An Interview with Annette Dashofy by E.B. Davis

 “Running isn’t an answer.”

Nell clutched Emma’s arm and shook it. “Running’s the only answer.”

Annette Dashofy, Keep Your Family Close, Kindle Loc. 3130

 

When a badly decomposed body is found in the basement of an abandoned warehouse, Erie police detective, Matthias Honeywell, is called in to investigate.

 

Meanwhile, freelance photographer Emma Anderson is desperately trying to find her drug-addicted sister, Nell. Then a devastating piece of evidence found at Detective Honeywell’s crime scene brings her world crashing down, a driver’s license belonging to her missing sister.

 

In need of her assistance, Matthias asks Emma to help with the case, hoping to solve the mysterious disappearance of Nell Anderson. But in doing so, will the investigation uncover more questions than answers?

Amazon.com

 

Portraying realism is one of Annette Dashofy’s writing strengths. It’s a problem because readers can relate all too well to the characters’ humanity. Human nature being what it is, main character Emma and her sister, Nell, share a history that has made each one vulnerable to abusive men. Nell compounds the wounds they suffered by abusing herself with drugs and alcohol. It’s the paradox of the victim that bites.

 

But Emma is older and has undergone the transition from victim to normality. As she watches Nell, her pain and empathy are apparent when Emma slaps Nell’s tormenter across the face. In Keep Your Family Close, Annette’s second Detective Honeywell Mystery, Emma’s trusted, hometown-friend Eric Baker becomes her ally in protecting Nell and the contention of Matthias Honeywell, whose gaydar isn’t working.

 

Welcome to the flip-side of WWK, Annette!                                                                       E. B. Davis

 

Thank you, E.B.!

 

Can extreme suffering create either victims or monsters?

 

What a great philosophical question. I’m not a philosopher by any means, but I do think any extreme emotional pressure will clear out the superfluous and bring the true nature of a person to the surface. With suffering, some will rise above the misery and become a better person. Of course, that doesn’t work well for crime fiction, so yes. Some will succumb to the pressure and fall into a victim mentality, while others will seek retribution, blaming the world for their troubles and will become so-called monsters.

 

What happened to Emma and Nell’s parents? Did Emma and Nell get any grief counseling after their parents died?

 

Years ago, their parents were killed in a traffic accident. They’d been away on a vacation, on which they’d wanted the girls to join them. Emma had refused, and Nell followed suit. Driving home, their father fell asleep at the wheel and crashed, leaving both daughters guilt-ridden. Emma tried counseling briefly, but her boyfriend at the time convinced her it was a waste. Nell never did seek therapy, choosing instead to crawl into a bottle, which started her downward spiral.

 

Both of the murder victims have fatal flaws. The first was a womanizer. The second was a bully. It was interesting to see how a realistic friend portrays the second victim in front of her family. Do you think most families are blind to the flaws of their members or do they share the trait, which they don’t think are flaws?

 

Basically, no parent wants to see their children’s flaws. “Not my baby. My child would never.” Et cetera, et cetera. As for family members not seeing the same trait in themselves, many of us are blind to our own weaknesses. Even when I’m writing villains, I always keep in mind that everyone is the hero of their own story.

 

The police started looking at Erie High School yearbooks to determine if relationships between victims and missing persons existed. How big of a town is Erie?

 

“Big” is a relative term, right? I live in a rural township, so Erie seems like a big city to me. But to someone from London (where my publisher is based), it’s a small town. It’s the fourth largest city in Pennsylvania with a population of just under 95,000. By comparison, New York City has 8.5 million. But Erie does have an international airport. This is all part of why I love it as a setting. There are so many story opportunities.

 

Why doesn’t Cassie Malone, Matthias’s boss/partner/friend, like good coffee?

 

Ha! It’s not that Cassie doesn’t like good coffee, but she’s practical. She’s a wife, a mom, and a grandmother raising her young granddaughter, so to her, buying the expensive stuff is a waste of money. Plus, she likes to nag at single, childless Matthias, and his high-priced coffee habit is good material.

 

After Emma is told of Nell’s death, she goes back to her hometown to make funeral arrangements. Did she have any interest in trying to find out what happened to her sister? Or did the phone call from hotel employee Katie bring Emma into the investigation?

 

When Emma first learns of Nell’s death, she isn’t surprised. That was a notification she’d anticipated for a long time. And yes, Katie’s phone call stirs Emma’s curiosity. While she has expected to learn Nell has died of an overdose, she’s still curious about her sister’s final days.

 

How did Eric know that Emma was interested in a man from Erie?

 

Eric has known Emma since they were kids. Knows her better than maybe she even knows herself. He can read her like the proverbial book. Her tendency to protest too much only confirms his suspicions.

 

Although Emma knows Matthias isn’t an abuser, does she have a reluctance to become dependent on a man?

 

Absolutely. She’s been down that path before with disastrous results. On top of that, Emma has seen Matthias’s anger issues. She trusts him not to hurt her—in fact, he has put himself in harm’s way to protect her—but she really doesn’t want any more complications in her life.

 

Do Emma and Nell own the family land where they lived after Emma’s tormenter and stalker burned down both houses? Wouldn’t some of the insurance money from the house fires go to Nell, not just to Emma?

 

It would. Stay tuned for future developments. *wink wink*

Emma knows that running won’t solve problems. Nell thinks running is the only solution. Is it knowing that the problem(s) follow and knowing that Emma won in the end that gives her the courage to stand fast? Or is Nell immature?

 

I don’t know that “immature” is the right word. In some ways, her life on the streets made her wiser than Emma. But Nell is definitely wounded. Deeply.

 

How did Emma luck out and find men, friend and romantic, who can cook?

 

Right? Lucky gal! Considering Emma lives in a 17-foot camper with a tiny galley for a kitchen, I think it’s a good thing she has people around who can feed her! Maybe it’s a sixth sense with her!

 

Emma finds out that Matthias can ride horses and that his mother was a barrel racer, something Emma only tried once. Is this another attraction for her?

 

This may be the biggest attraction for her at this point! She misses her old life on the farm. She misses her horse. Now here’s this man who she finds attractive but slightly scary. They have absolutely nothing in common. No reason beyond the search for the truth about Nell to bring them together. Then she sees those photos in his apartment! He becomes a lot more attractive to her now that she knows he’s a cowboy at heart.

 

Does Matthias have a morbid sense of romance? The first kiss at his old partner’s grave—really!

 

Not at all! Very early in Where the Guilty Hide, we learned that Emma enjoys the peace and solitude of the cemetery. Matthias visits his late partner there on a regular basis. It’s the first place Emma and Matthias ever laid eyes on each other. Nothing with this pair is ever going to be “normal,” so I think it was the perfect place for their first kiss!

 

What’s next for Emma and Matthias? Will Emma still try and connect with Nell?

 

Nell’s story has wrapped up for now. Emma has to learn to let go and move on. Next up, we get to dive into Matthias’s dark and mysterious past. I’ve hinted so much about what happened to him, it’s time to bring his worst nightmares to the surface.