I know Cam Torrens through my publisher, Black Rose Writing, and I’ve read every book he’s written. His writing introduces me to a type of life in a part of the country I only fantasize about. I’ve visited Colorado, but never stayed long enough to get a sense of the way of life. I find it in Cam’s writing. More than that, he is a gifted storyteller, and he writes wonderful action/mystery. If you’ve not discovered him yet, it would be worth your while to add him to your TBR list, especially if you enjoy intelligent writing in the mystery/suspense and action genre.
I interviewed Cam months ago for my Author Blog, and you can find it here: Meet Cam Torrens – An Author! but upon the release of his newest book, Diverted, I thought it would be fun to find out, from the author’s mind, a little about his book. Here are some questions I posed to him, and his answers follow.
How did you come up with the plot of Diverted?
First and foremost, I wanted to write a book centered in Buena Vista, Colorado. I love our town and I often say this is my “love story” to Buena Vista and the people who welcomed my family almost eight years ago with open arms. I also wanted to write about a search & rescue capability we often use but that I’m very inexperienced in-river rescue. My SAR teammates helped me a lot in putting these scenes together. Finally, I wanted to write about music. We have a vibrant music scene here in BV, and several of my SAR teammates are musicians on both the local and national stage. So there you have it: My town, Our river, and Our music!
Your Zahn character “sounds” very much like you in real life. How did you come to “invent” him? Actually, how much of Zahn is really you?
I often joke that Zahn can’t be modeled after me because he’s ten years younger with hair and a sense of humor. But of course he has a lot of “me” characteristics. We’re both military veterans. We both retired and were looking forward to “not being in charge” anymore. We both found it impossible to not get involved in our communities. Zahn doesn’t always do the legal right thing, but rarely fails when it comes to a moral choice. He represents the person I want or aspire to be.
I enjoyed the fact that you featured Zahn’s daughter. What made you decide to add her in a featured role?
Two of our six children are daughters. My oldest is who I think of when I’m writing about Daria, and my youngest is who I think of when I’m writing Kristee Li (a character in my earlier books.) I’d do anything to keep them safe, and so would Tyler Zahn, so my decision to have those characters facing peril in my books helps keep the stakes high.
You have one or two subplots within the book. How did you come up with them?
I tell people that each Tyler Zahn book can be read as a standalone novel, and you don’t have to start at the beginning of the series. The only consistent subplot in the series started in the book False Summit. Zahn’s SAR teammate disappeared during a rockslide in a remote mountain range. Zahn just isn’t convinced Kristee Li’s body is buried under those rocks. Diverted briefly touches on that subplot, as well as Zahn’s continuing romance with FBI agent Emma Frazier.
Now that Diverted has hit the bookshelves, when can we expect to get our hands on your follow up?
A fellow Black Rose Writing author, Gail Ward Olmsted, and I are teaming up for the next book, Miranda Heights (#4 in her Miranda Quinn Legal Twist series and #7 in the Tyler Zahn series.) Zahn and Miranda get off to a bumpy start when they meet during a search and rescue mission in the Colorado Rockies. The book will be released in September 2027. I just signed a contract yesterday for Tyler Zahn #8: Five Days in Baoshan, which will be the first TZ book set outside of Colorado. It will be published in August 2028.
I also had the pleasure of interviewing Gail Ward Olmsted also, and you can find that interview here: Meet Gail Ward Olmsted – An Author! That Gail and Cam are co-writing a book is an interesting twist, and it is one story I’m looking forward to reading.
Here is my review of Cam Torren’s new book, Diverted.
One line hit me like a sledgehammer: “I keep thinking about how fast everything can go wrong. How fragile it all is.” That one early line in Cam Torren’s terrific thriller, Diverted, says it all. It’s every parent’s nightmare, and every parent’s reality. Raw with emotion and more twists and turns than a rollercoaster, Torren’s character, Tyler Zahn, feels it all. His daughter, Daria, sets aside her graduate studies to learn river life as a guide. She and Zahn find out, the hard way, that rivers have perils, both seen and unseen, and tragedies happen. But both Zahn and Daria are determined to navigate both life and the river.
Readers will be swept along with the current taking place within the pages- sometimes calm and passive, sometimes raging and unpredictable, and some bring death. You won’t see what’s coming until it’s too late, and you’ll be too far gone to set it aside. Diverted is, perhaps, my favorite of Cam Torrens’ books, and I’ve had the pleasure of reading them all. If you’ve not already discovered this terrific author, you need to. Diverted is a perfect place to start. I recommend it wholeheartedly, and it is worthy of 5 stars I’ve given it!
Joseph Lewis, Author of Blaze In, Blaze Out and Black Yéʼii (The Evil One)
For those of you who will be in the Fredericksburg, Virginia area on Saturday, Oct. 3, I am participating in the Fredericksburg Independent Book Festival in downtown Fredericksburg in Riverfront Park from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. There will be close to 90 authors of all genres taking part, and I will have all ten of my books for sale and signing. Also, I will give a presentation on stage from 12:30 PM to 1:00 PM on Crafting the Thriller. I hope you stop down and visit with me. I’d love to meet you.
I hope you enjoyed this post, and I would love to hear your thoughts. You can use the form at the bottom for any comments. As always, thank you for following along on my writing journey. Until next time …
