PW: The heroine of Out of the Deep I Cry, Clare Fergusson, is an ex-army helicopter pilot turned Episcopalian priest. What was behind her creation?

Julia Spencer-Fleming: The priest part came first, but I knew I wanted to write action. I wanted to have extremely dynamic stories, and I thought by giving her a military background it would be feasible that she could confront danger, that she would have the skills necessary to disarm someone who is coming after her with a gun or, as in the case of the second book [A Fountain Filled with Blood], pilot a helicopter. Also, I think helicopters are very cool.

PW: Have you ever flown a helicopter like Clare?

JS-F: My father helped me a lot with the helicopter details, but no, I have not yet flown. I keep hoping to build up this dedicated core of helicopter pilots who read my books so that somebody will offer me a free ride at some point.

PW: You're a lawyer by profession. What made you turn to mystery writing?

JS-F: I turned to writing when I was not practicing law. At the time I was a stay-at-home mom and got involved with an Internet writers group. Though not deeply read in mysteries, I'd always enjoyed them and decided to try one myself. It seemed the ideal form for a novice because the structure is there. You have to have a murder, you have to have a solution. Having a skeleton to flesh out gave me a great deal more confidence than simply striking out on the completely wide-open boundaries of the literary novel.

PW: At the core of your series is the on-going delicate relationship between Clare and her married friend, Police Chief Russ Van Alstyne. Have your readers responded favorably?

JS-F: Oh, yes, I get more e-mail and more questions when I make appearances about their relationship than anything else. Lots of suggestions on ways to kill off his wife to clear the way. A lot of readers have thanked me for not having them jump into bed together, for portraying a couple who have this deep recognition of the soul with one another but who are committed enough to their vows to stand their ground and not simply give in to their feelings.

PW: Do you have any plans to write about the difficult issue facing the Episcopal Church today regarding the ordination of a gay bishop?

JS-P: In the book I'm working on now, Clare is going to have to face the repercussions. In the second book, she agreed to perform a commitment ceremony for two gay men. In real life the diocese of Albany to which she would belong is a conservative diocese. The bishop has come out against the issues of gay ordination. I thought it would be important for Clare to have to pay the piper because she is part of a hierarchy. She is going to have to account for her actions with a representative of the bishop. And I want to use that to illustrate the fact that it is not as simple in our church as just saying well, this congregation believes in it so we'll do it, and that congregation doesn't so we won't do it.

PW: What is it about the Episcopal Church that seems to lend itself so readily to mystery authors?

JS-F: I think in part because ours is a church tradition that honors human reason. The three pillars of the Episcopal Church are scripture, tradition and reason and that leaves an enormous amount of leeway for people to make personal moral choices within the church. So I think it gives a broader scope to characters who are faithful believers but who may be working out their belief in different ways.