Book #2 of the Cole and Callahan Thriller Series
Thriller
Date Published: April 15, 2018
Publisher: Intrigue Publishing
Detective John Stark approaches the PI team of Griff Cole and Britt Callahan with a postcard he’s sure is from his estranged daughter, Kira. She’s been listed as a runaway for three years by Portland, Maine police, but John isn’t convinced that her continued absence is by choice. As Stark’s long-time friends, Cole and Callahan agree to look into the postcard marked only with the letters O.K.
The postmark leads them to Oracles of the Kingdom, a farm where women sell fresh produce in return for a fresh start with God. But nothing seems right about the town or the farm and Britt goes undercover to look for Kira. Once inside, she realizes Oracles of the Kingdom is not the refuge it appears. And when she's trafficked over the Canadian border she’s on her own, over her head and losing clarity between hero and victim.
Interview with Patricia Hale
Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in Durable Goods?
Britt Callahan is the main character and narrator of all the books in my Cole & Callahan PI series. She’s single, mid-thirties and started out as a Family Law Attorney, but stopped practicing when a case she was working on came to a devastating end. Her boyfriend at the time, Griff Cole, (divorced, late forties) suggested she join his PI firm. In Durable Goods, Britt infiltrates a religious refuge for women in search of a missing teenager. Once inside, she realizes the place is anything but a safe haven. She has four days to find the girl and get them both out. But that proves harder than expected. And when she’s trafficked over the Canadian border she’s on her own, maintaining her cover as “one of the girls”.
Can you tell us a little bit about your next books or what you have planned for the future?
Durable Goods is the second book in the Cole & Callahan PI series. The third book, Scar Tissue, will be out in the Fall of 2018. In Scar Tissue, a student/athlete jumps to her death. Britt and Griff are hired by her parents to find out why. But what's ruled as a suicide opens Pandora's Box for the family and Britt is drawn into an alliance that forces her to choose between her ethics and her heart.
How long would you say it takes you to write a book?
It takes about a year for me to come up with a final draft. And then if/when it’s accepted by a publisher, there are many more revisions before the final product emerges.
What is your favorite childhood book?
As a very young child, Misty of Chincoteague, was my favorite. It’s about the wild ponies on Chincoteague Island. For my fortieth birthday, I went to the island and walked among the real wild ponies.
If you could spend the day with one of the characters from Durable Goods, who would it be? Please tell us why you chose this particular character, where you would go and what you would do.
I’d spend a day with Ruth. She’s the daughter of Isaac Bennett, the owner of the women’s refuge. He’s pure evil. Ruth vacillates between doing his bidding and helping the women behind his back. She hates her father and yet reuses to leave the homestead. I would take her to lunch or go for a long walk and find out more about her. She’s an onion.
What was the hardest scene from Durable Goods to write?
Because the book is about prostitution and sex trafficking, there were a couple of places where I needed to show what was happening. But I wanted the story to be about the young women, not about the industry and I didn’t want the book to be graphic. So, instead of showing the scene, I kept the narration inside the woman’s head. I wanted the reader to understand what was happening by experiencing the woman’s emotions, not by presenting a descriptive scene. It required a lot of sitting quietly, letting myself drift into the character’s head and asking myself what would I feel or think in this moment. And that’s what I put on paper.
What made you want to become a writer?
I have always loved to read. As a kid, going to the library was as good as going to the toy store. I tried my hand at writing stories at a very young age. My mother was my only reader, but she was very encouraging and I continued to write. I don’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t write. But I never became serious about pursuing publication until well into my forties. I don’t know why. Probably because I was too busy raising kids.
Just for fun
(a Favorite song: Louis Armstrong’s, A Wonderful World
(b Favorite book: The Plague Dogs by Richard Adams
(c Favorite movie: Little Miss Sunshine
(d Favorite tv show: Homeland
(e Favorite Food: Scallops
(f Favorite drink: Pinot Gris
(g Favorite website: Beagle Freedom
Thanks so much for visiting with us today!
Thank you for having me. And I’d love to answer any questions or comments from your readers.
About the Author
Patricia Hale received her MFA degree from Goddard College. Her essays have appeared in literary magazines and the anthology, My Heart’s First Steps. Her debut novel, In the Shadow of Revenge, was published in 2013. The Church of the Holy Child (9/17) is the first book in her PI series featuring the team of Griff Cole and Britt Callahan. The second book, Durable Goods, will be released April 15, 2018. Patricia is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, NH Writers Project and Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband and two dogs.
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