by: Maggie Thom
Series: Prairie Crime Thriller
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Release Date: April 8, 2025
Publisher: Quadessence Press
Danni loves running but not when it’s for her life.
Her friend is in trouble. Her mom quit the family business. Her father needs money. Again.
And someone is trying to kill Danni. Two attempts have been made on her life. Her father has a life insurance plan in her name. She has been asked to help figure out who might be defrauding JD Insurance, her mom’s company. All fingers point at it being an inside job, but Danni doesn’t know who to trust.
Cade’s mom has him on a mission to find out where his cousin, Amanda, got her money and to make sure she is okay. Cade was close with his cousin at one time and knew all her secrets but when she disappears, he realizes her past might have caught up with her.
Danni stumbles upon what might be an answer to where Amanda got her money - blackmail? insurance fraud? Either one would explain why angry men show up at her door. But Amanda isn’t home. She has disappeared. All sorts of scenarios as to why come to mind but its when someone asks for a ransom for her that Danni starts to understand what her friend is truly into. And who might just be behind it all.
Spinning in circles, Danni asks Cade for his help. He’s more than willing but when she asks him to be her watch out so she can break into her mom’s business, she realizes she might have gone too far. But the answers are there. They have to be. Or why else would someone be trying to kill her?
In this gripping Prairie Crime Thriller, set in the fictional small city of Connemara in rural Alberta, prepare to dive into a psychological rollercoaster of heart-pounding twists and turns. Lose yourself in this engaging tale that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Enjoy the third book in The Prairie Crime Thriller Series.
I’ve been doing well. Keeping busy with writing, that’s for sure. Thank you for having me on your blog today.
You’re welcome. Thank you for being here and answering some questions for me. Your latest book Collision Course, is the third book in your Prairie Crime Thriller series. Can you tell me about the series itself?
This series has been fun and interesting to write. These stories are all set on the Prairies in a place called Connemara, Alberta. This is a real setting that I fictionalized. When I was growing up there was a train track, an elevator, a lake, and two houses that distinguished the area. Sadly, today, there is none of that left. All of the landmarks are gone but it did make for a great place to create a city of about 25,000 people. A small prairie city where your neighbor isn’t always who you imagined.
You can learn more here.
How are the books connected? And, is it possible to read Collision Course, without having read Poisoned Promises and Toxic Attention?
Each book is actually a standalone but they are all connected by the setting of Connemara, Alberta, and sometimes the characters. There is crossover from book to book of settings like: The Hitch’n Post, Barney’s Pub, etc. And with the characters. Lee, who was very much a big part of Poisoned Promises, has a distinct part in Collision Course.
What can readers expect from Collision Course?
As I like to do in all of my stories and books, there are twists you won’t see coming. Danni feels pulled in many directions from helping her mom, her dad, and her friend. They all seem to need her help. When all of their issues collide that’s when Danni realizes she’s been pulled into a web of secrets, lies, and deceit. But who’s behind it all?
That statement is giving me vibes of the first book I read from you. Tell me about Danni, Cade, and Amanda.
Danni is the one that everyone seems to rely on. Her mom wants her help with figuring out who is defrauding her business. Her father wants money… again. And her friend, Amanda, has gotten herself into a bad situation. Everyone wants Danni to fix their problems. She hates that but when her mom’s business does seem to have some shady dealings and her friend disappears, she knows she has to step up. Finding out the truth is never easy but she will do what she can to protect her family and her friend and hopefully keep them all out of jail. Or worse… being killed.
Cade is Amanda’s cousin. At one time, they were really good friends. For a few years as teenagers, Amanda came to live with them. Lately, things have changed for her and she has been pulling away and making bad decisions. He has tried to help her, but she hasn’t wanted his help. When she disappears, he teams up with Danni to unravel what is really going on. Breaking the law seems to be the least of their worries.
Amanda is a bit of a train wreck. She parties too much. Since she came into money recently, she is spending it like there is an endless supply but she soon learns it comes with strings attached. Ones that could hurt many people. Her life is a mess and as much as she wants to reach out for help, she doesn’t know how. Somebody, though, takes that decision out of her hands. Is she going to be able to avoid jail time?
When you sat down to write this story, did you already know how it would end, or was the ending organic?
When I started this story, all I knew was that it would have a good ending. There would be a few charged chapters but what would actually happen, I had no clue. As I was writing, ideas for the ending came to me and organically built the more I wrote. By the end of Collision Course everything is revealed, and all loose ends are tied up.
To date, you have published 17 books, over 12 years. How has your writing changed over the years?
First off, I still love it. I love the whole process of writing from creating the characters, to the settings, to the story. I still get lost/pulled into my characters’ story and their journey.
The process of writing and creating a story comes easier to me now. I am much more disciplined with my writing. I usually get up early and write every morning. A lot of ideas come to me but I am able to filter them out, choose one, and block out the others so that they don’t interfere with the current story. Having said that, I will also sometimes write two stories at once.
For each book, my process is a bit different. One big thing I have learned though, is not to edit as I write. I used to hate the reviewing, revising, and editing phase but now love it. This is where the true magic of creating a compelling story actually happens. The other part of writing is putting words on paper so I have something to play with.
Maggie, it has been so good talking with you. Thank you again for your time.
Thank you so much for doing this interview with me. It has been great chatting with you Kim. Thank you for being such a fan of reading and sharing your love of it.
He shuffled his feet, making a scuffling sound. Some dust rained down on her. She closed her eyes, fighting the cough that was building in her chest. He took a few steps. Heavy steps, like he didn’t care if she heard him or not. As quietly as she could, she cleared her throat and took in a few shallow breaths. He stomped to the edge. The wood above her felt like it was shivering and shaking with each step. Thin filaments of dirt continued to fall down.
He’d gone one way. She was going another.
She didn’t really have her bearings, though. She wasn’t sure which direction the house was. Not that it mattered, she moved in the opposite direction to him. She rolled. And waited. Rolled. And waited. His footsteps were coming back. She froze.
He kept coming.
How was she going to get out of there? What sick game was he playing?
As he moved, she moved. With each step he took, she rolled toward him. It was a bit crazy but she figured he might not think she’d try to move closer to him. If he was moving toward her, she was going to move toward him. It meant she was either crazy or she might have a fleeting chance at getting away. He took a step and stopped. He was right above her. Again. Every fiber in her being screamed to get up and run, but she fought it and held her position. As long as he wasn’t moving, she wasn’t. Maybe he didn’t know for sure if she was still there underneath the deck. He started walking again. This time she rolled away from him, in the opposite direction. She wanted to put as much distance between them as possible. He stopped and turned. He was walking the perimeter of the deck.
What kind of game was he playing?
She froze. Something was digging into her side but she was too scared to shift. Time was running out, she could feel it in the cold sweat slithering down her back. Slowing and carefully, she lifted her right hand, reaching as high as she could. There was nothing there. She couldn’t touch the deck. He was shuffling around above her, obviously unsure where she was and what his next move would be. Easing herself to her knees, she got into a crouched position. It would be easier to move. And less painful.
He was on the move again. Listening intently, she pinpointed where he was. And where he was going. She waited for him to get several steps away. Hoping she wasn’t miscalculating, she made her move. She slid her foot forward, testing the ground. It was uneven, something she hadn’t really noticed too much when she was rolling. Being on her feet was a whole different thing. The inky blackness hid all the secrets. Using her hands as her guide, she waved them in front of her to find the obstacles. Moving slowly, she used her foot to test the area in front of her.
“You’re not getting out of here, so you might as well give up.”
His voice was close. Could he see her? There was a thin slice of light on one side of the deck. It wasn’t bright but it was a break in the darkness. She moved toward it. The opening was narrow. She stopped and listened. He wasn’t making any sounds. There was some grunting off in the distance. What was that? Was he fighting someone else? Or was he waiting? And watching?
Fear crawled over her like she was tied in the middle of an anthill. Shivers took over.
Where was Cade? Or Amanda? They were safe, weren’t they?
It was now. She dove for the opening, scrambling to pull herself out of the hole. The earth gave way beneath her. With every movement forward, she slid back. Desperate, as she was sure he could hear her, she kicked her foot into the bank. Again. And again, until she got a foothold. Stretching her arms as far as she could, she planted them in the grass and dirt. At the same time, she rammed her other foot into the soft bank and pulled hard with her hands. With everything she had, she pushed and pulled hard. The force launched her safely out of her hiding spot and up onto the hard ground. She landed awkwardly on her belly with one knee tucked under her but she was free. There was no time to rest though, she scurried to her feet.
But not fast enough.
His hand clamped onto her arm.
He’d found her.
He’d gone one way. She was going another.
She didn’t really have her bearings, though. She wasn’t sure which direction the house was. Not that it mattered, she moved in the opposite direction to him. She rolled. And waited. Rolled. And waited. His footsteps were coming back. She froze.
He kept coming.
How was she going to get out of there? What sick game was he playing?
As he moved, she moved. With each step he took, she rolled toward him. It was a bit crazy but she figured he might not think she’d try to move closer to him. If he was moving toward her, she was going to move toward him. It meant she was either crazy or she might have a fleeting chance at getting away. He took a step and stopped. He was right above her. Again. Every fiber in her being screamed to get up and run, but she fought it and held her position. As long as he wasn’t moving, she wasn’t. Maybe he didn’t know for sure if she was still there underneath the deck. He started walking again. This time she rolled away from him, in the opposite direction. She wanted to put as much distance between them as possible. He stopped and turned. He was walking the perimeter of the deck.
What kind of game was he playing?
She froze. Something was digging into her side but she was too scared to shift. Time was running out, she could feel it in the cold sweat slithering down her back. Slowing and carefully, she lifted her right hand, reaching as high as she could. There was nothing there. She couldn’t touch the deck. He was shuffling around above her, obviously unsure where she was and what his next move would be. Easing herself to her knees, she got into a crouched position. It would be easier to move. And less painful.
He was on the move again. Listening intently, she pinpointed where he was. And where he was going. She waited for him to get several steps away. Hoping she wasn’t miscalculating, she made her move. She slid her foot forward, testing the ground. It was uneven, something she hadn’t really noticed too much when she was rolling. Being on her feet was a whole different thing. The inky blackness hid all the secrets. Using her hands as her guide, she waved them in front of her to find the obstacles. Moving slowly, she used her foot to test the area in front of her.
“You’re not getting out of here, so you might as well give up.”
His voice was close. Could he see her? There was a thin slice of light on one side of the deck. It wasn’t bright but it was a break in the darkness. She moved toward it. The opening was narrow. She stopped and listened. He wasn’t making any sounds. There was some grunting off in the distance. What was that? Was he fighting someone else? Or was he waiting? And watching?
Fear crawled over her like she was tied in the middle of an anthill. Shivers took over.
Where was Cade? Or Amanda? They were safe, weren’t they?
It was now. She dove for the opening, scrambling to pull herself out of the hole. The earth gave way beneath her. With every movement forward, she slid back. Desperate, as she was sure he could hear her, she kicked her foot into the bank. Again. And again, until she got a foothold. Stretching her arms as far as she could, she planted them in the grass and dirt. At the same time, she rammed her other foot into the soft bank and pulled hard with her hands. With everything she had, she pushed and pulled hard. The force launched her safely out of her hiding spot and up onto the hard ground. She landed awkwardly on her belly with one knee tucked under her but she was free. There was no time to rest though, she scurried to her feet.
But not fast enough.
His hand clamped onto her arm.
He’d found her.
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The Prairie Crime Thriller Series:
Buckle up, you’re in for quite a ride.
Maggie grew up in a house full of books, often making a weekly trip to the library to get more. Reading was her go to when it was too cold outside to play. She started experimenting with writing at a young age, letting her imagination take her away on many adventures. She has done many real adventures with her family – white water rafting, sky diving, traveling, mountain hiking, kayaking… Now, she writes to ensure that you get to go on a thrilling adventure as well.
Places to find Maggie Thom:
Hi Kim. Thank you so much for having me on your blog. It was fun to do the interview. Thank you for all you do for authors and readers.
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