Five by Five—Author’s work in firefighting inspires mystery debut

Wendy Gee

By Max Bowen

As an admin volunteer at the Charleston Fire Department, Wendy Gee had a front row seat to the hustle and the intrigue common in firefighters’ line of work and has turned her stories from the station into her debut novel, the first in the Carolina Crossfire series.

In “Fleet Landing” (June 10, 2025), ATF Special Agent Cooper “Coop” Bellamy is forced to work with tenacious TV reporter Sydney Quinn as fires ravage the city. Quinn, whose pursuit of justice puts her on a collision course with a sinister figure known only as the Falcon, uncovers a decades-old conspiracy.

In this interview, Gee talks about how her work in firefighting inspired the story, and the blend of reality and fiction that comprises it. She talks about being a debut author and gives us a peek at her future books.


What inspired you to turn what you saw at your volunteer job into a book?
Simply put, the people. Professional firefighters with all of their specialties: fighting fires, driving the big rigs, investigating fires, safety and planning, educating the public, smoke alarm installation, EMTs, responding to traffic accidents, and so forth. Their job is exciting, dangerous, and an unequivocal public service. I wanted to honor them.

How much does the book reflect your work and how much is fiction?
“Fleet Landing” is largely based on several real-world events which provide a foundation for the fictionalized amalgam. Sort of a “What If” storyline that has enough realism to meet the reader’s expectations. Yet a tangle of truths to protect privacy and legal considerations.

What went into creating the mystery in this story?
I wanted to write from the heads and hearts of my three co-protagonists, and my personal/education/work background was void of any of that knowledge (firefighting, TV journalism, and police operations and investigations). I love researching and had a blast learning from many professionals who were willing to teach me in those key areas. I continue to workshop with the pros so my work remains relevant.

This is your debut novel. How does it feel to have this book out there?
Over the moon! (Yes, an exclamation point, to my editor’s chagrin). I’m bursting with gratitude and excitement.

Will there be another book?
Yes (please). The pandemic put a big hurt on my (then) publisher. They couldn’t move forward with my debut, but recommend my current publisher. In that interim, I crafted four more manuscripts which are in various stages of editing for future publication in the Carolina Crossfire mystery series. Book 2 (Side Hustle) features Sydney on a hunt for a prolific cybercriminal. Book 3 (The Pineapple) features Dino with a look back at his first felony arrest and how that influenced his law enforcement career. Books 4 and 5 (Smell Test and Yard Dog) are nearing final drafts. 

Five by Five: Debut author kicks off four-book fantasy series

By Max Bowen

Take a walk through the Wythic Woods with Tilly, Jess, and Zach as they journey to find Tilly’s missing cousin, Michael, who disappeared in the woods a year ago. In Vanishings: The Wythic Wood Mystery Series (Sparkpress, May 20), debut author Catharina Steel encourages young readers to step off their phones and step out into the world.

In this interview, Catharina talks about the creation of this new series and what we can expect in future books, as well as how her own life helped inform the story. We also learn about her main characters and the process of bringing them to life.


This book is the beginning of a new series. What can we expect in subsequent books?
There are four books in The Wythic Wood Mysteries Series as follows:

Book Two Working Title: Weredog Curse. Tilly wants to reverse the curse the Witch of Wythic Wood has placed on the weredogs in her territory, so they search for the cure.

Book Three Working Title: Ancient Magic. They search for the elves Clayton eventually tells them about, and the truth about the Witch’s goal is revealed.

Book Four Working Title: Elven Battle. Tilly and friends team up with a group of good elves to battle the Wythic Wood elves at the fortress within this forest.

I read that your own battles with anxiety are incorporated in this book. How so?
Like myself, Jess was being bullied at school, but I allowed her personality to show me how she would be impacted by this. I love being outside because I enjoy exploring, but it felt truer to Jess’s personality that she initially struggles with anxiety in the outdoors.

I draw from my experience with anxiety symptoms, and how spending time outdoors allowed my body and mind to relax. You can see the impact on Jess, while at Opa’s property, with how she becomes enthusiastic about her surroundings as the anxiousness dissipates—at least until they head into Wythic Wood.

How did you develop your main characters?
I allowed Tilly, Jess, and Zach to develop as I wrote the story. Early on, I decided to create a profile of each of them, which I added to during the initial stages of writing and editing. This gave me a snapshot that I could refer to if I felt unsure about their reaction as I edited the story and enabled me to draw out their personalities more each time.

The more time I spent on the story the better I knew them. My experience with this is similar to meeting someone and getting to know them better.

What is the Wythic Wood?
The Wythic Wood is a forest situated on the south side of Opa’s property. It’s a wild place which used to be inhabited by many ancient mythical creatures—before the evil witch made it her home. An elf of old named it by mixing the two words wild and mythical together to create the name Wythic for this ancient homeland of their people.

In this forest lives the witch, weredogs, black bears, ravens, green snakes and a group of elves ruled by Timitus. There are abandoned fairy tree cities, smokestacks, underground tunnels, a spelled cave and the witch’s castle.

How did you create the “Gobight” martial art?
I needed a character skilled in martial arts to train the children, so Mort, a good goblin, became their teacher. But how could children go up against goblins who have greater reach with their long arms and weapons at the ready with their sharp fingernails and toenails? These attributes made it necessary to modify fight stances, strikes, and blocks.

It made sense to come up with a name to describe this new style of martial arts. I replaced the “f” in fight with “gob” from goblin to get the name gobight—a goblin style of martial arts.

He’s back! Jon Merz returns to talk vampire books and the changing industry

It seems like he was just here, but nevertheless, we welcome back Jon Merz, this time to talk about his lengthy writing career. Standing above his many, many titles has to be the Lawson Vampire Series, now being developed into a television pilot. This series began with the first book, “The Fixer” in 2002. Now, 35 books later, it’s still going strong.

Jon and I dive into the story behind the story, how it all kicked off and why it was originally intended to be just one book. Things changed, however, and we look at the expansion of the series and the different adventures the main character has been on.

Speaking of which, meet Lawson: vampire by birth, Fixer by trade. His mission: preserve the secret existence of living vampires by any means necessary. Jon and I take a walk through the vampire world, Lawson’s role in it and how he’s changed over 20 years.

It's no secret that writing today is a very different industry. An author can’t expect to make it with just print or even e-books, and Jon shares some of his insight and what led him to pursue different avenues to make his writing career pay off.

Explore new lands in D.A. Mucci's fantasy sequel

Emergency room physician-turned-writer D.A. Mucci is back with a second book in his fantasy series, “Ignatius and The Battle at Dinas Affaraon.” Have a look at what lies in store:

Fifteen-year-old Iggy is prepared to face his first days of high school . . . but is he ready to face mythical creatures, black magic wizards, and sword fights where people get killed? Iggy’s never thought of himself as a fighter. But as he learns more about the strange place he’s landed, one thing becomes abundantly clear, in the World of Skye they need a hero. And Iggy just might be the one they’re looking for, even if he’s not so sure. In this thrilling continuation, readers will discover new characters, dive deeper into the world and hold on tight as twists and turns abound. This looming battle is epic and could change Iggy’s life.

D.A and I talk about what took him from the emergency room to the bookstore and the various fantasy writers that his children introduced him to. We talk about the challenges he faced as a writer and developing the vast world of his books, which include people, creatures, and even languages. Yes, that's right—he created several languages just for his fantasy series.

D.A.'s books have seen tremendous success, including an interview on Good Morning America and companies approaching him about an animated adaptation of the story. We also look at the epic cover art and the mind behind the greatness.