The Last Lie was released March 26^thof 2018. It’s the second book in my Andrea Kellner mystery series. This time Andrea must uncover the source of a poison contaminating an energy drink before her sister becomes one of the victims.

Here is a little more about the book:

Investigative journalist Andrea Kellner never lets anything get between her and her next scoop. So when a grief-stricken man crashes a charity gala and demands answers for his daughter’s death, Andrea knows it’s her duty to investigate. But she never expected him to point the blame—and his gun—at her date and his energy drink empire.

When Andrea’s sister falls ill after ingesting the same exact beverage, her case gets even more personal. To uncover the truth behind the contamination, the journalist must confront the man she thought she knew and corporate execs with hush money to spare. With her sister’s life in peril, Andrea will stop at nothing to break the story before the death toll rises.

What are you working on now?

Book three in the series is on my plate now. Still early stages as I move from plot development to first draft. Titles are something I wait until the end to decide on, but for the moment the working title is Retaliation. I like to use real events as the starting point and in this book, readers will certainly recognize some parallels to news stories we’ve read about.

What advice would you give to your younger writing self?

Just do it! Stop overthinking everything.

Have you always wanted to be a writer? What made you decide to become one?

No, my writing aspirations started just a few years back, but I’ve always been a reader of mystery and thriller. A lifestyle change is really what pushed me into a higher gear on the writing. My husband retired, which gave us a shot at the snowbird lifestyle earlier than we planned so my career needed adjustment too. My previous business as a clothing designer wasn’t portable so I traded in my industrial sewing machines and cutting tables for a laptop and notecards.

Who is your favorite character in your book(s)?

Well, Andrea of course!

Where do you do most of your writing?

I have a home office in both of my condos. I’m in Chicago in the summer and the west coast of Florida in the winter. I’m also starting to dictate my first drafts which really opens up the possibilities. I can pop on my headset, go for a walk along the water, and have a thousand words or more recorded before I get home.

What inspires you?

It’s the puzzle of it all. When I decided I wanted to try my hand at fiction, it was an easy decision as my reading is tight. Mystery, thrillers, preferably female protagonists. I just love the process of unfolding the story, digging through the layers of who-done-it.

Tell us a little about your process. Pantser? Plotter? Mixture of both?

I’ve discovered that I’m a plotter. Each book I’ve written has resulted in a more complex outline than the one before. I start with digital 3×5 cards and build from there, developing each scene, building character sketches, and developing a timeline of events. That doesn’t mean I don’t leave myself open to better ideas as I draft, but that first draft is the toughest one for me. Having an outline kicks my brain into gear faster.

More about Dana

Dana Killion grew up in a small town in northern Wisconsin, reading Nancy Drew and dreaming of living surrounded by tall buildings. A career in the apparel industry satisfied her city living urge and Nancy Drew evolved into Cornwell, Fairstein, and Evanovich.

One day, frustrated that her favorite authors weren’t writing fast enough, an insane thought crossed her mind. “Maybe I could write a novel?”

Silly, naïve, downright ludicrous. But she did it. She plotted and planned and got 80,000 words on the page. That manuscript lives permanently in the back of a closet. But the writing bug had bitten.

Dana lives in Chicago and Florida with her husband and her kitty, Isabel, happily avoiding temperatures below fifty.