You have an extremely diverse and fascinating background:  you conduct speaker training for platform speaking and crisis communication and write and produce videos.  Are any of these talents reflected in your P.I. protagonist Georgia Davis?  On the other hand, do they make you a stronger writer?

The video skills were and are useful for Ellie Foreman, my other protagonist, who is a video producer by trade. It was a conscious choice -- "they" say to write what you know. I prefer to think of it as writing what you "want" to know, but it worked for Ellie. Georgia, on the other hand, is nothing like that. She's a former cop, cautious, and guarded, and the last thing she would want to do is give a speech or write a video.

As far as helping me become a better writer, I think having worked in film makes my pacing stronger; it also gives me an intuitive sense of when to come into a scene and when to "cut". And I see my books as movies in my head, complete with establishing shots, wide shots, dollys, zooms, and close-ups. The training part helps me when I'm out promoting. I'm pretty comfortable speaking to groups now.

Your title alone seems to be a hook-for-the-book.  Without giving too much away, how does the unusual title Doubleback fit the story?

As mentioned above, Doubleback reunites Ellie and Georgia -- they worked on a case together in my third book, An Image of Death. It also refers to the fact that Georgia (who does most of the heavy lifting) comes back to a situation she thought was over. In the climax, Georgia also "doubles back." And it speaks, perhaps metaphorically, about the circles we sometimes create in our lives and our society.

A Publishers Weekly review raves that you "skillfully juggle disparate threads of bank fraud, extortion, drugs and illegal immigration."  Is this a technique that comes naturally to you or is it hard work?  Any tips for other authors on weaving themes or subplots together?

 Actually, this was harder than most of my plots. I'd had the idea for the first chapter (people stuck in an elevator.. afraid they're going to die)  for a while. In a way, the rest of the book was the justification for that chapter. As I went along, I also had some ideas (concerning bank chicanery) that didn't work- they weren't what would happen in reality. I was just about to give up when a new angle presented itself, and, thankfully, saved the plot. So I was particularly grateful for the PW quote. My only tip would be to do the research, talk to the right people, then talk to more. That's what saved me.

You often use your home base of Chicago for obvious reasons.  Or are they obvious?  What makes Chicago your and your heroines' "my kind of town"?

Ironically,  though, this is the first book that moves out of the Chicago/Midwest area for significant parts of the story. Still, most of my books do take place in Chicago. I'm not a native Chicagoan - I was born and raised I Washington, DC.-- but I've lived in Chicago for 30 years. Compared to DC, which is essentially a one horse town, and used to be a sleepy southern village where everyone knew everyone else, Chicago is a "real" city, with real people, working real jobs, real graft, and real corruption. I love the anonymity of Chicago. I also love the diversity - the beautiful is stacked next to the profane. I just hope I've retained somewhat of an outsider's perspective. It helps.

What's next for you and your series?

There will be another Georgia book. Whether she and Ellie will team up again remains to be seen. I'd like to hear from readers whether they like the pairing, or whether they'd prefer to see Georgia alone.

Right now I'm writing a historical mystery. It takes place during the Iranian revolution in 79-80. An American girl marries an Iranian boy; they move to Iran where he's murdered and she is accused of the crime. That's all I can say, except that it's almost finished.

New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Karen Harper has been published for 25 years.  She is the winner of the 2006 Mary Higgins Clark Award.  A former college and high school English instructor, Harper currently writes contemporary suspense for Mira Books and historical novels for Putnam.  She and her husband divide their time between Columbus, Ohio and Naples, Florida.