BOOK DESCRIPTION
A missing surf legend. Waterlogged clues. Can he trust his gut instincts to end the wave of murder?
Sheriff Jax Turner is learning to live again. Holding tight to the hope of reconciling with his FBI agent ex-wife, the wary man is determined to keep his focus on his coastal Oregon community. And after a concerned brother requests a welfare check, Jax is troubled to find the absent surf shop owner's tracks lead to a pool of blood.
Now investigating a potential homicide, Turner chases a tip from his former spouse about a severed foot found on the beach. But when a torrent of leads links the victim to a politician's son, a jealous competitor, and a get-straight program for youth, the steadfast lawman fears layers of lies and secret agendas will keep him from stopping a vicious killer.
Can he unravel the fatal agenda before he's the next corpse to wash ashore?
If you like flawed heroes, gritty crimes, and dark twists and turns, then you'll love Deadly Tides, the chilling second book in Mary Keliikoa's Misty Pines Mystery Series.
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Mary Keliikoa
1. Mary Keliikoa, can you introduce yourself and tell our readers a little about yourself?
Absolutely! Hello and Aloha! I spent 18 years in the legal field, and that more than anything accounts for my over-active imagination! But environment also shapes a person, and my years at the Oregon coast added to that as well. Currently, I live in Washington with my husband of 34 years and my 14-year-old kitty, August, who runs the show. I also live in Hawaii part-time.
In my writing life, I am the author of Hidden Pieces and Deadly Tides in the Misty Pines Mystery series. Hidden Pieces was a Silver Falchion finalist and won the Silver IPPY Award for Best Mystery. I’m also the author of the PI Kelly Pruett mystery series where DERAILED was nominated for a Shamus, Agatha, Lefty and Anthony for Best First Novel. My first domestic suspense stand-alone, DON’T ASK, DON’T FOLLOW, will be out June 2024. You can find my shorts in Woman’s World and the anthology Peace, Love, Crime.
2. Having worked in the legal field for eighteen years, at what point in life did you decide to be a crime book writer and what was your path to publication?
I was a late bloomer when it came to writing. I’d been working in the legal field for about 10 years when the secretary next to me talked about wanting to write a book. We both loved mystery, and we ate lunch together every day, so we thought—what the heck, we’d fill that hour with writing! While that novel didn’t sell, I had the writing bug from that moment forward. In fact, I’d go on to write 3 more novels over the next 8 years. I did find some success during that time—I landed an agent and published a short story—but I didn’t get a book deal and at that point pivoted to open a distribution company with my husband, setting my writing aside.
A few months after my 50th birthday, 16 years later, I returned to writing. It was at that point that I took the last book I wrote before starting the company and began to re-work it. I entered the novel into a contest called Pitch Wars and was chosen as a mentee, working with a published writer for the next couple of months. At the end of that process, I tried to get an agent…and failed. It would be over 100 rejections later, several more re-writes, and a few tears, I finally got that agent. A year later, I was offered a 3-book contract and I haven’t slowed down since.
3. What inspired you to write “Deadly Tides” and how many books did you write?
Deadly Tides is the second novel in the Misty Pines mystery series. I wanted to continue Sheriff Jax Turner’s story, and that of his ex-wife and FBI agent, Abby Kanekoa, in this book and decided that the cases they worked should run parallel and then cross. They have some emotional baggage to work out, and what better way then to throw them into a case together?!
As for the subject matter of the book, it involves severed feet washing ashore at the Oregon coast. I was fascinated when I’d learned of the phenomenon happening right along the Pacific Northwest coastline and knew right then I had to find a way to weave it into a story. When I started thinking of the second book in the Misty Pines mystery series set at the Oregon coast, it felt like the perfect place to do just that.
4. How long have you been writing?
I started at 27, stopped at 35. I say stopped, but the truth is, I’d look up in the closet longingly on a regular basis. I’d tinker with a few things, but just couldn’t get momentum. I returned at 50 fully committed. But I don’t count those quiet years as not writing as I believe I was gathering for the stories that have come through me. All told, 31 years.
5. How do you do research for your books?
Google is such a wonderful invention for authors, and I’m no exception for utilizing its search tools. I start there on almost everything and then expand. I find out what I don’t know and then set out to find the resources I need. As a member of Sisters in Crime and the current present of our local chapter, I make use of the free presentations available to us. I also belong to Mystery Writers of America and attend courses through that affiliation as well.
As for the procedural side, I have a wonderful local deputy, former Cold Case Detective, that answers anything I need to know. In fact, the minute I told him I was writing about the severed feet on the coast, he sent me my first article!
6. Is writing your full time career? Or would you like it to be?
Writing is my full-time career. I officially retired this past summer, but I was self-employed prior, so I was able to truly work in a full-time capacity for the past few years.
7. Is there anything you would like your readers to take away from your book?
First, I truly set out to just tell a good story that will entertain and keep the reader guessing or at least on the edge of their seat to the conclusion. As a fiction writer, that is always my first goal. But I also work to create characters that are relatable and struggling on some level with the goal of overcoming those emotional obstacles. If a reader connects with that or is helped in any way to move through their own process, then I consider that the highest accomplishment.
8. Tell us what you enjoy most about writing Crime and Police procedures. Where do you get your inspiration from?
Because I enjoy writing character, I’m intrigued by the what and why found in crime and police procedurals. Why was the crime committed? What emotional wound was triggered to drive the person to commit such extreme acts? Those questions allow me to dig into the emotional makeup of the killer—and/or the victim. But I also love puzzles and having a main character who is either a PI, an officer of the law, or simply someone motivated enough to find the truth of the matter, I find that very compelling. I can put myself in the character’s shoes, and I set out to figure out the answers just like they do.
As for inspiration—it’s everywhere: the news, my vivid imagination, conversations with people. I draw inspiration from all aspects of my life.
9. How long does it normally take you to write a book from start to finish?
It depends on the book; each one has been different. In my PI Kelly Pruett series, I wrote the first book in about a year. The second one in a few months, the third one I thought would be the death of me and it took eight months to get something on the page I liked.
Hidden Pieces, book 1 of the Misty Pines mystery series, was inspired. I wrote the first draft of that in three months, and Deadly Tides about four. I just love Sheriff Jax Turner, and I find telling his story pretty easy. My standalone next year was about six months. As you can see…it can really vary on whether the story is flowing, or whether I’m having to wait for it to arrive.
10. Where can your readers connect with you and learn more about your books?
Going to my website and subscribing to my newsletter is the best way to know what’s coming up, what’s happening now, and where to connect with me!
However, my social media handles are below!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mary.Keliikoa.Author
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mary_keliikoa
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mary.keliikoa.author/
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/mary-keliikoa
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20038534.Mary_Keliikoa
Thank you so much for the opportunity to be here!
Author Bio:
Eighteen years in the legal field, and an over-active imagination, led Pacific NW native Mary Keliikoa to start writing mystery and suspense. She is the author of the award-winning HIDDEN PIECES and DEADLY TIDES, both part of the Misty Pines mystery series, the PI Kelly Pruett mystery series including the multi-award nominated DERAILED for best debut, and the upcoming stand-alone DON’T ASK, DON’T FOLLOW out Summer of 2024. She’s also had short stories in Woman’s World and the anthology, Peace, Love, and Crime.
Catch Up With Mary:
MaryKeliikoa.com
Goodreads
BookBub – @mary_keliikoa
Instagram – @mary.keliikoa.author
Twitter/X – @mary_keliikoa
Facebook – @Mary.Keliikoa.Author
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