1--What is the title of your latest release?
DON’T ASK, DON’T FOLLOW
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
Paralegal Beth Ralston discovers her boss murdered and her sister, Lindsay, fleeing the scene, leaving her only this cryptic message: don’t follow. But when Beth comes under suspicion for the crime, she must decide whether finding her sister to uncover the truth is worth destroying the only family she’s ever known.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I spent years in a Portland, Oregon law firm as a secretary/paralegal, and when this story idea came to me, I knew that it was the perfect setting. The plot needed to have believability as far as access to information, and because I already knew Oregon law, and different aspects of Portland, it worked well.
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Absolutely. Being a workaholic myself, I can relate to Beth!
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Tenacious, workaholic, people pleaser.
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
Every time I write a novel, I learn something new about myself. This was my first domestic suspense, versus a series mystery character, and more than anything I gained a lot of confidence in my ability to write suspense, and a standalone novel.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I always edit as I go. I have a weekly goal of about 8,000 words. I tend to rework each section and then move forward. By the time I finish my first run through, I really have a manuscript that’s more like a second or third draft.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Cake. I absolutely love dessert, but cake makes me the happiest! If there’s a party, I’m always like – will there be cake?
9--Describe your writing space/office!
I turned a bedroom into my workspace, and I have several bookshelves filled with my favorite books of friends and authors I follow, inspirational pictures hanging and a white board to jot down some of my goals and notes on a current project. I also have my desk facing the front of our property which is filled with lush lawn and beautiful trees. Because we live in the country, I often see bunnies in the yard, or deer passing out front. Only occasionally distracting!
10--Who is an author you admire?
Mary Higgins Clark for not only the stories she told which inspired me to write in the first place, but her personal story of overcoming obstacles to become the writer she became.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
Not necessarily a book, but Mary Higgins Clark in general. When I discovered her books, I fell in love with the genre and when I began to write, I knew mystery/suspense would be the genre I wrote in.
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
Don’t Ask, Don’t Follow is my 6th novel to be published, but I will tell you I was so excited that Oceanview picked it up. I’d long heard about the publisher and how they worked with their authors, so I was especially happy that they loved the novel. Of course, I immediately did a happy dance and then when I signed the contract, celebrated with... you guessed it. Cake!
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
All things mystery, suspense, and thriller. Can’t get enough!
14--What’s your favorite movie?
While You Were Sleeping is a movie I could watch a million times. I’m a sucker for a good rom com!
15--What is your favorite season?
Summer. I especially love late summer as it transitions into autumn. There’s something about the warm days and cool nights that is appealing.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
I often spend my birthdays going somewhere special. Out to eat, down to the beach, up to the mountains. But when it’s a milestone birthday, I go to Disneyland! It’s where I spent my 50th, and I’ll be spending my 60th there next year. I’m a big kid at heart, and there’s no better place to be a kid than Disneyland.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I’m a huge Michael Connelly fan, so I highly recommend the Bosch and Lincoln Lawyer series. But my new obsession is the Brokenwood series set in New Zealand and playing on Acorn TV. It is filled with quirky characters and wonderful plots.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
I don’t know that I have a favorite overall, but I have favorites in each cuisine. Lasagna in Italian. Enchiladas in Mexican. But I just generally like food!
19--What do you do when you have free time?
I love to golf. I hadn’t done it as much as I used to, but having recently retired from the day job, I’m doing more of it again and I love it.
20--What can readers expect from you next?
The third book in my Misty Pines series, KILLER TRACKS, will be out in September of 2025. And I’m hopeful a new twisty thriller I wrote will be out in the world soon!
Murder, dark family secrets, and the unwavering bond of sisterhood— regardless of the cost
Beth Ralston, a paralegal in Portland, Oregon, would rather be racking up billable hours than mingling at an office party— especially when her sister Lindsay, aka her plus one, is a no-show.
After making her obligatory rounds, Beth returns to her office to find that her boss, who she' d talked with moments before, has been murdered. She sees a woman fleeing the scene. Wait— was that Lindsay? Unable to catch up to her in time, Beth waits for the police to arrive and notices that Lindsay has left her phone behind with an unsent text message to Beth displayed on the screen: “ Don' t ask. Don' t follow.”
Lindsay is unreachable for days, and when Beth starts to come under suspicion for the crime, she decides that waiting is impossible. While retracing Lindsay' s steps, determined to bring her home, Beth uncovers what her sister, an investigative reporter bent on changing the world, was trying to expose— corruption, secrets, and betrayal on an unimaginable level. Revealing the truth might bring back the one person she' s desperate to find— but it could also destroy the only life and family Beth' s ever known.
Perfect for fans of Gregg Olsen and Karin Slaughter
Thriller [Oceanview Publishing, On Sale: June 4, 2024, Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781608096091 / ]
Mary Keliikoa is the author of the Shamus Finalist and Lefty, Agatha and Anthony award nominated PI Kelly Pruett mystery series and the upcoming Misty Pines mystery series featuring Sheriff Jax Turner slated for release in September 2022. Her short stories have appeared in Woman's World and in the anthology Peace, Love and Crime: Crime Fiction Inspired by Music of the ‘60s. A Pacific NW native, she spent a part of her life working around lawyers. Combining her love of legal and books, she creates a twisting mystery where justice prevails.
When not in Washington, you can find Mary on the beach in Hawaii where she and her husband recharge. But even under the palm trees and blazing sun, she’s plotting her next murder—novel that is.
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