I'm pleased to welcome Wendy Gee to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Wendy writes the Carolina Crossfire Mystery series. FLEET LANDING is the first book in the series and will be released next week.
Kathy: In FLEET LANDING ATF Special Agent Cooper “Coop” Bellamy is forced to work with tenacious TV reporter Sydney Quinn as fires ravage the city. What makes firefighters such interesting protagonists?
WG: IMHO, all first responders deal with the best and worst of us. Yet their missions are decidedly different. I think Coop says it best when Dino asks him why firefighters are more popular than cops: “[We] meet people on their worst day, armed with only a water cannon [or a defibrillator], and help them. Cops show up armed to the teeth and usually arrest someone. Or worse.”
Firefighters are humble, brave, and professional. They also have a wicked sense of humor (which I gravitate toward) to deal with what they see and do. It was my intention to honor that selflessness.
Kathy: Coop has a strained relationship with his 11-year-old daughter. Why add a tween to the mix?
WG: Most of the firefighters I have met are family men and women. I wanted to capture that tension between work-life with all of its rewards and perils. And I chose that age so Haley would be semi-independent, yet need her dad more than Coop recognized.
Kathy: What first drew you to thrillers?
WG: The excitement of a “ticking clock.” The way a writer can upend an ordinary person’s life with one bad decision or an inopportune presence. Solving a problem that continues to worsen, no matter how savvy or well-intentioned the protagonist is. And I love the dilemma of the underdog who perseveres under immense odds. I have always been drawn to problem-solving. Now, I have fun creating the chaos.
Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?
WG: Traditional mystery, with thriller elements, best describe my work.
Kathy: Tell us about your series.
WG: The Carolina Crossfire mystery series has three primary protagonists. Each story is intended to showcase one (the ATF agent, the TV reporter, and the police lieutenant), while the others support that lead. I am just getting started with publication, so that is my only working series.
Kathy: Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?
WG: I love all three of my protagonists equally, but Sydney is the aspirational “me.” My crit groups have really enjoyed the secondary characters who bring the snark and the colorful bits to the stories. I work hard on continuing to hone my craft so the antagonists are also well developed and realistic. My voice actor calls them “a hot mess.”
Kathy: Did you have a specific inspiration for your series?
WG: I’d say the city of Charleston offered me a dynamite launching pad. The first writers I found in my local area were professional romance writers who welcomed me with open arms and encouragement. I would categorize that genre’s authors as very dedicated. They work within tight expectations, know their craft, and are willing to share what they’ve learned. Now that I hang around mystery and thriller novelists, the same can be said of that genre’s professional authors.
Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?
WG: I wanted the privilege of sharing my hard work with others. I was awestruck when my first copies arrived and I could give them away (and tuck one on my own bookshelf alongside the giants in my genre).
Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?
WG: Only four? Then, let me sup with Sara Paretsky, Sue Grafton, Janet Evanovich, and Robert Crais.
Kathy: What are you currently reading?
WG: David Baldacci’s STRANGERS IN TIME, my newest purchase. He recently came to town on his tour.
Kathy: Will you share any of your hobbies or interests with us?
WG: I love to golf and volunteer when the opportunity permits. I’m presently working for the Friends of Lewes Public Library and Sussex County (DE) Habitat for Humanity.
Kathy: Name 4 items you always have in your fridge or pantry.
WG: Potato chips, mole sauce, spaghetti, and (of course) Diet Mountain Dew. Those might comprise my four favorite food groups (chocolate, carbs and Dew). Whoa boy, I better add more protein on my next trip to the grocery store.
Kathy: Do you have plans for future books either in your current series or a new series?
WG: I hope to publish many more books in the Carolina Crossfire series. My second story (SIDE HUSTLE) features Sydney on the hunt for an audacious cybercriminal. Book three features Dino (THE PINEAPPLE), with a look at his first felony arrest and how that impacted his career. With more to come (SMELL TEST and YARD DOG—yet to be edited for publication).
Kathy: What's your favorite thing about being an author?
WG: I love, love, love when people I interview during research in a topical area are so willing to assist me (even as a pre-published writer). I think that’s because we all secretly aspire to craft the Great American Novel. It’s in our spirit—like baseball and apple pie. Those generous people who let me into their world want to help me succeed. That inherent goodness and consideration makes me try harder to be better, and honor them to the best of my ability.
Of course, those who deny my request for access (which is their undeniable choice)—well, that’s where antagonists are born (lol).
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Blurb:
ATF
Special Agent Cooper “Coop” Bellamy's rigid adherence to rules has left
his relationship with his 11-year-old daughter in ashes. When
Charleston's fire chief calls him to investigate a series of mysterious
nuisance fires ravaging the city, Coop sees a chance to redeem himself
as a father and catch a dangerous arsonist. But as the fires turn
deadly, he finds himself torn between family and duty.
Enter
tenacious TV reporter Sydney Quinn, whose pursuit of justice for a man
wrongly convicted of arson puts her on a collision course with a
sinister figure known only as the Falcon. As Sydney uncovers a
decades-old conspiracy, she receives chilling warnings to back off.
Forced
to work together, Coop and Sydney must navigate a labyrinth of lies and
corruption. Their investigation ignites a powder keg of danger, testing
Coop's ironclad principles and Sydney's journalistic integrity. But
when danger strikes too close to home, the stakes become personal. With
time running out and lives on the line, Coop and Sydney must fight to
extinguish the threat before everything they love goes up in smoke.
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About the Author:
After a successful career in the U.S. Navy, Wendy Gee now channels her boundless energy into community volunteering, leaving no stone unturned—or unpainted—at the Charleston Fire Department, Friends of the Lewes Public Library Board of Directors, and Sussex County Habitat for Humanity. A proud graduate of the University of Michigan, University of Arizona, Naval War College, and Old Dominion University, Wendy combines her academic prowess and life experiences into her writing.
Residing in Lewes, DE, she is an avid golfer, a diehard Detroit Tigers and Lions fan (even when they’re not winning, but so excited when they are), and a pickleball enthusiast who’s always ready to serve up some fun. Her work has been shortlisted with Killer Nashville and the Writer’s League of Texas. And as a lifetime member of Sisters in Crime, Wendy’s passion for the mystery genre is no secret—though she might leave a few clues lying around just for fun. Learn more at:
www.wendygeeauthor.com
