The filmy, gray quality of the smoke column rising to the southwest told Captain Michael Stoddard that they were too late. The residence was gutted. He and his patrol of six redcoats from the Eighty-Second Regiment could render no aid.
He'd seen far too much of arson's smudge upon the sky during his six months in North Carolina. Nevertheless, he pressed his mare toward the smoke through summer's swelter. A loyalist financier named Jasper Bellington owned the house...
-- Suzanne Adair, Killer Debt, A Michael Stoddard American Revolution Mystery
If you, like me, enjoy a good historical mystery, you are going to love my guest this week. Suzanne Adair writes mysteries set during the Revolutionary War and told from the point of view of redcoats rather than patriots. The level of research is astonishing, but what really makes these books stand out for me is the humanity she gives to her characters -- loyalists, redcoats, patriots, and neutrals alike. War may be at their doorstep, but that doesn't give anyone a license to murder.
Suzanne has a feature on her blog that I really don't want you to miss. Called Relevant History, it welcomes experts who bring out an aspect of history not generally taught in schools and makes it relevant to the world today. For instance, my friend and brilliant historical mystery writer S.K. Rizzolo did a post for Suzanne on the subject of mixed-race heiresses in England in the early 1800s. Smart people sharing their knowledge and passion -- what more could you ask for?
Well, maybe a murder or two, but Suzanne has that covered in her books. Here is her Michael Stoddard series, in order:
1 - Deadly Occupation
2 - Regulated for Murder
3 - A Hostage to Heritage
4 - Killer Debt (out May 2018)
And here are her standalones:
Paper Woman
The Blacksmith's Daughter
Camp Follower
In addition to her website, you can check her out on Facebook and Twitter. And don't miss info on her crowdfunding campaign for Michael Stoddard Book 4, Killer Debt. Oh, and I can't forget the fangirl squee we gave out to Deep Space Nine!
As always, if you'd rather read than listen, the transcript is below. Enjoy!
-- Laura
Transcript of Interview with Suzanne Adair
Laura Brennan: My guest today specializes in bringing history to life -- in the midst of murder and intrigue, of course. Suzanne Adair writes mysteries set during the American Revolutionary War and featuring strong characters, intriguing plots, and a riveting look at our nation’s history -- from the point of view of loyalist characters.
Suzanne, thank you for joining me.
Suzanne Adair: Thank you for having me, Laura. It's great to be here.
LB: Before we get into your stories in particular, how did you get into writing mysteries at all? Because you're an historian, aren't you?
SA: Well, no, actually, I'm a scientist. That's my original background. I originally was writing science fiction and had an agent and very close calls at New York City presses, but, you know, didn't get the publishing contract. And I sat back and I realize, okay, my writing is good enough. But the problem is that science fiction is a really small market. I needed to switch to something that had a larger readership, and that would be mystery. I mean, I could have gone all the way to romance, and that would be a huge readership, but I really like the mystery genre. I read a whole lot more of that. So I decided to start setting fiction in the mystery genre.
LB: At what point did you decide, oh, mysteries aren't hard enough. I'm going to set them in the distant past.
SA: I started with some paranormal suspense, so that's sort of, kind of like mystery. And apparently, I wrote three of those, and apparently I was just before the huge paranormal wave. I had several agents were very interested in it, and they were like,