We are delighted to welcome author Randy Rawls to Omnimystery News today.
Randy's third mystery to feature private investigator Beth Bowman is Dating Death (White Bird Publications; April 2016 trade paperback and ebook formats) and we recently had the opportunity to talk more about his work with him.
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Omnimystery News: Tell us a little more about Beth Bowman. What is it about her that appeals to you as a writer?
Photo provided courtesy of
Randy Rawls
Randy Rawls: Beth Bowman is a PI in South Florida. She hails from Richardson, Texas where she grew up and her mother still lives. She's a divorcee, having been married to a lawyer in Dallas. The marriage ended when she caught him in a position with his secretary that Beth thought was reserved for the two of them. After the divorce, she decided Texas wasn't big enough for both of them and moved to Florida.
I like Beth because she has a wonderful sense of humor, is feisty, doesn't give up, no matter how tough the challenge, but is every inch a woman.
OMN: How has Beth developed over the course of the series?
RR: Beth is evolving as situations affect her. She has met a doctor and fallen in love. She has gained a coterie of friends that others might turn their backs on. And, her mother's life is changing also — from lonely widow to fiancée.
OMN: Suppose Beth were to interview you. What would her first question be?
RR: I think she'd ask, "Why me? I don't look for the publicity. I just try to do the job I'm hired to do. Plus, I don't want my homeless friends to lose their invisibility."
I would answer something like, "See the first answer above. I have the utmost respect for you and your friends. In our world today, loyalty and deep friendship are all too often missing. I know Dot would lay down her life for you, and you would for her. I think this is a beautiful relationship, so please don't ask me to stop documenting your cases. Plus, it's fun."
OMN: How true are you to the setting of the books?
RR: My books are set in a fictional town in a real place. Yeah, it's a bit confusing. Beth lives in Coral Lakes, a town in South Florida between Ft. Lauderdale and Boca Raton. Coral Lakes comes from my imagination, and I've used it for Beth and for another series I write, Tom Jeffries, and for a standalone I haven't sold yet. Having Coral Lakes at my disposal means I can make it as big or as small as I want. I can give it whatever neighborhoods I desire. Since many of the major streets run from the southern end of South Florida to the northern end, I can use actual streets and locations, allowing readers to zero in. It's one of the advantages of living here.
OMN: What's next for you?
RR: I have a standalone featuring PI Josh Hawkins that I hope to sell. I still have my sights on a NYC publisher, but … Josh is an ex-Army Special Forces officer who is assisted by a mentor from his days of active duty. Chief is a full-blooded Seminole Indian who lives in the Everglades. They agree to assist a Federal Task Force in eliminating a crime boss that appears to be otherwise untouchable.
Also, I'm early in the writing of a new Christmas story. I suppose for the critics who don't believe in Santa Claus, I should call it a fantasy. But, to me, Jingle is as real as anything else in my life. The story features a character I created a few years ago, Jingle Bell, in the Ace Edwards mystery, Jingle's Christmas. Jingle is one of Santa's elves, and he has a new problem — this time in South Florida. I have some new human characters to assist him — Nep and Cassie. My goal is to have it out by Christmas 2016, but I may not make it.
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Randy Rawls grew up in northeastern North Carolina, then did a career in the Army. He's been an avid reader all his life and has tried to incorporate what he has learned from the best into his writing. While he lives in South Florida, his heart resides in Texas.
For more information about the author, please visit his website at RandyRawls.com and his author page on Goodreads, or find him on Facebook.
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Dating Death by Randy Rawls
A Beth Bowman, P.I. Mystery
Publisher: White Bird Publications
The Chief of Police of Coral Lakes, FL has the goods on Roger Adamson, a dirty politician. However, the chief knows Adamson has additional information that could bring down a drug lord and disembowel his organization.
Chief Elston asks Beth Bowman, a South Florida PI, to assist by becoming Adamson's consort/bodyguard while Adamson parses out data. Beth agrees, not realizing multiple homicides, a kidnapping, a tight frame for murder, and the loss of the man she loves await her. If not for Beth's homeless friends, all might be lost.
— Dating Death by Randy Rawls
