An Interview with Susan M. Boyer By E. B. Davis

 

If anyone knew better than to create a phone trail, it was a retired judge. He was probably a walking reference library on stupid things not to do to get caught.

Susan Boyer, Big Trouble on Sullivan’s Island, Page 229

 

Hadley Cooper has a big heart. So when the easygoing private investigator gets a request from a new friend to stake out her husband’s extramarital activities, she immediately begins surveillance. And when her client is discovered dead on her kitchen floor, the Southern spitfire is certain the cheater is the culprit … even though he has the perfect alibi: Hadley herself.

Flustered since she observed the cad four hours away in Greenville at the time of the murder, the determined PI desperately searches for clues to tie him to the crime. But when her ex-boyfriend, who happens to be the lead detective on the case, arrests a handy suspect, Hadley fears a guilty man is about to walk free.

 

Can this Palmetto State sleuth make an impossible connection to prevent a miscarriage of justice?

 

With dry wit and delightful dialogue, Susan M. Boyer delivers an eccentric, vegan gumshoe sure to appeal to any fan of Southern women’s fiction. With her merry band of sassy friends, Hadley Cooper is a Lowcountry detective you won’t soon forget.

 

Big Trouble on Sullivan’s Island is the engaging first book in the Carolina Tales series. If you like strong heroines, quirky sisterhoods, and plenty of Southern charm, then you’ll love Susan M. Boyer’s wonderful whodunit.

Amazon.com

 

I knew after reading the last Liz Talbot novel that Susan M. Boyer had finished her story arc, and I was sad, knowing I’d miss Liz (and her family). Big Trouble on Sullivan’s Island is the best come back I’ve ever read. Sink into this book when you need a vacation!

 

Susan’s new hero is Hadley Scott Drayton Legare Cooper. How’s that for a Charleston, SC name? And Hadley’s background is a complicated, sordid, and pedigreed as her name implies. The only similarities between the two series are the location and the vocation of the main characters, PIs.

 

The case, the victim, and the complications are the other interesting elements that will compel you to turn its pages. Have fun reading this one.

 

Please welcome Susan M. Boyer back to WWK.              E. B. Davis

Your former publisher stopped publishing. Is Stella Maris Books, LLC your publishing company? If so, why did you decide to go the self-publishing route?

 

Thank you so much for having me back to WWK! Yes—Stella Maris Books, LLC is my own publishing company. Honestly, I would’ve gone this route regardless of the choices my former publisher made. I got the rights back to Lowcountry Boil in September of last year, and I had to find a way to keep the first book in the Liz Talbot series available for new readers. Publishing Lowcountry Boil myself was really my only viable option—I had to learn how to do it myself. I was actually shocked at how much I enjoyed the process. I first published a short story collection as a way of teaching myself how to do it.

 

Like Hadley, are you vegan?

 

Well…this is a fairly recent development for us, but my husband and I eat a whole food plant-based diet most of the time. The closest familiar label is vegan. But we’re somewhat flexible about it. Sometimes we eat fish. Sometimes we eat cheese. Very rarely—maybe twice a year, we eat beef. But most days we eat vegetables, fruits, grains, and beans.

 

How did Hadley and her younger-by-two-days half-brother, JT, get to know each other?

 

Interesting question! I haven’t written that story yet. I only know they met when they were sixteen and they were instant friends and have been close ever since. I will very likely write this backstory as an extra for readers at some point.

 

What is Hadley’s way of celebrating her birthday?

 

Because it’s such a sad anniversary for her as well—the anniversary of the day she lost her mother—she doesn’t actually celebrate her birthday at all. She does spend time walking on the beach on Sullivan’s Island, remembering her mother and the happy times they shared there.

 

Who are Gavin and Joe?

 

Gavin Kinloch is a grandfather figure of sorts. He and his wife, Maribel, lived in the house next door when Hadley was growing up. Joe Vincent is Gavin’s best friend and Hadley’s mentor. A former FBI agent, he was a private investigator for many years. Hadley worked with him when she was training to be a private investigator, then later as an associate before opening her own agency. Gavin and Joe are family to Hadley.

 

Hadley’s one car is a 1966 Ford Fairlane. Do all vintage cars need a name? Jolene, Elvira?

Hahaha. Actually, I think all cars need names. It’s a habit I picked up at some point…naming inanimate objects I spend a lot of time with. Hadley gets this from me.

 

 

Did Hadley’s mother have a lot of phobias that slipped by Hadley because she was too close and too young to realize?

 

I would say Vivienne—Hadley’s mother—was very insecure. She was afraid Swinton—Hadley’s father—would grow bored with her because she felt she would never fit in in his world. More than anything else she was afraid. And then later she was afraid Hadley would be drawn to Swinton’s world and Vivienne would lose her daughter to him. Like all of us, Vivienne was flawed, but Hadley put her mother on a pedestal.

 

You introduce another POV, who the reader doesn’t really know. It’s interesting to get another viewpoint on situations. Why did you decide to present this other POV? Will the reader be introduced to her at some point?

 

Oh, yes, Mrs. Josephine Huger. I had so much fun with this character. Initially, I wrote the one chapter with this character specifically because I wanted to show a bystanders’ perspective on one particular scene—a rather dramatic public breakup scene. I enjoyed the character so much I decided to incorporate the same technique with a few other chapters as well. I honestly haven’t decided yet how well readers will get to know Mrs. Huger. It’s possible I’ll introduce her properly in a future book.

 

What were Hadley’s reasons to avoid joining the police and go the PI route?

 

Hadley would tell you that while the police are in the legal and illegal business, she’s more interested in justice. She’s in the setting things right business. And, Hadley’s perspective on law enforcement was heavily influenced by a miscarriage of justice. Her closest friend, North Pickens, was wrongfully convicted and incarcerated for a number of years and it destroyed his life.

 

“…one big rattlesnake pit, with suffocating heat, relentless mosquitoes, alligators, crocodiles, and gargantuan spiders.” (pg. 29) That was the description of the Isle of Palms (then known as Long Island) by a British soldier during the Battle of Sullivan’s Island. The Isle of Palms has improved since then, hasn’t it? Does it still have both alligators and crocodiles?

 

Ha! Well, Isle of Palms is certainly more civilized now than it was back then. There are lovely homes, a shopping district, restaurants, and of course, Wild Dunes, a resort with a lovely golf course, and lots of condos and houses. You will absolutely find alligators on Isle of Palms—often on the golf course. Now crocodiles are another story. They aren’t native to South Carolina, and while there was a report of one being found a few years ago, my understanding is they think it swam up from Florida.

 

When Hadley rescues a dog caught in a riptide, little does she know that the dog’s owner, Eugenia, will become her client, her friend, and also will be murdered. But what Hadley also doesn’t know is that Eugenia is a good friend of her father and his wife. Hadley detests her father. Is the Charleston area, including Mount Pleasant and Sullivan’s Island really a small place? Or is it more a small socioeconomic group?

 

The Charleston area in general—including Mount Pleasant and all the nearby sea islands—isn’t small in terms of population. I read somewhere it’s growing at the rate of forty-eight new people every day. But the particular neighborhood in Charleston that Eugenia and Swinton are from is small.

 

Cash Reynolds is the investigating detective with the SLED. What is SLED? Why would it have jurisdiction on Sullivan’s Island?

 

SLED is the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. They handle many different types of cases, and in particular, they would get involved in a high-profile case such as the death of a retired judges’ wife, especially if it occurred in a small town.

 

Cash is also a former significant other to Hadley. He makes a quick arrest, which Hadley suspects is wrong. She speculates that their different outlook on the case is indicative of what went wrong in their personal relationship. And yet, the evidence strongly supports the arrest. Is he too black and white for Hadley?

 

I think Hadley thinks this is the case—at least at the beginning of the book.

 

Why does Hadley love and play music most 60 and 70-year-olds would love? Molly Hatchett, 38 Special, Tom Petty, etc.

 

Hadley loves listening to the music her mother loved. They listened to it together, especially while driving around in the car.

 

Is there such a thing as the “Immigration lottery?”

 

Yes—this is a real thing, and I actually know someone who came to this country from Ukraine because she won the lottery. She inspired the character of Kateryna.

 

North, a childhood friend, is very smart, but he was set up to take a DUI manslaughter charge at a college frat party and spent ten years in jail. His experience has left him outside of society. He can’t be indoors. He lives on the streets. How does Hadley try to help him?

 

Hadley tries to take care of North in every way he’ll tolerate. Mostly, she provides him with food, but he always finds a way to earn whatever she gives him.

 

Pretexting is the official name of lying? How’s that?

 

It’s a term I picked up from studying private investigating. It’s just exactly what it sounds like—telling someone whatever story they’ll accept to get the information you need.

 

Dana (“pin a rose on your butt”) Smalls is an interesting character. She black, beautiful, substantial, and the public defender assigned to Kateryna, Cash’s quick arrest. Does Dana only distrust Hadley because she is vegan?

 

I think Dana initially distrusted Hadley simply because she doesn’t know her and she doesn’t understand why Hadley would want to help her client.

 

I know all about islands that add (accreted) and subtract land in places. But this land’s vegetation is killing oceanfront views. What state entity owns the land? Wasn’t this a controversial subject on Sullivan’s Island? I’m surprised that midnight chainsaws weren’t at work. No one wants to lose their oceanfront views!

 

The town of Sullivan’s Island owns the accreted land. And yes—everything to do with the accreted land is highly controversial. There are excellent points on both sides of the issue.

 

What is chicken bog? Do you have a recipe? And why is it so important to be able to make?

 

Ha! It’s a traditional Charleston chicken and rice dish. Yes, I do have a recipe, but I actually don’t eat chicken anymore, so I haven’t eaten it in a while. I may share the recipe in my newsletter. I do that most months—share recipes from the books. It’s really just important to Eugenia that Kateryna have the tools she needs.

 

Can okra ever be anything but slimy?

 

I love okra! Yes, it’s excellent roasted and fried.

 

“I can lie straight faced when the job calls for it.” (page 310) Is Hadley “in character” when she’s on the job, like an actress?

 

In many respects yes.

 

What is iced tea—half and half?

 

Half sweet tea and half unsweetened tea. It’s just a way to reduce your sugar intake. We Southerners can drink a lot of sugar if we aren’t careful.

 

What’s next for Hadley?

 

Hadley’s second adventure will be the third book in the series. The second book will feature Tallulah Wentworth, one of Eugenia’s friends. The Sullivan’s Island Supper Club takes a step back in time and explores the origin of the group. There will be a mystery in the book, but the main character isn’t a detective. I plan to alternate books that feature Hadley Cooper with stories featuring other members of the group.