Straight Chatting from the Library: Alan Brenham with Jason Scarsdale

Welcome to The Library, Alan Brenham, on your virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Readers, Alan will be giving away a $50 Amazon gift card to one lucky commenter in a tour-wide giveaway. Be sure and leave a comment or ask Alan, or his guest Jason, a question. Take it away, Alan, and introduce Jason to our readers.

In my novel, Price of Justice, I created a protagonist named Jason Scarsdale and gave him a job as a detective with the Austin Police Department. Today he has agreed to an interview about his role in Price of Justice.

Brenham: Good afternoon, Detective. From your accent, I’m assuming you were born and raised in Texas. Did I guess that correctly?

Scarsdale: Yes, I was born in Midland, Texas, and grew up in Ft. Worth.

Brenham: Do you enjoy working for the Austin Police Department?

Scarsdale: It has its moments.

Brenham: Meaning what exactly? That you want to work somewhere else?

Scarsdale: Not necessarily. You won’t beat the pay plus the APD people, the rank and file officers and sergeants . . . and some of the civilians, they are first-rate.

Brenham: And the higher ranking members are not?

Scarsdale: There are a few upper echelon supervisors who are class acts. I don’t want to go beyond that if you don’t mind.

Brenham: Sure. So if you did go somewhere else to work, where would it be?

Scarsdale: Texas Rangers would be great but, now, one has to be a trooper for a number of years before applying for Ranger. So the FBI would be my choice. They have investigative responsibility for a long list of crimes, plus some are posted overseas.

Brenham: How would you describe yourself in two or three words?

Scarsdale: Intelligent and a good father. Oh, sorry, that's five words.

Brenham: Ah yes, father. What was it like having a five-year old daughter to raise on your own?

Scarsdale: After I got to know her better . . . I wasted those first five years of her life being anything but a good father . . . she’s a handful. So much fun to be around. She has more questions about things than any two detectives combined . . . and she's a very considerate young lady.

Brenham: Speaking of ladies, did you enjoy working with Dani Mueller?

Scarsdale: Dani is a very special lady. She definitely had her own agenda and yes, I really enjoyed working with and getting to know her. I just wish things had ended differently in Price of Justice. Flying to Germany gets expensive. But, you’re the one calling the shots.

Brenham: Would it make you feel better if I told you a sequel to Price of Justice is in the works?

Scarsdale: Yes, it would. I’d like to make one request . . . for Shannon's sake. She needs a mother-figure. Her overwhelming preference is Dani. Do you think you could see your way to doing that?

Brenham: I won’t promise but in the same breath, I won’t say no either. Getting back to the interview, did you know a few readers posted reviews saying they really liked you in Price of Justice?

Scarsdale: Really? Then the dye is cast . . . you have to publish a sequel soon.

Brenham: I’m working on it but I have another novel to finish first.

Scarsdale: Making someone else's life difficult? Who’s the unlucky person?

Brenham: Detective Matt Brady. He’s with a smaller department . . . Temple, Texas. I believe you’re familiar with that department.

Scarsdale: Yes, I am and I know you don’t want me to go into any details so . . . what’s the title?

Brenham: The title is Cornered.

Scarsdale: What’s the story line for Brady?

Brenham: Missing persons. Now, back to Price of Justice, do you want to work sex crimes again?

Scarsdale: Hell no. I like working homicides.

Brenham: Would you like to be teamed up with Dani again?

Scarsdale: Does a cat have a tail? But the bottom line is you’ll do whatever you want and Dani, Shannon and I won’t have a choice.

Brenham: What’s one thing you’d like to have happen to you in the next novel?

Scarsdale: Catch the bad guys quickly and spend the rest of the time with Shannon at Disney World . . . with Dani too, if that’s in the cards or should I say manuscript.

Brenham: Readers are curious. What is your favorite book?

Scarsdale: My favorite book? Hmm. I think it’d be a tie between the Texas Penal Code and Michael Connelly’s novel A Darkness More Than Night.

Brenham: Okay, our time is up. I want to thank you for stopping by. Is there anything you’d like to say to the readers?

Scarsdale: Yes, I paid a high price in your novel and I’m glad it’s finished. Hope to see ya'll again when the sequel comes out.


READ THE BLURB

His focus is on solving the murders—until the unthinkable happens…

Recently widowed, Austin Police Detective Jason Scarsdale works to solve the murders of two pedophiles, while trying to be both mother and father to his five-year-old daughter. During his investigation, Scarsdale is forced to navigate between the crosshairs of two police commanders out to get him. Drawn to Austin Police Crime Analyst, Dani Mueller, who has also suffered tragedy, Scarsdale fights both his attraction and his suspicions that something just isn’t right…

She is hiding a secret, one that could not only cost her a job—it could end her life…

Dani hides a deadly past. After her daughter was brutally murdered, Dani exacted her revenge then changed her name and fled to Austin. But if her secret ever gets out, she knows there is no place she can hide from the murderer’s vicious family.

Pulled into a web of malice and deceit, Scarsdale and Dani discover the value of breaking the rules. Then just when they thought things couldn’t get worse…they do.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Alan Brenham is the pseudonym of Alan Behr, an American author and attorney. He served as a law enforcement officer before earning a law degree. He worked first as a prosecutor then defense attorney for the next twenty-six years. His travels took him to several European and Middle Eastern countries, Alaska and almost every island in the Caribbean. While contracted to US military forces, he resided in Berlin, Germany for a few years. Alan and his wife, Lillian, currently live in the Austin, Texas area. He has authored two crime fiction books, Price of Justice and Cornered, and is working on a third titled Rampage.

Website ~ Black Opal Books

Buy the book at Amazon.