This novel was inspired by a real-life tragedy involving the late Jason Harrison. A 38-year-old man living with psychosis, Harrison was killed by police officers in Dallas in 2014 after his mother asked for help getting him to a hospital.

Ginger Pinholster – 12 September 2023

The Back Flap

The theft of Trina Leigh Dean’s beloved snakes – including a rare Eastern indigo named Unicorn, Banana Splits the yellow ball python, and Bandit the banded king snake – coincides with the disappearance of a troubled young man named Gethin Jacobs. While his sister Serena searches for him, she gains an unlikely accomplice – Jazz, a homeless community college student. Meanwhile, Trina’s friend Fletch, a burnt-out cop, scours St. Augustine, Florida, for the stolen snakes. His quest puts Fletch on a dangerous collision course with Gethin, raising questions about community, family, and the power of compassion.

About the book

What is the book about?

A love story served up with a large side of Florida weirdness, Snakes of St. Augustine follows a woman’s quest to save her troubled brother, Gethin, and her magical, maddening entanglement with an equally complicated man named Jazz.

Gethin’s disappearance coincides with the theft of Trina Leigh Dean’s beloved snakes – including a rare Eastern indigo named Unicorn, Banana Splits the yellow ball python, and Bandit the banded king snake. While Gethin’s sister Serena searches for him, she gains an unlikely accomplice in Jazz, a homeless community college student. Meanwhile, Trina’s friend Fletch, a burnt-out cop, scours St. Augustine, Florida, for the stolen snakes.

Fletch’s quest puts him on a dangerous collision course with Gethin, raising questions about community, family, and the power of compassion.

When did you start writing the book?

My 2016 creative nonfiction essay, “Tagged” (in Atticus Review) was my first effort to explore how discrimination and stigma too often turn those with neurodiversity into “the others.” A couple of years after publishing that essay, I began work on my second novel, Snakes of St. Augustine, which takes a deeper dive into the same topic.

How long did it take you to write it?

I spent about five years writing Snakes of St. Augustine.

Where did you get the idea from?

This novel was inspired by a real-life tragedy involving the late Jason Harrison. A 38-year-old man living with psychosis, Harrison was killed by police officers in Dallas in 2014 after his mother asked for help getting him to a hospital. A few years later, police bodycam video of the killing wound up on TV. Watching I saw the video on CNN, I found it deeply sad and disturbing. It made me think about people in my own life, including my late brother, who struggled with being different.

In writing my book, I learned that people living with psychosis are rarely a threat to others, and in fact, they are far more likely to be mugged or raped, compared with the rest of us. Yet, discrimination and stigma too often turn those with mental illness into “the others.” And, although we now have a 9-8-8 hotline that people can call when they have a mental health crisis, too many police units still lack the training or personnel to safely deal with people who have neurodiversity – people like the late Jason Harrison.

The snakes in Snakes of St. Augustine are a metaphor for mental health conditions. Often, snakes are feared and misunderstood, which leads many people to run away or kill them on sight. People with neurodiversity, particularly mental health conditions, are often feared and misunderstood, too. They face an increased risk of being harmed by others who do not understand their behaviors.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

For a long time, as I was imagining the story, I wasn’t sure how things would or should turn out for my protagonist’s brother, Gethin. In real life, I lost a brother to mental illness. In writing Snakes of St. Augustine, I had an intense urge to rewrite history, to imagine a happier scenario in which the beloved brother overcomes his challenges. As a writer, I also had to consider what plot twists would seem believable to readers. So, I struggled with how best to handle that plot element of the book. I won’t give any spoilers here; folks will have to read the book to learn what happens to Gethin.

What came easily?

One of the characters in my book is a police officer named Fletch who is on a quest to find three stolen snakes. The book includes several scenes in which Fletch is bantering, sometimes comically, with other officers. Early in my career, I was a young reporter covering the police beat for a now-defunct newspaper in Athens, Georgia. It was an exciting time, full of new adventures and friends. I had a lot of fun writing the police dialogue in Snakes of St. Augustine because I remembered that period of my life, and those people that I so admired.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

This novel is fictional, and so it’s largely a product of my imagination. With that said, as a former teacher once told me, “It all comes from somewhere” – that is, deeply buried memories and life events tend to wind up in the stories that we write. In my case, losing my younger brother to mental illness, and subsequently finding a partner who has neurodiversity, clearly influenced me as I was writing Snakes of St. Augustine. When I met my current partner, although I didn’t realize it at the time, I was probably subconsciously thinking, “Okay, here’s someone I can help, even if I wasn’t able to help my brother.” All of those intense feelings certainly wound up in the novel.

We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

Henry David Thoreau said, “To read well, that is, to read true books in a true spirit, is a noble exercise.” For me, pursuing a life of the mind is a noble act; in this way, readers make the world a better place. I admire a wide range of authors. I tend to gravitate toward books by women authors, including Barbara Kingsolver, Louise Erdrich, Lauren Groff, Laura McBride, and Connie May Fowler, among others. I learn something different from every book that I read. For example, as I read McBride’s novel, We Are Called to Rise, I loved her depiction of community and her theme of service to others. In that way, Snakes of St. Augustine is similar to We Are Called to Rise as well as Kingsolver’s Pigs in Heaven. Connie May Fowler achieves tremendous emotional intensity in all of her books, which I greatly admire. Lauren Groff writes highly immersive descriptions. I studied with Lauren, briefly, when I was in graduate school, and so I read all of her works very carefully and tried to learn from them.

Do you have a target reader?

I try to make personal human experiences and emotions personal, so I hope that all readers will be able to relate in some way to Snakes of St. Augustine. The novel includes main characters who represent a wide range of human diversity.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

My fiction writing has to be accomplished after hours and on the weekends, when I’m not at my day job. Currently, I’m off work on Wednesdays. On a typical Wednesday, I search for new sea turtle nests, as part of the Volusia Turtle Patrol, then I sit at my home computer for a couple of hours, trying to immerse myself into an imaginary world. If I become restless, I grab a notepad and ride my bicycle to the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse Park. The park has a nature trail that culminates at a tower above a thick marsh and the waters of the inlet. If there’s a breeze and the mosquitoes aren’t too bad, I can hand write a full scene from atop the lookout tower. Snowy egrets are plentiful. Occasionally, I’ll see a bright pink roseate spoonbill or a raccoon family, searching for food in shallow water.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

Writers often talk about being “Plotters” who carefully outline their stories, or “Pantsers” who fly by the seat of their pants. I consider myself to be a North Star writer! That is, I know the book’s North Star – the climactic scene and ultimate resolution – and I write toward that outcome.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

Both! Snakes of St. Augustine was written with the help of a wonderful writing group (Jennie Erin Smith, Sandy Smith Hutchins, Derek Catron, and Jeff Boyle). They offered critique of each chapter of the novel. I used that feedback to edit each chapter as I went along, and I also completed a second and third draft of the book before it underwent copyediting and proofreading by the publisher.

Did you hire a professional editor?

My editor was the amazing Pam Van Dyk of Regal House Publishing. She provided invaluable insights to help me further improve the novel.

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

I don’t listen to music while I’m writing, but I have a funny habit of reading my work out loud as I’m writing it. I tend to “act out” what’s happening on the page. I’m a real ham. This keeps the writing process exciting for me and it allows me to ensure that the book’s emotional truth remains plausible.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

I submitted Snakes of St. Augustine to a couple of agents, but then fairly quickly learned about Regal House Publishing. A small, traditional publisher dedicated to promoting literary excellence, Regal House accepts unagented manuscripts. The founder, Jaynie Royal, responded to my query within a day. I felt like I had hit the Powerball.

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

I was very fortunate to be picked up by Regal House Publishing, and I couldn’t be happier. Regal House supports its authors in every way possible.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

The cover of Snakes of St. Augustine was created by Regal House Publishing’s art team.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

I’m working with a publicist, Jackie Karneth of Books Forward. She’s helping me put together a schedule of events and media opportunities like this one!

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

Please keep writing, keep creating, and never give up. Don’t listen to your inner critic. The writer Anne Lamott (Bird by Bird) recommends letting your inner child run free as you work on a first draft. Enjoy the process of discovery, without limiting your imagination. You can focus on bringing order and discipline to the work as you prepare a second draft.

Remember that by bringing art into the world, you’re engaged in a noble enterprise that enriches the fabric of modern society and promotes literacy. Publishing books is a tough and often lonely business. Look for a community of other writers who can support and uplift you.

About You

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, in the 1960s and ‘70s, back when kids were still building forts in the woods and playing outside until dark. My fiction reflects my love for the natural world. I try to allow readers to experience my settings in an immersive, tactile way.

Where do you live now?

Since 2017, I’ve lived in Ponce Inlet, Florida, which is a little peninsula south of Daytona Beach. When I’m not at my day job, I’m a volunteer member of Florida’s Volusia Turtle Patrol.

What would you like readers to know about you?

I earned my M.F.A. degree from Queens University of Charlotte and my B.A. from Eckerd College. My first novel, City in a Forest, won a Gold Royal Palm Literary Award from the Florida Writers Association in 2020. For my day job, I serve as vice president for communications at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Long ago and far away, I was a journalist.

Readers rock my world. Whenever I meet a reader, I feel like a tongue-tied fan in the presence of royalty. I’m deeply grateful to anyone who gives my fiction-writing a chance. Thank you, thank you.

What are you working on now?

I’m currently revising a third novel set in New Mexico. It’s a dual-timeline historical novel. It tells the story of a wounded warrior, Jemi, who is fighting to regain her confidence, in parallel with a nursing home resident, Rose, who is struggling to have her Native American heritage verified. The historical story delves into a shameful period of American history when, sadly, many Native American children were removed from their families. I’ve also begun to outline a fourth novel. I can’t share details yet, but suffice it to say, there are sea turtles.

End of Interview:

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