, animal behaviorist September Day’s PTSD has abated and she’s begun to trust again. She dares to hope Detective Jeff Combs might become more than a friend, until his investigation into a dogfighting ring leaves her reeling.

Shadow wrestles his own demons. A German Shepherd autism service dog before losing his-boy to a health crises, Shadow found love and his true purpose working with September. Now his-boy is back—but changed—and Shadow fears he’ll be forced to choose.

When a desperate mom demands help, and Combs’s son disappears with his dog, September and Shadow must find the children before a devastating storm hits. But the children have a secret plan of their own. Only when September shows true courage, and a good-dog tells the truth, can they find their way home again.

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HEALTHY LIVING--AUTHOR AND EDITOR PATRICIA FLAHERTY PAGAN GIVES BACK

Patricia Flaherty Pagan writes, edits and facilitates writing workshops in Texas. She is the founder and editor-in-chief of Spider Road Press, an independent press specializing in short fiction. Today she joins us to discuss a passion very close to her heart. Learn more about Patricia at her website. 

Heroines Reading Heroines

Lots of us like to read books about strong women. I know that I enjoy reading about clever sleuths like Cordelia Gray, gritty truth seekers like Tess Monaghan, adventurers like Elizabeth Gilbert, and helpful optimists like L. M. Montgomery’s Anne. While revising my mystery novel, I fell into the intense and exciting practice of writing flash fiction. Precision rules. Every word must prove its merit. When I recently began assembling a collection of flash fiction by strong women, I had an idea. I could do more than marry these very short tales of suspense to literary explorations and entertaining Sci-Fi stories. There were real heroines out there, making a difference in women’s lives every day. Why not donate part of the proceeds from the collection to these women helping women? In that way, those who purchased the book could become heroines as well.

But how to best help women? According to the National Institute of Mental Health, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, affects 7.7 million American adults, and women are more likely to suffer from this serious health issue. Brave servicewomen, reliable first responders, and strong survivors of the private wars of rape and domestic violence can all face this disorder. Yet hope exists. Across America, counselors at rape crisis centers, domestic violence shelters and veterans’ organizations are making a difference. Personally, I count as friends a couple of women who counsel those with PTSD, and a couple of women who live with it every day.

So, I decided to donate five percent of the proceeds from the anthology that I edited, Up, Do: Flash Fiction by Women Writers, to rape crisis and veteran’s services. Giving back felt great! I selected agencies and groups in the states where I have lived and traveled, as I have seen the impact that these organizations have on their communities. In my adopted city of Houston, the Houston Area Women’s Center offers an array of vital services, including helping survivors of sexual assault. Both the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center and SARSSM of Maine have supported rape survivors in cities that I know and love. In addition, Disabled American Veterans helps returning female (and male) vets access many forms of concrete and emotional support.

I am proud to announce that through initial sales of the Up, Do anthology, my small press, Spider Road, has been able to make small donations to each of these important charities. If sales continue at the same rate, I hope to donate to rape crisis services in Rhode Island and Vermont, as well as to other veterans’ groups. Furthermore, I am so excited by the process that I have decided to give five percent of the proceeds from every title that Spider Road Press publishes to charity from this point onward! 

Up, Do: Flash Fiction by Women Writers

A collection of thirty-three intriguing, very short stories by talented women. It includes surprising tales by award-winning short fiction writer Kathryn Kulpa, popular romance novelist Donna Hill, suspense writer Eden Royce, award-winning science fiction writer Melissa J. Lytton and many others. A part of the proceeds from each sale is donated to rape crisis and veteran’s services.

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HEALTHY LIVING WITH JANICE - GUEST AUTHOR PATRICE WILTON

Romance author Patrice Wilton is part of an exciting new venture with Amazon Montlake as one of their first debut authors in a new program. A Hero Lies Within, the first book in her Returning War Hero series, will be one of the first books to be released as a “serial” Kindle book. Amazon describes this program as, “Kindle Serials are stories published in episodes, with future episodes delivered at no additional cost.” For Patrice’s book, there are a total of seven episodes with new episodes delivered every two weeks. In May the book will be available in every format, and the second of her books, Handle With Care, will start the next serial.

Today Patrice is here to tell us about programs that help returning veterans. Learn more about Patrice and her books at her website. -- AP

It was during my research for A Hero Lies Within, that I realized someone had beaten Jake Harrington, the hero of my story, in providing help for our homeless veterans by a good twenty years.

The Faith, Hope, Love, Charity organization, and the Stand Down House, started by Roy Foster, opened their doors in May 2000. The multi-tiered program provides emergency/transitional housing and supportive services for veterans struggling with addictions, mental illness, PTSD, traumatic brain injuries and physical limitations.

For more than twenty years, Roy Foster, once a homeless vet himself, has roamed the woods at night, and made it his mission to get every homeless vet off the street and ensure that no man is left behind.

Since the inception of this program, more than 2000 veterans have received support and regained their lives.

Here are some startling facts from the Center for American Progress and the Stand Down House websites:

1.    One third of the homeless in American are veterans.

2.    Between 500,000 to 800,000 veterans will be homeless for some time during the year, and 100,000 to 300,000 live in shelters or on the street, on any given night.

3.    968,000 veterans are living in poverty.

4.    1.2 million took advantage of mental health services in recent years.

5.    45% of our homeless vets suffer from PTSD

6.    One in ten of the homeless veterans are disabled due to injuries sustained at war.

7.    The number is increasing – more than 20,000 wounded during the Iraq and Afghanistan war.

8.    2 million Americans fought for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, many have repeated deployments, and the average age is 35 on their return.

9.    Unemployment for veterans aged 18-24 was 33% compared to 15% for non vets of the same age.

10.  The new generation of vets are suffering from PTSD and TBI-traumatic brain  injury- which is making it harder for them to readjust to society.

I was humbled during my research to discover this information, and I have the utmost respect for every man and woman in uniform that fought for our freedom so that we, as Americans, can continue to live as we do in this great country of ours. 

For more information, please visit: www.Standown.org.

A Hero Lies Within

Old secrets linger and two reunited lovers are faced with more deception and mistrust. Can their love survive a second time around?

Tara Winslow is a Palm Beach news reporter, fighting not only to keep her job, but take over the nightly anchor spot. Her boss has axed her special runaway series, and wants “feel good stories”. She has only two weeks to come up with something big, or the special series will be taken over by the new anchorman who seems determined to ruin her career.

Jake Harrington has returned from two tours in Iraq, and this wounded warrior is searching only for peace. Instead, he runs into Tara Winslow, the girl he once loved and wronged, through no fault of his own. Refusing his friendship, she agrees to help him search for a family friend who has gone missing since his return from Iraq. In return Tara requests upbeat, happy-ending stories about the everyday heroes he served with, the men and women who never received recognition but went above and beyond the call of duty. His memory is sketchy at best, and the only stories he remembers are the ones she doesn’t want to hear.

Jake Harrington left her once when her life was falling apart, and now he’s back, and so are all the emotions she fought hard to expel. Can she forget his bitter betrayal, and will he forgive hers when to save her career she must betray his trust?

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