I got the idea during a Florida trip where I was terrified at the thought of being left away from civilization with strangers whose sanity was undetermined.

Angela Grey – 24 June 2024

The Back Flap

Told in alternating timelines, this murder mystery takes place away from civilization on the island of Garden Key, the second largest island of the Dry Tortugas, a group of sandbars 68 miles southeast of Key West in the Gulf of Mexico. While the camping group starts with more than a dozen people in adjacent campsites, mostly couples seeking a romantic night camping are suddenly thrown together with the challenge of escaping a serial killer. Callie, a young architect and fiancée, appreciates the islands’ beauty and danger early on, as do veterinarian Oliver, electrical engineer Jack, and restoration architect Liam. While everything starts happily, there are dangers and surprises that nobody could have foreseen. Will they learn to trust each other, or will their interpersonal obstacles be more devastating than the impossible physical and emotional challenges of escaping an unknown murderer who could be any one of them? The closer Callie gets to Jack, the more she questions his innocence. However, a series of strange occurrences at the camping site makes Callie fear she might be the next to disappear in this romantic suspense thriller.

About the book

When did you start writing the book?

I wrote the book during NaNoWriMo 2023.

 How long did it take you to write it?

It took me a month to write it, and it’s been out for editing for the last five months.

 Where did you get the idea from?

I got the idea during a Florida trip where I was terrified at the thought of being left away from civilization with strangers whose sanity was undetermined.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

Initially, I wrote it in the first person but changed it to third person omniscient to better understand each character’s motivations.

What came easily?

The fear factor and emotional ties came easily.

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

I think writing is always about creating fictional characters with attributes of known people.

Do you have a target reader for this book?

I think the book is directed towards adults of any age.

How was writing this book different from what you’d experienced writing previous books?

With this book, I tried alternating timelines, as in Liane Moriarty’s Apples Never Fall. Upon reading that book, I changed the layout.

What new things did you learn about writing, publishing, and/or yourself while writing and preparing this book for publication?

I realized that changing one’s writing routine can offer insights of which you may not have previously been aware.

End of Inteview:

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Get your copy of Madness & Mayhem from Amazon US or Amazon UK.