Shannon Baker hits environmental issues in new Nora Abbott mystery

Shannon Baker is the author of the Nora Abbott mystery series. For this interview,  Baker, who was chosen by the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers as their 2014 Writer of the Year, discussed the latest book in the series and how a friend’s work with the Grand Canyon Trust inspired her.

“All the books in the Nora Abbott series involve some kind of environmental issue,” said Baker. “I don’t define myself as an environmentalist—I spent 20 years on a cattle ranch in Nebraska, so there’s that. But, I do spend a lot of time outdoors and I lived in Boulder, CO off and on, where environmental sensitivity drifts off the Flatirons like pine pollen.”

At one time, Baker worked at the Grand Canyon Trust, which is an environmental trust. Shortly after completing her second Nora Abbott mystery, Baker was traveling from Flagstaff to Boulder to start a new job when she decided to make a stop in Moab, UT to have lunch with a friend and coworker from The Grand Canyon Trust. At lunch, Baker discovered that her friend, Laura Kamala, was producing a film to persuade Congress to expand the boundaries of Canyonlands National Park.

“She was passionate about the film and her mission and couldn’t stop talking,” said Baker. “Midway through the conversation I stopped her and asked, ‘Who would want this project stopped badly enough to kill you?’ A mystery fan, she barely hesitated and then we were off and running. The book didn’t turn out anything like what we’d tossed around that day, but the seed was planted!”

“‘Tattered Legacy’ explores the controversy about expanding the boundaries of Canyonlands National Park,” Baker said. “Greenies believe ranching, mining and recreational abuse are destroying the delicate cultural sites and landscapes just outside the park’s borders. Locals believe the current size of the park already restricts their rights. The really great part about writing fiction is that I don’t have to come down on one side or the other. I get to jump into the heads of all the stakeholders.”

As if the issue of environmental legislation weren’t enough, Baker also realized the location provided her with another issue. She said, “Because the book is set in southern Utah, Moab, specifically, I do rub up against polygamists. How could I not?”

“Tattered Legacy” mixes Hopi spirituality, environmental conflict, polygamy, aliens, and murder and is set in the iconic red rocks of southern Utah. Baker said, “When I started writing the book, it was all based on the weird conspiracy theories surrounding Denver International Airport. I was totally sucked in by a mural that seemed to depict bio warfare and all the references to One World Order and it hinted at space aliens and all things creepy and strange.”

[contestad code=”Legacy1″ startdate=”2015-03-17″ enddate=”2015-03-22″]By the time she’d finished writing, Baker realized that the airport issues weren’t really part of the story. “They just muddied the story I wanted to tell, so I pulled it out.” She added, “If you’re interested in the DIA stuff, you can start here http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Denver_Airport_conspiracy_theory.”

Baker said that she’s excited to have a new book coming out and having a great time working on a new series “that makes me positively giddy with anticipation,” she’s really excited by something much more down-to-earth—a new puppy. “We’ve been a sad, dogless couple for several years since our last Boxer went to the happy hunting ground. We’ve been so nomadic it seemed smarter to keep housing options simplified by not having a dog. But, we’re setting down roots in Tucson soon, so we put in dibs for a Weimaraner puppy. Can Not Wait!”

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Shannon Baker is the author of the Nora Abbott mystery series from Midnight Ink.  Visit Shannon at www.Shannon-Baker.com