Rebecca Dahlke is an avid promoter of independent authors and the author of two different series herself. For this interview, Dahlke discussed her Romantic Sailing trilogy, how that series relates to her days of living aboard a sailboat in Mexico, and her efforts to help promote other mystery writers.
Dahlke said, “So many people think they can run away to sea and leave behind their problems, only to find, sandy beaches and warm weather aside, those same problems are still with them.”
“The sailing trilogy was the result of several years living and sailing aboard our cutter rigged Hylas 47 sailboat,” said Dahlke. “The books are about the people in Mexico and those who come looking to escape bad weather, an ex-spouse, or maybe a warrant for their arrest.”
During her time of living aboard the boat, Dahlke saw firsthand how life can change for someone almost immediately. She said, “Mexico’s first port of call after San Diego is Ensenada, and this is where I became acquainted with both the sailors in transit and the permanent live-aboards in the marina. One day, I remarked to another sailor about the long, sleek yacht at an end-tie, and got an earful. My gossiping friend soon enlightened me about the owner, a magician whose slight-of-hand had gotten him into trouble with the IRS.”
The gossiping sailor told Dahlke, “Any day now, the Feds will come down, seize his yacht and yank him back to the states.” Dahlke said the big event took place just a few days later. “I was on the docks when the Mexican Federales marched him, hand-cuffed, out of the marina and into one of their big black SUVs.”
The second Romantic Mystery Sailing Trilogy, “Hurricane Hole,” includes a scene in which a dangerous storm could destroy any boats that might be unprepared for the storm or in the wrong location. This scene was inspired by another experience she and her husband had while in Mexico. “We were trying to enter the narrow causeway leading into the Matzatlan marina after a Pacific storm. We counted incoming rollers, and thinking we had a few minutes of flat seas to enter the causeway, my husband throttled the engine and aimed for the entrance. A roller caught up with us, lifting our 32 ton sailboat and hurtling us for the entrance at warp speed. I hyperventilated, the Mexican boys in a skiff screamed in terror, and my husband whistled a tune (he does that when he’s nervous) as we surfed into the causeway, and dropped into calm water. Margaritas all around for that one!”
In 2000, the Mexican news carried stories about two entire families being massacred as part of the reigning Sonoran cartel’s design to stamp out another cartel’s genetic lineage. Dahlke said, “Though this sounds shockingly barbaric, I soon learned that this was not unique in Mexico, and upon further inquiry, I learned a lot more about the Mexican cartels—which soon became part of my books, ‘A Dangerous Harbor’ and ‘Hurricane Hole.’ What was back page news in the U.S. then, is today front page news in the states.”
Because Dahlke was in marketing during most of her working career, she felt promoting mystery writers was a natural transition. In 2011, she started “All Mystery Newsletter.” Dahlke claims the reason she started the newsletter was that she got tired of seeing her mystery submittals stuck between vampires and memoir. Her motto is, “No vampires allowed unless they solve crime in their spare time!” The reality is that Dahlke provides a valuable service to mystery readers and writers who want to connect with others interested in their favorite genre.
“I think most authors either aren’t aware of, or have forgotten, how difficult it was in the ‘Old’ days when they had to shlep their books around to book stores to get shelf-space,” said Dahlke. “There were no advertising venues unless you were a NY Times bestselling author. To address this, and because I’m frequently asked about promoting, I’ve published a small 99cent Kindle How-to called, Jump Start Your Book Promotions.”
For more information
Learn more about Rebecca Dahlke on her author website at rpdahlke.com. If you are an author or reader of mysteries, you may also be interested in her All Mystery Newsletter at allmysterynewsletter.com.
