Novelist Josie Brown interviews best-selling author James Rollins on his thriller, CRUCIBLE.

Something old—in this case, an ancient witch hunter's tome—and something new: artificial intelligence, which goes by the less frightening initials AI.

When combined, they are a hair-raising combination in James Rollins' thriller, CRUCIBLE.

Rollins success as a thriller author comes from his research. His deep dives into subjects from our past always comes from not just asking, "What if?..." But "What if it's catastrophic to the world—or worse yet, world order?"

Since writing CRUCIBLE, AI's conquests is everywhere: not just the sciences but the arts too. Rollins saw it coming, making this 2018 interview prescient on too many levels.

For more information on Josie, her books, and her interviews, visit her website: JosieBrown.com

In New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni’s latest thriller, A COLD TRAIL, Seattle homicide detective Tracy Crosswhite returns home to Cedar Grove, where a brutal murder and her haunted past come to a crossroads.

There her husband, lawyer Dan O’Leary, is drawn into representing a local merchant whose business is jeopardized by the town’s revitalization. At the same time, Tracy is urged by the local Police Department to put her own skills to work on a new case: the brutal murder of the new police chief’s wife who was also local reporter investigating a cold-case slaying of a young woman.

As Tracy’s and Dan’s cases crisscross, Tracy may have put everyone she loves at risk.

Josie and Robert talk about the genesis for the book's plot, a family recipe for great spaghetti sauce (hint: a family recipe) and the REAL Tracy Crosswhite.

In the first novel of Stella Bixby’s RILEY COOPER series, CATFISHED, Bixby’s protagonist is at her lowest point: living in her parent’s basement with no prospects for employment — until she becomes a park ranger. And that’s when the fun — and the murders — begin

Stella and I discuss how her former careers as a park ranger and firefighter molded her plots, Riley’s her love-hate relationship with the cop on the beat, Luke Hannah, and the changes in Riley’s future, now that the 16th novel of the series will soon be released. There’s still a lot ahead for this former prom queen, and you’ll want to hear all about it.

Stella Bixby's CATFISHED is free now at your favorite digital bookstore. Josie is running a contest this week for a $50 gift card to the bookstore of your choice. No purchase necessary. To enter, just correctly answer the question posted here about this podcast.

This is a copyrighted episode of Author Provocateur.

No AI was used in the creation of this episode.