Behind the story of Reckoning and Ruin with Tina Whittle

Tina Whittle is a mystery writer living and working in the Georgia Lowcountry. A two-time nominee for Georgia Author of the Year, she writes the Tai Randolph/Trey Seaver mystery series. The latest in the series is “Reckoning and Ruin,” which was recently released by Poisoned Pen Press. Whittle is an avid golfer and also a tarot card reader, which may, in some ways, explain her interest in how we perceive ourselves.

Whittle said, “I’ve always been fascinated with identity, the mechanisms we use to create a sense of self, and how much of that process is accidental and/or subconscious. We think who we are is a steady thing, but the self is actually very changeable, very fluid. In fact, cognitive scientists argue that it isn’t even a real thing, that it’s an illusion. A useful illusion, one that has its purposes, but an illusion nonetheless.”

One of the ways Tina Whittle explores her fascination with identity is through her ex-SWAT character, Trey Seaver. He sustained a Traumatic Brain Injury in a car accident and is dealing with the cognitive challenges of that damage. “The more I read about neuroscience and cognitive psychology, the more I understand the nuts and bolts of his behavior. But his identity—the ghost in the machine, if you will—is forever one step ahead of complete understanding.”

Tina Whittle said Tai Randolph is also dealing with identity issues. “She’s just turned thirty, trying to make a living without compromising her ideals—which have become a little rusty, quite frankly. She’s involved in a serious grown-up relationship for the first time in her life.”

I have a whole lot of respect for anyone who carries a weapon in the line of duty.

Unlike her protagonist Tai, who is brash, bold, and energetic, Whittle said she’s quiet. There are other differences, too. “She’s quick, sometimes to the point of recklessness; I am slow and methodical. She’s also brave, and tough, and street-smart, willing to wade into situations where most people would hesitate. I’d never be able to keep up with her. Tai and I are both daughters of the South. We both love stories, especially folklore and ghost tales and historical narratives, and we both are suspicious of any endeavor that requires new clothes.”

Quite frankly, Whittle has a few strange stories of her own to tell. She said, “Whenever I write something for my fictional Atlanta or Savannah, the real world often suffers the same. In “Deeper Than the Grave,” I decided to inflict a blizzard on my protagonists. As I was writing the closing scene, the infamous polar vortex of 2014 swirled in, paralyzing Atlanta’s interstates with black ice. I watched the ninth largest metropolitan area in the country turn into a ghost town.”

The same sort of thing happened when Whittle wrote “Reckoning and Ruin.” She had Mary Lee, a famous great white shark, appear in the book. “Sure enough,” Whittle said, “Mary Lee showed up off the coast of Georgia within two days of her fictional counterpart’s appearance.”

Double Trouble Entry Code: #Savannah

Tina Whittle has learned things about herself by writing this series. “Trey is an ex-SWAT former sniper, something I knew nothing about. I completely threw the whole ‘write what you know’ rule out the window. So I did tons of research, including attending Writer’s Police Academy. And now I have a whole lot of respect for anyone who carries a weapon in the line of duty.”

During one of her research/training sessions, Whittle participated in simulated firearms training. She was equipped with a Bluetooth-rigged simulated firearm. “I took on a bunch of video villains. During my last encounter—an active shooter in a crowded airport—I did manage to take down the assailant. Eventually. In the process, I also took down a businessman, a TSA agent, and a honeymoon couple. Needless to say, I won’t be signing up for the [real] police academy any time soon.”

Learn more about Tina Whittle or “Reckoning and Ruin” on her website at tinawhittle.com.