A ‘crossfire’ of stories in Wendy Gee’s books

Some of it comes from real life, some of it from her imagination. The result—the Carolina Crossfire Mystery series, now two books in….and more to come! In this episode, author Wendy Gee joins us to talk about her newest addition, “Side Hustle,” and you’re going to love the story. Charleston’s top investigative TV reporter, Sydney Quinn, lives to expose the city’s darkest secrets. So, when a former firefighter takes two paramedics hostage, she talks her way inside, offering to gather intel for the police in exchange for a story that could boost her career. But when Sydney finds the body of her friend, a local insurance executive at the scene, the scoop of a lifetime turns personal. The hostage-taker swears he’s been framed, pulling Sydney into a web of cybercrime, stolen identities, and corporate corruption that stretches far beyond Charleston’s polished waterfront.  Wendy talks about the lengthy worldbuilding and research that she did, which included a week shadowing a TV news crew. She shows us the origin of the series and how it grew from one book to two, with a third on the way. She talks about the creation of her protagonist, Sydney Quinn, and how she handles a story that goes far beyond what she thought it was. And of course, we get a look at Book 3. Like what you heard? Then visit https://wendygeeauthor.com to learn more. You can also check out our Five by Five with Wendy at https://citywideblackout.blogspot.com/2025/06/five-by-fiveauthors-work-in.html.