Interview with Dana Ridenour Endorf

This month, my year and a half-old feature Author of the Month makes history as I crown the first ever two-time winner, Dana Ridenour who’s also my third consecutive female former law enforcement professional to win the honor. Dana’s the author of the Lexie Montgomery series of thrillers who’d just won the Royal Palm Literary Award and is working hard on getting Lexie in a three season television series of her own. Although the former FBI agent-cum author was my first Author of the Month, that was long before I’d begun doing interviews with my honorees earlier this year and have been chomping at the bit to get her to sit for one.

1) Dana, you’d worked for the FBI for 20 years and had retired not too long ago. Like your character Lexie, you were an undercover operative, potentially one of the most dangerous jobs in the bureau. What percentage to date do you think your law enforcement experience informs the Montgomery series?

All three of my Lexie Montgomery books are works of fiction, but I would have to say that one hundred percent of my experiences as an agent are spilled out onto the pages. When I started writing, I didn’t want to write a run of the mill FBI novel. I wanted to use my personal experiences as an undercover agent to capture the psychological toll that undercover work has on an agent. When an agent works long term, deep cover investigations, he or she is changed at the end of the case. You lose a little piece of yourself with every long-term case. The dangers that I faced in my career made me the person that I am today. Those experiences make up the character of Lexie Montgomery. So, even though the books are fiction, the characters and cases are based on many of my real-life experiences. At this point it would be impossible to separate Lexie’s emotions from my emotions. She has in a sense become my alter-ego.

2)   Let’s talk about your late friend Captain Sandy Vermont for a minute. Sandy became perhaps the most vivid character in BEYOND THE CABIN, the second book in the Lexie Montgomery series. For those of us who hadn’t read it or knew Sandy, what kind of a man was he?

Captain Sandy Vermont was a naturalist, a storyteller, and a wise man. I worked on his tour boat off and on over many years and we became very close. Captain Sandy shaped and influenced my life in so many ways. His passion for the history, mystery and romance of the area was contagious. My love of the South Carolina Lowcountry came from the countless hours that I spent on the boat with him, listening to his stories and learning about the area. Captain Sandy taught me to throw a cast net, made me laugh, and brought great comfort to me in troubling times. He was a special person.

3)   It’s no surprise that Lexie is every bit as much of a South Carolinian as you. Wherever she goes, the mud of the Palmetto State is always between her toes. Do the salty marshlands of South Carolina inspire your fiction as it did Pat Conroy?

The South Carolina Lowcountry is my home. I have a deep love and appreciation for the area. It is impossible to live in this area and not appreciate the remarkable beauty that surrounds us. Prior to becoming a Special Agent, I worked as a First Mate for Captain Sandy’s Tours in Georgetown, South Carolina. We provided boat tours of the majestic old rice plantations, shelling and lighthouse tours, and, at night, ghost tours. Captain Sandy taught me everything I know about the history, mystery and romance of this area. From the charming people to the smell of the pluff mud, I love everything about the Lowcountry.

4)   To those of us who haven’t been in federal law enforcement or have had the benefit of your Juris Doctorate, how do you find ways to bring home the realities of the FBI in a way that that not only edifies but also entertains the reader? Do you think it’s a matter of winning over the gentiles or the subject material finding its own audience?

Striking a balance between keeping the novels realistic and entertaining readers was the most difficult part of writing the series. The FBI is hardly ever portrayed factually in novels, television, or movies. I wanted to write a realistic FBI undercover novel. My firsthand knowledge of undercover work allowed me to write a novel that not only has a thriller element, but also delves into the psychological impact that undercover work has on the agent. I think that I’ve managed to do so without compromising the realism. It’s hard to compete with books and movies where someone is being killed on every page or in the first two minutes of a movie. I’m hoping to build an audience of people who want to know what really goes on behind the scenes in an FBI investigation.

5) Do you remain in touch with your old colleagues still in the Bureau? How supportive have they been to your writing endeavors?

I keep in touch with many friends who are still on the job. They have been supportive and encouraging. I’ve even spoke at one of the FBI offices during my last book tour.

6)  In the first entry in the series, BEHIND THE MASK, you thrust Lexie into an undercover role when she’s fresh from her training that requires she infiltrate a radical animal rights group. Were you ever in a real situation like that or can you not talk about that?

My first long term, deep cover undercover case required me to infiltrate a radical animal rights group. BEHIND THE MASK is fiction, but it is loosely based on cases that I worked. I was the undercover agent in several domestic terrorism cases where I infiltrated radical groups. 

7) This segues into the next question of how dangerous is it for an undercover operative to become sympathetic to the people they’re surveilling and to “go native” as they say?

It depends on the case. In some investigations, the subjects are so despicable, that becoming too sympathetic is not a problem. However, when I infiltrated animal extremist groups it was a different situation. Most of the people who I encountered during those investigations were nice people simply trying to save animals. There were only a small number who were committing acts of terrorism. I love animals, so being exposed the animal abuse and other atrocities on a daily basis was emotionally draining. That is why the role of the contact agent is so important. Undercover agents have to learn to compartmentalize their emotions, which takes a little practice. When an agent is new to working undercover, it can be difficult to not get lost in the role. A good undercover agent relies on his or her contact agent to keep him or her grounded in reality.

8)  Describe your typical writing day. Do you use notebooks, laptop, a combination of both? How many hours per day do you typically write?

I use a laptop. My handwriting is atrocious, so I can’t use notebooks. I do keep a small notebook with me in case inspiration strikes and I need to make some quick notes. I also use a storyboard with my three-act structure. If I’m working on revisions and have a deadline, then I will usually work an eight-hour day. My husband pushes coffee to me so I am able to keep my butt in the chair. When I’m working on a manuscript, I’ll write anywhere from two to six hours a day. I enjoy writing and if I’m not careful the entire day will slip by without me knowing it.

9) Plotter or pantser?

I’m definitely a pantser, however, I have had to start doing some plotting since the Lexie Montgomery books have become a series. I have to be careful to not write myself into a corner with the series.

10)   I mentioned the Lexie Montgomery TV project in the introduction. Tell us more about it and with whom are you working and how much input do you get to have with the finished product?

I met my writing partner, Michael Lucker at a writers’ conference a couple years ago. He has over twenty years of experience as a screenwriter. With his experience and the material from my three novels, we set out to write a screenplay for a feature length motion picture. Michael’s entertainment agent advised us to work on a television series instead. So, we worked together to write the one pager, outline the characters, outline the first three seasons, and write the series pilot. Michael and I are equal partners in the project. The project is complete and in the capable hands of Michael’s entertainment agent who is trying to sell the project.

11)   Lexie is obviously based very closely on you and your experiences. Do you picture yourself when you describe Lexie and is she an idealized version of the real you?

I’d like to think that Lexie is a better version of me. I definitely picture a younger version of myself when I’m writing the character. The character of Lexie came about because of emotions that I experienced as a new undercover agent.

12)   Had any of your colleagues or friends besides Captain Sandy made the trilogy or is it more like a collective impression of several?

The two characters that are the most steeped in realism are Lexie and Captain Meade. I had a special relationship with Captain Sandy Vermont, the person on whom I based the Captain Meade character on, so it was only natural that Lexie and Captain Meade have a special friendship. I spent thirteen years in the FBI undercover program and during that time I had three outstanding contact agents. The character of Kate Summers is a compilation of my contact agents: Bruce, Ralph and Vickie. I guess I made the character a female because my last contact agent was a female and it was a natural fit with Lexie.

13)   All writers get the dreaded so-called writer’s block. How do you deal with it? Do you back away from the desk or do you conquer it with an exercise?

I back away from the desk. If I’m having a difficult writing day, I usually grab my husband and we go for a walk on the beach. I’ve found that getting back to nature helps the creative juices. I’ve also found that playing guitar also helps to get me back on track.

14)   Considering the classified nature of your work with the Bureau, did you need authorization from it before going forward with the books or did you merely elide over the classified aspects?

All of my books had to go through a pre-publishing review process with the FBI to insure that I wasn’t disclosing any trade secrets. I was also held to a little different standard because of my affiliation with the FBI.  For example, I was not allowed to use a photo of the FBI seal on the cover.

15)   So, what’s next for Lexie and Dana? Is the Montgomery series a trilogy and will you start a new series or are there more Lexie adventures in store?

The third book in the series, BELOW THE RADAR, is scheduled for a summer release. I’m working on a fourth book that has nothing to do with the FBI. Some people think I’m crazy switching genres, but I’ve wanted to write this book for a long time. I’m not permanently leaving the FBI thriller genre, I’m just taking a break. The book I’m working on now is a modern literary fiction. It has some adventure and quite a bit of humor. I’m having a great time writing the manuscript and I feel that I’m growing as an author. I’m also planning a second FBI series. I do enjoy writing the character of Lexie Montgomery, so I wouldn’t count her out. She may show up in another Lexie Montgomery book or even as a cross over character in the new FBI series.

Dana's contact information:

Website: http://www.danaridenour.net/

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/danaridenourwriterpage/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ridenour_dana

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/undercoverauthor/