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Blog Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Zenith Man by McCracken Poston, Jr.

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for ZENITH MAN: Death, Love, and Redemption in a Georgia Courtroom by McCracken Poston, Jr. on this AME Bog Tour.

Below you will find an author Q&A, a book synopsis, my book review, an excerpt from the book, and the author’s bio and social media links. Enjoy!

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Author Q&A

How did you do research for your book?

Since my book is about a murder trial in which I was the defendant’s lawyer, the research was first done for the trial. Beyond my case file, I did other research in the media archives and other places to piece together the strange story of Alvin and Virginia Ridley.

Which was the hardest character to write? The easiest?

Unplanned, my book also became the true story about the relationship between me and my father. I wrote it truthfully, but any time you are writing about a loved one, it can be hard. The easiest character to write about was my client, Alvin Ridley, although he was a tough client!

What made you write a book about the Zenith Man?

This was the most incredible story to live through. After the trial ended, I immediately felt that this would be a good book.

Where do you get inspiration for your stories?

So far, I have written nonfiction.

There are many books out there about true crime. What makes yours different?

My story is the inside account of being the criminal defense lawyer for a most unusual defendant.

What advice would you give budding writers?

Write the bones of your story down quickly. You can add the other stuff later. Save the stories!

In your book you state….”The voters would get their change, but mostly the faces would stay the same.” Why is that?

The rash of partisan party-switching that took place in Georgia after my last political race (and first defeat).

Do you have another profession besides writing?

I am a full-time criminal defense lawyer, thanks to the second act that Alvin Ridley gave me, and for 28 years I have been a part-time juvenile court judge.

How long have you been writing?

I have been writing down experiences and stories all of my adult life. Social media allowed me to share vignettes and short tales, all true stories.

Do you ever get writer’s block? What helps you overcome it?

Maya Angelou once said “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” Until recently, I understood this agony. She was speaking to me.

What is your next project?

I have been blessed with many interesting legal cases, but I am also drawn to trying my hand at fiction – perhaps based on true stories.

What genre do you write and why?

Nonfiction. The story I had to tell is a true story.

What is the last great book you’ve read?

I recently reread The Water is Wide by Pat Conroy

What is a favorite compliment you have received on your writing?

Someone I know told me that they could hear my voice in the writing of my book.

If your book were made into a movie, who would star in the leading roles?

I refuse to jinx it, but the Alvin Ridley role is Oscar bait!

If your book were made into a movie, what songs would be on the soundtrack?

I would love classic 1980s Athens, Georgia music, to wit: Pylon, B52s, R.E.M.

What were the biggest rewards and challenges with writing your book?

I was frustrated in the telling of the story in other ways over the years.

In one sentence, what was the road to publishing like?

For years like the tortoise, then at once like the hare!

What is one piece of advice you would give to an aspiring author?

Keep at it.

Which authors inspired you to write?

Grisham, Turow, King

What is something you had to cut from your book that you wish you could have kept?

My first draft was 177,000 words. Obviously, lots had to go. But I think it came out about right.

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Book Synopsis

Was this small-town TV repair man “a harmless eccentric or a bizarre killer” (Atlanta Journal Constitution). For the first time, Alvin Ridley’s own defense attorney reveals the inside story of his case and trial in an extraordinary tale of friendship and an idealistic young attorney’s quest to clear his client’s name—and, in the process, rebuild his own life.

In October 1997, the town of Ringgold in northwest Georgia was shaken by reports of a murder in its midst. A dead woman was found in Alvin Ridley’s house—and even more shockingly, she was the wife no one knew he had.

McCracken Poston had been a state representative before he lost his bid for U.S. Congress and returned to his law career. Alvin Ridley was a local character who once sold and serviced Zenith televisions. Though reclusive and an outsider, the “Zenith Man,” as Poston knew him, hardly seemed capable of murder.

Alvin was a difficult client, storing evidence in a cockroach-infested suitcase, unwilling to reveal key facts to his defender. Gradually, Poston pieced together the full story behind Virginia and Alvin’s curious marriage and her cause of death—which was completely overlooked by law enforcement. Calling on medical experts, testimony from Alvin himself, and a wealth of surprising evidence gleaned from Alvin’s junk-strewn house, Poston presented a groundbreaking defense that allowed Alvin to return to his peculiar lifestyle, a free man.

Years after his trial, Alvin was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, a revelation that sheds light on much of his lifelong personal battle—and shows how easily those who don’t fit societal norms can be castigated and misunderstood. Part true crime, part courtroom drama, and full of local color, Zenith Man is also the moving story of an unexpected friendship between two very different men that changed—and perhaps saved—the lives of both.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/157995299-zenith-man?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=AH1gVat6bE&rank=2

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

ZENITH MAN: Death, Love, and Redemption in a Georgia Courtroom by McCracken Poston, Jr. is a captivating debut true crime/court room novel told by the small-town Southern attorney of a man accused of murdering his wife no one knew he had. This is the first time I have heard of this case. Court room dramas can sometimes be very boring or dry, but this case is fascinating, and I could not put the book down.

Alvin Ridley had been considered “different” his entire life in Ringgold, Georgia. One day in October 1997 Alvin called 911 to report the death of his wife. No one knew he was married or that anyone was even living with him. Alvin tried to tell the authorities he found his wife dead in her bed with her face in her pillow after an epileptic seizure, but the coroner believes it is a murder, and he is arrested.

McCracken Poston, Jr. returned to his law career after a failed Congressional election and failed marriage. Alvin was known to Poston as a local character who used to sell and repair Zenith televisions. Alvin asks Poston to represent him after his arrest and he agrees because he just cannot believe Alvin is capable of murder.

Alvin is a difficult client, but Poston learns how to bargain and deal with his idiosyncrasies. As evidence is disclosed, Alvin and his wife’s lives are examined, and Poston spends more time with Alvin, he is determined to prove Alvin innocent.

This is a story that pulled me in from start to finish. Mr. Poston’s storytelling brought Alvin to life on the printed page. He is honest about his personal failings and his misunderstanding of Alvin, who was years later diagnosed to be on the Autism spectrum, even as he grows to care about his client personally. As the story progressed, I felt more and more compassion and empathy for Alvin. His care of his mother before she died, his love of his wife, his care of his cats, and his love and pride in his TV repair shop all showed how he tried to always do what was right, but because of his paranoia and autism, many others in his small-town ostracized him. What we do not understand, we fear. His chosen inscription on his tombstone made me cry. With Alvin not being diagnosed at the time of his trial, you wonder how many other “different” people have been wrongly accused and imprisoned over the years.

I highly recommend this debut true crime novel with a defendant I will not soon forget.

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Excerpt

Prologue

October 4, 1997

Emerging from his late parents’ run-down house on Inman Street, itself for years the target of local innuendo, Alvin Ridley, failed television repairman and the town bogeyman, abruptly turns to lock the door. Glancing around to see if his perceived tormentors are watching him, he pulls open the formidable homemade gate and then slowly drives a thirty-two-year-old Chevrolet pickup truck through it. Then he jumps back out and quickly closes and locks the gate with chains and a padlock.

Two-tenths of a mile down Evitt Street, he carefully drives the 25 mph speed limit right past the local volunteer fire department, visibly staffed with an ambulance and professional EMTs always on the ready, and turns south on U.S. Highway 41, away from town. Thinking better of it less than half a mile later, he pulls into the roadside monument for the 1863 Battle of Ringgold Gap and turns around.

Continuing to drive slowly, as if it were a usual lazy Saturday morning, he pulls into the ShopRite parking lot and tries the pay phone on the exterior wall. Unsuccessful with this attempt, he gets back into the truck and drives through two parking lots to a pay phone located along LaFayette Street, behind the Catoosa County Courthouse Annex and Jail. He puts coins in the phone and calls, if you believe the later speculation, a funeral home to retrieve a dead body from his house. He most certainly calls Erlanger Hospital in downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee, but is instructed that this is a matter for the Catoosa County authorities.

Reluctantly he dials 911. The Catoosa County 911 office is just across the street. The operators could look out the single window facing LaFayette Street and see the stooped figure making the call.

“Catoosa 911. Where is your emergency?”

A pause, and then he answers flatly, giving his home address.

“What’s the problem?”

Again, lacking emotion, he says, “I think my wife’s passed out.”

The operator confirmed the address.

“Yeah.”

“Is she breathing?”

“I don’t think so—it’s behind the steel plant there.” He adds matter-of-factly, “I’m calling from a pay phone booth.”

“You don’t have a phone at your house?”

“There’s no phone there.”

This is the portion of the 911 call, in the detached voice of the caller, that is instantly spread around the world upon the revelation that a dead body was found in the ramshackle house on Inman Street. The immediate problem for investigators is, who was this soul? Certainly not the alleged spouse of the infamously solitary Alvin Ridley. Ridley said it was his wife, but can produce no identification for her. The body of the woman he calls his wife—Virginia—is declared dead by the coroner Vanita Hullander, who plans to take it to the hospital across the county in Fort Oglethorpe, and the next morning,deliver it to the state crime lab in Atlanta.

The portions of the 911 call not shared with the public or played on the news stations were the parts where the caller shared that his wife was, in his words, “epi-letic”, or that he ended the call with a request: “Please hurry.”

Later that morning, five miles to the south, an extremely hungover failed politician, failed husband, and marginally failing lawyer, rises. Too down and broken to even drive to Athens to see his beloved University of Georgia Bulldogs play, and seeking something for his blinding headache, he drives slowly into town.

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Author Bio

McCracken King Poston Jr, is a criminal defense attorney and former state legislator in the Georgia House of Representatives. He gained national attention for his handling of several notable cases that were featured on CNN Presents, Dateline NBC, A&E’s American Justice and Forensic Files.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.mccrackenpostonjr.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/McCrackenPostonJr

Twitter: https://x.com/RealZenithMan

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mccrackenpostonjr/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mccracken_poston_jr

Purchase Links

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3MR4iaL

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/157995299-zenith-man

Author Marketing Experts tags for social media:

Twitter: @Bookgal

Instagram: @therealbookgal

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Not What She Seems by Yasmin Angoe

Book Description

She left home as the local pariah at twenty-two, but when a family tragedy brings her back, she must confront her tortured past—and a new danger in town that no one seems to understand but her.

After years of self-exile, Jacinda “Jac” Brodie is back in Brook Haven, South Carolina. But the small cliffside town no longer feels like home. Jac hasn’t been there since the beloved chief of police fell to his death—and all the whispers said she was to blame.

That chief was Jac’s father.

Racked with guilt, Jac left town with no plans to return. But when her granddad lands in the hospital, she rushes back to her family, bracing herself to confront the past.

Brook Haven feels different now. Wealthy newcomer Faye Arden has transformed the notorious Moor Manor into a quaint country inn. Jac’s convinced something sinister lurks beneath Faye’s perfect exterior, yet the whole town fawns over their charismatic new benefactor. And when Jac discovers one of her granddad’s prized possessions in Faye’s office, she knows she has to be right.

But as Jac continues to dig, she stumbles upon dangerous truths that hit too close to home. With not only her life but also her family’s safety on the line, Jac discovers that maybe some secrets are better left buried.

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Elise’s Thoughts

Not What She Seems by Yasmin Angoe is a very suspenseful domestic thriller that will keep readers on their toes.

The plot has the heroine, Jac Brodie, leaving home when she was twenty-two years old. She comes back after a family tragedy, where she must confront her tortured past―and a new danger in town that no one seems to understand but her.

After years of self-exile, Jacinda “Jac” Brodie is back in Brook Haven, South Carolina. But the small cliffside town no longer feels like home. Jac hasn’t been there since the beloved chief of police, her dad, fell to his death―and all the whispers said she was to blame.

Racked with guilt, Jac left town and had no plans to return. But when her granddad lands in the hospital, she rushes back to her family, bracing herself to confront the past.

But as Jac continues to dig, she stumbles upon dangerous truths that hit too close to home. With not only her life but also her family’s safety on the line, Jac discovers that confronting the truth is very dangerous.

This is an excellent read with fast-paced action, jaw-dropping plot twists, and flawed but likable characters.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the story and is this a series?

Yasmin Angoe: Currently I plan on this being a one and done stand-alone, although if my publisher wants, I can write more books. I really wanted to write a domestic thriller that is intimate and set in the same state I live in. The focus of the story is how people do not really know who others really are. I hope readers saw this as a cat and mouse type of story.

EC: Was is based on anything?

YA: A modernized version of “The Spider and The Fly.” What happens when people are unmasked.

EC: What was said about the heart pacemaker, is it true?

YA: I asked my cardiologist. I am one of the few younger people that have problems. I wanted to know what would happen if, and could it happen. I thought about having the granddad with a pacemaker. It is not easy, but if the laser is continually applied to that exact spot, it could make it malfunction.

EC: What was the role of the grandfather?

YA: He was the catalyst for the heroine, Jac. Until he was harmed, she did not have a purpose or something to fight for. He was a way for her to work on her own issues by focusing on what happened to him. She wanted to make up for all those years of running away and not facing her own reality.

EC: Beyond that do you think he served as her mentor?

YA: Yes. He called her Junior Dick, as in detective. He taught her things. He always held her together.

EC: How would you describe Jac?

YA: Jac is reckless and is all over the place. She runs from her problems and does not face them. She acts before thinking, which gets her in a lot of trouble.

EC: Is Sawyer Jac’s opposite?

YA: Probably. She is Jac’s good friend. She has a good family life. She is happy and self-assured. She is not coming from a place of loss and hurt like Jac is. Sawyer is more carefree and does not have baggage.

EC: What is the relationship between Sawyer and Jac?

YA: Jac trusts Sawyer completely. She is Jac’s safe place. Jac knows Sawyer is not going to judge her.

EC: Can you explain the quote about USC, which was hilarious?

YA: You mean the one, “USC, the University of South Carolina, the real USC, not the one in California.” I had to do it. Remember the book is set in South Carolina. When I moved here, I now live about ten minutes from USC. Everyone is serious about supporting either USC or Clemson. If someone says USC, meaning the SO CAL one, people will hate them for life. They feel they are the real USC, because it comes first.

EC: What about the other quote, that refers to people who want to be liked and might try too hard?

YA: A lot of people are like this these days. It seems they do not have their own mind. People do not have to go along to get along. This could apply to most of the characters in the book. For example, Jac’s mom tried to mold her two daughters into what she thought a Southern lady should be. Jac rebelled against this. She wants to be different, which is why she was known as the “wild Brodie girl.”

EC: How would you describe one of the characters, Faye?

YA: She does not really want to go along to get along. But she does do it when she needs it to further her goals. Then she goes back to what she really wants to be after convincing others. She pushes people, does not like to leave loose ends, and fakes apologies. She has two faces: innocent, bubbly versus coy and unfriendly. The title comes into play because the story shows how most of the characters did have two faces. Faye has it to the extreme.

EC: Do you think Jac has two faces?

YA: No. This is problematic for her. The town is OK with people having two faces. People like to deal with others who are complacent, nice, and do not create any worries. Jac wants to be accepted for who she is: not a girly girl. Jac can see through Faye and does not take her at face value. As the story goes on Jac realizes she is responsible, thoughtful, and perceptive.

EC: In the beginning of the book readers are unsure of Jac?

YA: Yes. Jac had a lot of issues with the town and herself. The readers do not know what happened between Jac and her dad’s death. I wanted the reader to be on the ride with Jac. At first, Jac sees herself as a loser who cannot do anything right. This might make her unreliable in the beginning until her whole truth comes out.

EC: Next book?

YA: It is coming out in December 2025. I am working it on currently. It will be a revenge story. It will deal with complicated families.

THANK YOU!!

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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.

Feature Post and Mini Book Review: The Wraith’s Return by Raemi A. Ray

Book Description

Some secrets are safer lost at sea…

London based lawyer Kyra Gibson returns to Martha’s Vineyard and the beach house she inherited for an extended summer holiday. Still reeling from her father’s brutal murder and the role she and the handsome detective, Tarek Collins played in uncovering it, Kyra is hopeful for some peace and quiet. But when a summer squall reveals the wreckage of the pirate ship, Keres, rich with rumored treasure, all hopes of peace are dashed. Conservationists and treasure hunters descend on the exclusive island to lay claim to the ship. When two of the salvagers are killed, Kyra and Tarek’s friend, pub owner and amateur historian, Gully Gould is arrested for murder.

Determined to prove Gully’s innocence, Kyra, Tarek, and reformed playboy Chase Hawthorn team up to clear their friend’s name. But someone wants the treasure for themselves. And with someone willing to kill for it, there is more than just danger lurking along the island’s caves and coves. There is death.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/205807378-the-wraith-s-return?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=wllnrQjvsf&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 3.5 out of 5 Stars

THE WRAITH’S RETURN (Martha’s Vineyard Murders Book #2) by Raemi A. Ray is the second book in the Martha’s Vineyard Murders series with Kyra returning to Martha’s Vineyard for an extended summer holiday and finds herself and her island friends helping one of their own accused of murder. This story can be read as a standalone, but I feel the books are best read in order as the main characters continually evolved in their relationships from book one.

This book has murder, conservationists vs. fisherman, islanders vs. vacationers, and a historical pirate story, and treasure hunters all combined in this mystery read. I am not sure if it is because there is so much going on, which should have made for many red herrings, but when I reached the end, I felt the killer was just there with no build up of tension or foreboding until very close to the end. All the information and side characters were interesting, but at times slowed the plot pace. I love Kyra, Tarek, and Chase and find them all to be interesting characters. I look forward to following them in future books, but I have to say that I liked the mystery plot in book one, A Chain of Pearls, better. The characters pulled me through this story more than the mystery plot.

Overall, a little bit of a let down after such a great debut.

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Author Bio

Raemi A. Ray’s travels to Martha’s Vineyard and around the world inspire her stories. She lives outside Boston. When not writing or traveling she earns her keep as the personal assistant to the resident house demons, Otto and Dolph Lundgren.

Social Media Links

Website: https://raemiray.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RaemiRay/

Instagram: @miss_raemi

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-wraith-s-return-martha-s-vineyard-murders-book-2-by-raemi-a-ray

Feature Post and Book Review: Echoes Of Memory by Sara Driscoll

Book Description

A thrilling standalone mystery featuring a San Diego florist grappling with post-traumatic amnesia. The only witness to a murder she can’t remember, her handwritten notes and razor-sharp wits are all she has to solve the crime—and save her life.

After surviving a terrible attack, Quinn Fleming has recovered in every way but one—her ability to retain new memories. Now, months later, it appears to the outside world as if the San Diego florist’s life is back to normal. But Quinn is barely holding on, relying on a notebook she carries with her at all times, a record of her entire existence since the assault. So when she witnesses a murder in the shadowy alley behind the florist shop, Quinn immediately writes down every terrifying detail of the incident before her amnesia wipes it away.

By the time the police arrive, there’s no body, no crime scene, and no clues. The killing seems as erased from reality as it is from Quinn’s mind . . . until the flashbacks begin. Suddenly, fragments of memories are surfacing—mere glimpses of that horrible night, but enough to convince Quinn that somewhere, locked in her subconscious, is the key to solving the case . . . and she’s not the only one who knows. Somebody else has realized Quinn is a threat that needs to be eliminated. Now, with her life on the line and only her notes to guide her, Quinn sets out to find a killer she doesn’t remember, but can’t forget . . .

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/200488144-echoes-of-memory?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=h0egDVW3Bf&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

ECHOES OF MEMORY by Sara Driscoll is a fascinating suspense/crime thriller police procedural featuring a protagonist with a severe Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) who witnesses a murder, or did she? This standalone slow burn thriller has a sense of foreboding throughout that kept me turning the pages.

Quinn Fleming is a florist in San Diego who survived a horrific mugging. She is back to work, but her TBI has her finding ways to compensate for her inability to retain new memories. She relies on recording everything she must remember in a notebook she always carries with her. After work, as she is emptying the shop’s trash in the back alley, she witnesses a murder as she hides in the shadows.

Detective Nura Reyes knows about Quinn’s attack and challenges and believes her tale of witnessing a murder even though there is no proof. Bits and pieces of that night return in flashbacks, dreams, and Quinn’s art, so when she goes to find proof that what she saw was real, someone else realizes she is a threat. Det. Reyes is now in a race to uncover the truth with Quinn’s life on the line.

This is such an interesting plot twist with a protagonist that does not remember anything past approximately an hour unless it is reinforced by repetition or a traumatic incident. Her coping skills were amazing and yet she was embarrassed when anyone found out about them. The explanations of her TBI complications are well integrated throughout the story between Quinn’s actions and thoughts and her TBI therapy group instructor, Will. The plot does start out a little slow, but there is always a shadow of foreboding and as more clues come together, the plot pace increases exponentially. This is an all-around gripping story.

I highly recommend this intense crime thriller/police procedural.

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About the Author

Sara Driscoll is the pen name of Jen J. Danna, coauthor of the Abbott and Lowell Forensic Mysteries and author of the FBI K-9s and the NYPD Negotiators. After over thirty years in infectious diseases research, Jen hung up her lab coat to concentrate on her real love—writing “exceptional” thrillers (Publishers Weekly). She is a member of the Crime Writers of Canada and lives with her husband and four rescued cats outside of Toronto, Ontario.

Social Media Links

Website: https://jenjdanna.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JenJDanna

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@jenjdanna

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/sara-driscoll

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Last Mission by Lisa Childs

Book Description

Even the best-laid plans can go up in flames…

Mack McRooney is retired from military special ops, but there’s one final mission he has to take on—catch the saboteur targeting his brother-in-law’s firefighting team…even if that means becoming a firefighter himself. Partnering with state trooper Wynona Wells, however, was not part of the plan. Mack and Wynona are fighting their fiery attraction to one another and a deadly saboteur. And if they lose this fight, they might just also lose their lives…

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Elise’s Thoughts

Last Mission by Lisa Childs is the series finale. Those who like the characters will be saddened that they will not be able to read any more stories about them.

In this one the hero is Mack McRonney, retired from military Special Ops. After his brother and sister were targeted by the saboteur, he decides to go undercover to find the culprit, working for the Hot Shots. Also, trying to find the antagonist is State Trooper Wynona Wells, who feels she has something to prove to the townspeople. Both are equally distrustful of each other and suspect that each might be a person of interest.

To keep an eye on each other, both decide to reluctantly work together, and neither is happy about the sparks of attraction that affect them. They fight against them, but ultimately, their feelings are too strong to resist. However, each has baggage from their past, making it difficult to open their hearts. They grow closer and take each other off the suspect list after they are targeted, many times saving each other’s life.

The epilogue was an excellent wrap-up for the books and series. There are a lot of twists and red herrings, making the book mystery more enjoyable.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Is this the last book in the series?

Lisa Childs: Yes, this is the last book in the series. This branch of my Hotshot heroes is done. Emotionally it was hard to say good-bye to the characters. I had in my head for a long time that the hero would be Mack, and the heroine would by Wynona for the finale. The series came about when my husband who used to work for the US Forest Service when in college went out with a Hot Shot team.

EC: How would you describe Mack?

LC: He is mysterious. No one knew what he did for a living. He is very independent and is used to working alone. He is a quick thinker, having been in dangerous situations before. Some of the other characters might think he is cocky, but I think he is confident because he always survived the dangerous military missions he undertook.

EC: How would you describe Wynona?

LC: She feels she has had to prove herself. Determined, fearless, lonely, persistent, self-reliant, and independent. Since she lost her parents, she feels adrift.

EC: What about the relationship between the two of them?

LC: There is a book quote, ‘she can trust Mack with her life, not just her heart.’ She can never figure Mack out; afraid he would leave to go on a mission and not come back. They distract each other and keep secrets. They have some trust issues. Wynona has not had the best of luck with her choices and those around her, so she does not trust her own judgement. Ever since his mom abandoned Mack and his siblings, he also has trouble trusting people to stick around. They both have the same type of conflict, which draws them together. She sees him as intriguing and infuriating. He sees her as fascinating and mystifying. She has built a wall because she is afraid of losing those she loves, especially after her parents died.

EC: What is the role of Mack’s sister, Sam?

LC: She is very similar to Wynona. They both are in careers with male egos who do not respect women for doing their jobs. Sam is very tough and independent. She is worried Wynona will get hurt by Mack because she does not think he will stick around.

EC: What is the role of Mack’s brother Trick?

LC: He is the younger sibling. He looked up to his brother, but he also was hurt by him. Even as he idolizes him, he is resentful of Mack for leaving.

EC: How would you describe the saboteur?

LC: He is frustrated for being overlooked. Does not feel as relevant. Resentful, angry, and has rage. He is out for revenge. The rage built as he kept doing things. He is arrogant in that he enjoys getting away with it. He is punishing everyone for not getting the respect he deserved.

EC: Next books?

LC: This year out in September will be The House by The Cemetery and out in September of next year will be Only the Dead Within, both part of the Grave Digger series.

I have a few coming out next year. In January will be A Match for the Sheriff, part of my cowboy series. In February there will be Hostage Security, a romantic suspense. In May the book out will be Personal Security, part of the bodyguard series.

THANK YOU!!

***

Feature Post and Book Review: The Paris Daughter by Soraya Lane

Book Description

Paris, 1939: Gazing out at the glittering skyline, Evelina clutches the letter from her love in shaking hands. “I know I do not deserve you, my darling, but I pray that you will change your mind. You have my heart, and I hope that nothing will keep us apart…”

London, present day. Blake gazes down at a scrap of shimmering silver velvet attached to a faded dress design, tracing the details with wonder. They were left with her grandmother at Hope’s House, a home for unmarried mothers, before she was adopted. Now her beloved grandmother has passed, the beautiful fabric and the designer’s signature are the only clues Blake has about her biological family. Will she be able to unravel the decades-old family secret?

Blake can’t get the intricate drawing, and what it could reveal about her family, out of her head. Armed with a plane ticket, a Paris address and the details of a handsome fashion curator named Henri, Blake is determined to find out the truth about her talented great-grandmother Evelina’s life. Perhaps doing so will help Blake get her old spark for designing back, after her dreams have sat forgotten for so long.

Soon Blake is walking down the Champs-Élysées and enjoying intimate dinners with Henri, who is researching Evelina’s work as one of Paris’ most celebrated designers, whose bold designs rivalled Coco Chanel’s. As Henri and Blake grow closer, they uncover Evelina’s legacy, and her forbidden romance that set the fashion world ablaze.

As Blake discovers the impossible choice that caused Evelina to flee the most romantic city in the world, she wonders if she too could risk everything for love. Could hearing tales of her great-grandmother’s bravery encourage her to take a chance on a new life with Henri? Or will the fallout of Evelina’s heart-wrenching past drive Blake back home?

A completely addictive and emotional novel about family secrets, forbidden love and having the courage to follow your dreams.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/209482244-the-paris-daughter?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=VU4jGuQgcw&rank=3

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

THE PARIS DAUGHTER (The Lost Daughters Book #5) by Soraya Lane is a captivating and emotional dual time-line women’s historical fiction from start to finish. Each book in the series stands alone with the connection being Hope House, a home for unwed mothers in London, England. This series and author are both new to me, but after reading this beautiful story, I will absolutely be reading the other books in the series.

1930’s Paris France is all about high fashion. Eighteen-year-old Evelina has been dreaming and drawing to be just like Coco Chanel her entire life. Her farming parents hate the decadent city and do not support her dreams. They tell her she must marry or leave home. Evelina goes alone to Paris and is willing to work hard for her dream, which over several years, she accomplishes. She is the exclusive designer for the most prestigious department store in Paris.

In present day London, Blake receives a wooden box meant for her grandmother who has passed away. Inside is a chic dress drawing and a luxurious piece of fabric. Blake proposes writing a series of articles for her job as she searches to find the connection between this mystery box and her grandmother. She is desperate to find out who this designer may be and if she was her grandmother’s mother. The search will take her out of her normal everyday existence to the world of high fashion houses and designers in Paris. Could this connection be the spark to reignite Blake’s designing talent and forge a new life she has only every dreamed of?

I loved this book so much and I cannot believe I have not heard of or read the other books in this series. These books are easily read as standalones, but I am glad I read this book first because Evelina was the first occupant of Hope House. Ms. Lane brings these two women to life on the page as well as Paris in the past and present. The story seamlessly flows between the two time periods which led to me not being able to put the book down because I was so engrossed. This story has so many emotional parts, both happy and sad as the two women learn to be true to themselves. Their courage, tenacity, and love are evident throughout. I am so looking forward to reading about the other daughters in this series.

I highly recommend this extraordinary and beautiful women’s historical fiction novel.

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About the Author

Soraya Lane graduated with a law degree before realizing that law wasn’t the career for her and that her future was in writing. She is the author of historical and contemporary women’s fiction, and her novel Wives of War was an Amazon Charts bestseller.

Soraya lives on a small farm in her native New Zealand with her husband, their two young sons and a collection of four legged friends. When she’s not writing, she loves to be outside playing make-believe with her children or snuggled up inside reading.

Social Media Links

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BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/soraya-lane