An Interview with M. E. Browning by E. B. Davis

 

Squint’s eyebrow shot up, and Dr. Ingerslebgen’s brows scrunched. Funny how one piece of anatomy could go in two different directions and still convey the same WTF expression.

M. E. Browning, Shadow Ridge, Kindle Loc. 3835

 

Echo Valley, Colorado, is a place where the natural beauty of a stunning river valley meets a budding hipster urbanity. But when an internet stalker is revealed to be a cold-blooded killer in real life the peaceful community is rocked to its core.

It should have been an open-and-shut case: the suicide of Tye Horton, the designer of a cutting-edge video game. But Detective Jo Wyatt is immediately suspicious of Quinn Kirkwood, who reported the death. When Quinn reveals an internet stalker is terrorizing her, Jo is skeptical. Doubts aside, she delves into the claim and uncovers a link that ties Quinn to a small group of beta-testers who had worked with Horton. When a second member of the group dies in a car accident, Jo's investigation leads her to the father of a young man who had killed himself a year earlier. But there's more to this case than a suicide, and as Jo unearths the layers, a more sinister pattern begins to emerge--one driven by desperation, shame, and a single-minded drive for revenge.

As Jo closes in, she edges ever closer to the shattering truth--and a deadly showdown that will put her to the ultimate test.

                                    Amazon.com

 

Micki Browning, former president of the SinC Guppy chapter and retired police captain after serving twenty-two years, writes under the name M. E. Browning. Shadow Ridge, the first Jo Wyatt mystery, was released yesterday. Jo is a police detective who was recently passed over for promotion. Her successful competitor? Her husband, soon-to-be—ex.

 

In Shadow Ridge, Micki shows how Jo’s personal and professional relationships impact each other, and sometimes in surprising ways. As a female professional in a male-dominated field, the presumptions of her peers and superiors get in the way of doing her job, which she does extremely well, catching clues others have missed. And it’s not because she is female, it’s because of her persistence, her loyalty to the victims, and her vow to serve and protect, even when those very people tick her off and display attitude.

 

Shadow Ridge is a page-turner, and the first in what I think will be a very long series. Please welcome Micki Browning back to WWK.                                  E. B. Davis

 

I admit it. I’ve never heard of mood DVDs. They really are real? Really? What types of moods do they evoke?

They are real! Imagine reclining in your living room and basking in the snap and pop of burning wood as your television instantly becomes the fireplace you don’t have—or if you’re outdoorsy, consider a campfire.  In the doldrums of summer, you can swap fire for aquarium fish. Just want to chill? Your screen can morph into that lava lamp you threw away about five decades ago.

 

When I looked up RP, the acronym stood for Receive Pronunciation. Is that right? Are those who call in the crime referred to as RPs?

RP stands for reporting party. Radio transmissions should always be as brief as possible and to accomplish that, cops draw upon a whole host of acronyms. Radio 10-codes, however, are falling out of favor as agencies move towards “plainspeak” (which is exactly what it sounds like). Plainspeak reduces confusion in situations involving more than one agency as not everyone uses the same codes. Regardless, airtime is valuable.

 

Student Quinn is the RP. Why is she evasive with Jo?

Quinn hasn’t always been on the right side of the law. She has trust issues.

 

On your website, you said that Echo Valley isn’t a real town in Colorado. Have you lived somewhere similar?

I have! I lived in Durango, which is an amazing place that’s tucked in the southwest corner of the state and is the inspiration for Echo Valley. I like to joke if you erase about 50 years, halve the population, and squint, you’ll see Echo Valley.

 

Jo has only worked on two homicide cases in her twelve years in the force. Is Echo Valley so small that the detectives have to do their own CSI processing? Do small town detectives get training on how to do all that?

Forensics is covered in the police academy and every officer learns how to process a crime scene. How much they actually process as a patrol officer depends on the size and resources of the agency. For example, the agency I served in California had sworn CSI officers who processed crime scenes, plus two lab techs who handled the major calls and processed nearly all the agency’s evidence in their department lab. The Echo Valley Police Department fields about three officers per shift. That requires officers to be fairly self-sufficient. Officers conduct their own basic crime scene investigation—photos and fingerprinting, mostly—and depending on the crime, may not even request a detective for assistance. On more serious calls, detectives will respond. Detectives receive advanced CSI training and have additional equipment that patrol officers don’t carry. Colorado agencies can request assistance from the Colorado Bureau of Investigations for major incidents. As a state agency, it has regional offices and considerably more resources and expertise, plus it operates the state crime lab. Finally, if an agency finds itself dealing with a terrorist or plane crash, the feds will have jurisdiction and the initial local agency will assist.

 

Why does Jo need a search warrant? Doesn’t the scene of a crime automatically give them authority to search and process?

There are entire books written about search and seizure, so this is going to be a very down and dirty explanation. The 4th Amendment protects people from unreasonable search and seizures. At its most basic, it requires officers to get a warrant from the court before they have the authority to search. That said, there are numerous exceptions: consent searches, vehicle searches, inventory searches, and searches incident to arrest to name a few. Responding to a murder scene gives officers authority to enter the scene, render aid if appropriate, and check for additional victims or suspects. But once it’s obvious that the scene is stable, it’s time to get a warrant. When in doubt it’s always advisable to get a warrant. Without one, a defense attorney may file a motion to suppress and if the challenge prevails, the evidence may be deemed inadmissible. (The court case that covers murder scenes is Mincey v. Arizona.)

 

Jo’s husband, and soon-to-be ex, Cameron, got promoted to sergeant over Jo. My first thought after Squint MacAllister enters the scene is—why hasn’t he been promoted to sergeant? He was Jo’s training officer, older, more experienced than either Jo or Cameron.

Echo Valley, like most agencies, requires a person to test for a promotional position, and Squint never has. Simply put, he doesn’t want the job and he’s very happy as an investigator. For the record? He’d be a great supervisor.

 

Dakota Kaplan is Jo’s best friend. She means well when she tells a reporter about how Jo was passed over for promotion, but...in the long-run, is she more of a detriment to Jo than an asset?

One of the things I wanted to do in this story was explore the complexities of relationships: marriages, parental, friendships, and

partners. Dakota meant well, but her actions crossed a line. Jo put her on notice. What happens now is up to Dakota.

 

Why are prison tattoos always blue?

Prison tattoos usually fall into the greenish-blue hues because of the materials used to make the ink. It is illegal to give or get a tattoo in prison, and the items used to create tattoos are considered contraband.

 

What does “Bogart it” mean?

It’s a slang term that means to selfishly take or keep something—especially something meant to be shared among people who know each other. 

 

I was amazed to find out that the whole gaming industry was steeped in sexism. Please explain the history for our readers.

The notion that gaming is an overwhelmingly male pastime isn’t true; nearly half of all gamers are female. Game designers, however, still skew overwhelmingly male. Early in the development of the industry, several gaming tropes evolved in regards to female characters. They were often cast in the role of damsel in distress, garbed in skimpy outfits, and possessed physiques that highlighted sexuality over intelligence. In comparison, women designers were more likely than their male counterparts to focus on creating games that had more cooperative storylines and characters that were more diverse in regards to ethnicity and sexual orientation. In 2014, a controversy erupted over sexism and progressiveness in the industry that resulted in an online harassment campaign targeting women gamers (and to a lesser extent, people of color and members of the LGBTQ community). The viciousness of the hate mobs prompted industry leaders to tackle online harassment, but sadly, that battle has yet to be won.

 

Who is Aiden? Why isn’t Jo with him?

Aiden and Jo grew up together and have an enduring bond. While they may have come close, they never took that final step to become lovers despite their love for each other. Neither wanted to risk the friendship for a different type of relationship that might not last. Fear? Probably.

 

How old is Quinn? She seems wise beyond her years.

Quinn has a lot of street smarts. She’s in her last year of college, but she got a late start as she dealt with putting her life back together. She’s just shy of twenty-five.

 

Are Australian cattle dogs used to help ranch? What is a blue Australian cattle dog?

Australian cattle dogs are medium-sized herding dogs that are tough, muscular, and smart—which makes them popular ranch dogs. They can be pretty territorial, so if you see one in the back of a truck, best walk on by…. Blue refers to the color of their coat which is a moody gray-blue.

 

Why did Jo agree to pin the sergeant’s badge on Cameron during the ceremony? I really hated that.

That moment was more about Jo than Cameron. She loved the man enough to marry him, and she’s going to continue to work with him on the department. Perhaps it was an olive branch—but who was extending it to whom? After all, Jo agreed to participate in the badge ceremony, but Cameron asked her first.

 

After the ceremony, Jo ends up choosing the cop bar to have a drink with Dakota. Why didn’t she choose a noncop shop?

There are essentially three watering holes in Echo Valley—four if you count the Elks Lodge. Cowboys drink Coors at the Hitching Post, the bikers slake their thirst at Valhalla, and the cops? They relax at Finnegan’s Irish Pub. And honestly, when one of the choices is an Irish pub, why would you go anywhere else? Or maybe that’s just the author talking.

 

What is sinsemilla? Is it legal in Colorado?

Colorado legalized recreational marijuana in 2012 for adults 21 years and older. They can sell, possess, or transport up to an ounce, but consumption still must occur behind closed doors (or specific smoking establishments). You can even have it delivered to your home. Sinsemilla describes buds without seeds—which purportedly makes the marijuana more potent.

 

Do firefighters often mess up evidence? Can they do better or is it the nature of their job?

Cops and firefighters have a long history of busting each other’s chops. They call us blue canaries; we call them evidence destruction teams. Dragging hoses across a crime scene and dousing it with water destroys a lot of evidence, but letting something burn to the ground isn’t that great of an option either. When prioritizing a response, safety is the primary concern, evidence will always be secondary.

 

What does a “Jar Jar Binks” of games mean?

Jar Jar Binks was an annoying character in the Star Wars saga. Quinn compares a character in a video game her friend designed to Binks as a way to say the character was not a fan favorite.

 

What does doxing, trolling, spoofing, and SWATting people mean?

Email spoofing is when the information in the From section in the header is falsified and hides the origin of the person who actually sent it. Spammers do it all the time, but so do harassers who wish to remain anonymous.

 

Trolling is when a person seeks to become a pest of murder-hornet magnitude. We’ve all heard of internet trolls. This is the person who hijacks a social media thread and starts by playing the role of a devil’s advocate to indicate all the ways a post is wrong, and then quickly escalates into posting racist, sexist, or threatening comments.

 

Doxing is the acquisition of someone else’s personal information and then making it publicly available. This includes home and email addresses, phone numbers, employment locations, credit card information, and more. It’ a way for an abuser to strip a person of their privacy and provides anyone with a grudge the ability to target the person either online or off.

 

Armed with doxxed information, a harasser can escalate yet again and initiate a fake emergency requiring a SWAT response. Depending on the trumped-up hoax, officers may respond expecting to be greeted by a heavily armed suspect while the unsuspecting victim is unaware of the dangerous situation unfolding all around her.

 

Does insulin have an aroma of Band-Aids?

Insulin smells slightly different to everyone, but the most popular description likens it to adhesive bandages, which may stem from a compound called phenol that is used to stabilize and disinfect insulin.

 

When did suicide become a verb as in suicided? Is that cop-speak?

In the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the entry for suicide shows the word can be used as a noun, adjective, or verb. I first encountered its usage as a verb while in policing. I was a hostage negotiator, and as such I had a lot of behavioral and mental health training. I suspect it is more commonly used as a verb in clinical and medical circles.

 

Tell me that in one moment of weakness, Jo slept with Cameron, not that she’s still in love with him?

You can rest easy. That ship has sailed.

 

What’s next for Jo?

Thank you for asking! Jo is called out to investigate a missing child, but as she digs into the fractured family life, she unearths a trove of secrets and half-lies that paints a different picture of the two parents she’s known since high school.

 

An Interview with the 2018 Agatha Nominees for Best First Novel by Paula Gail Benson

Malice Domestic’s 2018 Agatha Nominations for Best First Novel:
Adrift: A Mer Cavallo Mystery by Micki Browning (Alibi-Random House)
The Plot is Murder: Mystery Bookshop by V.M. Burns (Kensington)
Hollywood Homicide: A Detective by Day Mystery by Kellye Garrett (Midnight Ink)
Daughters of Bad Men by Laura Oles (Red Adept Publishing)
Protocol: A Maggie O’Malley Mystery by Kathleen Valenti (Henery Press)

Micki Browning, V.M. Burns (Valerie), Kellye Garrett, Laura Oles, and Kathleen Valenti are enjoying having their debut novels celebrated this year at Malice Domestic. We are so pleased to welcome them to WRITERS WHO KILL to answer a few questions about their work. Thanks so much to Micki, Valerie, Kellye, Laura, and Kathleen, and best wishes!—Paula Gail Benson

For many debut novelists, their first published novel may not be the first one they have written. What was your path to your debut published novel?

MICKI: Like many writers I wrote a couple of practice novels. I learned structure by constructing a story that didn’t hold together. I joined Sisters In Crime and took classes through their Guppy chapter. My second novel was better, but still not quite there, and I returned to the classroom. Dialogue classes taught me how to flesh out characters. During a plotting course, I had a structural epiphany that I used while I wrote Adrift. The effort paid off. Adrift garnered both Daphne du Maurier and Royal Palm Literary Awards. I met my agent through the Daphne contest and signed with her shortly after winning.

 

VALERIE: I had two ideas for mystery series when I started my MFA at Seton Hill University. I chose the other idea for my thesis, but finished early and started writing the second one. After graduation, I queried my thesis project and then completed THE PLOT IS MURDER. 

KELLYE: Hollywood Homicide is actually the first novel I wrote. Before you hate me forever, I’ve been a professional writer for over 15 years and have a ton of screenplays in a drawer somewhere. I swear! I got the idea for the book around 2011 when I drove past a Los Angeles Police Department billboard offering a $15,000 for information on a murder. I was dead broke at the time so my first thought was, “I should solve that!” Not the smartest idea—at least in real life. It did turn out to be a pretty cool idea for a book though. I wrote it on and off for a few years before finally finishing a decent draft in 2014. That same year I was lucky enough to be selected for an amazing contest called Pitch Wars, where I found my agent Michelle Richter of Fuse Literary. We sold the book to Midnight Ink in early 2016.

LAURA: I was fortunate in that my day job involved writing for digital photography magazines and publications, so the writing practice and working with editors had been part of my regular routine.  That said, for me, learning to write fiction was very different.  Fiction proved to be a vast universe, so full of options and opportunities.

DAUGHTERS OF BAD MEN is my debut novel but it is my fourth book. I wrote the first three novels as practice, working on character development and structure, plotting and pacing, practicing to become a stronger storyteller. My earlier attempts were done mostly for my own enjoyment, to better understand how a mystery novel works and how I should approach my own vision of it.

KATHLEEN: My path to publication for Protocol started at mile marker forty-something: a mini-midlife crisis in which I woke up one morning and decided that I’d put off my dreams of writing a novel long enough. Armed with books on craft and informed by writing seminars, I dove right in, expecting a smooth journey from concept to manuscript to publication. How hard could it be? I reasoned. I wrote for a living and was an avid reader and former English major. I had this whole novel-writing/book-publishing thing down, right?

Umm…not so much.

Although I had a clear idea of the story I wanted to tell, it took me nearly four years to tell it. After a host of revisions and murdering enough of my darlings to be classified as a linguistic serial killer, I finally had a book I loved and began to shop it around to agents. That’s where the real education began. I had oodles of requests to read, but they all ended in close-but-not-there responses. So I narrowed the gap to “there” and edited again (and again). Finally, success. Jordan at Literary Counsel loved the book as much as I did, took me on as a client and put Protocol out on submission. I got bites right away and said yes to Henery Press, a publisher I not only admired and respected, but that had a team that I knew would be the perfect fit.

Two years—and two-and-a-half books—later and I feel like I’ve arrived at my dream destination. It’s been an amazing journey and I’m so fortunate to have made some great friends along the way, including my fellow nominees for the Agatha Best First. I can’t wait to see where the road leads next.

Do you consider your writing plot-driven, character-driven, neither, or a combination?

MICKI: My writing breakthrough occurred when I learned to plot from the point of view of the antagonist, but write from the perspective of my sleuth. I realize this sounds like I’m a plot-driven writer, the truth is that I find it impossible to suss out the story until I know who my characters are and what motivates them. I’m really a combination writer, because plot springs from the characters and characters drive the plot.

VALERIE: My writing is definitely character-driven. I spend a great deal of time working out my character’s personalities, faults, likes and dislikes and the story and plot flows from that.

KELLYE: Probably a combo. I come from a TV writing background so I live and die by the plot twist. At the same time, the story is driven by the personality of my main character Dayna and her unwavering desire to do anything to save her family’s house from foreclosure. As an amateur detective, she doesn’t make the same investigative decisions that a Kinsey Millhone or Elvis Cole would make—and that was one of my favorite things about writing it. Book Riot featured Hollywood Homicide in their Read or Dead podcast earlier this month and one of the things they said was that if you or I was trying to solve a crime, we’d be bumbling through it like Dayna—which was my goal.

LAURA: I would say it’s a combination, but I lean heavily towards character-driven mysteries. I’m attracted to dialogue and setting, and creating the world where my characters reside has been one of the most enjoyable parts of writing this book.  I’m particularly interested in exploring the dynamics between two characters and how they respond when one is under pressure.  How does that impact their relationship, their ability to work together?  The plot is also incredibly important.  I just believe that understanding the characters well helps me explore the storyline more deeply and make the stakes more personal. Jamie Rush and Cookie Hinojosa lived in my head for a long time before I understood which case they would choose--and why.

KATHLEEN: I’d consider Protocol a plot-driven, character-motivated story. Outside influences start a cascade of events for my protagonist, Maggie O’Malley, but it’s her responses and inner motivators that keep the action—and the energy—going. It’s a system of action and reaction in which the story’s events and Maggie’s responses propel the story (and hopefully the reader) forward. Ultimately, however, it’s Maggie’s story. If the crises had happened to anyone else, Protocol would be a very different book.

What would your protag’s Olympic sport be?

MICKI: Scuba diving isn’t yet an Olympic sport, so that’s out, plus it’s winter. I’m going to guess freestyle skiing. Mer’s never skied before, so anything before she crashed would definitely be freestyle!

VALERIE: If Samantha Washington was in the Olympics, she’d strap her grandmother, Nana Jo to her back and compete in the biathlon. That way Sam could do the cross country skiing and Nana Jo could shoot.

KELLYE: When chasing a suspect, Dayna says, “I always said I could run in four-inch heels. It was good to know I was right on that front.” So her Olympic sport would be the 100 meter dash…in stilettos. She’d get gold for sure.

LAURA: If Texas hold ‘em were an Olympic sport, Jamie Rush might medal.  She’d have a shot at the gold simply for her ability to bluff.

KATHLEEN: Maggie’s Olympic sport would be freestyle skiing. She’s athletic, all about doing her own thing, and ready to leap into action when the occasion calls for it.

Thanks to you all for joining us at WRITERS WHO KILL. Here’s some additional information about these talented writers:

Micki Browning

A retired police captain, Micki Browning writes the Mer Cavallo Mystery series set in the Florida Keys. In addition to the Agatha nomination for Best First Novel, Adrift, has won both the Daphne du Maurier and the Royal Palm Literary Awards. Beached, her second novel, launched January 2018. Micki’s work has appeared in dive magazines, anthologies, mystery magazines, and textbooks. She lives in South Florida with her partner in crime and a vast array of scuba equipment she uses for "research." Learn more about Micki at MickiBrowning.com

Summary of Adrift

Marine biologist-turned-divemaster Meredith Cavallo thought adjusting to a laid-back life in the Florida Keys would be a breeze. But when the host of a ghost-hunting documentary crew hires her as a safety diver and then vanishes during the midnight dive, Mer’s caught in a storm of supernatural intrigue.

Determined to find a rational explanation, Mer approaches the man’s disappearance as any scientist would—by asking questions, gathering data, and deducing the truth. But the victim’s life is as shrouded in mystery as his disappearance. Still, something happened under the water and before long, she’s in over her head. When someone tries to kill her, she knows the truth is about to surface. Maybe dead men do tell tales.

V.M. (Valerie) Burns

V.M. (Valerie) Burns was born in Northwestern Indiana and spent many years in Southwestern Michigan on the Lake Michigan shoreline. She is a lover of dogs, British historic cozies, and scones with clotted cream. After many years in the Midwest she went in search of milder winters and currently lives in Eastern Tennessee with her poodles. Receiving the Agatha nomination for Best First Novel has been a dream come true. Valerie is a member of Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, and a lifetime member of Sisters in Crime. Readers can learn more by visiting her website at vmburns.com.

Summary of The Plot is Murder

Samantha Washington has dreamed of owning a mystery bookstore for as long as she can remember. And as she prepares for the store’s grand opening, she’s also realizing another dream—penning a cozy mystery set in England between the wars. While Samantha hires employees and fills the shelves with the latest mysteries, quick-witted Lady Penelope Marsh, long-overshadowed by her beautiful sister Daphne, refuses to lose the besotted Victor Carlston to her sibling's charms. When one of Daphne's suitors is murdered in a maze, Penelope steps in to solve the labyrinthine puzzle and win Victor. But as Samantha indulges her imagination, the unimaginable happens in real life. A shady realtor turns up dead in her backyard, and the police suspect her—after all, the owner of a mystery bookstore might know a thing or two about murder. Aided by her feisty grandmother and an enthusiastic ensemble of colorful retirees, Samantha is determined to close the case before she opens her store. But will she live to conclude her own story when the killer has a revised ending in mind for her?

Kellye Garrett

Kellye Garrett writes the Detective by Day mysteries about a semi-famous, mega-broke black actress who takes on the deadliest role of her life: Homicide Detective. The first, Hollywood Homicide, was recently nominated for Agatha, Lefty, and Barry awards. The second, Hollywood Ending, will be released on August 8, 2018 from Midnight Ink. Prior to writing novels, Kellye spent eight years working in Hollywood, including a stint writing for the TV drama Cold Case. The New Jersey native now works for a leading media company in New York City and serves on the national Board of Directors for Sisters in Crime. You can learn more about her at KellyeGarrett.com and ChicksontheCase.com.

Summary of Hollywood Homicide

Actress Dayna Anderson’s Deadly New Role: Homicide Detective

Dayna Anderson doesn’t set out to solve a murder. All the semifamous, mega-broke actress wants is to help her parents keep their house. So after witnessing a deadly hit-and-run, she pursues the fifteen grand reward. But Dayna soon finds herself doing a full-on investigation, wanting more than just money—she wants justice for the victim. She chases down leads at paparazzi hot spots, celeb homes, and movie premieres, loving every second of it—until someone tries to kill her. And there are no second takes in real life.

Laura Oles

Laura Oles is a photo industry journalist who spent twenty years covering tech and trends before turning to crime fiction. She served as a columnist for numerous photography magazines and publications. Laura’s short stories have appeared in several anthologies, including MURDER ON WHEELS, which won the Silver Falchion Award in 2016. Her debut mystery, DAUGHTERS OF BAD MEN, is a Claymore Award Finalist and an Agatha nominee for Best First Novel. She is also a Writers’ League of Texas Award Finalist. Laura is a member of Austin Mystery Writers, Sisters in Crime and Writers’ League of Texas. Laura lives on the edge of the Texas Hill Country with her husband, daughter, and twin sons. Visit her online at lauraoles.com.

Summary of Daughters of Bad Men

Jamie Rush understands what it takes to disappear because her parents taught her that long ago. Leveraging her knowledge of why and how people run from their own lives, Jamie has built a business based on bringing those in hiding back to answer for their actions. She takes pride in using her skills to work both inside and outside the law.

When her estranged brother, Brian, calls and says his daughter is missing, Jamie initially turns down the case. Kristen has always been a bit wild, frequently dropping off the grid then showing up a few days later. But Brian swears this time is different, and even though Jamie vowed years ago to keep her conniving sibling at arm’s length, she can’t walk away if Kristen could be in real trouble.

As Jamie begins digging into Kristen’s life, she uncovers her niece’s most guarded secrets. Uncovering the truth will put a target on Jamie’s back and endanger the lives of those she loves.

Kathy Valenti

Kathleen Valenti is the author of the Maggie O’Malley mystery series. The series’ first book, Agatha- and Lefty-nominated Protocol, introduces us to Maggie, a pharmaceutical researcher with a new job, a used phone and a deadly problem. The series’ second book, 39 Winks, releases May 22. When Kathleen isn’t writing page-turning mysteries that combine humor and suspense, she works as a nationally award-winning advertising copywriter. She lives in Oregon with her family where she pretends to enjoy running. Learn more at www.kathleenvalenti.com.

Summary of Protocol

Freshly minted college graduate Maggie O’Malley embarks on a career fueled by professional ambition and a desire to escape the past. As a pharmaceutical researcher, she’s determined to save lives from the shelter of her lab. But on her very first day she’s pulled into a world of uncertainty. Reminders appear on her phone for meetings she’s never scheduled with people she’s never met. People who end up dead.

With help from her best friend, Maggie discovers the victims on her phone are connected to each other and her new employer. She soon unearths a treacherous plot that threatens her mission—and her life. Maggie must unlock deadly secrets to stop horrific abuses of power before death comes calling for her.

An Interview with Micki Browning by E. B. Davis

Marine biologist-turned divemaster Meredith Cavallo thought adjusting to a laid-back

life in the Florida Keys would be a breeze after the regimented schedule of an

Arctic research vessel, but when she rescues a diver who claims to have seen a ghost,

she’s caught in a storm of supernatural intrigue.

News of the rescue goes viral—not welcome notoriety for a researcher trying to

obtain a new position. A team of ghost hunters descends on the Keys and Mer is

pressured into serving as a safety diver for a documentary crew in search of

paranormal activity. When Ishmael, the crew’s charismatic leader, vanishes during a

midnight dive on the Spiegel Grove shipwreck everyone but Mer is convinced that

things really do go bump in the night.

Determined to find a rational explanation, Mer launches her own investigation,

but how to find a dead man wasn’t covered in grad school and the local

law enforcement consider her involvement in both diving incidents criminally curious.

Relying on skepticism, discipline, and logic gets her nowhere. The victim’s life is as

shrouded in mystery as his disappearance. Insurance fraud, business debts and

illicit love further muddy the waters. Reluctantly, she considers employing

less scientific means. When someone tries to kill her, she knows the truth is

about to surface. Maybe dead men tell tales after all.

https://mickibrowning.com/adrift/

I knew Micki Browning was a retired police captain so I figured that her main character would be a police detective and the book would be a police procedural. Wrong! Her main character, Meredith (Mer) Cavallo, is a research scientist specializing in octopuses (not octopi!). I was also surprised to learn that Adrift, Micki’s first published novel, won the 2015 Daphne du Maurier Award in the mainstream category, an award bestowed by the RWA. Although Adrift has romance, which isn't required in the mainstream category, it doesn’t have the traditional HEA ending. All in all, my response to Adrift/Micki Browning is unanticipated, delighted surprise. Not that I don’t like reading police procedurals, but Adrift isn’t a dry novel, which typifies cerebral police procedurals. Instead it has all the elements of adventure: Key Largo, shipwreck diving, physical exertion, ghosts, hidden identities, tenuous romance, sibling debate, legal action, and workmate comradery. Released yesterday, Adrift, set in Key Largo, will give readers the perfect place to escape the weary winter. Please welcome Micki to WWK.                                                                                                    E. B. Davis  

An event in Mer’s childhood affected her life. What happened to her and how did it change her?

As a child, Mer drowned--an experience that would keep most people from ever returning to the water. Because of that, she’s afraid of the water. Obviously, it’s a fear she works to overcome, but it occasionally surfaces. For seventeen minutes, she was considered dead, but there was no white light, no one waiting for her. Add in her scientific background and Mer has a difficult time believing in any form of afterlife.

All pictures from http://mickibrowing.com/the-settings/

Although Mer is a research scientist, she is currently working for a dive shop in the capacity of a dive leader for tourist groups. I see from your website you dive. One of your specific settings is under the waves aboard the USS Spiegel Grove, which was a Navy transport ship purposely sunk as an artificial reef. Even if no one died in the wreck of this vessel, isn’t it creepy to dive shipwrecks? Do you believe in ghosts?

After retiring from law enforcement, I relocated to Key Largo and earned my professional divemaster credential. The USS Spiegel Grove is my favorite wreck dive. No one died on the vessel while it was commissioned, but sadly, several divers have lost their lives while exploring the ships inner rooms. Wreck diving is exciting and challenging, but it requires additional training and equipment. There is a huge difference between exploring a corridor where the diver can see his or her way out and penetrating a wreck beyond the point where natural light serves as an exit sign. The Spiegel offers divers both choices. I enjoy diving on wrecks because it offers a glimpse into history (I’m a medievalist by education). The writer in me imagines those lives. Do I believe in ghosts? Like Mer, I’m a skeptic, but there are too many unknowns to discount the possibility.

How did you determine Mer’s specialty. Are octopuses your favorite underwater species?

I have a couple of favorite underwater species, but after reading Sy Montgomery’s fascinating book The Soul of an Octopus, I realized octopuses had the intelligence and personality tics to be good characters. It seemed appropriate that a character as complex and intelligent as Mer would study an equally intriguing subject.

I figured that Mer would wear an octopus necklace, but her pendant is of a seahorse, which she never takes off even when diving. What is its significance for her?

Part of the challenge of writing is to take what the reader expects and twist it. I play with names. There are a couple things going on with the seahorse. First it was a talisman given to Mer by her grandmother with the promise that as long as she wore it, she’d be safe in the water. I also like to play with the meaning behind names. In French, the word for sea is mer. Cavallo, in Italian, is horse. So if you use both languages and squint, her name is seahorse. On another note, the last name of her ex is Phillips, which means lover of horses. Coincidence?

Mer has the perfect apartment in an oceanfront house that is currently unoccupied. One of her brothers, an LA police detective, found it for her. When she finds her ex, Ian, living next door, she deduces how her brother knew about the place. Why didn’t she break bad on her brother?

This is an inside peek at the editing process. Originally, her brother had nothing to do with finding the apartment, but the original setup was too coincidental. The revision brought in her brother.

Ian and Mer were involved years before, but Ian disappeared, essentially dumping her. Ian disappears again and at a time when Mer would appreciate his presence. But now she knows that his secret military job requires him to disappear without notice. When will Mer dump him?

Will she? Trust is problematic in their relationship. Their ability to address the issue will ultimately decide how it plays out.

What is confirmation bias? As a police captain, did you have to remind yourself about it?

People often find what they search for. It’s a risk in law enforcement because if investigators jump to premature conclusions, they may interpret subsequent evidence so that it supports their belief and also discount anything that contradicts it. Every officer, regardless of rank, must guard against it. Writers too.

Is/Was Pierre Teilhard de Chardin a real person? Would you explain why Mer’s other brother, the priest, brings him into the conversation (which I found fascinating and pertinent to your story)?

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881 – 1955) was a Jesuit priest who trained as a paleontologist and geologist, and taught physics and chemistry at the college level. The dogma of religion and the observations of science can be difficult to reconcile. Many people in both professions struggle to accept the tenets of the other. Teilhard de Chardin bridged that chasm, and was the perfect example for her brother to share with Mer as she struggled with her own crisis of faith. This was one of my favorite scenes to write.

Mer says, (Loc 2364, Chapter 20) “All my life I’ve based my decisions on data….I find comfort in absolutes.” I’m surprised Mer says this. If anyone, I’d think her priest brother would be comforted by absolutes. Mer seems like a brilliant and complicated woman, who wouldn’t succumb to simplistic thinking. Isn’t it out of character?

There are few absolutes in science, and those are rigorously established. When Mer refers to absolutes, she doesn’t mean blind faith, she means Truth (with a capital T). Mer loves the thrill of discovery. She loves it even more when the results of an experiment align with her hypothesis. But even when she’s wrong, that information is used to enhance the new hypothesis and brings her a step closer to the truth. And that is what drives her and why she has such a hard time accepting paranormal explanations. It can’t be replicated, and her childhood experience contradicts the presence of an afterlife.

At first I thought Amber was just a fluffy flake. But she turned out to be true of heart, tenacious, but not particularly honest. Tell our readers about her, if you would.

I really like Amber. She’s far more complicated than she initially appears. She gets caught up in a situation, but when things become difficult for her, she rises to the occasion.

The plot revolves around a ghost-hunting documentary. Mer has been enlisted as a safety diver but

lends a scientific skeptic’s voice to the show. Do you have a theory as to why reality TV shows, which we all know are staged, are popular?

 I suspect this closely parallels confirmation bias. If enough people believe something, it must be true, right? I’m not convinced that everyone in the audience knows or believes that the show they are watching is staged and to them, these shows offer proof that their dream of something beyond this life is a possibility. The program sells hope.

I never heard of a square grouper. What is it?

A square grouper is slang for a bale of drugs—typically, but not always, marijuana. The Keys were a hotbed of smuggling in the eighties.  Even today, the occasional square grouper washes up on shore or is found floating in the waves.

What’s next for Mer in the second book, Beached? How about in the third, Chummed?

In Beached, Mer gets more than she bargained for when she is on the LunaSea and discovers a square grouper. By pulling it onboard the dive boat, she propels herself into the middle of a storm of historical intrigue involving an obscure legend, an 18th century shipwreck, and a modern pirate who wants to claim the booty first.

Chummed finds Mer embroiled in the shark feeding controversy –a hot conservation issue along the Florida coast and in the Caribbean. Mermaids, mayhem, and mystery. Stay tuned!

Before you retired, did you know that you wanted to write crime fiction?

Absolutely. I belonged to a writer’s group and we used to meet weekly in my office at the department. My first crack at a novel was a police procedural. I had to get it out of my system.

If you had the chance to go around the world, would you choose a ship or a jet?

As long as time was no object, I’d choose a ship. It’s all about the journey, right?