How do you decide to put your characters in one organization over another?
The law enforcement organization I choose is almost always based on the crime in the book, as agencies, especially federal agencies, don’t investigate all types of crimes. For example, many people think the FBI routinely investigates murders, and they do, but it’s often only major incidents where multiple murders have occurred, like serial killers and active shooters. They don’t come into a town or city and take over an investigation as is often portrayed on TV and in movies. They only participate when invited by local law enforcement.
What background or research comes into play when writing about these people in these jobs?
Each time I write about an agency I’m not familiar with, I have to research that agency. This involves internet research and reading books, but also, I run all of my scenarios past my law enforcement and weapons expert to make sure I am getting the procedures and policies right.
For example, when I started the Homeland Heroes series, I knew next to nothing about U.S. Marshals and ICE agents, so I had to carefully research their jobs and agencies. The Marshal’s WITSEC program is super-secretive so that was quite the challenge to find information. It has to be secret to protect the lives of the witnesses who are enrolled in the program. Fortunately, I was able to obtain what I needed—nothing that would compromise that safety—and I am so grateful I could.
You also recently launched the series Truth Seekers. What’s that about?
The Truth Seekers series is about a fictitious forensic lab in Portland, Oregon called The Veritas Center. Veritas means truth in Latin and finding the truth is what each of the books in this series is about.
The lab is owned by six partners with expertise in forensic anthropology, DNA, trace evidence, ballistics, cybercrimes, and toxicology. The lab started with processing DNA to connect loved ones but branched out to other areas so they could assist law enforcement agencies in solving difficult crimes and get to the truth. The partners are committed to restoring hope and families by solving one mystery at a time, but none of them are prepared for when the mystery comes calling too close to home and threatens to destroy the only life they’ve ever known.
What are Susan’s favorite kind of suspense stories? Click thru to find out!