Tree Pose was the winner in the Action/Adventure category of the 2025 IndieReader Discovery Awards, where undiscovered talent meets people with the power to make a difference.
Following find an interview with authors Susan Rogers and John Roosen.
Writing a mystery – suspense – thriller together as a couple [and not murdering one another in the process] is our biggest challenge. With Tree Pose, we spent a year getting everything right–from the extraordinary setting of Tasmania, Australia to the carefully crafted plot-line, sharp dialogue and multiple edits and reviews plus at least 8 proofreading episodes. Then we went back to Tasmania and walked every step that the character took to make sure we had a vibrant and action-oriented approach to the story. To receive this award was such a thrill, and so very exciting. We think we wore out the electrons reading the message over and over again. We are grateful to the IndieReader Discovery Awards for their diligence and extraordinary effort to promote Indie Books and support Indie authors. Thank you for this recognition. We hope people read and enjoy Tree Pose (with its dramatic ending … and ok a large dollop of romance!) as well as visit downunder. John R & Susan R
It is an honor to win this award, but the credit belongs to the many teachers, friends, and colleagues in my life who have encouraged and supported me. The ability to continually learn from art and creativity is a privilege that I hope to have passed along and will never take for granted. Thank you!
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
The name of the book is Tree Pose—the third book in the series of Yoga Mat Mysteries. The book was published on February 9, 2024 when it was released as an eBook and thereafter as an audiobook
What’s the book’s first line?
“On Laurence Patterson’s desk, the phone barked. He’d installed the ‘bark ringtone’ because it reminded him of his boss, Ambassador Clarence Jenkins. Laurence always envisioned CJ as a Doberman Pinscher with a wide-open mouth and fanged teeth, ready for an attack.”
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
Ric Peters and Elaina Williams escape to the breathtaking wilderness of Tasmania, Australia seeking tranquility in its breathtaking landscape. But their dream of an idyllic retreat is shattered on the notorious Devil’s Island, where a dark underbelly of corruption lurks. As they stumble upon a chilling operation—trafficking in innocent lives—they are thrust into a deadly game of cat and mouse.
Elaina’s sheltered life collides with Ric’s haunted past—one he’s desperately tried to keep hidden—and their relationship is put to the ultimate test. Through his rifle scope, a highly skilled hitman has them in his sights, turning their fight for survival into a race against time. With murder, betrayal, and buried secrets threatening to tear them apart, Ric and Elaina must confront their inner demons that refuse to stay buried.
On an island known for tragedy, they must navigate a treacherous terrain of danger. Tree Pose is a heart-pounding thriller that immerses readers in a world of suspense and urgency. Will they unravel the layers of deception before it’s too late, or will their focus on love blind them to the deadly threats surrounding them? Get ready for a relentless ride filled with shocking twists that will leave you breathless and craving more.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
We visited Tasmania, Australia for a very special occasion … the marriage of our son and our ‘new’ daughter. Tasmania has incredible beauty and a very tumultuous past.
With all of that beauty and a host of dark secrets, we decided it would be a perfect setting for our two leading characters to navigate their growing relationship, as well as some heart-stopping revelations. This is gripping tale of love, sacrifice, and redemption which will keep readers on the edge of their seats. It certainly kept us on the edge of our seats … just to finish the typing.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?
There are two main characters in the series. Elaina Williams became a solicitor turned yoga instructor who wanted a more direct impact on people than the law profession could give. So she began teaching yoga at her own studio. Her passion is helping people gain hope, strength, confidence and zen.
Ric Peters’ thirst for justice was heavily influenced by a family tragedy. The tragedy led him into a life of covert activities. For him, it’s not about body count – it’s about delivering what is right to the people who are willing to die for it.
The balance between Ric and Elaina is the chaos of Ric’s life melding with the calmness of Elaina’s creating a passionate love and respect that binds them together.
And to be honest there are parts of Ric and Elaina that come close to who we are—as co-authors. We won’t tell you which parts, but we do think they appear almost nightly at our dinner table.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
Passion. The book series is about Passion. Passion for life. Passion for doing what’s right. Passion for adventure. Passion for people who need help. Passion for finding answers. And in Tree Pose, there is the Passion for romance. Oh là là!
If they made your book into a movie, who would you like to see play the main character(s)?
Wow this is fun! Liam Hemsworth – as Ric Peters. Margo Robbie – as Elaina Williams.
Ric and Elaina are from different worlds, but they have quick witted conversations, with a dash of humor that centers them both … even in the most tense of moments.
When did you first decide to become authors?
Susan Rogers knew she was an author at age six, when she began writing her own stories and hand binding them into small books.
John Roosen on the other hand was in a Yoga Studio. He was stretched out on the floor achieving Dead Man’s Pose (the title of the first book) at a yoga studio at the ‘dead end’ of Cooper Street, Surrey Hills, Sydney, Australia. He reached over and grabbed Susan’s hand. “Let’s write Murder Mysteries!” he announced. Yoga Mat Mysteries was launched.
Is this the first you’ve written?
Susan Rogers has been writing poetry, classical fiction, plays, and gathering material about her life in the South Pacific, as well as postings in the Middle East where she worked. She has a few drawers of diaries she never lets John see.
John teamed with Susan on Surviving Paradise about their life in Vanuatu and they began collecting stories based on their adventurous past, when they moved to New Zealand and Australia.
What do you do for work when you’re not writing?
There’s rarely a day that goes by when we are not writing. We write on planes, in trains, on park benches, sitting on floors, waiting in a car for a bridge to open. Any surface will do.
In between we cook great meals, make good coffee, do a bit of travelling and consulting on various topics for various groups. We’d probably try anything that sounded fun. After all we cleaned up a deadly hazardous waste site and found a skull. Check out Warrior Pose book 4 for how we used that experience.
How much time do you generally spend on your writing?
We don’t want to tell you as you would think we’re addicted … which we are.
Our kids think we are nuts, our friends are understanding, some relatives have scratched us off their Christmas card list for always talking about writing too much. What can we do? We’re having way too much fun to stop.
It could be any time of the day or night when an idea comes to the forefront of our brains. We drop everything including sleep and put our thoughts down. ‘John wake up, I have this great idea!’ [He loves that!] It’s almost pathological now.
What’s the best and the hardest part of being an indie?
The best part is the creativity and being in charge of what you’re writing. Knowing that what you’re creating is yours. It is the glowing feeling of having your work in your own hands or hearing your audiobook narrated with your character speaking.
The hardest part is getting your book out to the public. We have established a team of professionals for the various editing tasks and proofreading capabilities that we rely on. Our goal is to produce a quality product including the narrated audiobook versions of the storyline. We try and think as if we are a Random House or HarperCollins which sometimes mean we must think big and sometimes spend a lot of time on things we must learn.
Would you go traditional if a publisher came calling? If so, why?
They’d have to have a pretty good reason and plan of what they would do for our works. Why? We have spent 3 years learning how to do all the tasks and have been very successful. We like the characters and are skillful at maintaining the flow, the quality and integrity of our writing. Ideally there could be some type of hybrid where we produce the quality book and they take on the advertising and distribution. That might be interesting.
Is there something in particular that motivates you (fame? fortune?)
There are those moments when we are sitting late at night at our mango table. We have come to a particular troublesome part in the storyline.
We argue over the words.
We gnash teeth at how it sounds.
We cry when we figure it out.
We kiss when it is a really good solution.
OK so we love writing. We’d rather do that that most other things. We’re not saying what those exceptions are. [smile]
But what we write makes a difference. Recently a reader wrote to us and said: “I just love the dynamic between Ric and Elaina and hope to see many more books following their adventures!” Now that motivates us greatly.
Which writer, living or dead, do you most admire?
We admire Jules Verne for the creativity of his writing. Agatha Christie for the twists in her plots and as an early mystery writer, she was prolific and truly the “Queen of Mystery”.
Which book do you wish you could have written?
Susan Rogers – “Oh that would be Gone with the Wind if only to correct the ending.”
John Roosen – “Easy. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. The number 42 famously is the answer to the question of ‘Life, the Universe, and Everything’ in the guide. I’d swap that out for 24 just to stir things up.’