Join host Terry Shepherd for a thrilling conversation with author R. John Dingle as they delve into the dark, isolated world of his newest mystery, Before the Devil Knows. This third installment in the critically acclaimed Gus Wheeler FBI thriller series takes readers deep into the off-the-grid communities of northern Maine, where dark secrets and archaic religious practices collide.

When the disfigured bodies of missing teenagers begin appearing in unmarked graves—each bearing the disturbing signature of a lead cross laid across the chest—FBI agent Gus Wheeler must connect the ancient scriptural breadcrumbs to catch a killer.

Episode Highlights

• The Unlikely Protagonist: Discover how Dingle modeled his protagonist, Gus Wheeler, after his own son, Sam. Wheeler is a severely dyslexic, professional jazz musician whose unique way of connecting disparate dots makes him a naturally brilliant FBI profiler.
• Setting the Scene: Learn why the isolated, foggy, and rugged landscape of Aroostook County, Maine, serves as the perfect, eerie backdrop for a secretive church governed by rigid Old Testament views.
• The Writing Process: Dingle reveals his intensive outlining strategy and explains why he almost always knows the ending of his books before he starts writing. He also shares why he actually changed the ending of Before the Devil Knows at the eleventh hour based on a suggestion from his son.
• The Publishing Slog: Aspiring authors will find inspiration in Dingle’s grueling path to publication, which included sending out 283 queries over a year and a half to land his agent, Kathy Greene. After another year and a half of searching, he finally secured a three-book deal that has since expanded to a six-book series.
• Advice for Writers: Dingle shares his ultimate, hard-earned advice for aspiring authors: "Sit your butt in the chair and write."

Discover more about R. John Dingle and his work: To learn more about the Gus Wheeler series and pick up your copy of Before the Devil Knows, visit the author's official website at rjohndingle.com.

We all inevitably become the brand. And that's why I wrote, "How to Become a Dynamic Podcast Guest and Sell Stuff." It's a sweet and short primer that teaches you about the gear, the appearance and the messaging that can grab and hold today's micro-attention spans and motivate your listeners to take action. It's Just a dollar ninety nine at Amazon. Grab your copy today and sell mo

What happens when an FBI insider turns his real-world counterintelligence experience into gripping espionage fiction? In this episode of In Conversation, Terry Shepherd sits down with former attorney and investigator Steven L. Conley to explore his thrilling new novel, False Flag. Inspired by the actual twenty-year hunt for a Chinese mole inside the Bureau, this discussion pulls back the curtain on the grueling psychological and bureaucratic realities of national security work.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

• 🕵️‍♂️ The Anatomy of a Mole Hunt: How a real-world double-agent operation inspired a fictional narrative about institutional trust fossilizing into catastrophic betrayal.
• ⚖️ The Labyrinth of Process: The frustrating gap between what an investigator knows and what the law permits them to prove, including the legal hurdles of FISA warrants and the threat of "graymail".
• 👀 The Cost of High Alertness: How counterintelligence training fundamentally alters an agent's perception, transforming everyday encounters into potential threats and making ordinary life feel staged.
• ✍️ The Operative as Storyteller: The cathartic process of deconstructing plot and motive to write a book that examines the heavy toll of keeping secrets from spouses, children, and friends.

About the Guest

Steven L. Conley entered the FBI by way of law school, international law, and a formative internship handling ship registries in Malta. Having lived inside the deep bureaucracy of secrecy, he brings unmatched institutional memory to his writing. False Flag is his gripping debut in espionage fiction, balancing the mechanics of classic spy thrillers with profound psychological depth.

About Terry Shepherd

Terry Shepherd is an author and the host of the In Conversation podcast series. Through deep-dive interviews with leading creators, Terry explores the shared commonalities of craft, motive, and storytelling that connect authors with their readers.

Links & Resources

• Buy the Book: [Insert Purchase Link for False Flag]
• Author Website: [Insert Steven L. Conley's Website Link]
• Connect with the Host: [Insert Terry Shepherd's Official Website Link]
• Listen & Subscribe: [Insert Podcast Platform/Buzzsprout Links]

We all inevitably become the brand. And that's why I wrote, "How to Become a Dynamic Podcast Guest and Sell Stuff." It's a sweet and short primer that teaches you about the gear, the appearance and the messaging that can grab and hold today's micro-attention spans and motivate your listeners to take action. It's Just a dollar ninety nine at Amazon. Grab your copy today and sell mo

Join host Terry Shepherd for an engaging conversation with award-winning mystery author Margaret Mizushima. In this episode, they dive deep into Dying Cry, the thrilling 10th installment of the internationally published Timber Creek Canine Mysteries. Margaret shares her creative process, the real-world research behind her authentic K-9 characters, and what is next for Deputy Maddie Walker and her canine partner, Robo.

What You'll Hear in This Episode

• The World of Dying Cry: Discover how a snowy family snowshoe outing for newlyweds Maddie and Cole Walker turns deadly. A scream cuts through the canyon, leading Maddie and Robo to witness a shadowy figure vanish beneath a deadly rockslide.
• Real-World Inspiration: Margaret explains how her retired veterinarian husband helps her brainstorm plotlines. Together, they developed a storyline centered around a veterinary drug known as "tranq," which is abused by addicts and drug experimenters.
• Building Robo: Learn how Margaret's lifelong observation of dogs and her shadowing of a retired K-9 handler helped bring her beloved German shepherd character to life. Robo was purchased by the Timber Creek community to detect drugs and serve as a well-socialized partner in local schools.
• Hands-On Research: Hear about Margaret's fascinating trip to a Las Vegas police dog trial to observe K-9 behaviors, such as how officers command their dogs to release a bite sleeve.
• Future Projects: Get a sneak peek into her upcoming fall release, Fighting Edge, which tackles the serious issue of teenage labor trafficking. Margaret also shares that she is currently writing book 12, which focuses on vulnerable elderly people.

About the Guest

Margaret Mizushima is a retired speech therapist who grew up on a Colorado cattle ranch. She spent 15 years working toward publication, writing five manuscripts before her debut novel, Killing Trail, was finally picked up by Crooked Lane Books. Today, her work has earned honors from the Colorado Authors League, the Independent Book Publishers Association, and Women Writing the West.

Fans love her series because of the lovable K-9 Robo, the fairly clean language, and her depiction of a supportive, competent police department.

Books Discussed

Book Title | Release Info | Plot HighlightsDying Cry | Book 10, released October 2025 | A deadly rockslide, greed, and the abuse of a veterinary drug called "tranq"
Fighting Edge | Upcoming fall release | Focuses on the domestic and international labor trafficking of vulnerable teenagers
Killing Trail | Book 1, released 2015 | The debut novel that launched the Timber Creek series

Connect with Margaret: Visit her official website at margaretmizushima.com to explore her work.

We all inevitably become the brand. And that's why I wrote, "How to Become a Dynamic Podcast Guest and Sell Stuff." It's a sweet and short primer that teaches you about the gear, the appearance and the messaging that can grab and hold today's micro-attention spans and motivate your listeners to take action. It's Just a dollar ninety nine at Amazon. Grab your copy today and sell mo