Ending a Trilogy

 by James M. Jackson

While searching for an agent for Niki Undercover, I had to provide summary plots for the second and third books. The second book, NikiUnleashed, was easy; I was already working on its third draft. The request occurred during Biden’s third year of presidency, and I decided Niki would fight against a conspiracy to install a new president by decapitating much of the line of succession.

Then Trump won the election and began reshaping the executive branch. Prior to the October 2025 start of my story, DOGE employed its flamethrower approach to firing “excess” employees, the President dismissed well-respected military officers, and the FBI terminated agents tied to the January 6th investigations. I could either use a fictional President X or incorporate the real one into the story.

Because those events directly affected Niki’s world, using a fictional presidency felt wrong. I won't include spoilers here, but I'll say this: unlike the typical thriller "ripped from today's headlines," this year I've frequently found myself reading headlines ripped from my story.

That wasn’t what made this novel my most difficult to write.

Even though I had a plot outline this time, I have a pantser’s brain. That became clear during the first draft of Niki Unbound as I addressed the emotional aspects of the story. I realized my subconscious had known all along that I was writing a trilogy. It had planted seeds in book one, nurtured them in book two, and book three featured the reaping. Understanding that this book had to fulfill the emotional promise introduced pressures I had never experienced as an author.

The emotional arc of a series tracks a character’s deep psychological growth in multi-layered stages rather than in one book. Series allow characters to keep growing, healing, or tragically falling short of their promise. With a living series, it’s incremental and never complete.

Not so in a trilogy. The closing of the third novel must leave readers believing that the author has fulfilled the emotional promises made in book one. Readers may prefer a different ending but accept that the one they read is fully justified. And best of all is if they are a bit sorry their time with the main characters has come to (at least for now) an end.

Early Bookbub reviews captured what I hoped:

“I really didn't see the end coming. I know this is the end of the trilogy of Niki but, I sure am hoping there will be more to the story!”

and

“I am so sad that this is the last book in the Niki Trilogy but am hopeful that she may make appearances in future Seamus books. Fingers crossed!”

Writers, how have you faced the challenges of completing a series? Readers, what’s your reaction when a beloved series ends?

* * * * *

James M. Jackson writes justice-driven thrillers with brains and bite, including the Niki Undercover Thriller trilogy and the Seamus McCree series. To learn more information about Jim and his books, check out his website, https://jamesmjackson.com. You can sign up for his newsletter (and get to two free short stories featuring his protagonists).

Using AI Without Compromising the Story

By James M. Jackson

I belong to several writing groups that have online forums for their members. Recently, a highly respected member on one of the forums went on a rant about how any use of large-language-model artificial intelligence (like Claude, ChatGPT, and others that analyze text and identify patterns—LLMs, for short) is totally unacceptable for authors. The rationale pointed to LLMs' unethical use of copyrighted material to learn, and that it’s dumb to do anything to help a product that undercuts your product. I’ve paraphrased a much longer and more erudite analysis. In this view, writers should feed the backlash and shut AI down.

Standing on its grandest pedestal, this is the equivalent of saying that eating anything produced by American farmers on United States soil is unacceptable and should be banned because all the land used to produce the food was stolen or otherwise obtained illegally or immorally from the indigenous peoples. What’s more, if we only stopped using this product, farmers would stop producing it.

Of course, we need food to eat and don’t need generative AI to live—at least not yet.

Maybe a better analogy is that writers should go back to scribbling longhand because science indicates that doing so uses a larger percentage of our enfeebled brains than keyboarding does. But I choose to keyboard instead of writing longhand because it’s much faster (and I can actually read the result two hours later, instead of scratching my head about the intended meaning of those ink marks on paper).

My firm line with AI is that I will not have anyone or anything do my creative writing for me. I do accept human and AI suggestions to improve my work, and I will absolutely allow LLMs to produce a first draft synopsis for my 95,000-word novel. And I’ll certainly allow it to generate multiple suggestions for the book’s blurb. Even in those instances where LLMs did the initial draft, the final words and styling will be my choices, even if composed mostly of words chosen by the AI. If AI can help me perform a routine task faster, I’m all in.

Here are three examples of how I recently used Claude to perform structural analysis.

In my current WIP, Niki Unbound (Niki Undercover #3), I realized Cindy (Paddy’s wife and Seamus’s daughter-in-law) went missing for part of the story. In the before-days, as part of the read-through of the entire novel, I would have set up a little worksheet to keep track of where Cindy was and what she was doing. Since I knew it was a problem, I gave Claude this prompt:

Where's Cindy: One of the areas to check is Cindy's location in each scene. Please review Niki Unbound draft 2 2026-02-21.docx and provide a chart with the following columns: 1. Scene number 2. Cindy present Y/N 3. Cindy's location [Chicago area, D.C. area, Shank Lake vicinity, Other (specify), Unknown]. Please provide results in a downloadable Excel file. Questions?

On its own, Claude color-coded the lines to mark location (making it visually very easy to see where Cindy was), provided a short note for each scene, and provided commentary on a few scenes it thought I should look at because they were somewhat ambiguous. The graphic below shows the first thirteen scenes.

With this information, I can pinpoint where to fix this issue and do that before doing my read-through.

The second area I’ve experimented with is having Claude do a first pass at analyzing scenes for their impact on the story. Normally, before I hand the second draft over to Jan, I do a read-through and capture on a spreadsheet a number of characteristics for each scene. I want to know if it’s Action (A) or Reaction (R) or a combination. I also want to know which scenes have increased Twists (T), Dangers (D), and Reversals (R)—a concept I picked up from Jane Cleland. I also record Jess Lourey’s approach: A.R.I.S.E. (Action, Relationship, Information, Suspense, Emotion). After providing the basic definitions to Claude, I asked it to do a first pass at analyzing each scene.

Here’s what it did for the first few scenes.

I’m not claiming Claude got this 100% correct, but this makes it easy to spot potential issues that I can then investigate. It took me only a few minutes to formulate the query and give Claude the manuscript, and it has already saved me hours of work.

The third task was also in preparation for the read-through. Because I write the first draft mostly by the seat of my pants, following characters where they take me, I create plot holes and cul-de-sacs that I must fix in the second draft. Normally, I discover the problems as part of my read-through. This time I queried Claude:

Please review the Niki Unbound draft document for any and all continuity issues. Be thorough. Questions before proceeding?

It produced a four-page Word document with “issues.” It grouped them into Critical – Plot Holes & Logic Gaps, Significant – Technical Errors & Story Problems, Moderate – Tone, Pacing & Character, Missing / Unverified, and (unrequested) Typos & Copy Errors. Here’s the top part of the report:

Claude was good, but not great. It identified sixteen issues, of which four were misinterpretations on its part. An example is #2 above. It correctly identified eight people but missed the ninth. When I pointed out who I thought the ninth was, it checked and agreed I was correct. Back when I was in school, a 75% on a test was a C-minus. Until I do the read-through, I won’t know if it should have flagged other issues.

But even with the mistakes, it found a dozen issues I could fix before I did my read-through. That, I believe—I haven’t done it yet—will make my read-through faster and more valuable.

I’m not trying to convince writers how they should or should not use AI. But if you are AI-curious and tolerant, these three examples may spark some ideas for you. Writers and readers, where is your firm line in using AI?

* * * * *

James M. Jackson writes justice-driven thrillers with brains and bite, including the Niki Undercover Thriller series and the Seamus McCree series. To learn more information about Jim and his books, check out his website, https://jamesmjackson.com. You can sign up for his newsletter (and get to read Low Tide at Tybee, a novella featuring Seamus, his darts-throwing mother, and six-year-old granddaughter, Megan).

Why I’m Turning off My Permafree Series Starter

By James M. Jackson

For several years, I used the novel in my Seamus McCree series as a permafree entry point for readers. The major problem for unknown authors (I’m James M. Jackson, not James Patterson) is discovery. Permafree’s siren song is that by making the first novel in a series free, you eliminate the monetary barrier that stops many readers from trying new authors. Give them a fine book (Ant Farm (Seamus McCree #1) has a 4.4 Amazon rating and 4.25 on Goodreads) and if they like it, they’ll purchase the next in the series.

Well, it ain’t working that way for me.

In 2025, I ran promotions that allowed me to give away about 3,000 copies of Ant Farm. The average cost was modest, less than fifteen cents a book. According to industry wisdom, that’s pretty good. It suggests my cover and blurb get downloads. During 2025, the average rating on Amazon and Goodreads both increased. Those who read it, like it (ignoring the occasional troll who leaves a 1-star rating—no review, just ’cause it makes them feel special to trash someone).

Of those who downloaded Ant Farm on Amazon, less than 1% then bought Bad Policy (Seamus McCree #2). But here’s what’s fascinating: for readers on other platforms (Apple, Nook, Kobo, etc.), 75% bought Bad Policy, and 80% continued to Cabin Fever (Seamus McCree #3).

My Hard Truth

I hoped Amazon readers would behave the way my other readers did. They didn’t. They aren’t joining my Readers Group newsletter. These particular Amazon readers happily let me subsidize their preference for free books. That required me to make a business decision.

Permafree costs money, and on Amazon it wasn’t producing readers who went on to buy or engage. What it was doing was attracting people who wanted free books—and nothing beyond that. That’s not a criticism of them. It’s a market signal to me. And once I accepted that signal, it made sense to stop feeding a system that trained readers to sample endlessly without committing.

My pivot

I returned Ant Farm’s price to $4.99 (the same price as all my other novels). Readers who sign up for my newsletter now get “Low Tide at Tybee (A Seamus McCree novella)” as my thank you. It introduces them to three of readers’ favorite characters: Seamus McCree, his darts-throwing mother, and his (now) six-year-old granddaughter, Megan. If they like it and want to read more, they can choose what they want to purchase next.

I created ebook bundles for books 1-3, books 4-6 + another novella, and books 7-8. Each bundle provides a substantial discount over the combined prices of the individual novels/novella. And I offer ebooks on my website, often at a discounted price so readers and I can both benefit without feeding Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

The revised approach gives readers options: Those who want a low-risk introduction can get a complete novella and check out the Readers Group. Readers who want value can get discounted bundles. People who want to support an author they enjoy can buy direct. Just clear choices, without pressure or hidden strings.

Will it Work?

Check back next year, and we’ll explore the results.

I’m curious: what makes you decide to buy a book from an unknown-to-you author? Is it price, recommendation, sample chapters, or something else?

* * *

James M. Jackson writes justice-driven thrillers with brains and bite, including the Niki Undercover Thriller series and the Seamus McCree series. To learn more information about Jim and his books, check out his website, https://jamesmjackson.com. You can sign up for his newsletter (and get to read Low Tide at Tybee, a novella featuring Seamus, his darts-throwing mother, and six-year-old granddaughter, Megan).

Jim Participates in the Abolition Walk

As with most people who have lived more than three-quarters of a century, I have a few pet peeves. I’m aggrieved that we don’t use math classes to teach kids the skills they need to avoid making terrible financial decisions as adults because they don’t know better. (If someone knows and wants to make the same bad decisions, I cringe, but it’s their choice.) Another thing that concerns me is our general woeful lack of knowledge about history, and willingness to believe politicians with historical “facts.”

For example, did you know that the maximum federal estate tax was 77% from 1941 through 1976? Yup, and most states had estate taxes as well. The top marginal federal income tax rate hit 94% in 1944-45! It stayed at 70% or above from 1936 through 1980. Keep that in mind when today's gazillionaires complain about today’s “ruinous” tax rates.

My son, daughter, one sister, and me being recognized at the
2025 Abolition Walk as descendants of James Caleb Jackson

Which leads me to another area where many are blowing smoke: slavery and the Civil War in the United States. The secession of the states that formed the Confederacy was driven by concerns by the wealthy slaveholders that the Republican Party, antislavery as they were, would strip them of their major asset: other humans that they owned. Oh sure, the southern states had other grievances, but their articles of secession mention only slavery.

And those living in the northern states often paint their history as righteously against slavery. They ignore that New England ships took part in the slave trade, and that until well into the 1850s anti-slavery movements were despised more than approved. Just as today when both sides of many issues cherry-pick Bible verses to “prove” their point, Americans were passionately doing the same with slavery. Which brings me to the Abolition Walk.

In 1835, 600 delegates met at a Presbyterian church in Utica, New York to organize the New York State Anti-Slavery Society. (The City of Utica revoked its previously issued permit to meet at the City Hall, and members of the church arranged the changed venue.) My great-great-great-grandfather James Caleb Jackson was a delegate. A large group of anti-abolitionist protesters, led by Congressman Samuel Beardsley, threatened violence, including burning down the building, unless the meeting dispersed. (They cited the slavery provisions in the Constitution for their justification, ignoring the assembly and free speech provisions in the same constitution.)

Gerrit Smith invited the delegates to reconvene the following day in Peterboro, NY (about thirty miles away). Some had carriages or horses. Jackson did not, having walked to Utica from his farm in Mexico, NY. He, and a William M. Clark of Syracuse, convinced an Erie Canal packet boat to load up with 104 men and take them to Canastota, the city closest to Peterboro. Then the two of them led the group on foot for the 9.1 miles from the canal to Peterboro. As they got close, Jackson went on ahead (i.e. walked faster up the hills—Peterboro is about 900’ higher than Canastota) to arrange breakfast for 100 at a tavern. Later that day, Jackson was one of the signers of the articles forming the NYS Anti-Slavery Society.

Peterboro is home to the National Abolition Hall ofFame and Museum. Some of those involved with the museum created an annual commemorative walk to remember these events. This being the 190th anniversary—and as a former actuary knowing the likelihood of my making it to celebrate the bicentennial of the event is not great—I convinced most of our small family to join me on the walk. There are only five living ancestors of James Caleb Jackson. Four of the five of us made it, and Jan came along with me, so we had five participating in this year’s walk.

The weather was cool and sunny, great for walking the 5.4 miles (up to Clocksville and back). Jackson’s name and picture are on the historical markers present in both Canastota and Clocksville that provide information about the walk. His memoir provides the only extant first-person account of the walk.

During the day, I talked with many of the participants, organizers of the event, caretakers of the Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum, descendants of former slaves whose ancestors had taken the Underground Railroad to the area, and others, like us, keeping the memory alive, knowing there is still work to be done.

Someone asked me if I was proud to walk in the footsteps of my ancestor. My answer was no; I was humbled to walk in his steps. James Caleb Jackson was twenty-four years old. Some are born to lead.

History shows that serious issues affecting nations are significantly more complex than suggested by the black and white of social media and news headlines. Historical novels, and even contemporary thrillers like I write, can explore that complexity when they incorporate issues such as militias, illegal immigrants, big corporations, the environment, and different rules for the powerful and the powerless.

Writers, how do you handle those issues? Readers, what books have you read that did a good job addressing complex issues without turning preachy?

* * * * *

James M. Jackson writes justice-driven thrillers with brains and bite, including the Niki Undercover Thriller series and the Seamus McCree series. To learn more information about Jim and his books, check out his website, https://jamesmjackson.com. You can sign up for his newsletter (and get to read two free short stories, one featuring Niki and Seamus and the other taking place at Seamus’s camp in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula).

Major Changes in the Last Year

By James M. Jackson 

Three years ago, I agreed to create and teach a course on Indie Publishing for the Guppy Chapter of Sisters in Crime. This Sunday, I’ll welcome my third group of students. In order to give students time to do the reading and suggested homework, we cover the material over six weeks.

I designed the course to provide students with hands-on experience with all aspects of Indie Publishing other than writing/editing and marketing. We discuss the pros and cons of Indie Publishing compared to more traditional publishing paths, business formation, business financials, sales and income taxes, the process of physically creating, perfecting, and publishing print, eBooks, and audiobooks, and much more.

To prepare for this new session, I reviewed the twenty lessons. Some required only minor changes from last year. Changes in four areas, however, required significant reworking of the lessons I used for last year’s class. Three relate to so-called Artificial Intelligence, AI for short. The fourth is the increasing opportunity for selling direct and using bespoke books.

The more I thought about it, the more convinced I became that I needed to create a lesson that provides information on how Indie and Hybrid authors are using AI. With a topic so large, the lesson can only skate the surface, but my sense is that writers who consider becoming Indie or Hybrid authors cannot make a reasoned decision without understanding how AI might affect that choice.

Besides the broad AI overview, my lessons on cover design and audiobook creation required extensive revisions to reflect the significant improvements in AI over the last year. I also needed to reflect information about the increased acceptance of AI technology-assisted narration and cover creation and processes an Indie author might use.

The topic of AI use by writers is fraught with strong emotion. But ignoring it in a class for writers learning the inside skinny on Indie Publishing seems to me a disservice.

Your thoughts?

* * *

James M. Jackson authors the Seamus McCree series. Full of mystery and suspense, these thrillers explore financial crimes, family relationships, and what happens when they mix. To learn more information about Jim and his books, check out his website, https://jamesmjackson.com. You can sign up for his newsletter (and get to read a free Seamus McCree short story).

Hot-Button Issues in Novels

By James M. Jackson

I recently went to a Friends-of-the-Library event at a nearby branch to hear Jeff Nania speak. He writes the Northern Lake Mysteries set in “up north” Wisconsin (which is “down south” from my place in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula). And then that night, I finished reading The Killer Sermon by Kevin Kluescner, which is the first of a series featuring the FBI Special Agent in Charge of the Milwaukee, Wisconsin office.

In addition to the authors setting their series novels in Wisconsin, they both deal with hot-button issues. Nania is a conservationist with a deep belief that people, especially children, need to connect with nature. While all of us probably agree that we would like to breathe clean air and drink clean water, politics as they are today means how we accomplish those goals is a hot-button issue.

Two things surprised me about Nania’s talk before the Library Friends, many of whom were already fans. He spent little time talking about his books and a lot of time talking about his passion for environmental work and getting kids out into nature. He’s a storyteller at heart, so it was interesting (and I already look favorably on both causes). But I’ve always found people come to events to learn some inside skinny about the author’s writing process, how the books developed, struggles and successes, etc. In this case, an interviewer asked questions, which were often related to such topics, but Nania’s answers drifted away from his books to his passions.

The second surprising thing was there were no questions from the audience. Not that the audience didn’t have them, but that the moderator didn’t ask for them. Nania is quick on his feet, and I would have been interested in learning more from him.

That evening, I finished Kluescner’s The Killer Sermon, in which abortion and abortion providers are front and center. There are few topics more divisive than that.

My approach as both an author and reader is that I am fine with controversial issues, provided I don’t think the author is preaching to me or making the issue black and white. It doesn’t matter if I agree or disagree with the author’s take on the issue.

I’ve involved illegal immigration issues in Granite Oath (Seamus McCree #7), and the militia movement in both Cabin Fever (Seamus McCree #3) and my current work-in-progress, Niki Undercover. In the next in the Niki series, Niki Unleashed, I involve extreme environmental activists. The third Niki book will also involve militias.

Those two experiences coming so close together got me wondering how you as writers and readers feel about hot-button issues and your reading preferences. I’m all ears.

* * * * *

James M. Jackson authors the Seamus McCree series. Full of mystery and suspense, these thrillers explore financial crimes, family relationships, and what happens when they mix. To learn more information about Jim and his books, check out his website, https://jamesmjackson.com. You can sign up for his newsletter (and get to read a free Seamus McCree short story).

An Interview with Author James M. Jackson By E. B. Davis

 

What you don’t know can kill you.

 

The Happy Reaper, notorious for his chilling efficiency and “Results Guaranteed” calling card, escapes prison. Instead of killing Seamus McCree on sight, he offers a diabolical bargain with a heart-stopping proviso. To live, Seamus must help the Happy Reaper find and eliminate the upstart impostor who’s trashing the assassin’s reputation.

And Seamus must act quickly. Should the Happy Reaper’s bad heart give out or any harm come to him, the criminal underworld will wreak carnage on Seamus . . . and his loved ones.

Can Seamus outsmart the impostor and appease the Happy Reaper without staining his soul with blood? The only thing Seamus knows for sure is that time is running out for him and his family.

Amazon.com

 

James M. Jackson does not write fluffy books. There is no cozy in Hijacked Legacy, his eighth Seamus McCree novel. My words are not complaints. He packs action into every page and his endings are spectacular to the point of cliffhanger—for which I now will have to wait for the next book to calm myself. Reader beware—binging snacks, drinking wine, or partaking of other substances may be necessary to cope with the tension Jim presents.

 

His mastery of technology (and what is technically possible in his setting—not that I can actually verify it) isn’t a surprise. The setting is a strong character and is one he is familiar with since he owns such a place in the Upper Peninsula, Michigan (U.P.), like his main character, Seamus. Jim’s plots remind me of the adage “torture your characters.” Poor Seamus.

 

Please welcome Jim to the flip-side of WWK.                           E. B. Davis

 

Can you give us a little summary of the last book so that readers understand that Seamus and his sister Colleen are in trouble if the DA wants them to be?

 

In Granite Oath, Seamus McCree’s granddaughter, Megan, employs a “pinky-swear” to get Seamus McCree to learn what happened to Megan’s best friend’s missing mother.

 

Seamus uncovers a tangled web of drugs, prostitution, and dummy corporations, and soon finds himself the target of killers. Anyone sane would wash his hands of the mess or turn it over to the police. But Seamus has given his word, his granite oath, to learn the truth . . . even if it kills him.

 

Well, it didn’t kill him or Colleen Carpetti, his half-sister, who was also involved in learning what happened. At least one bad guy was not so fortunate, leading the Iron County police to arrest Seamus and Colleen. The county prosecutor brought charges because of that death.

 

Your story is shown via six POVs. Do you map out your plot in detail before you write? Prior to this time, you’ve said you were a pantser—in this book though, how can that be possible?

 

I am 100% pantser. I start writing with an idea of what the story is about. The first draft allows me to discover what the story was really about. I rewrite until I have the story exactly as I think it should be (after input from others, of course.) If I recall correctly, in the first draft, I think I also had six POV characters, but in the third draft, one of them lost their POV, and another character gained their POV. I made those choices to make the story stronger.

 

This is a story with three sides: Seamus and his people, the Happy Reaper, and a group of Happy Reaper Imposters. There are two POVs from Seamus’s camp. Three POVs from the Imposters, and one—the Happy Reaper’s representing himself. What is significant about the numbers?

 

Mathematicians know six is a perfect number. Its factors 1,2, and 3 add up to itself. The next perfect number is twenty-eight (with factors 1,2,4,7, and 14). Twenty-eight were too many POVs.

 

Okay, so the real answer is I choose the minimum number of POVs possible for me to tell the story as best I can. This story required six; Granite Oath used only one, Seamus.

 

The Happy Reaper Imposters was started by a cop named Charlene with two buddies who are not cops—Zach has the computer skills of an IT professional. The other, Tyler, was a former military sniper, who was dishonorably discharged. Why would Charlene start such an assassin’s group?

 

Charlene is frustrated by the ability of rich and/or powerful people to get away with crimes that others cannot. She had an opportunity to correct one such wrong and, with her friends, took it.

 

Why do the Imposters have Seamus on their hit list? Why not Colleen, also?

 

In his memoir, the Happy Reaper holds Seamus responsible for his capture and life imprisonment, and states that he wants revenge. The Imposters decided since the Happy Reaper couldn’t do it, they would.

 

How does the Happy Reaper find out about the Imposters?

 

Even in prison, the Happy Reaper has wealth and contacts. His underworld friends let him know.

 

Seamus observes a trumpeter swan on his property. Wouldn’t they have already flown south for the winter? It’s October.

 

Our trumpeter swans wait until just before the lake freezes up to leave. That’s usually late October. One year during a sudden cold snap, we were afraid a pair would become iced in because they need a lot of open water to take off. They swam around to keep the water open and took off at first light. Even with that effort they had to break through some skim ice.

 

What does Squirrel! mean?

 

Squirrel! means a distraction. I had to look up its origin for this interview. Apparently, it comes from the 2009 movie Up, in which Dug, a dog, is easily distracted by a squirrel.

 

What is the KP index for the northern lights?

 

The KP index is a measure from 0 to 9 that describes the brightness and range of the aurora borealis (northern lights). The higher the number, the farther the aurora moves from the poles. Where Seamus and I live in the U.P., we can sometimes see northern lights with indices as low as 4, provided you have a clear view of the northern sky.

 

Seamus says he feels like the character Tommy, the deaf, dumb, and blind kid, from The Who’s rock opera? Why?

 

Seamus often has a jukebox playing in his brain. Sometimes he sings along. It’s never purely random and often provides psychological clues to his feelings. In the situation in which he channels The Who, he’s wandering around in the dark of night in a perilous situation with no clue what is happening.

 

Please remind us who Owen is? Why is he so protective?

Readers first met Owen in Cabin Fever (Seamus McCree #3) and again in Empty Promises (Seamus McCree #5). He’s a hardscrabble ancient Yooper (someone from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, da U.P., eh?) In Cabin Fever, he delivered weekly supplies to Seamus, became a friend, and has looked after Seamus ever since.

 

Niki is so far deep undercover only one man in the NSA knows how deep her cover is. Who authorized her position and her in it?

 

The backstory on that will have to wait until you can read Niki Undercover. I’m hopeful we’ll publish that novel later this year. It just went through a beta reader process and needs a few tweaks yet. Suffice it to say, Niki takes assignments for the US government no one else can. Her current cover is as a US Marshal, for which she has bona fide credentials. However, that causes real problems when traditional marshals come sniffing around to recapture the Happy Reaper.

 

Clem is the Happy Reaper’s insurance to get Seamus to work with him to get rid of the Imposters. But at some point “Clem” disappears. Why?

 

Dancing around plot points here: The Happy Reaper holds Clem over Seamus’s head to make sure Seamus doesn’t turn him back in to the authorities. While that threat remains throughout the story, it becomes less critical as other, more immediate, threats loom.

 

Patrick, Seamus’s techno-savvy son, and his former business partner, Lisa, come to Seamus’s camp to help ferret out who has infiltrated the Happy Reaper’s websites and Clem’s identity. Lisa is a pregnant General in the Army, CyberOps. Is there such a thing? What is a brevetted rank? How did Lisa end up in the Army?

 

The US Army Cyber Command is real. Here’s their website. To stay out of jail for youthful hacking exploits, Lisa agreed to join the Army as an officer and remain for six-years. She likes the work and re-upped her service. She’s done rather well for them, so they keep promoting her to more senior positions. To do that, however, requires leapfrogging the traditional promotion system, which requires minimum times in rank before being eligible for the next promotion.

 

That’s where brevet promotions apply. Brevet ranks give the individual temporary rank and pay, while keeping intact the permanent ranks that follow the more stringent time-in-service requirements for promotion. Currently, the US Army does not brevet officers to brigadier general or higher levels, so fictional Lisa is leading the way.

 

What kinds of tools do Lisa and Patrick use to help Seamus?

 

They use standard hacking tools, including taking over a botnet (internet-connected devices from around the world that you have infected and can control) to attack the Imposters’ websites to learn who they are.

 

But they also want to know what the Happy Reaper is up to and find out who Clem is. For that, they segregate the Happy Reaper’s computer onto a separate network, allowing them to monitor everything he does. They also erect a fake cell tower that monitors all cellular communications coming into or out of Seamus’s property.

 

But Seamus has a few tricks up his sleeve as well. He employs multiple trail cameras around his property to spot wildlife. He strategically relocates them to keep watch on roads and paths for unexpected visitors. Some of the cameras upload pictures to the cloud and alert his phone in real time. Others require him to pull the memory card and view the pictures with a card reader.

 

What is Telephone Time?

 

TT, as Telephone Time is locally known, is a talk show on WIKB in Iron River (you can stream it) that allows individuals to buy, sell or trade their items or look for stuff or services they need. Go into any store in the greater area while it’s on air, and that’s what you’ll hear. Seamus uses TT with unexpected consequences. I’ve never called the show, but I was the subject of a call. It’s a funny story at my expense. If someone wants to hear it, I can tell it in the comments.

What does a sandboxed browser mean?

 

Think of a sandbox you played in as a kid: four walls low enough to climb in with your pail and shovel, but high enough to keep the sand from killing the grass outside the sandbox.

 

The same concept applies to your browser: you bring an application or file into the sandbox to test it. If it is infected or has other malicious properties, the sandbox contains the damage, (which you can sanitize), not allowing it to cause mischief with the rest of your computer/network.

 

So, what is the story on Kingsford Charcoal?

 

Kingsford Charcoal was the go-to brand for grilling when I was growing up. Seamus is waiting for Colleen at the Ford Airport in Kingsford, Michigan and looks up its history.

 

I looked up the history of Kingsford charcoal on Wikipedia. I had recalled Henry Ford had come up with the charcoal idea to deal with the voluminous scrap generated by the sawmill he owned that produced wood products for Ford cars and trucks. Kingsford was the real estate guy (his wife was a Ford cousin) who bought the land and managed the manufacturing process. Got the city named after him. Now I knew.

 

What’s next for Seamus? Yes, this is a pointed question!

 

Um, did I mention I’m a pantser?

Granite Oath, a New Seamus McCree Novel by James M. Jackson

Interview with Paula Gail Benson

James M. Jackson has written seven books featuring his financial crimes investigator, Seamus McCree. In Ant Farm, Seamus uncovers who poisoned thirty-eight retirees at a Labor Day picnic. His own home in Cincinnati is a crime scene in Bad Policy, and secrets about his father’s involvement in the IRA come to light. He retreats to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in Cabin Fever only to discover a naked woman on his porch during a blizzard. Doubtful Relations finds him taking a road trip to Savannah to investigate his ex-wife’s missing current husband. In Empty Promises, he loses a witness he was hiding, his granddog finds a buried human bone, and the police uncover a dead body. He returns to Boston in False Bottom where, while serving as executor for his uncle’s will, he learns more family secrets.

In his latest adventure, Granite Oath, Seamus agrees by “pinkie swear” to “work” for his eight-year-old granddaughter and her best friend in order to find the best friend’s missing mother.

When he realizes he will have to provide refuge for the best friend and her grandmother, who speaks little English, Seamus consults his ex-wife Lizzie, who tells him, “One of the most lovable and most frustrating parts of you is your willingness to take on other people’s battles.” Further, she says, “You damn McCrees turn a pinkie swear into a granite oath that nothing less than a glacier can crush.”

Has Lizzie’s description accurately described Seamus character or is she simply expressing an ex-wife’s dubious perspective?

A little hyperbole never hurt anyone, right? But Lizzie has put her finger on one of Seamus’s core beliefs: his word is his bond. He’s imperfect, and he suffers greatly when he does not live up to his own expectations 

Most people wouldn’t think about illegal immigration being a problem in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Where did you get the idea for this book?

I wanted to write a story that involved Megan because that girl is going to change the world some day. She’s eight; how would she get Seamus involved in an investigation? What “problem” would be large enough to justify a novel. A friend’s missing mother worked, but then why involve Seamus and not the police?

Because the friend wouldn’t go to the police if they were afraid of them, which sadly is the situation in many places where bashing immigrants makes good political theater, and the threat of deportation is real.

What types of research did you do to learn about United States’ immigration law and policies and the problems faced by illegals in this country? What did you learn that surprised you?

I believe I first met illegal immigrants when I was working a summer job after high school supporting VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) in migrant labor camps in Upstate New York. I have been interested in understanding how throughout the course of US history, in a “representative democracy” the wealthy have maintained a stranglehold on the reins of power. One of their levers has been to exploit cheap labor.

The cheapest labor comes from those with no ability to affect the political process and who have little legal recourse. In early years, businesses could utilize slaves, indentured servants, and child labor. Now they prey on illegal immigrants and often inmates (current through prison labor or former through restrictive laws).

I can’t say anything surprised me after seeing the horrific images over the last decade from our southern border and watching an ineffectual national political response. I had forgotten, though, that Massachusetts passed the first deportation Act in 1794 after it “suffered” a rush of poor Irish immigrants.

Seamus has a lovely relationship with his granddaughter Megan. Is that based on relationships you’ve had with grandchildren?

I get to claim Jan’s grandkids as mine. The youngest is a rising senior in high school. Their parents have raised independent-minded young people of whom I am proud. Whenever I could, I took it as my responsibility to stretch their boundaries in ways that brought no harm but may not have been kosher.

Many strong women, younger and older, inhabit Granite Oath. What inspiration do you use to write female characters?

You stumped me, Paula. I’ve never thought about how I write female characters. I think I treat all my characters the same: each is an individual with desires and goals, strengths and weaknesses, varying ways of dealing with obstacles. That said, I can’t imagine Seamus wanting to be friends with anyone who didn’t have their own opinions or who followed three steps behind their partner, eyes focused on the ground. As a result, to become a continuing character (male or female) you must be strong.

Your setting is very much a part of your story. In the acknowledgments, you mention that you have created a number of the locations and businesses referenced. How do you determine what factual details to include and what to fictionalize?

I love reading stories that use real settings, especially if I have knowledge of them. My inclination is to use actual locations and businesses whenever I can, but not to allow geographic “facts” to hamstring the story. When I use real businesses, I make sure nothing bad happens in them, and that I never diss an owner. If an enterprise is at all controversial, I’ll create a fictitious one and locate it at some distance from any similar real enterprises.

As your editor, you call Jan Rubens your “first, last, and best reader.” What is your practice for working together? Does she see early drafts of your manuscripts?

The first time Jan sees a manuscript is after I think I have solved all the plot and character issues. That’s usually draft two, sometimes three. She puts on blinders to ignore my lousy writing and tells me what does not work or where action c-r-a-w-l-s. I make those changes, semi-polish, and send the manuscript to an outside developmental editor for an independent review. After I address whatever issues she finds, I polish, and then Jan copyedits. I take 90+% of her suggestions, and then we independently proofread. My faithful eagle-eyed readers then find all the stuff I missed (because when you are too close, you read through errors).

Then comes the relationship-challenging part of the process. I fix those typos, layout the book for print and Jan proofreads again—and finds things that need improving. By that point I want to be done, done, done with the book. After swearing I will never write another novel again, wondering what made me think I could write one in the first place, vowing that I’d rather drink lye than deal with one more improvement, I buckle down and make the changes. We both proof again (and find a couple more typos – and still there will be at least one in the book, I know).

One lovely part of your series is that you allow Seamus to experience parts of the country and world where you have lived or visited. Since you are taking a trip to Iceland, do you imagine that Seamus may follow in your footsteps?              

I have no plans to take Seamus abroad. Although I have traveled to many interesting places, the thought of dealing with foreign laws is enough to squash any thought I might have. My plans for the next book in the series (assuming this one sells well enough to justify a next book) is to have Seamus and his nemesis the Happy Reaper meet and compete one last time.

BIO:

James M. Jackson authors the Seamus McCree series. Full of mystery and suspense, these domestic thrillers explore financial crimes, family relationships, and what happens when they mix. August 2022 brings publication of the 7^th novel in the series, Granite Oath. (Click here for information and purchase links.)

Jim splits his time between the wilds of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and the city life in Madison, WI. You can find more information about Jim and his books at https://jamesmjackson.com or contact him via email.

James M. Jackson