Totality of Circumstance is a term I learned last fall while participating in the Sheriff’s Training Academy for Residents (S.T.A.R.) program here in my rural community in North Carolina. I treated it like a free writer’s police academy, where I could also meet and greet new people in the community and get the inside scoop. The whole seven-week experience turned out to be super useful. Each week we focused on a different element of the Sheriff’s office, from traffic enforcement and fingerprinting, to visiting the jail and participating in a mock trial with the county DA and a sitting judge. Two things I learned stuck with me: during the “decision making” week, we were put into three scenarios where we acted as Deputies on the scene and had to interact with potentially volatile people. It was a nerve-wracking night for me because in my four decades, I’ve never held a gun, and as the Deputy acting in situ, I had to do just that. In all three scenarios, I died, as did the people I was there to “protect.” It was shocking and cemented my lifelong decision to not be a gun owner. Because three seconds go by in the blink of an eye. The other thing that stuck with me was the concept of ‘totality of circumstance.’
When law enforcement is building a case, they have to develop the totality of circumstance. Footprints in the mud, fingerprints on a gun, a confidential informant pointing the finger—none of those things alone can be used in court. So rather than focusing on any one factor, courts focus on all the circumstances in a case.
It was just the thing I needed to wrap up a plot hole in MINE BY DESIGN. I was mired down by the evidence (or lack thereof) being presented of a powerful US Senator sneaking around his homestead, around the corner from where a local police officer was murdered. But on fingerprinting night at the S.T.A.R. program, I got to pick the mind of one of the detectives who pointed me in the right direction of building the case for totality of circumstance. That helped me tie up so many loose ends and close the case in my romantic suspense.
Did you go the traditional route, small press or self-pub?
Even though I didn’t have an agent when my first romance was published ten years ago, I did start off on the traditional road to publishing with a small (now shuttered) Canadian e-book publisher, XOXO Publishing. I did three books with them before they closed during the economic downturn in 2008. The timing was perfect because I was working full-time, and I learned a lot about the editorial process with them. I’m always happy when someone gives the unknown, little guy a chance, you know? Actually, all of my books have been published with small presses—Decadent Publishing, Evernight Publishing, and now The Wild Rose Press. But small publishers are no less important. MINE BY DESIGN will be my sixth romance, but it’s the one I’m most proud of because it’s the one I had to work the hardest to finish. Following a devastating accident seven years ago, it feels good to be writing again.
A dead cop. A corrupt politician. An innocent woman caught in the middle.
When Abby Markham witnesses the murder of a local cop with ties to a political dynasty, she finds herself not only in the crosshairs of a killer, but also on the radar of a powerful US senator. The clock is ticking for her survival, and Detective Ben Owens knows the best way to keep Abby safe is to keep her close. But as the danger escalates, so does their attraction. With their backs against the wall, Ben and Abby will risk everything to make sure she survives the dangerous web of political corruption, lies, and deceit.
Find Mine by Design on Amazon ~ B&N ~ IndieBound ~ McIntyre’s Books~ Flyleaf Books ~ Golden Fig Books ~ Auntie’s Books ~ The Ripped Bodice ~ Books-A-Million ~ Walmart
****Speed Round****
Favorite beverage? Coffee, tea, and wine.
Favorite place I’ve visited: it’s a tossup between Belize, Rome and Barcelona.
Around the world: Barcelona, Denver, Florence, Lyon (France), Paris, Rome, San Francisco, Vancouver.
If I had a time travel machine, I’d go forward because I’d like to vacation on Mars, pass through the rings of Saturn, see a flying car, and breathe in cleaner air.
When I’m not writing, I’m a voracious reader and book reviewer, a gardener, hiker, and a swimmer. When we’re not quarantining, I travel with my boys, people-watch for inspiration, and when I have the time, I like to sit out in the meadow and watch our chickens run around.
Gardening at its best! Eggs, hiking, our dog Maggie May, Scarlette the chicken, and the victory garden/chicken hut.
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MINE BY DESIGN Excerpt
“While you were asleep, Mike called to let me know someone was messing around in your backyard again.”
“Someone?”
He shrugged and gave her a pointed look. “Most likely the same peeping Tom.”
“What did he do this time?”
“Scratched your fence. Tried to set your dock on fire with a Molotov cocktail.”
Her eyes bugged. “What?”
“It didn’t work. Mike will take the jar to his field office to check for evidence. We don’t want to run it through the local forensics lab in case something bigger is going on. This might help us prove it.”
“Do I need to worry?” She nodded at their waiter and waited for him to set their meal on the table before continuing. “I mean, more than I already am?”
“Whatever’s going on, it’s in North Carolina. Getting away for a bit is a good thing.”
“I’ve got enough to worry about right now with the production, so until you tell me to panic, I’ll stay calm.”