Karen’s Killer Book Bench #Interview #Mystery: FIGHTING EDGE, A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery by Margaret Mizushima

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FIGHTING EDGE
A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery
BY MARGARET MIZUSHIMA

Blurb

Major crimes intersect in this nail-biting installment of the Timber Creek K-9 mysteries by award-winning author Margaret Mizushima.

A routine welfare check becomes a nightmare when Deputy Mattie Walker finds a young mother dead and a hysterical toddler, possibly the only witness to a brutal crime. Before the investigative team can start piecing together what happened, Mattie discovers another criminal act in Timber Creek.

During a traffic stop for speeding, Mattie observes a nervous driver and a teenage passenger frozen with fear. A quick sweep of the car with her K-9 partner, Robo, reveals a dangerous mix of drugs and suspected human trafficking, providing Mattie with grounds to arrest the driver. After she places the teenager in protective custody, the sheriff’s department hands the case over to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

As the team gathers evidence and information, Mattie’s husband, veterinarian Cole Walker, notices suspicious activity during ambulatory calls at dog kennels, indicating yet a third crime lurking in the shadows. What begins as isolated incidents quickly reveals a chilling truth: organized crime has infiltrated their rural mountain community.

Every clue leads to more questions, and each answer brings them closer to greater danger. Do Mattie and her law enforcement partners have what it takes to shut down this criminal ring before it claims more victims? And could its next victim be someone Mattie loves?

FIGHTING EDGE
A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery
BY MARGARET MIZUSHIMA

Interview

Before we get started talking about your writing, tell us a little about yourself, where you’re from, what you do for a living (if you’re not a full–time writer) what hobbies you have, etc. Whatever you’d like to share to introduce yourself.

I’m a retired speech pathologist who once worked in a hospital setting and then a rehabilitation clinic that I owned and managed. I retired happily to full time writing after that career. I lived in Colorado most of my life, but my husband and I moved to Washington state to be closer to family after he retired and closed his veterinary clinic. I used to love hiking Colorado’s high country, but now I’m happy to stroll through the beautiful forests of Washington at a lower altitude. And since we’ve settled on the Olympic peninsula, I also enjoy combing beaches and looking for sea glass.

1. What genre(s) do you write in and why?

I write police procedurals with heart, my definition of soft boiled police stories rather than hard boiled. My series, the Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries, features Mattie Walker (originally Mattie Cobb), her K-9 partner Robo, and veterinarian Cole Walker. Yep, Mattie and Cole are married, but they weren’t in the first book, Killing Trail. Both Mattie and Cole had to unpack a lot of baggage before they could marry, so I invite you to read the series for their love story and more details about their relationship and Mattie’s relationship with Cole’s daughters. With my latest book, Fighting Edge, there are now eleven Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries available.

2. What’s your favorite beverage?

Right now, I’m hooked on Diet Dr. Pepper to wake up my brain in the morning so that I can write. In the afternoon, I enjoy Waterloo and LaCroix sparkling waters. I also love licorice and peppermint herbal teas.

3. If you had to listen to one song over and over again for a whole day, what would it be?

I often listen to one song over and over during a whole day or even a week, because once a melody sticks in my head, it plays itself over and over ad nauseam. I know that these ear worms are a problem for many people. Lately I’ve been recycling Monsters by James Blunt, defined as a deeply emotional farewell to his terminally ill father. So…not only is this song haunting, knowing about its origin is depressing. But I’ve gotta say, it’s a beautiful song. I think I’ll sit back for a few minutes and enjoy it once again…(hums along to the music in head)

4. What is your least favorite part of writing?

I love both creating and drafting stories, so it’s the business of writing that is my least favorite part. I write in the mornings and keep up with correspondence, social media, drafting articles and interviews,, etc. in the afternoons. All together, it’s a full-time job. I much prefer mornings.

5. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

I’d live right here in the United States, because I think it’s the greatest country in the world. But which part? I’m lucky to have lived in mountainous states, and I think I would always pick a mountain view over any other.

6. Are you an avid reader? When you do read someone else’s writing, what is your favorite genre?

I love to read! I wish I had more time for it. I love all types of crime fiction, and I also love upmarket women’s fiction and historicals.

7. Where do you get the ideas for your stories?

I’m addicted to true crime documentaries. I watch them with a notepad and pen by my side. I don’t duplicate the actual crime to form my plots, but I use snippets of them to build subplots that support my main plot. I also get ideas from law enforcement topics presented at writing workshops. I got the idea for Fighting Edge from a retired FBI agent that I shared a glass of wine with one sunny afternoon sitting on a patio beside the Salish Sea.

8. Tell me about your ideal reader.

In terms of a reader who might like my series, it would be one who loves dogs, family stories, and a whodunit wrapped up into one with a little love story sprinkled on top.

9. If you were to choose one superpower, what would it be?

I’d love to be able to grant wishes. Wouldn’t it be fun to be a fairy godmother?

10. Tell us about your next book & when is it being published?

Fighting Edge releases on September 8. In it, Deputy Mattie Walker and her K-9 partner Robo investigate a murder and a series of criminal acts, leading them to battle organized crime that has infiltrated their peaceful mountain community. As always, Mattie’s husband, veterinarian Cole Walker, plays a role in the investigation as well. There are plenty of dogs, K-9 handling scenes, and outdoor action in this book. I invite readers to join Mattie, Robo, and Cole in their next adventure!

About Author Margaret Mizushima…

Margaret Mizushima writes the internationally published Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries. She served as a past president of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America and was elected Writer of the Year by Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. She is the recipient of a Colorado Authors League Award, a Benjamin Franklin Book Award, a CIBA CLUE Award, an IBPA Gold Award, and two Willa Literary Awards by Women Writing the West. Her books have been finalists for a SPUR Award by Western Writers of America, a Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award, and the Colorado Book Award. She and her husband recently moved from Colorado, where they raised two daughters and a multitude of animals, to a home in the Pacific Northwest.

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Links to Margaret’s websites, blogs, books, #ad, etc.:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4ig3mhi

Website: https://margaretmizushima.com/

Find her on Facebook/AuthorMargaretMizushima, X @margmizu, Instagram @margmizu

Books:
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2199734/margaret-mizushima/

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Special Giveaway: Margaret will gift a signed hardcover copy (U.S. only) of Fighting Edge to one lucky reader who comments on her Karen’s Killer Book Bench blog. Happy Reading!