The Tox Files: A Chat with Ronie Kendig

Today is release day for Ronie Kendig's brand-new novel, Conspiracy of Silence! Believe me when I say that you do not want to miss this action-packed, fast-paced romantic suspense! Kendig is a brilliant author who somehow manages to outdo herself with each stunning release. Today I am pleased to share a brief chat with this gifted storyteller which has been provided by Bethany House publishers.

1. What makes your new series, The Tox Files, different from your previous novels?
In so many respects, The Tox Files is exactly what I’ve been writing all along—it’s fast-paced, action/adventure, and has a paramilitary team, a touch of romance, and a mission. But this new series brings to my Rapid-Fire Fiction an element that has made me very excited to write: ancient history. Interwoven into each mission is an artifact being used to wreak havoc. I’ve had so much fun writing this series, and I really believe readers will love these adventures!

2. Your novels feature multiple points of view and threads that weave into a compelling story. How do you pull it all together?
I confess it’s pretty challenging to pull all the threads together seamlessly (ha, see what I did there?), but the way I’ve attempted to leave no thread hanging unintentionally is by entering The Pit. Most of our basement is unfinished, so I had my husband hang grease boards all along one wall, screwing them into the studs. My brainstorming wall is where I plot the stories (something this seat-of-the-pants writer never thought she’d do) and lay out the various threads and how they should grow. It’s amazing to see it like that!

3. The Tox Files pits your main characters against some of history’s most ancient artifacts. What sort of research is involved in preparing for each story?
The Tox Files has stretched me as a writer more than any other series I’ve written, because the research is demanding and intense. However, God has really blessed me with some amazing contacts—archaeologists, doctors, theology professors, EOD techs. I want to get it write—er, right! I’ve had to study ancient history, and it’s amazing to learn about all the cultures and interweaving of beliefs and ramifications, wars, and controversies.

4. In The Warrior’s Seal, the e-novella prequel, you introduced a military working dog, and you own a retired MWD—is that a coincidence?
Oh, you caught that, did you? No, no coincidence at all. Two and a half years ago, our family adopted a retired military working dog named VVolt N629. As a patrol/explosives detection dog in the Air Force, VVolt was deployed to Kuwait and he has also done POTUS and FLOTUS detail. He’s an intense, focused, but quirky dog. And I could not resist the opportunity to give VVolt some fame in The Tox Files.

Click on the titles to read my reviews of Conspiracy of Silence and the FREE prequel novella, The Warrior's Seal.