The following interview was conducted by:

 E.Dian Moore &  To read more about Dian Moore’s reviews click HERE 

Terrell: I own a computer-related business and a few years ago, I was approached by a trucking company who asked me to write a program to hide their kickbacks. Turned out, their current accounting program had an audit trail and they wanted me to hide the under-the-table kickbacks they were paying for contract awards. Of all the programmers they could have asked, I was probably the worst: my father is a retired FBI agent. I followed Dad’s advice (as all good girls do) and handed over information to the local FBI office, met with the FBI’s programmers, and showed them the audit trail. Then I had to extricate myself from any relationship with this trucking company… Years later, I wondered what would have happened if the FBI hadn’t believed my story, if I hadn’t been able to get my hands on the evidence, and if the bad guys came after me when I tried to leave. In Kickback, Sheila is much younger than I, she’s on her first job assignment, her parents are deceased, and she has no one to turn to for help.

BP: On your website, you are pictured with two bodyguards, "The Twins." Is this why you need bodyguards?

Terrell: Yes, initially I was concerned about people in the trucking company seeking revenge. Later, I also had a stalker, so having bodyguards has been a double blessing.

BP: As a result of your experience with the trucking company that inspired this story, have you seen changes made in the trucking industry?

Terrell: I wish I could say that I have, but I have not. As my book was being released, though, I did a google search and found that the FBI was prosecuting trucking companies up and down the east coast for exactly the same scenario I describe in my book.

BP: How much of Kickback is a mirror to your own life, and how much is pure imagination?

Terrell: The actual crime is exactly as it was described to me (of hiding the audit trail and hiding the illegal kickbacks). I moved the scene of the crime to the Washington, DC area, which I know from having lived most of my life there, so the streets, businesses, etc. are mostly real. I did use some fictitious businesses and streets, when a crime was being committed there, though! But Sheila is everything that I am not—athletic, young, gutsy, and just full of spunk.

BP: Your background includes years of technical writing and teaching, including installation of computer systems. Your writing style is perfect for suspense, but I wonder how did you make the transition from writing technical books to writing suspense/thrillers?

Terrell: Actually, writing suspense/thrillers is my first love. I wrote my first full-length book when I was a teenager (though it wasn’t worth publishing). I always wanted to be a published author of mystery and suspense/thrillers. I fell into computers just as the Apple computer was invented (I know—that dates me!) and I was fortunate enough to have enjoyed a long and profitable career in the computer software field. But it’s actually more difficult for me to write the technical manuals (and the four computer how-to books that were published) than it is for me to write fiction. Let’s face it, the fiction is far more interesting!

BP: In your second book, The China Conspiracy, you introduce Kit Olson, another bright young computer genius who is drawn into a deadly puzzle. Where did this story premise come from?

Terrell: I was having lunch with two of my computer clients, and we were watching the 2000 presidential election fiasco, where the officials were scrutinizing every chad to see if it was dimpled, pregnant, hanging, etc. And I made the comment that we had to automate the election process; the whole concept of chads was so archaic. But as I sat there pondering this, I realized that my clients had no idea what programming code I entered in my programs; they only knew whether it appeared to work. And I realized how easy it would be for me to rig an election program. Ironically, when The China Conspiracy was released, Johns Hopkins University led a research team into exploring the security level used with the new touch-screen technology, and they came to the conclusion that it was “so security flawed, even a foreign government could easily infiltrate our elections software and rig an election”!

BP: How do you work out the plot elements so they will all end up colliding at the end of a book such as Conspiracy? Do you sometimes have to go back and reroute a certain plot?

Terrell: With The China Conspiracy, I kept a list of the plot and sub-plot elements and checked them off as they came together in the end. I also added an additional sub-plot (the disappearance of the computer programmer) to help tie things together. In the book I’m writing now (the sequel to Kickback), the plot is more complicated, so I will also go through the entire book and “weave a thread” through it so I pick up all the sub-plots and tidy them up at the end.

BP: I've read that you are a staunch supporter of Crime Stoppers, Crime Solvers, and Crime Lines, which offer rewards anonymity to individuals reporting information on criminal activity, resulting in arrests, recovery of stolen property, and seizure of illegal drugs. How did you become involved with these organizations?

Terrell: When I first moved to Chesterfield, Virginia, the local Crime Solvers was conducting a slogan contest. I won with the phrase “Take the Time to Solve the Crime”. I attended their annual dinner and was presented with an award, got to know the people on their board and what Crime Solvers is all about, and I was totally sold on the whole concept. Several years later, I became the first female President of the Chesterfield County/ Colonial Heights Crime Solvers, and served two terms. I also joined the state association – Virginia Crime Stoppers Association – and served as their Treasurer.

BP: How do you decide on the locations where your scenes will take place?

I enjoy using real places and I tend to use locations that are close by, so I can hop in the car and check out the details whenever I need to. When I’m traveling, I also take back roads whenever possible so I can see the surrounding countryside. Sometimes an old house or a dilapidated barn or a winding road will inspire a scene.

BP: When you begin writing, do you already know the ending? Or does it present itself through the process of writing?

Terrell: The first thing I do is plot the entire crime. So I know why the character is committing the crime and how they’re planning to pull it off. Then I determine the end, the middle, and the beginning, in that order. The reason for the odd order is: the end might have to take place on a particular date, such as the inauguration in The China Conspiracy; I plan a scene in the middle of the book that has as much tension as a book’s climax, to propel the reader through the story, much like a roller coaster ride; and the beginning has to lay the foundation for the middle and the ending to work.

BP: Why the odd spelling of your name?

Terrell: When Chicago Spectrum Press published Kickback, they suggested that I use my initials and print my whole name in lower case. The theory was they could get my name in larger letters if there were fewer letters to print! When the book was released, I fell in love with the spelling, while the editor who suggested it, hated it!

BP: What is the next book about?

Terrell: I am actually writing two books at once: The sequel to Kickback finds Sheila attending the FBI Academy, where she discovers that her parents may not have died accidental deaths (as alluded to in the first book), but they might have been murdered. She sets out to discover what really happened to them, which has her colliding with a terrorist network. (To be released in 2006 by Drake Valley Press; the title is Ricochet.)

Then my second book is a non-fiction book entitled, Taking the Mystery out of Book Signings. It’s a step-by-step process designed for both newly published authors and seasoned professionals that shows them how to get the most publicity, greatest exposure, and lots of sales from every book signing they do. This will be released in 2006 by Palari Publishing.

BP: Thank you for the outstanding books and interview. Good luck on the next in the series and your non-fiction book.