Please tell us a little about yourself and your work.

I spent more than 30 years as a newspaper reporter, followed by a lengthy career in corporate communications. You could say I honed my cynical, skeptical views during those disparate professions. I think I also became a better observer of people and details—skills that have helped me in my novel writing.

What was your editing process like?

I am the terminator editor, relentlessly looking for areas in my story that might bore the reader. I also employ a quartet of editors to tell me what’s wrong with what I’ve written. Sometimes I wish they were tougher. Leslie’s Voice was originally self-published under another title and a pen name. When the pandemic kept many of us locked inside, I took another look at the novel, gave it a thorough edit, and republished the book with its new title. I think it’s a better read now.

How did you develop your characters?

My characters are bits and pieces of the many interesting people I’ve met over the years. I gave a talk at the local library recently wearing a T-shirt that said, “Be careful or you could end up in my novel.” I live on a small island in southwest Florida, and almost everyone there could find a home in my mysteries. Some have, to their delight. (I ask first.) Leslie’s Voice, the first of my series featuring a strong and inquisitive female character, is set in the corporate world where many corrupt people thrive. One of my favorite characters in Leslie’s Voice is an exasperating and immoral public relations expert. She surfaced in one chapter and refused to leave, serving as my main character’s nemesis. I was grateful for her surprise appearance.Even though I work from an outline, characters are allowed to take control of my storyline. Sometimes I’m just along for the ride.

Was your storyline something that you envisioned from the beginning, or did you build/change it as you wrote your novel?

Leslie’s Voice is set against the backdrop of a failed corporate takeover attempt of one Midwestern utility by another and of the egos involved. This was an actual event, although my characters are fictional. Corporate intrigue aside, this is a story of Leslie’s personal growth in dealing with the men in her life and in confronting sexual harassment and misogyny in and out of the workplace.

What are you working on now?    

After Leslie left the corporate world, she moved to a small island in southwest Florida to become a novelist. Like Leslie, I was drawn to mysteries. The first mystery, Scavenger Tides (2021), pits Leslie and her reporter friend, Wes, against a group of criminals who are using the island as a stopping-off point before shipping drugs into Canada. The End of His Journey (2022) is based on an island shooting from two decades ago and has Leslie and Wes trying to solve this cold case. Deadly Winds (2023) follows, with Leslie looking into the death of a wealthy island widow who was killed by a falling church bell. The sheriff claims it was an accident, but Leslie suspects the woman was killed because she objected to a pricey church renovation project. As the mystery unfolds and she confronts the church-bell killer, Leslie finds herself locked in a room from which there is no escape and in the path of a deadly storm racing toward the island. In the works is a continuation of the Leslie Elliott mystery series. In Under the Sand, Leslie and Wes enlist the local iguana hunter to help deal with criminals who plan to kidnap two wealthy island residents and keep them buried alive until a hefty ransom is paid.

Portions of this Q&A were edited for clarity.