I grew up in Juneau, Alaska, but moved away from there as a young adult. I’ve always believed Alaska’s grand and precipitous landscape, along with its mystery and geographic isolation, would make a perfect setting for a thriller, the genre of novel I most like to read. The idea of centering it around a political issue—in this case, the controversy that surrounds domestic energy policy—grew out of my career as a lobbyist and corporate communicator. I know firsthand the complications associated with developing sound public policy—the political maneuvering, the pressure to find compromise and, in my vivid imagination, what could happen if one of the key players went to murderous lengths to get what he wanted. Beyond that, I want readers to get a glimpse of life in southeast Alaska. I hope that the budding romance between FBI Special Agent Regan Manning and Forest Ranger Jack Landis will captivate readers as the couple struggles to balance their relationship with their flourishing—and polar opposite—careers.