FLEET LANDING received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.
Following find an interview with author Wendy Gee.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
FLEET LANDING, June 2025 (Books Fluent, New Orleans)
What’s the book’s first line?
A sea of white college chumps jammed Marion Square like they owned the place.
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
FLEET LANDING is a story about a hotshot arson expert and a TV journalist drawn into a ruthless web of corruption and buried secrets while investigating two deadly fires thirty years apart.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
The story is a mash-up of two actual (yet unrelated) situations that were altered to create a fictionalized account. The first, a series of fires that took dogged investigation to solve. The second, the true story of a man released after spending more than four decades in prison for a fire he did not commit. I also wanted to honor the firefighters and arson investigators with whom I studied.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
I hope readers gravitate to this story for the pure love of a good mystery/story. My goal is to empower readers through compelling work.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?
ATF Special Agent Cooper Bellamy is based on pure imagination. I wanted him to be smart, yet humble (“…knew he lacked the patented federal law enforcement smugness…”) with an unshakable moral compass. I would favorably compare him to Lennie Brisco of Law and Order fame.
Is this the first book you’ve written?
FLEET LANDING is my first published novel. The second book in this series (coming soon: SIDE HUSTLE) was actually the first story I ever diligently toiled over. It had to go through many machinations to make it work.
How much time do you generally spend on your writing?
I often spend six to eight hours a day, if I’m on a roll. I usually try to put in at least four hours each day, six days a week.
What’s a great piece of advice that you can share with fellow indie authors?
Be sure to understand your personal goals. I’ll paraphrase something I learned from my former career to help others focus their introspection—where am I, where am I going, how will I get there? If my fellow writers will put in the same level of effort to understand what defines ‘success’ for them as they do in crafting their manuscript—I’m confident in their goal attainment.
Would you go traditional if a publisher came calling? If so, why?
If I find myself stuck mid-list after several releases, and an amazing offer comes along from a traditional publisher that could change the trajectory of my career, I’d listen in earnest.
Is there something in particular that motivates you (fame? fortune?)
Which writer, living or dead, do you most admire?
Robert Crais – a truly nice guy IMHO. Professionally, I discovered he can set a scene with clarity and brevity like few others. If he ever calls to develop a partnership deal…then, yeah!! I’m in.
Which book do you wish you could have written?
Wow, where to start. Off the top of my head, I wish I could write every story with:
Janet Evanovich’s humor and pacing.
Joseph Finder’s detail.
Robert Crais’s imagination and setting.
Steve Hamilton’s suspense.
That would create my perfect booklist.