From Miscue, Netblue and Snafu
           by Glen C. Allison

 

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
It's been a dozen years since my life crashed. Before that, people who heard the name “Al Forte” would associate me with being a Navy SEAL: tough, resourceful, in control. I had them fooled; more important, I had myself fooled. Then my wife was killed in front of my eyes and I couldn't do a thing about it. With the help of some friends, I managed to  avoid destroying myself with drugs and alcohol. When I got out of treatment, I was asked to rescue a child from some kidnappers. Which I did. I felt unworthy of the task, but I did it. From that point, some people wanted to establish a safe house in the French Quarter called “The Refuge.” I helped with that and  Forte Security was born. We rescue and protect kids. It's all we do. To be honest, some days I feel like I'm only a step away from darkness. But I do what  I can, a day at a time.

 
So what have you been doing since the last big case?
The first big case of  MISCUE, involved a guy who murdered an abortion doctor then kidnapped the doctor's daughter. I had to track down the guy and it took me all over the country and down to Belize to find him. (Sounds glamorous but when bullets start flying, you tend to forget the sunshine and sparkling blue ocean.) In the second case, NETBLUE, I had to track down a serial killer who was murdering pedophiles.  Don't ask me how I get put in these situations. I try not to question circumstances much any more. It's life. In my current case SNAFU,  I'm forced to confront my grief by tracking down the kidnapped son of the man who killed my wife.


How did you become involved in this case? 
Actually, I was involved in another case:  The daughter of the governor of Louisiana was missing. I was asked to track her down. Then, the young man who had killed my wife years earlier in a gang prank gone wrong confronted me. His little son was stolen. Would I help find him? And behind it all there was a bigger plot to kill many more people.   


Tell us about this case.  
I'm not sure how much I can tell without giving away the surprises. I will say this:  SNAFU is the perfect word for what happened. 

 
Was there ever a time during this case that you doubted those that you normally trust?
I have a hard time trusting anyone, most of all myself. But what I've learned is that, no matter how much of a loner I consider myself, life is a team sport. You have to count on someone else sometime, especially when things fall apart. Because of what I was asked to do, I mistrusted everyone around me on this case. And I was wrong more than once.
What can I say? I'm worthless sometime.  


How dangerous was it to solve this case?
Very dangerous. Yes, there was danger for me, of course. But I don't see it like I should. Don't get me wrong – I'm not asking for the pain of a gunshot or knife wound or being blown up by a car bomb. I just don't think about it, once I'm rolling. Maybe I'm more afraid of being a coward than I am of the danger in a situation. In a bigger sense, literally
millions of people could have died from the bigger threat of this case.  


Did working on this case affect you emotionally?
Yes. The adrenalin of almost dying can leave you deflated both physically and emotionally. And when you lose someone close to you, the grief is numbing, to me at least. I'm still sorting through it, a day at a time. 
 
 
How did this case affect your personal life?
I lost some people close to me. One of them was expected; the other was not. I wish I could say that I could absorb those losses and keep a brave face. I just don't know. Part of me knows I'll come through it with a resolve to help protect the innocent even more. Part of me wonders if I can. We shall see. In the grand scheme of things, all of us suffers loss and none of us can handle it perfectly. Only God can. I'm not Him and I don't see His face clearly a lot of the time. But I'm thankful I believe that He is there.


  


Glen C. Allison writes the New Orleans suspense series about Forte, a broken SEAL who saves stolen children. The first two books in the series, MISCUE and NETBLUE, are being released this month in ebook format. The third in the series, SNAFU, is tentatively scheduled for release in February 2013. Get news of Forte at http://torturedhero.com. Join the Forte fan page at  http://fb.com/fortebooks. 
 

From           Smoky Mountain Meltdown
                                  by
                      Sharleen Johnson



We are pleased to have with us today  Jack, the K-9 Officer with Gatlinburg Police Department.  Please note that all cross-specie translations are done by Charles (Chuck) Weaver, who by virtue of an accidental gunshot to the brain during childhood is able to hear animals talking to one another.  
 
 
So what have you been doing since the last big case?
It's been both a busy and tragic few months between March and September. 
Annie Murphy Malone married Gatlinburg Chief of Police, Max Lamont.  To be honest, he moved in with Annie in  March, but they didn't make it legal until  June.  


How did you become involved in this case?
I try to shun the word "owner" with regard to people and their animals. I lean more toward "partnership" or even "guardian."  Jill and I have been  with Annie for a full year now. Anything that happens to her affects us.  We feel that we are her guardians, rather than the other way around.  


Tell us about this case.
 Annie was so happy with Max.  Even though they're in their thirties, they were like a couple of love-struck teenagers. Then in July, Friday the 13th to be exact, Max was shot in the back and killed by a paid assassin.  He was  working with some undercover operatives in Atlanta to get to a few of the drug bosses.  He must have gotten too close, so they hired someone to kill him. Annie was more than determined, she was driven to find his killer.

We had a stroke of good luck when Darien Hatcher, Atlanta Detective, left his job and came to Gatlinburg.  He told us he didn't know who was straight and who was corrupt in the department. He joined our search.  


Was there ever a time during this case that you doubted those that you normally trust?
 It was never a matter of trust with regard to George Reynolds.  Truthfully, I never liked the guy. He came into Annie's Tin Roof Cafe every morning for his breakfast before going to work as a patrol office.  My training is extensive, I could smell his interest in Annie. Pheromones--you know what those are, dontcha?  I would liked to have neutered the guy with one, well-placed bite.   


How dangerous was it to solve this case?
Deadly. My friend, Jill, actually went undercover with one of the middle men in the drug cartel.  She pretended to be a stray cat to get inside his headquarters, listened to his conversations and poked through his files.  Her dangerous duty pin-pointed the actual shooter.  She heard the deal being made to kill Annie next. If Annie hadn't bent over at that strategic moment in time, she would be lying next to Max in the ground.  One of my buddies, a Pit Bull, was killed.   


Did  working on this case affect you emotionally?
 If not for my rigorous training, I would have come totally unglued.


 How did this case affect your personal life?
 (Jack did his best imitation of a quiet canine laugh and punched Chuck in the ribs.  Chuck laughed out loud, then translated).  She looks like she swallowed a watermelon.  She's got Max Junior growin' in her tummy.  Don't know how he's gonna get outta there.

 
 Sharleen Johnson has been writing for several years and has published novels in three different genres, including historical, cozy mystery and romantic suspense. She and her husband live in Ooltewah, TN, a fast growing suburb of Chattanooga.  She enjoys gardening, genealogy and casino blackjack. Her books are available in print through amazon.com  and in ebook format from both the Kindle and  Nook.  Please visit her Facebook page (Sharleen Johnson Rhinock); website (sharleenjohnson.com); and her blog page (sharleenjohnson.blogspot.com) for the latest news on upcoming books.  You can contact her by email at  srhinock8@gmail.com.