David Rohlfing - Mysteries that Keep You Thinking

After a long business career, David decided to write a murder mystery series featuring Detective Sasha Frank. The first book in the series was titled Deliberate Duplicity and was released in January 2021. His second book in the series is titled Cold Consequences was released in July 2021. As our Author of the Day, he tells us all about this book.

Please give us a short introduction to what Cold Consequences is about.

Ashley Cummins, the granddaughter of a powerful judge, is unexpectedly shot while buying drugs from her dealer late one night on a city street. As detective Sasha Frank investigates her murder, all of his possible suspects start showing up dead or missing. Who is behind the killings? As pressure builds on Sasha to solve the case, he uncovers new information that begins to unravel a complicated web of evidence. Will Sasha prove who the killer is and take down the person responsible for the murders?

What inspired you to write about a granddaughter of a powerful judge who was shot unexpectedly?

There are many misconceptions about illicit drug use. I wanted to shine a light on the opioid drug crisis that affects many families in the United States, regardless of one's station in life.

Tell us more about Sasha Frank. What makes him tick?

When I first began developing the lead character of the Detective Sasha Frank Mystery Series, I felt it was critical to have him fight to find justice for victims of crime and their families. Sasha is relentless and leaves no stone unturned to find those responsible for the murders that take place in "Cold Consequences." I also wanted to feature a detective who resides in a small city in the Midwest versus murder mysteries featuring one from a large metroplex on the east or west coast of the United States.

This is the second book in your Detective Sasha Frank Mysteries series. Can it be read as a standalone? How do the other books in the series tie in with this one?

Readers can read the books as standalone and out of order. "Cold Consequences" is a prequel to my first book titled "Deliberate Duplicity." The second book takes place five years earlier than the first book in the series. While writing "Deliberate Duplicity," I believed that I could write a series featuring Detective Sasha Frank, so I added references in the first book to crimes that occur in the second book.

What was your greatest challenge when writing this book?

When I decided to attempt to write a murder mystery, I read many articles on how to write. However, I found that I couldn't write following the advice those articles espoused. It was impossible for me to fully outline the story and develop all the characters before writing. Instead, I just started with the basic plot, and the storyline developed as I wrote, which worked for me.

Do you have any interesting writing habits? What is an average writing day like for you?

I like to write during the winter. I sit in our family room with the television tuned to a channel featuring shows from the 1950's, 60's and 70's. I find the background noise doesn't bother me. When I'm writing, I spend about five to six hours a day at my laptop.

Readers say the book had them hooked from the start. How did you pull this off?

"Cold Consequences" has a unique way of starting. Readers learn the name of the murder victim and who is responsible for her death in the first few pages. Detective Sasha Frank is assigned to investigate the murder and finds many of his key suspects are turning up dead or missing. I wanted to draw readers into helping the detective and his partner solve the crimes that take place as they read the book.

Interesting cover. Please tell us more about how it came about.

I wanted to use a similar cover design for "Cold Consequences" as the first book, and I plan to continue to use this layout in future books. The top part of the cover is a picture of a tree in my backyard after an ice storm hit the city where I live. The lower part of the cover represents ice breaking up on a lake.

Do you plan out your plot before you start writing, or does some of it just "happen" along the way?

As I mentioned earlier, I have the basic plot in my mind, but the story does develop as I write.

Do you ever suffer from writer's block? If so, what do you do to combat it?

I'm fortunate to say that I don't. I don't have a problem stepping away from writing for hours or even days and then returning to take up where I left off.

What are you working on right now?

I'm writing the third book in the series now. It features a man attempting to find the perfect woman to replace his fiancé, who died in a car accident. Unfortunately, the women he meets don't measure up to what he's looking to find as a replacement, and he punishes them for that by killing them. Sasha thinks there is only one victim but finds additional victims while attempting to solve the initial crime.

Where can our readers discover more of your work or interact with you?

The best place to learn more about the Detective Sasha Frank Mystery Series is at www.davidrohlfing.com. You can also find out more about me on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.