From the Publisher: “A deadly virus is bearing down on the world and Emerson Mackenzie, CEO of PharmaScience Technologies—now back in its ancestral home of Port Kenneth, Tennessee—opens up the historic Mackenzie house on the family’s defunct sheep farm to six people: himself, his wife Tess Cartieri, his house manager, two members of his board of directors, and his executive assistant, Taylor Alexander.
Taylor won’t abandon Emerson, but at the same time, they don’t want to be there. Taylor has secrets, a past and memories they cannot face, and they fear that being locked in a house with five others will be entirely too revealing.
Taylor’s passion is to be outside, hiking, in a world that makes sense to them, and Emerson harnesses that, asking Taylor to map the boundaries of the old sheep farm and maybe help discover secrets buried on the land. Taylor is glad to do so, although the secrets they help Emerson and Tess discover are immediately darker and more disturbing than any had expected.
As the virus rages, as tensions across the country simmer, as relationships within the house change, and as the land gives up its secrets, Taylor realizes time has grown short. Their secrets cannot remain hidden any longer.
When they spill, Taylor is exposed for all in the house to see.
And every person inside the house responds in ways Taylor never expected.”
More info About the Author: Susan Helene Gottfried is the heavy-metal-loving, not-disabled-enough divorced Jewish mother of two. A freelance line editor to authors of fiction by day, her select roster of clients tend to hit bestseller lists, and more than a few have quit their day jobs. It’s not entirely her doing, but like does attract like. Tales from the Sheep Farm is her offer to her fellow diverse authors to create a world in which all are welcome. Come dream and build it with her.Susan holds a BA (University of Pittsburgh) and MFA (Bowling Green State University) in English Writing and Fiction, respectively. She lives with a couple cats in the Pittsburgh suburbs, just West of Mars. Visit her at WestofMars.com and TalesFromTheSheepFarm.com.
West of Mars Don’t miss out: Susan Helene Gottfried will be appearing at a number of local book events in the fall, including Northland Library’s Local Author Fair on March 23 and Authors in the Steel City on September 28!
Welcome back, and congratulations on the publication of Safe House. This is the third in the Tales from the Sheep Farm series, right? Tell us about it.
It is the third book, and thanks for hosting me again today.
Safe House came about because an early reader wanted to know more about Mack’s executive assistant, Taylor Alexander. So did I, to be honest, and I was looking forward to the challenge of writing a nonbinary person.
That wasn’t nearly as hard as I’d been worried it would be. Taylor speaks very clearly to me, and parallels some of my own life experiences.
What was hard is that the book is framed by the pandemic—called the virus in my fictional world. I wanted to capture a lot of what was happening through the first few months but I didn’t want this to be a straight pandemic book.
So it’s more of a story in which we have these people locked up in a huge farmhouse, on a lot of acreage. They’re isolated from what’s happening, and Taylor at least recognizes the privilege in this.
While this is Taylor’s story, absolutely, we see all six members of the house struggling, each in their own ways and with their own things. It turned into a fun book to write.
Fun? But didn’t you just say it’s a pandemic book?
Well, it’s first and foremost Taylor’s story, and I think it’s a great story. Taylor knows their secrets can’t stay hidden forever. What they never bargained for was what would happen once those secrets are revealed. (Hint: the series tagline is people are treasures too—but that doesn’t mean all our journeys are easy.)
Plus, while we had alligators in Maybe the Bird Will Rise and yardsticks and balconies in Populated, now we’ve got a cat in the mix. And a rattlesnake, too, come to think of it. Like many of us, Taylor gets through the pandemic by escaping outside. And on the sheep farm, there’s plenty of outside to explore!
Can someone start the series here?
Unlike Populated (Book Two), you really need to have read at least the first, Maybe the Bird Will Rise.
The Tales from the Sheep Farm series has kind of evolved so that you can read only the odd-numbered books, which center Mack and Tess and their quest to learn his family history, or the even-numbered books, which center street photographer Delia Ford and, slowly, the Shaikovsky family.
Of course, you’ll miss certain references and some of the fun, but you can do it, if you’re so inclined.
Why’d you do it that way? Why not break them into two specific series?
Because it sort of happened, which is how most of my life and career works. I let things evolve and watch what happens. Often, like with these books, it’s a delight. And the characters’ lives become very intertwined, as happens in all book series with large casts. So you’ll see Mack and Tess in the even-numbered books, and you’ll see Delia and Meter and his little sister in the odd-numbered books.
After all, it’s all set in the same fictional city, with the same underlying message of diversity and equality and the struggles we all face in our daily lives.
And honestly, it’s fun to push against the conventional boundaries a little bit.
Q&A: Susan Helene Gottfried (Maybe the Bird Will Rise and West of Mars)!
What’s next for you and the Tales from the Sheep Farm project?
You’ll be able to catch me and get autographed copies of all three books, along with some older titles and the more recent collection of stories, Permission to Enter, at Northland Library’s Local Author Fair on March 23. I’ll be on the panel with the romance writers, so plan to come early!
In the autumn, I’ll be going to a number of shows and events, including Books Books Books in Lancaster and, closer to home, Authors in the Steel City. Come on out and visit me and grab some books at special event pricing. I love to chat with cool people—and remember that people are treasures too, so even if you don’t think you’re cool, you’re still a treasure.
On the book front, expect Book Four, Saving Sima, at some point over the summer. June or July… it’s at the proofreader and I’m waiting on the cover. I’m super excited to get this book out into the world, as I always am.
And hopefully we’ll get Book Five, Legacy, to you by the end of the calendar year. This is the first book that’s still in edits as I’m talking to you, so cross your fingers I can get it in the shape I want before you can read it. Like all the others, it’s full of zany adventures and the hallmarks of this series: a diverse cast, zany animal appearances, and the message that… well, you know. It’s the series tagline.
Thanks, Susan! Where can we pick up copies of Safe House—or the previous Tales from the Sheep Farm books?
All the usual retailers, and for my Large Print readers, I recommend Bookshop.org. I’m proud to make Large Print editions available. I’d love to get a few copies to have with me for the fall author events, too, so if you’d like one, drop me a line and let me know!
Visit Susan at Westofmars.com and TalesFromtheSheepFarm.com
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