Conservation Canines and Lethal Commerce by Sara Driscoll

We speak about the true work of conservation canines in Hawaii and the way they impressed the most recent FBI Okay-9 novel by Sara Driscoll. 

By Zazie Todd, PhD

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Conservation canines and Lethal Commerce, the most recent FBI-K9 e-book by Sara Driscoll

Okay-9 handler Meg Jennings can by no means stroll away from her job, even amid her Hawaiian Islands honeymoon, the place she and her search-and-rescue black Lab encounter a double menace from wildlife poachers and Mom Nature.

Lethal Commerce is the most recent FBI-K9 e-book by Sara Driscoll and it’s scorching off the press, having simply been revealed yesterday. We caught up with Sara–real identify Jen J. Danna–to discover out concerning the real-life conservation canines in Hawaii who impressed the e-book, and study extra about Hawk, the fictional FBI K9 and different working canines within the e-book.

We talked about:

•     The work of conservation canines and what they do on the Hawaiian islands
•     Why Sara was impressed to write down about conservation canines in Lethal Commerce
•     Easy methods to write about canines as characters in their very own proper
•     The form of coaching that Hawk, the FBI canine, and the conservation canines within the e-book would undergo in actual life
•     How the canines affect the success of the mission
•     How Hawk picks up on issues his handler, Meg, cannot
•     Why Sara selected to write down about endangered birds
•     What it is like writing with a co-author
•     And as at all times, we ask for a e-book suggestion!

Sara Driscoll is the pen identify of Jen J. Danna, coauthor of the Abbott and Lowell Forensic Mysteries and creator of the FBI Okay-9 Mysteries and NYPD Negotiators collection. After over 30 years in infectious illnesses analysis, Jen hung up her lab coat to focus on her actual love—writing “distinctive” thrillers (Publishers Weekly). She is a member of the Crime Writers of Canada and lives along with her husband and 4 rescued cats outdoors of Toronto, Ontario. 

Study extra about Sara Driscoll on her web sites, saradriscollauthor.com and https://jenjdanna.com/.

Additionally talked about on this episode:

Highlights of the dialog about Lethal Commerce

Z: Your FBI Okay-9 collection typically reveals off many various sorts of working canines, like Hawk, the search and rescue Labrador. However Lethal Commerce really focuses on conservation canines.

So are you able to simply inform us one thing about what conservation canines do?

J: Yeah, conservation canines, that was a brand new form of canine for me. And once I discovered about it, it was excellent as a result of it suits proper into this. , the story that I used to be telling.

Hawaii is the extinction capital of the world, they usually say that they’ve misplaced extra species than exist total. It is actually type of a tragic form of factor. 

And it is an archipelago. It is manner out in the course of nowhere. So the one manner that you just get species introduction is by invasive species. There’s a few sorts of ants that come throughout on boats. You may have rats come throughout, cats and mongoose, like all of those have been added in as invasive creatures. 

And they also use conservation canines to each search for the invasive creatures in addition to to, As to guard, you already know, the pure wildlife of the islands. So, for example, if a ship is coming in, they’ll ship out conservation canines who will be capable to scent the yellow loopy ants and the hearth ants and the rats and type of establish these earlier than they’ve an opportunity to get off the boat. 

There’s something known as satan weed, which is sort of a very invasive weed, that they’ll ship the canines out, they’ll discover the weed, after which the people who find themselves with them, the handlers which might be with them, are skilled find out how to take away the weed utterly from that space. 

After which there’s the coconut rhinoceros beetle, which may get into pineapple bushes and banana bushes and coconut bushes, clearly, and might kill the tree, however the canine can scent the coconut rhinoceros beetle. Earlier than it will possibly do an excessive amount of injury, they’ll deal with the tree and produce it again from the brink. 

So on this case, we’re taking a look at hen conservation, and in Hawaii, primarily, it is used for seabirds. Numerous the seabirds are actually out on the water on a regular basis. They solely come again into land when they’re nesting, after which they’ll discover a crevice. Within the Hawaiian panorama, there’s numerous lava fields that go proper all the way down to the ocean, and there is numerous pure crevices and type of like little lava tubes and all of those form of issues.

And that is what the birds use as nests. And to allow them to get in, like, six, eight toes into these nests. So there isn’t any manner for a human to type of look into the nest and say, look, there is a hen’s nest. However the canines can scent them. And so then they’ll arrange evening imaginative and prescient to observe these nests. Then the people might help out to guarantee that these nests are undisturbed due to the cats and the rats and the mongoose and all of this sort of factor.

So that is what numerous the Hawaiian conservation canines do, is that they assist establish the breeding grounds of those seabirds. However on this case, they’ll additionally establish forest birds, and there are numerous forest birds which might be going extinct. 

And so on this case, Makoa, who’s the Australian shepherd conservation canine, that is his important factor is birds, and so he is aware of the distinction within the scent of a seabird from a forest hen. They are saying that one has a musky, fishy scent and the opposite one has a musky, candy scent.

And so what we’re taking a look at on this case, for this specific story is a wildlife trafficking of birds which might be on the verge of extinction. They’re looking for the wildlife traffickers by really discovering the hen areas first after which making an attempt to satisfy them in that spot. So Makoa is nice for this. He finds the place these nests are. 

But it surely’s fascinating since you’ve bought two reside monitoring canines, reside scent monitoring canines who’re in search of the individuals, after which you could have a canine who’s in search of the birds. And so typically they’re all on the identical pathway. After which typically you will see Hawk and Lacey will go a technique and Makoa will go one other manner as a result of he is monitoring the nest, they’re monitoring the people, and in the long run, they really meet up within the ultimate spot.

Okay: So did you say that conservation canines as a factor was new to you for this e-book?

J: It was new to me for this e-book, yeah. Principally as a result of I write thrillers, so I actually type of consider the regulation enforcement angle. So, you already know, drug sniffing canines, bomb sniffing canines, decomp [decomposition] canines, that form of factor. So this extra pure type of monitoring canine was new to me, I’ll admit.

Okay: Did you do a deep dive into conservation canines generally? As a result of I do know we hear about them, you already know, within the canine coaching world, however I believe I’ve principally heard about them on the mainland United States.

J: Okay. I used to be gonna say the analysis that I did on them was principally with Hawaii as a result of that was actually what I used to be taking a look at. And I imply, each space goes to have barely totally different coaching for these canines as a result of they’re in search of one thing very particular.

Z: What impressed you to write down about working canines within the books?

J: Nicely, that is form of humorous. I had a associate, Ann Vanderlaan, who has sadly handed on, and we wrote a forensic thriller collection collectively first. After which we have been type of considering, nicely, what are we going to maneuver on to subsequent? And my agent had lunch with an editor from Kensington, and he gave her an inventory of issues that he was in search of.

And one of many issues he was in search of was a police process with a canine facet. Nicely, Ann first began out elevating customary schnauzers after which had moved on to rescuing pit bulls and coaching them into remedy canines. And we type of checked out one another and went, nicely, we are able to do that, as a result of Ann had all the canine expertise.

And so we mentioned, yeah, we may do that. And so we got here up with the define for the primary three books within the collection, which, funnily sufficient, e-book one was what it was, e-book two was what it was, and e-book three ended up being e-book 9. We did get it in there. Sadly, by that time, I bought it in there as a result of Ann was now not with us. 

However so Ann was implausible when it got here to this type of factor, as a result of she was actually the brains behind the canine. And he or she took one in all her remedy canines they usually did scent work courses and he ribboned in scent work and all of this sort of stuff, as a result of we wished to guarantee that we had our procedures down correctly for, you already know, the working canine life and the way they might get out and do their searches. 

In order that was how we form of bought into that. It was simply type of a kind of… I imply, publishing is a enterprise. It was a kind of type of sensible issues the place somebody mentioned, you already know, are you able to do that? And we went, yeah, we may try this. After which we type of made certain that our abilities matched what was wanted.

Okay: So Meg, your FBI agent, has an in depth relationship along with her canine associate, Hawk. And we have requested this of different authors who’ve written fiction about canines, as a result of I believe writing fiction about canines and never making it actually both treacly or making the canine into identical to a plot gadget is tough, so to writing the canine to honor their dog-ness, however to additionally transfer the story alongside. 

So how did you come about writing a couple of canine on this manner? In order that it is convincing, however does not pull you out of the narrative?

J: Nicely, and it does not. There are some authors who really give the canine a perspective, and I didn’t wish to try this. I did not really feel that we may type of converse to that nicely sufficient as a result of, I imply, actually do we all know what is going on on of their heads? We have possibly bought some concepts, however we do not actually know.

So what we determined to do was simply to type of present Hawk’s communication by his reference to Meg so she will learn him. And that is how these handler groups actually work, is that they know their canines in and out. They spend all their instances with their canines. 

Like, for example, in Lethal Commerce, she’s on her honeymoon. She has the canine along with her. Like they do not simply put the canine in a kennel and go away for a two week trip. These handler canine pairings are so shut that they’re collectively on a regular basis. And fortunately Meg has a husband who utterly understands this and is not jealous of the canine, which actually helps.

However that shut connection is how we get Hawk’s perspective, in that she will learn him so nicely by way of his physique language. , simply even how he sniffs. Like, when a canine is definitely scenting, their respiratory is totally different than when they’re simply respiratory. Proper? So you’ll be able to inform what they’re doing and type of learn what they’re considering simply primarily based on physique language and their very own actions.

Z: I am within the form of coaching that the canines should do to do that work. So you’ve got bought Hawk, he is like a search and rescue sort canine and you have the conservation canines. What sort of coaching would they’ve needed to undergo? And is it related for them each or is it fairly totally different?

J: I imply, I might guess that it is related. We do not form of get into the coaching on this. I imply while you’ve solely bought 85,000 phrases to inform a narrative and when Lone Wolf begins, Hawk is 2 they usually’ve already been at it for, you already know, six months, eight months, that form of factor. In order that they’re already into it. 

However I imply the coaching can be related. It might solely be type of like constructive reinforcement coaching. And you already know, I imply an important factor with that is discovering a canine that has the right character for this specific job. I imply that is search and rescue and never a patrol canine. So the aggression issue is just not prime of thoughts, however the drive actually is.

And I imply Hawk’s character, he is type of like an extended distance runner. Like he’s type of just like the sluggish and regular wins the race form of canine. He’s simply, he is in there for the long run and he’ll simply hold going. He is very regular. You solely see his aggression degree rise when Meg is at risk and that is when it type of rises to the fore.

However yeah, I imply they might have gone by way of type of all the usual coaching that any of those identical canines would have been. You discover the button to push for that exact canine is the reward, meals is the reward, a toy, you already know, at all times constructive reinforcement.

And I imply, she’s not an FBI agent, she’s an FBI contractor. So she owns the canine. They usually type of contract them out as a pair. However even any FBI worker, they should go for persevering with eds. So in Nonetheless Waters for instance, they go and do some decomp coaching, some water coaching, as a result of their remark is, you already know, if we’re monitoring anyone and we get to the sting of a lake and the path dies on the finish of the sting of a lake, we’re caught. We will not go wherever. The canines do not know what to do. In order that they then get into that.

It is possibly stretching the reality a little bit bit as a result of realistically talking, there are decomp canines after which there are the reside discover canines. However, you already know, it is one other scent to establish.

And decomp is form of a sliding scale. Such as you begin off as reside and then you definitely die and then you definitely work your manner in the direction of decomp. So someplace in between, it is nonetheless smells like each. And so we did get into some coaching in that e-book as a result of that was a brand new ability for them to study.

Z: Thanks. We really had an episode not too long ago the place we talked to Kim Cooper and Cat Warren about historic human stays canines, and that was actually fascinating to listen to about. And I will drop a hyperlink to that within the present notes from this.

However I additionally like the way you’re mentioning earlier books within the collection. So I believe listeners ought to know that in the event that they learn this e-book and like it, which I am certain they’ll, there’s a again catalog to undergo right here, which is superb to learn about.

J: It’s e-book 10. However I too attempt to write each e-book so to bounce in at that time after which in the event you actually like it, you wish to return to e-book one.

Okay: Yeah, I prefer it when there’s numerous books in a collection as a result of then it feels just like the individuals turn out to be your pals, however they’re like low effort associates.

J: Nicely, you already know, I am very a lot on this type of write what you wish to learn form of camp. And so I like type of huge ensemble books the place you begin off with type of just like the core characters, however then additional characters get added in and then you definitely get to see these secondary characters develop and also you simply type of really feel such as you’re a part of an enormous household. And yeah, it is type of an enormous discovered household form of second. 

Okay: I like that for certain. So on this e-book, numerous the central plot and numerous the descriptions and the texture of it actually revolves across the Pu’u Maka’ala Reserve. So I am not conversant in Hawaii in any respect. I’ve by no means been. So how do you know concerning the place as a Canadian? 

J: And our conservation canines use that in actual life, you already know.

Yeah, nicely, I had by no means been to Hawaii as nicely, which is why once I type of deliberate this e-book out, somebody within the e-book world that I do know had type of given me an thought concerning the Kilauea eruption that had occurred a couple of years again. And I type of thought, nicely, they simply bought married, you already know, they might go to Hawaii. It is in FBI jurisdiction. 

In order that form of bought me began on the thought. So then I wished to type of delve into type of what can be a superb space. , I discovered what the crime can be, what can be a superb space to type of determine this out.

And there are a bunch of internet sites the place you’ll be able to see maps of what birds are endangered and the place. The place you could find them. And so I principally picked an space the place there was essentially the most overlap, and that was Pu’u Maka’ala. And it was a tremendous space.

And I checked out footage of it and I went, I am unable to write this with out really going by way of that space. So my husband and I went final November, and we spent every week in Hawaii studying all about volcanoes and strolling, really mountaineering this distant fern forest, which was superb.

A troublesome hike too, as a result of the descriptions of how there is not actually a path are 100% correct. There actually is not path. And the entire time we have been going, I used to be simply so frightened that we have been going to get misplaced and that somebody was going to have to return and discover us. , like, that will be so embarrassing.

However, yeah, so that basically helped as a result of it is laborious to type of simply, you already know, from footage to actually choose up what the environment is like. This overwhelming humidity and the whole lot is so shut, however the birds are proper overhead and you may inform there’s stuff within the foliage round you that is scurrying out of your manner, however you do not know what it’s. And I imply, it is a fantastic, stunning spot.

However yeah, I imply, Hawaii is only a web site is form of… It is a little bit bit difficult as a result of it’s a fairly massive space, particularly Hawaii, the precise island itself, I imply, simply to go from one place to the following, if it’s a must to drive throughout the island, it’s a must to take this one single highway that goes in between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa and that it is like an hour and a half back and forth.

And the resort that they stayed in was the resort that we stayed in. And that drive that they did forwards and backwards was the drives that we did forwards and backwards as a result of one facet of the island’s very, very wet and the opposite facet is just not. So we wished to remain on the dry facet, however as a result of that facet of the island is so wet, you get these wealthy, verdant forests. 

And it is an ideal spot to type of set a e-book. Very totally different from any of the opposite locations that I would set any of the opposite books within the collection. And while you’re on e-book 10, you wish to try to hold issues recent.

Z: I loved the outline of the path proper in the beginning of the e-book as a result of I have not been to this a part of Hawaii, however I’ve been for a hike in Hawaii the place I used to be like, this isn’t my thought of a path. It is a bit a lot.

J: Precisely. There’s virtually no path.

Z: Sure.

So by way of the mission, the canines are actually essential. How does using each the conservation canine and Hawk impression the success of the mission within the e-book, with out freely giving too many spoilers?

J: Nicely, how that works on this e-book is the way it works in all the books, is that not one of the tales would transfer ahead with out the canines. The canines are the important thing.

I imply, it is the canine handler pairing that is actually the important thing. However you could not ship the handler on the market on their very own and get these type of outcomes.

So the whole lot is predicated across the canine. It is all primarily based round their superb abilities and the way they’ll, you already know, discover a scattering of pores and skin cells and, and observe it or, or use, you already know, use air scenting methods to run in and thru a scent cone till they’ll get it all the way down to a single spot. It is actually superb. 

So between the reside discover canines and the conservation canines, I imply, simply principally they’re in search of various things, but it surely’s very a lot the identical type of methods that they are utilizing. However the entire collection wouldn’t stand with out the canines, as a result of they’re the important thing to discovering all of the solutions in each case.

Okay: Earlier you talked about that the canine’s character, just like the canine’s motivation, is basically essential for coaching these canines. So how would you describe Hawk’s character and the way does that impression his function in your books and on this story?

J: Yeah, so like I mentioned, he is the lengthy distance runner canine. He is the loyal canine. He is actually regular. Possibly some individuals may discover him form of boring. Like, he is very degree.

One of many different canines within the e-book, Lacey, she’s the anxious canine and he or she’s bought numerous drive and he or she’s bought an ideal nostril. However she does are likely to get anxious in a few of the eventualities the place they’re looking. As an illustration, in Summit’s Edge, they should rope down the canines down a cliff hooked up to the backs of the handlers in order that they’re type of spinning in midair, and the place Hawk is rather like, okay, let’s do it. , that form of factor. Lacey was type of panicking as a result of, you already know, that is very unfamiliar for her. 

So Hawk is type of just like the reliable, you already know, simply retains going to the ends of the earth form of canine. However we. We see numerous totally different personalities. There’s 4 core canines within the e-book, though two are the principle canines, Lacey, the German shepherd, and Hawk, the Black Lab.

However we even have Rocco, who’s a border collie, after which we’ve Theo, who’s a bloodhound. And they also’ve all bought totally different personalities as a result of canines have totally different personalities.

Z: Sure, very true.

So typically Hawk picks up on hazard or he senses issues that Meg is not conscious of. Are you able to give us an instance of that from the e-book?

J: Nicely, on this e-book, this one has an actual totally different one, as a result of a part of it, as you type of mentioned in your intro, there’s two dangers which might be occurring on this e-book.

There’s the wildlife traffickers themselves, who’re fairly harmful and are available armed, after which there’s Mom Nature, as a result of at this specific second within the e-book, Mauna Loa is considering of erupting after 35 years. And most volcanoes erupt about each 5 years. And so this has been 35 years. And they also know it is coming. 

However what occurs earlier than a volcanic eruption is that you just get tremors as a result of you could have what’s known as a caldera, which is the place, you already know, type of with the highest of a volcano, as all of us form of consider it, the place there’s effervescent lava and that form of factor, however there’s numerous lava beneath. And a few of the lava will go lateral, it’s going to go sideways, and because it’s carving its manner by way of the rock additional and additional, you get tremors. 

And so these tremors are like a harbinger of what’s to return. However Hawk can at all times sense them coming earlier than Meg or her husband Todd can. And so within the very first chapter, second chapter, the primary time that they are out in Pu’u Maka’ala, like he stops and his fur goes up and like he type of has a response like he would if Meg was at risk.

And he or she’s actually confused after which the tremor hits and so he is in a position to hear and really feel this coming lengthy earlier than she will. So he is type of an early warning, you already know, he is an ideal protector when she’s in hassle. However on this case he is an early warning system to Mom Nature, you already know, having a mood tantrum.

Okay: Actually the sense of type of impending hazard began to turn out to be fairly the thread.

J: Nicely, yeah, as a result of then it involves the purpose the place they don’t seem to be certain, is the hazard from the traffickers or is the hazard from the volcano?

Okay: Yeah. So in my non canine work as an anthropologist, I work as a northern anthropologist and I really do numerous work within the species in danger area. So I used to be to learn concerning the species in danger facet of this e-book and the conservation elements of this e-book.

So what made you type of resolve to take a look at species in danger and birds in danger in Hawaii? What introduced that up for you or into this story for you?

J: I type of got here at it from the facet as a result of I had determined that I wished to set it in Hawaii as a result of it was like a novel setting. Once more, while you’re on e-book 10, you are actually making an attempt to combine issues up as a lot as attainable. And so I actually wished to set it in Hawaii as a result of it was a novel setting.

However simply due to the way in which Hawaii is, the federal crimes there are literally type of few and much between. So that is at all times a problem with this collection is that not solely does it must be a case that the canines must be concerned in, but it surely must be a federal case in order that it is an FBI canine that is concerned and never, you already know, like a neighborhood canine or a state canine.

It must be the federal canine. So I then you definitely then type of have to take a look at, so what does the FBI do? After which, yeah, I needed to discover one thing that form of labored for that.

In e-book three, Storm Rising, we had executed human trafficking, however wildlife trafficking can be an enormous deal. And it is very related in Hawaii as a result of they’re struggling a lot with so many species which might be simply actually teetering on the, on the sting of extinction.

For those who take a look at the Hawaiian crow, the ʻAlalā Venture, they have, I believe there’s like 150 of them left and it bought all the way down to about 120. They usually’re constructing them again up. However they’re additionally making an attempt to introduce them again into the setting.

They usually really tried to introduce them again into the Pu’u Maka’ala space, however the Hawaiian hawks have been simply choosing them off. I imply, that is simply pure.

I imply, that is what would usually occur of their pure setting, however on this case, they’re making an attempt to maintain these birds alive. In order that they’ve really began reintroducing the birds into Maui as a substitute of the place the hawk is not a hazard.

So there’s all of this that is happening in Hawaii with so many various hen breeds. And so it appeared like the suitable match for this hen. One thing very totally different from numerous the crime that is been in the remainder of the collection.

Z: It makes for a fascinating story. So that you talked about earlier that you’ve got written some books with a co creator who I am very sorry to listen to that she’s now not on this world. However are you able to inform us what was your writing course of like of working with a co creator? What’s that like?

J: Yeah, nicely, and each writing partnership works very otherwise. Like some individuals do it the place one particular person writes one chapter and one particular person writes one other chapter they usually simply undergo the e-book like that.

I at all times did all of the drafting, however I really met Ann once I was simply writing for enjoyable and posting issues on-line. And we at all times had this type of joke that I used to be the gun-control-loving Canadian and he or she was the gun-toting Texan. 

And he or she caught me in a gun error as a result of I simply did not know sufficient about it. And in order that began a dialogue between us after which we began form of brainstorming collectively after which she would at all times edit my work. So she began off as like a beta reader, however then what she was doing was greater than that.

So we actually began changing into an actual partnership. So we’d do all the story planning and the character type of planning collectively. After which I might write the primary draft after which she would edit it a chapter at a time as we have been doing it. After which so she’d rip it aside after which we would type of construct it again up collectively once more. After which we’d do it once more on the finish. 

That was a course of that labored for us for a very long time. I began writing the NYPD negotiators alone a couple of years earlier than she handed as a result of not as a result of we noticed the most cancers prognosis coming, however she was 20 years older than I used to be and I assumed that in some unspecified time in the future she was going to wish to step again. And, you already know, I am being 20 years youthful, would wish to hold going.

So I form of realized to write down alone earlier than she handed on, in order that when she did, That Others Could Stay was the very first Okay-9 e-book that I wrote alone. And I used to be a little bit bit nervous about it as a result of I used to be like, ooh, can I do that with out her there to choose up any errors I would make concerning the canines?

However bless her coronary heart, she left me with principally all of her information concerning the canines, and so I used to be in a position to hold going.

I miss her. It has been getting simpler with every e-book to write down it alone. But it surely was, that first e-book particularly, was extraordinarily bizarre simply because I did not have her to type of bounce concepts off of when it got here to the canines.

This transcript has been calmly edited for content material and magnificence.

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