Billy sets sail

The release of Deep Threat has proven to be a satisfying yet bittersweet project for me personally.

The suspense novel was a collaborative effort with bestselling author Scott Pratt and is the first in the Billy Beckett series. Scott and I had been working since last spring on remaking the series, which was conceived in 2016 and hopefully will yield two more books with co-authorship in the coming year.

Unfortunately, real life has a sobering way of putting even the most compelling fiction in its place.

The death in June 2018 of Scott’s wife, and my only sister, Kristy, has left our family reeling. She had courageously battled cancer for more than a decade and was the major source of inspiration for Scott’s legal thrillers. During her illness, the catalogue grew to include more than a dozen books in the Joe Dillard and Darren Street series; they have combined to sell over three million copies. Scott’s future as an author, it seemed, couldn’t have been brighter.

Less than five months after Kristy’s death, Scott was suddenly gone as well. He lost consciousness on a scuba diving excursion in Bonaire, in the southern Caribbean, and never recovered. Needless to say, we are all still a bit numb.

After much reflection and consultation with Dylan, his son and right-hand man, we have decided to move forward with the Billy Beckett series, in Scott’s honor. The books have a bit different flavor than his previous works, but he believed in them and enjoyed the crafting of new characters and storylines. He always had strong opinions, and I enjoyed the creative back-and-forth with him immensely.

I very much appreciate you giving Deep Threat a read (or listen) and look forward to adding to Scott’s proud legacy.

— K.H.