Omnimystery News is pleased to welcome Roxe Anne Peacock, whose debut mystery is Leave No Trace (Whiskey Creek Press, February 2011 Trade Paperback, 978-1-61160-071-1).
Today, Roxe Anne discusses her experiences that led to writing the book. And she's also providing our readers with an opportunity to win a copy of her book. Visit Mystery Book Contests, click on the "Roxe Anne Peacock: Leave No Trace" contest link, enter your name, e-mail address, and this code (2462) for a chance to win! (One entry per person; contest ends 04/07/2011.)
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Photo provided courtesy of Roxe Anne Peacock
When we lived close to a local library, I thought I was in heaven. We also went to garage sales where I discovered the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew and The Bobsey Twins. I took my treasured book along with a quilt and sat under the nearest shade tree. Our house had no air conditioning nor did we have many fans. We kept our windows open and hoped for a breeze.
Some of my other favorite books were To Kill a Mockingbird, Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, Amelia Earhart, and books on destinations.
My family did a lot of camping and fishing. We spent several summers at Castle Rock State Park; though it wasn’t a park in the 1960’s. Yes, I even helped catch the fish and clean them. My siblings and I caught minnows and crawdads, too. We searched at night by flashlight for the biggest worms we could find. I always try to include a river somewhere in my stories.
My love for caves began as a young teen. I was fortunate enough to visit the Merrimac Caverns and a few other small caves. My passion for these wonders was the inspiration for Leave No Trace.
After reading several books about rappelling caverns, especially the Carlsbad Caverns, I knew my book would be centered around Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Carlsbad, New Mexico.
My plot changed from rappelling the caverns after I heard a news flash about two best friends on a road trip who visited Carlsbad National Park. Their hike to Rattlesnake Canyon was their last. The two friends didn’t take provisions and only had three bottles of water on their trip through the desert. When they were found, Raffi Kodikian was barely alive, and he had killed and buried his best friend, David Coughlin.
Now that I wasn’t using the caverns, I decided to use the Flight of the Bats in my story. It is where hundreds of thousands of Mexican free-tailed bats enter and exit a gigantic hole in the earth. The bat flight talks are scheduled from Memorial Day weekend through September.
I researched Carlsbad to see what river I could use in my story and found the Pecos River. I also found the infamous Flume which was once featured in Ripley’s “Believe It or Not” as the river that crosses itself.
In keeping with the best friend theme, I decided to have my protagonist, Jessica Waters and her best friend, Sandra Adams looking forward to attending college in the fall and sharing a dorm. The plans were put on hold when Sandra disappears after prom.
Mutual friend and Sandra’s boyfriend, Jason Harris was the last known person to have been seen with Sandra. He also had secured both girls a summer position at Sally’s Diner where he works. Jason isn’t the only suspect in Carlsbad. Teacher and cross country coach Carl Lundstrum was accused of having an affair with Sandra.
Her plans to investigate her best friend’s disappearance couldn’t go any better when Sally Cooper, owner of Sally’s Diner, calls and asks her to start her job earlier than planned. What better way to research a disappearance than working at a diner where all the gossip mongers hang out. Jessica was going to make it her business to find her best friend if it was the last thing she ever does.
My decision to add a diner stems from my first job as a teenager; waitressing. My pay was $1.05 an hour, and I worked sixteen hour days. I worked eight hours at one diner and then was transferred to another diner for eight more. At the time, I was only fifteen. The tips were pretty good. I usually received 25 cents for serving a customer a cup of coffee.
The gossiping was heavy and so was the petting that went on in the back room with the manager and a few customers. I refilled many cups of coffee to all the local cops and listened to their police calls. The experience was good for my writing today.
I wouldn’t trade my experiences for all the technology in the world. My childhood let me enjoy the imagination a child should have. How many children do you see playing outside?
In today’s society, children are almost expected to be adults at birth. Where is the imagination in playing video games? Now they even have books for babies to read or should I say, memorize.
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To learn more about the author, visit her website at RoxeAnnePeacock.com.
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About Leave No Trace: Jessica Waters was looking forward to attending college in the fall with her best friend, Sandra Adams. But when Sandra disappears the night after prom, mutual friend Jason Harris becomes the number one suspect. Jason isn’t the only suspect in the tight-knit community of Carlsbad, New Mexico. Before Sandra disappeared, she confessed to having an affair with coach and teacher, Carl Lundstrum. Now Jessica is going to make it her mission to find out what happened to her best friend, if it is the last thing she ever does.
Leave No Trace is available in Trade Paperback and Kindle Edition (see icons below book cover).
For a chance to win a copy of Leave No Trace, courtesy of the author, visit Mystery Book Contests, click on the "Roxe Anne Peacock: Leave No Trace" contest link, enter your name, e-mail address, and this code (2462) for a chance to win! (One entry per person; contest ends 04/07/2011.)
Enjoyed this interview, Roxe Anne. I can relate to many of your childhood experiences--the river, fishing, reading; not the waitressing. One of my first jobs was picking apples in an orchard.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes for many sales and good reviews for the new book. (Comment published on behalf of jrlindermuth.)