Alexa Williams sits down for a Q&A with dru’s book musings responding to twenty or more questions so that we can learn more about her. Are you ready? Let’s get to know Alexa.
What is your full name?
Alexa Williams. My friends and family sometimes call me Lexie.
How old are you?
Early thirties
What is your profession?
I’m an attorney at my family firm, Williams, Williams and Stewart. As a small-town law firm, we are generalists. I tend to focus primarily on family law. Right now, I’m on a four-month sabbatical, working with a wildlife advocacy organization in Botswana. I’m far outside of my comfort zone, assisting with lion research and representing the organization on a wildlife conservation committee making recommendations to the Botswana government.
Do you have a significant other?
Yes.
What is their name and profession?
Reese Michaels works for an international wildlife advocacy organization, Africa Trust. He’s the reason I’m currently in Botswana. He’s heading up Africa Trust’s lion research project here on an interim basis.
Do you have any children?
No.
Do you have any siblings?
I have an older brother, Graham. He’s head partner in our law firm, and we’re quite close. I owe him big time for letting me take such a long sabbatical in Africa.
Are your parents nearby?
Not at present since I’m in Botswana. But, back home, my parents live nearby most of the time. When my dad retired, they pursued their lifelong dream and bought a villa in Italy. These days, they spend part of each year in their restored farmhouse in Umbria.
Who is your best friend?
Melissa Lambert has been my best friend since elementary school. A flamboyant redhead with a boho flair, she owns an art gallery where she exhibits her photography. Melissa is also quite involved in RESIST, a group that helps victims of sex-trafficking. She married Reese’s good friend, Jim Kline, a few months ago. The newlyweds will be joining us in Botswana soon for a safari.
Do you have any pets?
Scout, a gigantic English Mastiff, is my constant companion. He stayed home with Melissa, Jim and my parents when Reese and I flew to Botswana. I really miss the big bruiser although I’ve talked to him a few times on Skype calls. Well, to be accurate, I talked, and he whined at the sound of my voice.
What town do you live in?
Carlisle, a small town in southcentral Pennsylvania not far from the state capital of Harrisburg. Carlisle is home to a college, a law school, and the U.S. Army War College
Do you live in a small town or a big city?
Although my address is Carlisle and that’s where my law office is located, I actually live in the mountains outside of town.
Type of dwelling and do you own or rent?
I live in a log cabin that my family owned. We spent summers there when I was a child. When I returned to Carlisle from many years in New York City, I was looking for peace and quiet. So, my parents offered me the cabin as a temporary residence. After a few years, they sold it to me outright. I’ve made a few improvements, like adding more deck space and a hot tub. But I like the rustic charm.
What is your favorite spot in your home?
In the summer, I love to spend time on the deck, listening to the wind sigh through the old growth pine forest out front. It’s a wonderful place for morning meditation and yoga. In the winter, I snuggle in front of the wood-burning stove in the log-walled living room.
Favorite meal and dessert?
Either Penne Carbonara or Emperor’s Chicken. Although it’s not quite a dessert, I always enjoy a huge cup of Chai Tea after my weekly yoga classes.
Do you have any hobbies?
Hiking. Yoga. Reading. I was learning Krav Maga but decided to take a break from those lessons for a while. I’m also involved with several environmental organizations and the anti-sex trafficking organization RESIST.
What is your favorite vacation spot?
I really enjoyed my first African safari in Tanzania and Kenya. Reese and I have just begun our four months in Botswana, but so far, it’s an extraordinary place as well. I love seeing all the wild animals in their natural habitat.
What music do you listen to?
My tastes are eclectic. I like everything from seventies rock to Gregorian chants. I’m not real keen on country though; it reminds me of an old boyfriend who turned out to be a real disappointment.
Do you have a favorite book?
Pride and Prejudice. Because of some of the dangerous situations I’ve had to extract myself from, people view me as capable, even tough. And, yes, I know how to take care of myself. But, deep down, I’m a sucker for romance. I won’t say that Reese looks exactly like Mr. Darcy, but . . .
What is your idea of a really fun time?
Spending the day outdoors, hiking or hanging out with friends.
If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
Searching for Peace; Stumbling upon Mayhem
Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
Amateur. Sometimes, I fear I’m a magnet for murder. How else to explain why I keep stumbling across dead bodies? Of course, I’ll admit it’s my curiosity and sense of outrage that usually lead me into danger. Melissa says I just can’t let well enough alone. She’s usually reluctant to help me dig deeper when I try to get to the bottom of a situation. But I can often rope my friend Tyrell Jenkins and boyfriend Reese into helping me out.
In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
Since I’m in Botswana right now, a typical day is to rise before dawn and head out into the bush of the Okavango Delta in a safari vehicle looking for lions. I travel with Reese or another Africa Trust researcher, Mokapi. When we find the pride, we spend hours observing, cataloging lion characteristics and snapping photos. Other days, I fly into the capital city, Gaborone, to attend meetings of the Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Dead on the Delta, Alexa Williams Mystery #5
Genre: Suspense
Release: February 2021
Purchase Link
Alexa Williams is about to spend four months conducting lion research in the African bush with her boyfriend Reese. She looks forward to witnessing the elemental life and death struggle of the wild, but she never imagines she’ll become one of the hunted on the remote Okavango Delta.
Botswana protects its wildlife with strict policies and an entire army deployed to combat poaching. So Alexa and Reese are shocked when poachers wipe out an entire herd of elephants. At the site of the mass slaughter near their lion project, they promise authorities that they’ll watch for suspicious activity as they travel the Delta.
When the country’s strict wildlife conservation policies come under debate in the capital, tensions flare and Alexa begins to suspect the ongoing poaching incidents may be about even more than the illicit ivory trade. Especially when a close friend dies when caught in the crossfire.
After an alarming series of near escapes, gunmen attack the safari camp where she and Reese are staying, and Alexa must brave wild animals and the dangerous labyrinth of Delta channels in a desperate attempt to save the hostages, including the man she loves.
About the author
Sherry Knowlton is the author of the Alexa Williams series of suspense novels including Dead of Spring, Dead of Winter, and the just-released Dead on the Delta. Passionate about books at an early age, she was that kid who would sneak a flashlight to bed at night so she could read beneath the covers. All the local librarians knew her by name. When not writing the next Alexa Williams thriller, Knowlton works with her health care consulting business or travels around the world. She and her husband live in the mountains of South-Central Pennsylvania.
All comments are welcomed.
Reading this now. Great setting!
Thanks Sherry and Alexa for dropping by