Teenagers don't run away in January. Not in upstate New York.
In summer, they'll go out drinking with friends, pass out in a field somewhere, wake up hungover and covered in mosquito bites. In the spring and fall, they'll hop a train down to New York City after a fight with a parent or a problem at school. The Port Authority cops will pick them up, usually after a day or two when they discover there really is no place to sleep in the city that never sleeps -- and worse, no place to shower.
But a January disappearance was different. Jimmy Vega had only to look out at the early-morning ice sparkling on his windshield to understand that no teenager would choose to walk off into the blue-black heart of such a night as last night.
Especially not a girl like Catherine Archer.
-- A Place in the Wind, Suzanne Chazin
Suzanne Chazin's writing has been called "searing" (USA Today), "sizzling" (The Philadephia Inquirer) and "a scorcher" (Cosmopolitan). Her suspenseful thrillers focus on first responders who are also in their own way outsiders: a short, feisty woman fire investigator lights up the Georgia Skeehan Fire Novels, while Puerto Rican American Jimmy Vega straddles the worlds between immigrants and police in the Jimmy Vega series. None other than Lee Child has called Suzanne, "A tremendous talent."
We chat about her series, which I've listed in order below, and about the first-hand research she does to get the details right. I also was so pleased that she mentioned Howard Fast's novel, The Immigrants because it means I can link to his beloved series, even if it's not a mystery.
You can find out more about Suzanne on her website, or even better, follow her on Facebook. Here are her books to date:
Georgia Skeehan/Fire Novels
1 - The Fourth Angel
2 - Flashover
3 - Fireplay
Jimmy Vega Series
1 - Land of Careful Shadows
2 - A Blossom of Bright Light
3 - No Witness but the Moon
4 - A Place in the Wind
As always, if you'd rather read than listen, the transcript is below. Enjoy!
-- Laura
Transcript of Interview with Suzanne Chazin
Laura Brennan: Suzanne Chazin is the award-winning author of both the Fire Novels, featuring scrappy fire investigator Georgia Skeehan, and the Jimmy Vega series, heart-pounding police thrillers that pack an emotional punch. Suspense combines with complex characters and relationships, leading none other than Lee Child to praise her work as hitting “the heart, not just the pulse.”
Suzanne, thank you for joining me.
Suzanne Chazin: Thank you. It's a pleasure to be here, Laura.
LB: Okay, I have to follow up the Lee Child quote. How did Lee Child find you to praise you? And how excited are you about that?
SC: I have to say, it's a funny story because I have known Lee for many, many, many years. When I was writing my first novel, and I had just sold it to Putnam, that weekend Lee Child was doing a signing for his third book. And it was in a small bookstore, and back in those days, maybe 12 people would show up for a signing of a Lee Child book.
So I showed up, and I introduced myself and I said, "I think I'm going to be sold by Putnam, they just bought it, and I think that my editor is going to be your editor." I expected him to say, gee, that's nice, thank you and goodbye. And he said, "That's wonderful! How about if we get together? Why don't you come over to my house." And I said, "But you are English. Your house is in England." And he said, "No, no, no. I live right here in Westchester County, New York."
I went over to his house, I met his wonderful wife, and we've had an on and off relationship through the years. I do think he is a fan, and I am a big fan of his work, but I can't pretend that suddenly out of all the books in the world, he plucked mine. He was very kind enough to read it and was very, very supportive always of my career.