An Interview with Annette Dashofy

Zoe Chambers, paramedic and deputy coroner in rural Pennsylvania’s tight-knit Vance Township, has been privy to a number of local secrets over the years, some of them her own. But secrets become explosive when a dead body is found in the Township Board President’s abandoned car. As a January blizzard rages, Zoe and Police Chief Pete Adams launch a desperate search for the killer, even if it means uncovering secrets that could not only destroy Zoe and Pete, but also those closest to them.

Annette Dashofy

(http://www.annettedashofy.com/files/Home.html)

I had the privilege of reading an advanced copy of Circle of Influence, due for release this month, and zipped right through this page-turner. Annette writes like a pro even though this is her first published novel. But then, Annette was nominated for a Derringer Award in 2007 for "A Signature in Blood" featuring the main characters in Circle of Influence. The time Annette took to present her first novel was but one of the reasons I wanted to interview her. Please welcome Annette Dashofy to WWK.                                                                         E. B. Davis

The main characters you created for your Derringer nominated short story were those in your novel, and seven years elapsed between the two publications. When did you realize that Zoe’s and Pete’s story needed to expand into a novel? Did the nomination give you confidence to delve more deeply into their story?

Seven years may have elapsed between the publications, but I started working on the novel shortly after the award, when a fan wrote me and said they hoped to see more of Pete and Zoe. I had been trying to come up with an idea for a new series and that comment sparked the thought process and started me fleshing out those two characters.

How long did you spend perfecting the manuscript before querying it to agents and publishers? Why didn’t you rush to publication? How many agents and publishers did you query?

My path to publication has been all over the map. At the time I started writing Circle, I had an agent representing another of my series that hadn’t gone anywhere, and I realized we weren’t a good fit. We parted company, and I pitched Circle for the first time at the 2010 Pennwriters Conference with two requests for fulls and two eventual rejections. As I was gearing up for a big query push, another agent contacted me about that other series, so Zoe was placed on the back burner for over a year. Once again, nothing came of the other series, so I returned to querying Circle to agents. I’ve lost track of how many queries I sent. But at the beginning of 2013, I decided to give the agent search six more months. Then I was going to query small presses directly. I’d sent out TWO queries to publishers when Henery Press called with an offer.

Like main character Zoe, you worked as an EMT. How much training do EMTs receive?

I was an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) which requires 160 hours of training to gain certification. Zoe is a Paramedic, which is a step up from EMT. Paramedic training is 14 months to 2 years and involves schooling in IV therapy, pharmaceuticals, cardiology, and other advanced medical skills. When I worked on the ambulance, I was partnered with a paramedic.

Whenever Zoe approached a victim, she mentally and emotionally prepared herself. Is that just Zoe, or does EMT training provide guidance on how to remove emotions from the professional tasks that must be performed by EMTs?

I don’t recall any specific training in that area, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they include it now. When I’m writing about Zoe’s emotional state, I’m drawing 100% from my own experiences of being thrown into those kinds of situations. You can’t let your feelings for a patient—good or bad—get in the way of treating them.

Having been an EMT, did you often work with the Sheriff or other police on the scene? Were you ever required to testify in court?

We worked closely with the local police and fire departments. We depended on the police to securethe scene before we’d go in. And the officers frequently “hung out” at the ambulance garage. Fortunately, I never had to testify in court.

Zoe’s partner, Earl, is sometimes solicitous of her, and yet, he isn’t sexist. That’s hard to portray. What elements did you include to appeal to readers?

Again, I was drawing on personal experience. I had some really great partners. When you’re out there holding patients’ lives in your hands, you develop a trust and a respect for each other, but you also goof around a lot. You have to have an off-beat sense of humor to do that work or you’ll lose your mind!

When a friend loses faith in another friend, can forgiveness occur, and/or is there always something broken?

Oh, that’s a great question, and one I love to explore in my writing. I like to believe in redemption and forgiveness. When something’s broken and it mends, it’s often stronger, don’t you think?

The season and setting were characters in your book. How did you decide on the winter snows in western PA?

I’d love to tell you I had the theme of Jerry’s cold heart being reflected in the cold January winter in mind, but the truth is much more boring. I’d finished writing two long stories and several short ones all set in the heat of summer, and thought I’d try something different. However, as I got into the plot details, I found it really worked for concealing evidence and adding physical challenges to both Zoe and Pete. And western PA is home to me, so no travel is involved in researching locations. Right now though, I’m trying to think of a way to send Zoe to New Mexico for a book!

Do you think small towns are more shocking than cities, or is it just that in small towns what goes on is known by someone?

I love that in small towns, everyone THINKS they know everything about everybody, and yet secrets lurk everywhere! Plus city dwellers have this illusion of the countryside being peaceful and safe. It’s not necessarily so. 

Zoe’s best friend Rose, her husband, mother-in-law, and two teenage children play central roles in Circle of Influence. Zoe doesn’t think that familial protection trumps the truth. Was she insensitive or wrong?

I love your questions! I think Zoe is naïve where family is concerned. Her own family is pretty messed up so she’s desperate to hold onto the one she’s created with these friends. But she has a very strong need to be honest and truthful. That tears her apart when she suspects someone she loves is in deep, deep trouble.

What’s next for Zoe and Pete?

Speaking of family! In the next Zoe Chambers mystery (Lost Legacy, September 2014) we get to meet Zoe’s mother and stepdad as a current homicide investigation opens up questions about two old cases, including the death of her father when she was eight. Plus Pete’s dad, who suffers from Alzheimer’s, moves in.

Which do you enjoy more, writing short stories or writing novels? Any more short stories on your hard-drive?

I definitely prefer writing novels. Short stories are HARD. And since I have to finish the third Zoe Chambers mystery by fall, I don’t have time to work on anything else at the moment.

Are you a beach or mountain person, Annette?

I can’t swim, and I have a camp in the Laurel Highlands, so I’m definitely a mountain person.

Henery Press releases Annette’s book this month. Look for Circle of Influence at your favorite indie or at the major retailers. For more information on Annette, go to her website. Lucky Charms, an anthology of short stories by members of the Mary Roberts Rinehart Pittsburg Chapter of SinC, edited by Ramona DeFelice Long, includes Annette’s story, “Sweet Deadly Lies,” and can be purchased at Amazon.

Annette is giving away one Advanced Reader Copy of Circle of Influence to a lucky reader. Look tomorrow for the winner's name on our homepage marquee. Thanks and good luck!