1. I write with a box of See’s Chocolate Lollipops close by. If I can’t find a way out of a scene or get stuck on a big, white page, I suck on one of those, and it pulls the words loose.
2. The idea for the Salem's Cipher thriller series came from an offhand comment Chelsea Cain made while she and I were on a panel together. "I wish there were more kick-ass thrillers written by women and about women." Yeah, sister!
3. While Salem Wiley, the protagonist in Mercy's Chase, is a genius cryptanalyst, I am not. Doing crossword puzzles, reading mystery novels, and playing hide-and-go-seek are me at the top of my code-cracking game. I am, however, an excellent research and was delighted to discover all sorts of great cryptanalytical books and articles out there, including Helen F. Gaines's Cryptanalysis: A Study of Ciphers and Their Solution and Simon Singh's The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography.
4. In my head, Salem Wiley looks like a cross between my niece, Esmae, and my friend, Angie. I think of the two of them whenever I write her.
5. For research, I visited most of the locations included in Mercy's Chase, including a tour that brought me inside of Stonehenge. Tough job!
***
"An immersive voice, an intriguing story, a wonderful character—highly recommended!"—Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Jack Reacher novels
What if everything you thought you knew about Stonehenge was wrong?
When agoraphobic genius Salem Wiley lands her dream job as an FBI cryptanalyst, she vows never to return to the witch hunt underworld, where ancient secrets encrypted by hunted women have the power to rewrite history. Her resolve disappears when sweet Mercy Mayfair, the child she is pledged to protect, is kidnapped. With the help of the enigmatic Agent Lucan Stone, Salem is forced to code hunt in Ireland, England, and Scotland to keep the girl alive. As the clock ticks, she must face the terrible truth that there is only one way to free Mercy: crack the unbreakable code of Stonehenge.
Praise for Mercy's Chase:
"Both a sweeping adventure and race-against-time thriller, Mercy's Chase is fascinating, fierce, and brimming with heart—just like its heroine, Salem Wiley."
—Meg Gardiner, author of Into the Black Nowhere
Jess Lourey (rhymes with “dowry”) is an Anthony, Lefty, and Agatha-nominated author best known for her critically-acclaimed Mira James Mysteries, which have earned multiple starred reviews from Library Journal and Booklist, the latter calling her writing “a splendid mix of humor and suspense.” She is a tenured professor of creative writing and sociology, a recipient of The Loft's Excellence in Teaching fellowship, a regular Psychology Today blogger, and a sought-after workshop leader and keynote speaker who delivered the 2016 "Rewrite Your Life" TEDx Talk. Mercy's Chase, the second in the feminist thriller series Lee Child calls "highly recommended," releases September 8. You can find out more at www.jessicalourey.com.
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