Q.What compelled you to write Bern’s character and this series?

A.
I had always lived in a city until I moved to a small town in BC in my late twenties. Living out west and in a small town is different in so many ways. I love it, but it is very differentfrom my life growing up.

I’ve alwaysloved mystery series and have wanted to write one since I first read Nancy Drew when I was seven years old. When the time came for me to write, it was natural for me to write about my adopted world, a small town in Western Canada. It was also natural to place a character there that was new to town, noticing all the differences that I noticed. And of course this character had to be running from a secret past…Everything else about Bern developed as I wrote Confined Space, the first book in the series.
Q.
Will we learn about Bern’s life before the army?

A.
There is a lot of mystery surrounding Bern’s early life – especially around who his father is. His family was extremely wealthy, so all of his material needs were provided for, but his childhood was lonely and isolating for a whole variety of reasons. I expect it will become part of the story at some point, but I’m not sure yet when or how.
Q.
Gia is an interesting woman – is she based on anyone you know? If not, how did you create her character?

A.
All my characters come to me in different ways. I remember Gia specifically because I wrote a blog post when I was creating her. You can read that post here and see what that process was like: http://deryncollier.com/?p=462 (Fun fact: Look in the comments and you’ll see where Gia’s name came from!)

Gia is not based on anyone I know, but there are a lot of women like her in the Kootenays. Strong, independent women, homesteading and getting by, trying to stay separate from the incursions of the modern world. Of course in Gia’s case, she’s not able to stay as separate as she’d like…
Q.
Kootenay Landing is a fictional place, but is this an accurate portrayal of the lifestyle in small town British Columbia?

A.
I think of Kootenay Landing as a Kootenay “any town” – it could be any of the small towns in this part southeastern BC, and over time it’s becoming a mish mash of all of them. People familiar with the area will recognize the town of Creston in the geography of Kootenay Landing – the wide, flat valley, the proximity to the US and the Garden of Eden-like ability to grow just about anything.

There are a lot of details in the books that are accurate to life in small town BC. Like if you leave your car door unlocked, you are likely to find a box of fresh produce on the back seat. And if you park in front of the hospital for a few hours, the next time you go to the grocery store the cashier will ask if someone in your family is sick. But you’ll be happy to know there are fewer murders in real life than there are in the books.

Q.
Cindy Forsberg has a difficult childhood. How did you learn about the realities of Indigenous communities and what was that experience of learning like?

A.
Cindy’ story is one that is familiar to all of us; as Canadians, it’s a story we all know and share responsibility for. I didn’t research her story so much as I let it flow through me. I felt I was writing down one possible version of a tragic story we all know to some extent.

I did run the scenes by an expert in First Nations social work, to be sure the basic facts were believable and that I had conveyed Cindy’s culture in a way that was both realistic and respectful.

Q.Bern takes good care of his garden – are you a gardener? If so, how did you learn and what will you plant this season?

A.
Bern does love his garden, although it frustrates him that that he can’t order the plants around! I learned to garden when I moved to BC and for many years had a small vegetable and flower garden in our back yard. These days I have what I call my “omelet garden” on the front stoop – a selection of herbs and greens in pots that I add to whatever I’m cooking. (And I’m often cooking omelets.) I have a few tomatoes and cucumbers there as well, though I may end up sharing them with the deer.
Q.
Do you think the medical or policing community would be offended by Dr. Sinclair and Constable Schilling’s involvement with the marijuana industry?

A.
I think all communities are made up of individuals. I wasn’t asking what the medical or policing community might think as I wrote. Rather, I was asking – would this doctor and this police officer take these actions? Does it make sense in the context of their lives as individuals? And I think it does. Dr. Sinclair has found a way to reduce suffering in her patients. Schilling has found a way (admittedly a shortsighted one) to ignore her health problems so she can get on with her job.

And of course this is a murder mystery. If everyone played by the rules, it wouldn’t make for a very interesting read. I hope the doctors and police officers out there will understand.

Q.
If Open Secret were a movie, who would you like to play Bern? What about Juniper and Mrs. K?

A.Bern might be Roy Dupuis, or possibly Colm Feore. (But we’d have to make Colm Feore pass an accent test first.)

Mrs. K. – Lynn Cohen.

Juniper – Indira Varma or Parker Posey.

Q.The names of your characters are great! How did you come up with them?

A.
Thank you! I give a lot of thought to the names of my characters. I’m usually aiming for a feeling or mood with them and will play around with name combinations until I hit the right one. When I get stumped, I will often put the question out to friends and readers on Facebook.

A blog reader gave Gia her name, and Facebook friends found Juniper Sinclair’s first and last names. Recently, my Facebook fans helped to name a dozen chickens for book 3. If you’d like to be part of that in future, just follow along at facebook.com/DerynCollierAuthor and have your say!

Q.

What’s next for Bern?

A.
Book 3 is well under way. I can’t tell you much though… But I can say that once Bern’s secrets are out in the open, he finds he doesn’t have much left to lose.

Visit DerynCollier.com

Next up: The CARP Book Club is reading @RichardCMorais’ @the100ftJourney this August! Watch the trailer: http://bit.ly/1qJLoEJ