Her current projects include Death Dealer, a true crime involving a Canadian serial killer, a screenplay, and a novel in linked stories. Flora’s short stories have appeared in numerous anthologies, including the Sara Paretsky edited collection, Sisters on the Case. She is a former editor and publisher at Level Best books, former international president of Sisters in Crime, and a founding member of the New England Crime Bake conference. Her story, “All that Glitters” appears in Dead Calm, and her story, “Bone China” in the crime story anthology Dead of Winter.
Her new release, the third Joe Burgess police procedural, Redemption, is available in hardcover from Five Star.
Booklist review:
"When Detective Sergeant Joe Burgess of the Portland (Maine) Police Department finds his friend Reggie Libby drowned in the harbor, he is determined to bring the killer to justice. Reggie, a Vietnam vet who was mentally ill and had fallen on hard times, had apparently started a new job recently. Joe and his colleagues work to determine his place of employment and his movements before his death by interviewing Reggie’s fellow streetpeople and his relatives, including his vindictive former wife and indifferent son. On the home front, Joe’s live-in girlfriend wants to adopt two foster children, and Joe doesn’t feel ready to be a parent. As always, Joe immerses himself in his case, causing problems in his personal life. Framed by the challenges street people face in large cities, this compelling, fast-paced police procedural offers a complex plot, rich with details of conducting a murder investigation and insight into the rigors of the cop’s life. — Sue O'Brien"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Amazing Adventure of Getting It Right . . . by Kate Flora
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvkSoYwvphG8VdhE-H-BUY_-_cIJGIFQyuSdt4n8RnCtguG3FM2X6FM2gHZWi_c1YJ5eRN-MCJSUEFEEWPVpo3sJAwZBrbjIUdT5BTEqC8HChBp3IEt4rc76JpQlFGaI6ipNSHuLYdY1ZJ/s320/KateFlora_citizen.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Rxhtm04ANySBn0MAYwz-cae0unWS1_Tvj0V6sFAFxPKywpW10bmYmgLi3PFrYfUtQQpYKDxXabApqHU_tBvdgMqgsbBH6ZAk4z9ob0K4USpG18ux82IzIDXSB_DgZOkcg472IWWe2-Nc/s320/KateFlora_miramichi+atv.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkQN8cmU6iTt2Ti0yjhhlk-1zG-_HnESUcUdDPP0Jg-5_fZvWnZPI27K-PNpjAYrUFizW42OvoijyFZZPLXb49UCw7tOKML0CtwcGvM-hcj8X2jXIUkkbugKoBfegjd6CCDGwhv5aXl8_W/s320/Flora_Redemption.jpeg)
The generosity of these people is simply amazing. Most of them don’t know me, and they have very busy lives, but they take the time to explain things in detail and answer all my questions. A call to a diver who works with the Portland, Maine police on retrieving bodies from the water gives me a detailed summary of the process (for Redemption). As a cop from Delaware who provided a whole notebook to help me understand the details of forensic exhumation (Finding Amy: A True Story of Murder in Maine) pointed out: experts would really rather that we tried to get it right.
I never expected to be observing the Maine Warden Service training search and rescue dogs in a tick-infested field. I never thought I’d be driving an ATV deep into the Canadian woods. I never expected to be standing in the basement of a police station, two bullets in my ears in lieu of ear protectors, firing a handgun. I thought I would make it up. But these phone calls, e-mails, and field trips help make me a better writer. They give me the wealth of details from which to choose the telling few. And they teach me about gratitude, and generosity, even as they take me deeper into the lives of the real people who inspire my imagined characters.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks, Kate, for your guest post today. Authors who don't do their homework obviously miss out on a lot of interesting experiences, although that tick-infested field probably wasn't one of your favorites.
Read more about Kate and her books at her website and blog. She is also a contributor to the Maine Crime Writers blog.
9 comments:
It's not easy getting it right, that's for sure. Readers can latch onto the tiniest little glitch, which can make an author feel devastated.
Morgan Mandel
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com
I bet mystery readers are tough to please. Talking to experts is fun though. I spoke with several fighter pilots before writing my first book, to add to the realism of space fighters. (Or as real as it can get!)
I'm posting this comment for Jacqueline since Blogger was giving her a hard time this morning:
Hi, Kate and Pat,
I agree. Good mystery writing requires thorough research.
Crime readers have sharp minds and aren't easy to fool.
Jacqueline Seewald
THE TRUTH SLEUTH
Thanks Kate - this is fabulous! I think you are right - for my mystery The Rock Walker (in revision)I've talked at great length with a district attorney and a couple of cops, artists, rock walkers (a job patrolling the rocks at Peggy's Cove). I'm lucky because I've had a zillion jobs and am able to recall details of those to help with my writing. My next mystery is set in an historic garden so lots to pick up there too. I'm not doing proceedurials which is good but details make all the difference.
Thanks Pat for such a fascinating guest.
Morgan, Alex, Jacqueline and Jan -- Kate provided excellent researching tips in this post, and I plan to follow her good advice with my WIP -- all I need is a nice person to give me a ride on a motorcycle and then teach me what all the parts are called. :)
What a wonderful post! I agree - getting it right is hard but it can be so much fun, especially when it involves riding into a forest on an ATV!
What a cool writer!
It's so true. You have to do research because us mystery readers are smart and will check facts. However, we still do love a good mystery. Thanks for the post.
Seems like all that research is simply fascinating!!!
I'd definitely check out Kate's books.
Great post.
Doris
This is fabulous and impressive!
Post a Comment