Wendy Gee is the author of the new novel Fleet Landing. She spent 21 years in the U.S. Navy and later volunteered with the Charleston, S.C., fire department. She lives in Lewes, Delaware.
Q: What inspired you to write Fleet Landing, and how did you create your characters Coop and Sydney?
A: I have always been drawn to underdogs who face impossible odds, yet manage to persevere. My principal antagonist, Lamar, is one such character, and I wanted to play a part in telling his story. I understand writing is not “magical,” but his muse definitely guided me in unexpected directions.
Coop and Sydney are an amalgam of the professionals I met while doing research for this story. I wanted them to be supremely talented professionals, yet humble and imperfect human beings.
They are career-oriented, each climbing the ladder in their chosen fields. Both find their work-life balance nearly impossible—a relatable trope. Even so, neither one wants to let anyone in their orbit (including/especially crime victims) down.
Q: How would you describe the dynamic between them?
A: Personally, unrequited steaminess.
Professionally, Sydney bulldozes her way into the initial fire scene and Coop finds that characteristic amusing. However, he is a stickler for rules and tries to hold her at bay (with only limited success). When external influences force them to work together, their differences in mechanics and skill sets form a nearly perfect investigative team.
Q: The novel is set in Charleston, South Carolina--how important is setting to you in your writing?
A: I view setting as a major character in the story. Creating a sense of place, with its unique sensory details, takes the reader on a trip to that locale.
The city of Charleston serves as a perfect backdrop because its people, architecture, history, cuisine, and so forth are so dynamic and provide an endless source of story-launching points. I’d be remiss if I didn’t also give a nod to the surrounding communities.
I hope to highlight Charleston’s inherent goodness in my work. I use real places/locations when the opportunity permits. But I create an unreal place if something bad happens there, so as not to disparage any person, address, or event.
Q: How much did your own experiences as a volunteer with the Charleston Fire Department affect the writing of the novel?
A: I am naturally curious about things. When I discovered I had administrative skills that could assist the Charleston Fire Department’s Fire Marshal Division in a volunteer capacity, I jumped at the chance to be a part of their world.
I never thought of myself as a writer back then, but firefighters are immensely colorful and their stories fed my creativity. From that firsthand and unique exposure, I learned I had to truly fictionalize their accounts due to legal and privacy concerns.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: My current work, Smell Test, is about two people from opposite ends of the galaxy who hatch a plan to steal priceless art from several Charleston locations. They’d describe it as a crime of passion motivated by their love for old masters.
The thefts are nearly perfect, until a talented TV reporter (Sydney) and the police department’s Public Information Officer unravel the twisted plot.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: The second story in the Carolina Crossfire Mystery series, Side Hustle, is currently being edited for publication. Sydney takes the lead role is chasing a prolific cybercriminal.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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