The Ava Logan
Mystery Series began with Tell Me No Lies
in 2017. It picks up this summer with the release of books 2 and 3. Book 2,
Tell Me No Secrets released June 11
followed by book 3, Tell Me You Love Me,
on July 9th.
About the series: Set deep in the North Carolina mountains in the
fictitious town of Jackson Creek, the Ava Logan Mystery Series follows main
character, Ava Logan, a 35-year-old widow with a 15-year-old son and a
12-year-old daughter, and a 2-year-old foster child. Ava is the owner/publisher
of the Jackson Creek Chronical, the small town’s weekly newspaper where she
covers everything from church homecomings to dirty politics and the occasional
murder—if her lover, Sheriff Grayson Ridge, will let her do her job.
In the heart of Appalachia, newspaper
publisher Ava Logan should feel joy and pride as she watches her
thirteen-year-old daughter being baptized in the cold water of Jackson
Creek—but she can’t rejoice when thoughts of an employee who failed to show for
work keep pulling her attention away.
Ava’s convinced something horrible has happened to Scott. Then his backpack is
found floating in the same river her daughter is being baptized in.
While clue after clue leads her deeper into the hollers of Appalachia—ripe with
tradition and folktales, store front religion, and the darkest of secrets, Ava
discovers truths about those close to her and about her own beliefs.
With her own life in jeopardy, how deep will she go to find the truth? What
secrets will she expose? What secrets will she keep?
The first book in this series, Tell Me No Lies, was published in 2017. Was it intended as a
standalone? How come the second two books were published within a month of each
other? Well…I was afraid someone was going to ask this question!
In all honesty, it’s deeply personal but I’m at a place where I can share it
without fear of strange looks. When I wrote and sold Tell Me No Lies, my
adult daughter had been diagnosed with epilepsy. She was a young mother with
five young children and started experiencing seizures when her youngest (twins)
were three months old. They were severe enough she couldn’t drive or be left
alone with the babies, so I took the day shift as caregiver to the kids, and to
some extent, my daughter. Her husband worked during the day and took the night
shift. The medication didn’t help and the only option for a normal life was
laser brain surgery. It was somewhat experimental in that it had only been done
less than a handful of times. She was in and out of the hospital several weeks
at a time as they mapped the seizures then prepared for surgery. The area of
concern was located behind her optic nerve and one slip of the laser and she
would have been blind and there would have been no going back to fix it. By
this time, I’d missed the first deadline with Tell Me No Secrets. But,
with all that was going on, I was on auto-pilot. Back and forth to the
hospital, trying to keep the kids on as normal a schedule (and life!) as
possible, and being numb when I went home to my own quiet little house. It
wasn’t until after the surgery and we got the all-clear, that we all breathed
again. I had my own little breakdown and cried many nights in the shower long
after the fact. That’s how I roll. Deal with it now and then later break down.
No matter how many times I tried to finish Secrets, it just would not
come. So, my publisher backed up the pub date and since I’d lost the momentum of
book one’s release, we had to do some creative thinking––thus, a double
release.
This series is set in the mountains of North Carolina. Is
it part of Appalachia? Are the Appalachian Mountains in several states?
Yes, the series is set around the
Boone, NC area, also called The Highlands. That area is part of the Appalachian
region which encompasses several ranges including the Blue Ridge Mountains, The
Great Smoky Mountains, the Alleghany Mountains, and even the Catskills. The
Appalachian region itself is 2000 miles long and stretches from Newfoundland
(CA) to Alabama.
What makes the female characters in your books so strong?
They have to be. Life hasn’t always
been fair or easy for them, but they pull up their boot straps and carry on. I
wanted them to be realistic and women readers can relate to. That’s what strong
women do. They don’t fret over why something bad happened––they just fix it.
Although the Reverend Doretha Andrews isn’t Ava’s mother,
she may as well be. Why do Ava and Doretha have such a close relationship? Why
doesn’t Jeremiah Carson like Ava?
Ava came from a tragic, abusive
childhood and was taken into the foster system when she was a little girl. As
the pastor of the local church, Doretha took Ava in and more-or-less raised
her. Even as an adult, Ava sees Doretha as her anchor and moral compass,
relying on her wisdom. Doretha has always seen something special in Ava and
whether it’s letting her find out something on her own the hard way, or coming
to Doretha for advice, Doretha thinks of her as a daughter. Jeremiah Carson is
sweet on Doretha and sees her relationship and bond with Ava as a threat. Ava
sees Jeremiah Carson the same way.
I admit it. I hate chicory coffee. Isn’t it something used
to stretch coffee? Is it an acquired taste? Maybe it’s really a gourmet coffee
I’m not sophisticated enough to appreciate. Please explain it!
LOL! Yes, they
actually started using it during Napoleon’s reign as a way to make coffee
stretch a little more. With the French influence, could be why it’s popular in
New Orleans. But back to your question––it is very much an
acquired taste. My grandfather used to drink it and even the smell was so
strong, you’d swear it could walk out of the pot itself. Very bitter and
strong.
As the founder of the local newspaper, the Jackson Creek
Chronicle, Ava is an employer. She becomes concerned when her college-age
employee, Scott Curry, goes missing. After Scott’s backpack is found floating
in the creek, why does Grayson Ridge, the sheriff, still treat Scott’s
disappearance as a missing person?
He doesn’t have any other clues to go
on other than the backpack of an avid hiker was found in the river. It’s the
age-old quandary of when does a missing person investigation become a homicide
investigation––not until they find a body. Even then, he must decide if indeed
it was foul play or an accident.
Emma, Ava’s now thirteen-year-old daughter, is oscillating
between childhood and adulthood. Why does Ava feel guilty all the time?
That comes from being a single parent
and feeling like she had to fill both roles. She wants her kids raised to be
good people and struggles sometimes with the weight of being the perfect role
model she wants to be.
Who is Keeper McCarter? Is he autistic? He doesn’t really
seem stupid.
Keeper McCarter is a character
introduced in book #2, Tell Me No Secrets,
and continues into book #3, Tell Me You
Love Me. No, he’s not autistic. He’s what mountain folk call
“simple-minded.” He’s mentally-challenged with the innocence of a child.
Although a grown man, he sees the world through a child’s eyes, which makes Ava
and his mother Mary very protective of him.
Keeper’s mother, Mary, is a local granny witch. Is she also
a seer?
Yes, Mary has the “gift.” Many refer
to it as being able to “see the future,” but it’s simply a very strong sense of
intuition. Granny Witches, Granny Women, Seers, village elders––whatever they
are called depending on the region, they’re all known to have insight and the
ability to heal using natural remedies.
Ava keeps adding to her menagerie by adopting Scott’s cat,
Boone. Will she ever turn away an animal or a kid?
Again, it’s the guilt factor (LOL!)
She knows what it’s like to feel that sense of abandonment and her heart just won’t
let her stand by and do nothing. As far as adopting another actual human,
probably not. Parenting a toddler at 35 (although 35 is NOT old) is exhausting!
Even though Grayson and Ava have a romantic relationship,
their jobs cause them to collide. Does this diminish their relationship?
It doesn’t diminish their feelings
toward one another, but it does cause conflict. Like any law enforcement
officer, Grayson has to be conscientious of how much information he reveals to
the press, no matter if it’s a small-town newspaper. And that he’s sleeping with
the publisher! And Ava, sometimes withholds information from Grayson until she
can weigh the consequences of what will happen when Grayson’s forced to do his
job.
When Ava continues to investigate, Scott’s sister tells her
about a friend named Josh. No one at the college seems to be forthcoming about
Josh. What does Ava find out about Josh’s family, which makes him strange?
Josh was raised in an ultra-religious
family who opposed him going to college. He hasn’t been exposed to a lot of the
“world” and to others seems a little awkward and very shy. Josh’s father is a
Pentecostal preacher with very deep-set, old-fashioned beliefs. Josh’s mother,
Susan, is a very dutiful, subservient wife who blends into the wall in Ava’s
opinion. Ava has a hard time accepting any form of inequality so to witness it
while sitting in Josh’s family’s living room is eye-opening for her.
Josh’s father
is a reverend in what appears to be a Pentecostal church, which uses snakes as
part of its service. Are there still churches like this?
Very much so! They still exist but are
very deep into the hollers of the mountains. The practice has been outlawed in
most states, but law enforcement does tend to look the other way until they
can’t.
After reading Tell Me
You Love Me, the title now seems like a plea across the years. Is it?
Yes, it is multi-generational. It
encompasses many aspects of love, family, passion, and beliefs.
What is the cause of selfishness?
It’s several things all rolled into
one. A misguided notion that you’re doing what’s right for someone else, and
holding onto secrets to protect one’s self.
What’s next for Ava?
I have a couple ideas involving very
topical subjects so stay tuned!
