Gone Astray by Terry Korth Fischer

           A heart attack sends detective Rory Naysmith reeling. Too young to retire, he accepts a position in small-town Winterset, Nebraska. Handed an unsolved truck hijacking, with the assistance of a rookie, Rory sets out to prove he is still able to go toe-to-toe with younger men. When the body of a Vietnam veteran turns up, he dons his fedora and spit-shines his shoes. But before he can solve the murder, an older woman disappears, followed closely by a second hijacking. He doggedly works the cases, following a thread that ties the two cases together. Can Rory find the mental and physical strength to up his game to bring the criminals to justice before disaster strikes and he loses his job?

 Wild Women Authors is thrilled to feature Terry Korth Fischer as she celebrates the release of Gone Astray, a contemporary cozy mystery set in Nebraska featuring reluctant hero, Rory Naysmith. As usual, Rory will go first.

 Good morning, Rory. Thanks for taking time out of your detecting schedule to talk about Gone Astray. What’s it all about? After years on the job in Omaha, I had an incident. Okay, it was a little heart thing, but I was just as sharp as ever. Maybe better. When the powers-that-be suggested retirement, it was an easy decision to move to Winterset, where my expertise would elevate the small-town police department. I hadn’t settled in before there was a murder. Then one of the citizens disappeared, and well, things, in general, started to go wonky. I don’t want to give too much away, but let’s say there was some cockeyed deception going on.

 What made you choose to law enforcement for a career? The idea of sitting behind a desk all day made me cringe. I’d heard that in law enforcement, no two days were the same, you were out of the office, and worked for something greater than yourself. I was all in for knowing my time and talents would make a difference.

 Knowing what you know now, if you had it to do over again, would you stick with being a detective or do something different? The world can be dangerous, and I believe someone needs to look out for the other guy, our average Joes, and plain Janes. I’d make a lousy politician, and I can’t see myself becoming a bartender or a priest. Detecting is what I do—I’d stick it out.

 What is your biggest fear? I used to think I was bulletproof. Others gave me a nod and stepped out of the way. Then all of a sudden, those same people were sizing me up for the senior citizen discount. I ask you, is that right?

 Who is your favorite fictional character and why? There’s this guy, Walt Longmire, the main character in a mystery series by Craig Johnson. He’s a sort of lone hero with a strong sense of duty and justice and a knack for unearthing the truth. Maybe Walt isn’t a superhero, but he’s kind, yet tough, and he knows what he stands for.

 Absolutely. Walt Longmire is one of our faves too. What is the best piece of advice you ever received? You need to meet Axel, the handyman. He can be a little goofy, but he grows on you. After spinning our wheels searching for the missing woman, he turned to me, and said, “People talk about Miss Lydia like they’re talking about a missing shoe, not like they remember they’re talking about Lydia Mullins, a real, live, honest to gosh person.”  I don’t know if you’d consider that advice. Still, his words reminded me of things I believe in—do your best—give one hundred percent—everyone deserves to be a top priority. You know, good advice—golden rule stuff.

 Again, right on target, Rory. Now we’d like to chat with Terry starting with which writer or character[s], from either books or movies, [or both] have had a major impact on your writing?  I absolutely love the Dick Francis crime novels written between 1970-2010. His writing entertained me with unusual professions and unfamiliar situations by employing descriptions and dialogue that rendered them completely relatable. No matter how foreign or complicated, I always felt like I was there with the hero, and sometimes, as one of the team. I strive to accomplish a similar familiarity between my characters and readers.  

 With regard to research, where did you start for this novel? Did that lead you down different paths, thereby changing the original concept? Gone Astray is Rory’s story, and as such, needed to be told from his point-of-view. But without a law enforcement background, I couldn’t pull off a police procedural. I had some knowledge of detective work from watching Lieutenant Columbo and Hill Street Blues. I loved CSI and Castle and followed Richard Jury and Lucas Davenport's careers. It was not exactly first-hand knowledge. But with the aid of my brother-in-law, a retired police sergeant, and an eleven-week citizen police academy course, I learned the basics and straightened out my misconceptions. Books and the internet helped. My personal library has several dog-eared police references stuffed between the well-worn mysteries.

 Tell us a bit about your publisher. How did you hear about them, what influenced you to submit to them, how is the submission process, what is the turn-around time from date of the query to date of release? I met Rhonda Penders, one of The Wild Rose Press' co-founders, at a writer’s conference. I was pitching a memoir as Women’s Fiction, and she was patient and gracious, encouraging me to take the time to decide what I really wanted to do with my book. Because of that meeting, when I finished Gone Astray, I thought of The Wild Rose Press. I wanted a publisher interested in what was right for me as well as profitable for their business. I queried in July and TWRP released my novel in February. I couldn’t have asked for a more supportive, responsive, or dedicated team.

 What are you reading right now? I usually read for pleasure. Lately, cozy mysteries are on my TBR pile, including Laura Childs, Teresa Trent, and Leslie Meier. I am researching the genre, toying with the idea of writing one, or three because they seem to hatch into book series.

 What's next for you? A second Rory Naysmith mystery is almost complete. I love these characters; they have become my best friends. That could be the quarantine, stay-at-home, bubble mentality speaking. But honestly, if I have to spend months (years) with a story, this is the crew for me.

 To learn more about Terry Korth Fischer and the stories she creates go to:

Website: https://terrykorthfischer.com

 BLOG: https://www.terryiswriting.com

 Twitter: https://twitter.com/terryiswriting

 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TerryIsWriting

 Amazon Author Page: www.amazon.com/author/terrykorthfischer

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14349440.Terry_Korth_Fischer

 Book Gems: https://www.bookgems.com/3534/gone-astray/

 

To purchase Gone Astray, go to:

https://amzn.to/2LHnlYI