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.

In FIELDS' GUIDE TO ABDUCTION—the first novel of Julie Mulhern’s POPPY FIELDS funny mystery series—Hollywood influencer Poppy Fields’s trip to Mexico, is much less relaxing than sunbathing by breathtaking infinity pools or attending glittering parties on patios overlooking the Pacific. Instead, she’s got to placate a drug cartel boss whose infatuated with Poppy’s movie star mother. With death lurking around every corner, Poppy will need more than her smarts, acting skills, and a lot of luck to make it back to Rodeo Drive.

Julie and I talk about how the character of Poppy came to her, the added layer that fame puts on the already complex dynamic of mother-daughter relationships, and how Julie’s world travels have been incorporated into Poppy’s life—all great stuff for a heroine whose whirlwind life is already 8 novels and counting.

Julie Mulhern's FIELDS' GUIDE TO ABDUCTION 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.

In ONE HIT WONDER, the first novel in Kristi Roses’s Samantha True funny mystery series—her heroine, rookie forensic photographer—discovers that her small Washington town of Wind River has a sinister underbelly when it is hit with not just one murder, but two. And what does a Sasquatch sighting have to do with it? Well, you’ll have to read it to find out.

Kristi and I talk about the fun she has surrounding Samantha with a marvelous cast of quirky characters; how Samantha’s dyslexia forces her think outside the box; and how Kristi plots her books so that, even six books later, the twists and turns keep on coming.

JB Lynn’s mystery, THE HITWOMAN AND THE FAMILY JEWELS, is free now at your favorite digital bookstore.

FOR A CHANCE TO ENTER JOSIE'S 5 DAYS - 5 AUTHORS - 5 BOOKS CONTEST FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A $50 BOOKSTORE GIFT CARD, HERE'S THE LINK:

This is a copyrighted episode of Author Provocateur.

No AI was used in the creation of this episode.

When Maggie Lee — the heroine of JB Lynn’s novel— THE HITWOMAN AND THE FAMILY JEWELS — is asked by her mob boss employer to kill a cop, she wants to say no—especially when she finds out the cop in question is someone she once dated—

Until that former date—Patrick Mulligan, whom she still cares about—tries to kill her too.

JB and I talk about her wild-and-crazy cast of characters—mobsters and off-the-wall-family to boot, including a prison escapee father; JB also explains how Maggie’s menagerie —a talking lizard, a grumpy cat, and a primadonna Doberman—make a fitting conscience for this accidental hitwoman. We also discuss the joys and challenges of writing a long-running mystery series with a beloved lead character.

JB Lynn’s mystery, THE HITWOMAN AND THE FAMILY JEWELS, is free now at your favorite digital bookstore.

FOR A CHANCE TO ENTER JOSIE'S 5 DAYS - 5 AUTHORS - 5 BOOKS CONTEST FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A $50 BOOKSTORE GIFT CARD, HERE'S THE LINK:

This is a copyrighted episode of Author Provocateur.

No AI was used in the creation of this episode.

In the first novel in Camilla Chafer’s sixteen-book Lexi Graves series, a boring temp job immediately becomes exciting—and deadly—when Lexi finds one of the company’s bosses face down in a pool of blood. When it’s discovered that millions of dollars missing from the company’s coffers, Lexi is also the chief suspect. Throw in the fact that her sexy new boss is not all he seems to be, and you see why Lexi may be in over her head.

Camilla and I discuss Lexi’s trajectory from aimless gig worker to sexy intelligence operative with the international organization tracking the money —and the killers who leave numerous bodies in their wake. Camilla also tells me how, sixteen novels later, she keeps her globe-trotting private investigator constantly in danger—and how much fun it’s been upping the romance quotient with the spy guys who love her—while keeping readers on edge to see who wins out.

Camilla Chafer’s ARMED AND FABULOUS is free now at your favorite digital bookstore.

FOR A CHANCE TO ENTER JOSIE'S 5 DAYS - 5 AUTHORS - 5 BOOKS CONTEST FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A $50 BOOKSTORE GIFT CARD, HERE'S THE LINK.

This is a copyrighted episode of Author Provocateur.

No AI was used in the creation of this episode.

IT COULD BE WORSE, Dara Levan’s heartbreaking debut novel, is a tour de force chronicling a woman’s journey through the anxieties, trials, and tribulations with pregnancy, childbirth, and early motherhood—all the while addressing one parent’s toxic narcissism and the other’s enabling of it.

Despite the dark circumstances that propel her protagonist Allegra’s anxieties and fear, Levan provides the necessary crises that provoke several insightful reckonings and allows her to open up to her husband and friends.

But it is Allegra’s own unique parenting skills that provide needed proof that clarity comes at all ages and stages of life. The climax makes for a fabulous ending.

In my discussion with Dara, we discuss what drove her to write it, how she was able to draw such strong pathos out of certain scenes that certainly had me biting my nails, and how she was able to use the actions of parents who, wittingly or not, could harm their children. Truly a must-read.

Dara Levan’s IT COULD BE WORSE IS IN BOOKSTORES NOW.

Check out Josie's website at https://josiebrown.com

This has been a copyrighted episode of Author Provocateur with Josie Brown.

AI was not used in the creation of this podcast.