Lynn Blackburn Interview

Today, I am pleased to welcome author Lynn H. Blackburn to Interviews & Reviews! Lynn is the author of Beneath the Surface, Hidden Legacy, and Covert Justice, winner of the 2016 Selah Award for Mystery and Suspense and the 2016 Carol Award for Short Novel. Lynn believes in the power of stories, especially those that remind us that true love exists, a gift from the Truest Love. She’s passionate about CrossFit, coffee, and chocolate (don’t make her choose), as well as experimenting with recipes that feed both body and soul. She lives in Simpsonville, South Carolina, with her true love, Brian, and their three children. Today, she is here to talk about her latest book In Too Deep and one lucky reader is going to win a copy!

​Lynn, welcome to Interviews & Reviews!

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Lynn, what was your inspiration for In Too Deep?

When I first developed this story, I knew I wanted it to have a human trafficking angle and I wanted Adam’s family to be mixed up in it. But it was a very vague idea and I didn’t know how it would come together. Then I heard about the labor trafficking happening in my own city and how the Carolinas have a high number of people living in slavery right in front of us and we don’t realize it. I can still remember the moment I knew this was the kind of trafficking the characters would be dealing with. It shook me in a way no other story I’ve written has.

What type of research was required for writing your book?

I interviewed a white-collar crimes investigator and a computer forensics expert, both of whom gave me valuable insights into Adam’s and Sabrina’s characters. We talked about what they love about their jobs, what’s challenging about their jobs, and what a day-in-the-life looks like for them. I’m also fortunate to have a homicide investigator who graciously answers my procedural questions and a master underwater criminal investigator who helps me get the diving scenes right. I also spent a lot of time researching human trafficking—specifically labor trafficking in the Carolinas. It was the most difficult research I’ve ever done.

What intrigued you most when writing about dive team investigations?

The thing that is both the most intriguing and the most terrifying to me is how often the divers have little to no visibility. They are floating just above the bottom of a lake and searching with their hands. It takes a very special person to have the courage to do something like that.

Do you have a favorite character in your book?

The hero and heroine always get my love and devotion, of course. But after that, I’m very partial to the EMTs who, unfortunately for the main characters, get a lot of action in this novel! I think Clark and Dorothy might each have an interesting story. And Adam’s parents, Art and Abby, were a lot of fun to get to know.

What do you hope readers gain from reading In Too Deep?

I always want my writing to encourage people in their faith—to help them remember that God is faithful and good. But with In Too Deep, I also hope readers come away with a new understanding of the very real issue of human trafficking in our country and  seek out ways they can help in their own communities.

What’s next on your writing to-do list?

I’m writing the third book in the Dive Team Investigations series. Readers have been clamoring for Investigator Gabe Chavez to get his own story, and I can tell you that he has a good one!

How can readers connect with you?

My website, www.LynnHBlackburn.com, is the best place to reach me. From there, readers can sign up for my newsletter and follow me on Facebook, Twitter @LynnHBlackburn, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Thank you, Lynn! And now dear readers, if you would love to find out what happens in In Too Deep, enter our contest to win a copy of your very own! THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED.

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And the Winner is: Sarita Van Niekerk. Sarita, expect an email from me soon!

When the Carrington dive team is called in to recover a body from a submerged car in Lake Porter, they also find an encrypted laptop with an unsettling connection between investigator Adam Campbell and the dead accountant.

Adam turns to the only person he can trust, Dr. Sabrina Fleming, whose  unparalleled computer security and forensics skills can help him recover the files from the laptop. But the deeper they dig, the deadlier the investigation becomes. When evidence uncovers a human trafficking ring and implicates members of Adam’s own family, he and Sabrina may have to make a choice between loyalty and truth. The truth could set hundreds free—but will they risk everything to solve the case?

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