“The Coast Guard has always been a real big part of my life,” said Stabenow, who spent five years of her childhood aboard a fish tender on which her mother served as a deckhand. “They’re a real presence in Alaska’s 36,000 miles of coastline and I’ve always wanted to write about them.”

To create a thriller, Stabenow needed a strong hero, a detestable villain and a good storyline.

“I read lots of stuff looking for the plot and finally stumbled across it in an article in ‘Atlantic Monthly,’” Stabenow said. “Once I did, I started doing research. And once I started doing research, I found out the Coast Guard had an excellent online presence.”

As any reader of Stabenow knows, the true-to-life details that breathe life into her writing demand more than online research. A been-there, done-that approach is essential. So when the author, who lives in Homer, received an invitation to visit the USCGC Alex Haley, a 283-foot cutter stationed in Kodiak, she knew she was headed in the right direction. Then came the February 2004 invitation go on patrol with the ship and its crew of 10 officers and 90 crew members.

“It was rock and roll city,” Stabenow said of the voyage into the Bering Sea through Unimak Pass and the ship’s encounter with strong winds. “I seldom saw a (National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration) report that didn’t have ‘hurricane’ on it.”

In addition to gut-wrenching, knee-knocking, rail-grabbing rough water, there was the very real threat of icing.

“I’m more scared of that,” Stabenow said of the deadly condition that can make a ship top-heavy and cause it to capsize. “When I was a kid in Seldovia, I saw lots of boats come in all iced up. It has caused a lot of deaths in the Bering Sea.”

Traveling, including the 16 days she spent aboard the Alex Haley, is all part of Stabenow’s life as a successful writer. In fact, she just returned from a book tour promoting “Blindfold Game,” with stops in New York, Minneapolis, Houston, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Seattle and the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

“Usually when I do these, they’re more regional, but this was a nationwide tour,” Stabenow said. “It’s like a big deal.”

Appearing at the Library of Congress was a highlight.

“I appeared at a national book festival year before last and John Cole invited me to come (to the Library of Congress) and I said, ‘Yeah.’ Like any writer would ever turn that down,” Stabenow said of the invitation from Cole, founding director of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress.

Recently, Stabenow sold her Anchorage house and relocated to the Homer area.

“It was time,” she said. “I have a friend who is the best contractor in the entire world and he had a space open to build me a house. Real estate in Anchorage went kablooey, so I could sell (my house) for enough that I could get into a Homer house. I realize how lucky I am.”

With a reported one million books in print and stories continuing to pour out of Stabenow’s imagination, readers are lucky, too. A new Kate Shugak book is due later this year, which Stabenow said is being impacted by her thriller-writing experience.

“My editor tells me that writing a thriller has changed the way I write. Series are character-based. People come back because it’s like a visit. But a thriller is all plot-based. Plot, plot, plot. I find that I’m almost unconsciously throwing plot at Kate like I’ve never done before. It’s kind of cool. I think people will be pretty happy.”

Plans to put Shugak on the big screen are progressing and actress Irene Bedard has agreed to play the starring role.

“She’s an incredible presence and the only actress that is strong enough,” Stabenow said of the Anchorage actress whose numerous movie credits include “Smoke Screen” and, most recently, “Tortilla Heaven.”

And given the success of “Blindfold Game” — currently number 23 on the New York Time’s list of best selling hardcover fiction — Stabenow is considering another thriller featuring her favorite champion.

“Another book with a Coast Guard hero? Absolutely,” she said.