#authorinterview – Avonna Loves Genres

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Silent as the Grave by Rhys Bowen and Clare Broyles

SILENT AS THE GRAVE

Molly Murphy Mystery Book 21

Rhys Bowen and Clare Broyles

Minotaur Books

Book Description

With a newborn and two children, Molly Murphy Sullivan is tackling motherhood. Her husband, Daniel, is off to work in Washington as Easter break begins in New York. Her dear friend and writer, Ryan O’Hara, is shooting a movie, one of the first to involve a real plot and actors. He invites Molly and the children to visit the set and watch the excitement. When one of the actresses is fired, Molly’s adopted daughter, Bridie, is called to replace her in the scene. Turns out she’s a natural and is asked to star in the rest of the film. Molly is skeptical about leaving Bridie alone on set, but her great friends, Sid and Gus, offer to chaperone her.

The movie industry is still experimenting with ways to get the best shot, like pretending to tie Bridie to real train tracks. But soon, their special effects start to malfunction. After a few mishaps where no one is hurt, the special effects turn deadly. With rumors of a feud between studios, Molly believes these malfunctions are sabotage. She is invited to go undercover on set to investigate the burgeoning film war. Once again, Rhys Bowen and Clare Broyles deliver an engaging mystery full of vibrant historical details and thrilling escapades featuring one of mystery’s most beloved sleuths.

***

Elise’s Thoughts

Silent as the Grave by Rhys Bowen and Clare Broyles is a suspenseful historical novel. The book opens with a bang where the prologue immediately draws readers in.

Molly is contending with raising her young son, a 5-month-old infant, and her 14-year-old adopted daughter, Bridie. Her good friend Ryan O’Hara invites Molly and the children to watch the film he is making. After one of the actresses is fired, Molly’s adopted daughter, Bridie, is called to replace her in the scene. Turns out she’s a natural and is asked to star in the rest of the film. Molly is skeptical about leaving Bridie alone on set, but her great friends, Sid and Gus, offer to chaperone her.

There are mishaps on the set, including a fire in the editing room and Bridie’s near escape with death while filming a difficult stunt. Molly believes that the mishaps are not just coincidences, but sabotage. She accepts the invitation to find out what happened, especially since Bridie almost died.

This is an engaging mystery with a bonus that readers learn more about the budding movie industry.

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: The idea for Hollywood like filmmaking?

Rhys Bowen: This is a non-Hollywood movie because all the movies were made in New York in the beginning. The character Molly lives just off 6^th Avenue and Greenwich Avenue, close to the Biograph Studios.

Clare Broyles: I had read some articles that the actual father of film disappeared suspiciously when he got on a train and never got off. He had been in an argument with Edison before that happened. There was an interesting intersection between the family of the father of film and Edison that included lawsuits and studio ownership.

EC: Do you agree Edison was not the nicest of people?

RB: He was a bully who used thugs, blackmail, and intimidation against his rivals.

CB: He did steal inventions from other people. He was good in getting patents in his own name. There is proof that there was another movie, a film made of children, before Edison supposedly invented a movie camera. This makes more of the backdrop for an interesting mystery.

EC: Was the scene with the body on the train tracks real?

RB: Clare is the brilliant researcher. In the early movies there were no stunt doubles, and the actors took enormous risks to get the perfect shot. When the Keystone Cops went around the bend in the moving truck as it swings around the corner, it was real. The train operator was never told there was a body on the tracks. People really did die.

EC: Why did you have Mary Pickford and DW Griffith in the story?

CB: She started in vaudeville, which is how we would locate the time frame. We started in April 1909 when she came to Biograph Studios, because that is when she started out in pictures. It also fit because of the practicality picture. Molly was a sleuth with a baby, and we wanted the baby to be old enough to be left with a nanny, at 5 months of age.

EC: How would you describe the differences between the Biograph Studio owners, Arthur and Harry Martin?

CB: They are based on real brothers where one brother was the studio head and the other had a junior position. The character brothers were purely fictional, that they were twins, dressed alike, and looked alike. Arthur is more volatile while Harry is more of a ladies’ man and controls the power. There was a jostling of power.

RB: It came about because of something that happened in my youth. I was staying in this Italian hotel where the owners had a charming son. The next day he was incredibly rude. Turns out they were twins. We thought it would be fun to be put in the book.

EC: Can you speak of the character Alice Mann?

RB: She is based on a real person, a French woman, Alice Guy. She is listed as a secretary or assistant, but she is the one who came up with a lot of the innovations for cinematography. She invented the fade in/fade out by putting a cigar box over the lens of the camera and slowly opening it and closing it. Women did not get the accolades. Even today, how many female directors are there, not many? Look at the current Oscars regarding editing, directing, and producing it was all men.

EC: Did you intentionally want to make the mystery surrounding all the “accidents?”

CB: There was a lamp falling, a fire, and the train scene. We had to figure out a way to get Molly involved in the mystery when she has a five-month-old baby. The accidents are a way to get her fully invested because someone has threatened her adopted daughter, Bridie’s life. The accidents happened to pull Molly in to solve the murder mystery.

RB: We did the prologue intentionally to grab the readers. We needed to have a lot of set up before something dramatic. It is a signal that said danger is coming.

EC: Next book(s)?

CB: In the next Molly book, we are moving closer to her achieving her goal of opening her own detective agency. The arc of the series has gone from her having a detective agency not in her own name, pretending to be a man, to stepping out in her own right for a Molly Murphy Detective Agency.

RB: The next Molly book has a working title, Vanished in the Crowd, coming out this time next year. It will be about women suffrage and scientists. She will be hired to find a woman, a scientist, who has vanished and what happened to her. Daniel, her husband, is coming around to more and more appreciates her skills.

RB: My historical novel comes out in August, titled Mrs. Endicott’s Splendid Adventure. It is about a middle-aged woman in England, the perfect wife, until at the age of fifty, her husband decides to get a divorce. She steals his Bentley and with three other women drives to the South of France. They forge a new female bond. I will also talk about how WWII is coming to France. She becomes part of a group helping Jewish men escape.

THANK YOU!!

***

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.

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Blood Moon by Sandra Brown

Book Description

Detective John Bowie is one misstep away from being fired from the Auclair Police Department in coastal Louisiana. Recently divorced and slightly heavy-handed with his liquor, Bowie does all that he can to cope with the actions taken (or not taken) during the investigation of Crissy Mellin, a teenage girl who disappeared more than three years prior. But now, Crisis Point, a long-running true crime television series, is soon to air an episode documenting the unsolved Mellin case. Bowie has been instructed by his unscrupulous boss to keep to his grievances and criticisms over the mishandling of the investigation to himself.

Beth Collins, a senior producer on Crisis Point, knows what classifies as a great story and when there’s something more to be told. After working on the show for seven years, Collins is convinced that Crissy Mellin’s disappearance was not an isolated incident. A string of disappearances of teenage girls in nearby areas have only one thing in common: They took place on the night of a blood moon. In a last-ditch effort to find out the truth, Beth enlists Detective Bowie to help her figure out what happened to Crissy and find the true culprit before he acts on the next blood moon—in four days’ time.

With their jobs and their lives at risk, Bowie and Collins band together to identify and capture a perpetrator, while fighting an irresistible spark between them that threatens to upend everything.

***

Elise’s Thoughts

Blood Moon by Sandra Brown has her usual style. The plot is intense, dark, and raw, intertwined with a love story that includes sexual scenes, where the chemistry between the hero and heroine starts from the first page.

Readers will get to know John Bowie, an angry detective haunted by his failure not to solve the cold case disappearance of Crissy Mellin; Beth Collins, the producer of a true crime show, and Tom Barker, the corrupt boss of John.

Crisis Point, the true crime TV series, is going to air an episode documenting Crissy Mellin’s unsolved disappearance. Collins is convinced that Mellin’s disappearance was not an isolated incident. A string of disappearances of teenage girls in nearby areas have only one thing in common: they took place on the night of a blood moon. Detective John Bowie has been instructed by his boss not to talk to Beth or anyone else about the crime he has determined solved and closed. Not listening, he meets Beth and listens to her theories, because he has never felt comfortable with the outcome of the case and didn’t agree with the resolution. They decide to work together realizing that in four days there will be another blood moon, which can mean another girl disappearing or being murdered. They race against the clock to find the antagonist and possibly save another girl, but in working together they also realize there is an attraction between them that cannot be denied.

This novel is intense, intriguing, and has a thrilling twist.

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Did the plot or title come first?

Sandra Brown: I first came up with the title. Then I thought, what is a blood moon? The next one comes out March 13^th. They only occur every 3 and a half years. It is a strange phenomenon. My editor and I wanted a spring book, so this was perfect.

EC: How did you come up with a story centering on the title?

SB: I watched true crime shows and thought what a cool job it is to be a producer on one of these shows. This is the profession I gave to my heroine, Beth. I then came up with my hero, a reluctant police officer, John, who is haunted by a cold case.

EC: What is a blood moon since it plays such an intricate role in the story?

SB: It is an astrological anomaly every 3 and a half years. To understand, hold both your hands up. The sun is in your left hand. The moon is in your right hand. Right in the middle of them, in perfect alliance, is earth. The sun reflects light onto the moon. But the earth forms a perfect shadow on a full moon, totally covering the moon. The reason it turns an orangish red is that the sunlight is being filtered through the earth’s atmosphere. The bad guys wanted to make sacrifices to the moon goddess, Luna.

EC: What is numerology?

SB: It goes hand in hand with the blood moon regarding the cases concerning the disappearance of the girls. A person has a core number that guides a person’s decision making. Like an astrology sign. There are religious and cultural connotations.

EC: How would you describe John Bowie?

SB: He was a dedicated police officer and is haunted by the cold case. I wanted to write about his relationship with his teenage daughter and his brotherly-like friendship with Mitch. He is arrogant in a sarcastic and cynical way, intense, outspoken, sarcastic, edgy, stubborn, and cynical.

EC: What is the difference between John and Mitch?

SB: They could not be more different. John is very serious and contemplative. Mitch always cracks jokes. He is arrogant, humorous, a smart-aleck, loyal, and caring.

EC: How would you describe Beth?

SB: Determined, loyal, savvy, gutsy, ambitious, confident in her abilities, but feeling tenuous toward her career.

EC: How would you describe the relationship between Beth and John?

SB: They met their match in each other. They both got under each other’s skin and are frustrated with each other. The have chemistry from chapter one. He puts her totally out of her element. They both were obsessed with this case.

EC: What is the role of the Crissy Mellin case?

SB: Her disappearance messed up Detective John Bowie’s life. He became remorseful and regretful. He knew there was more to it but was forced to give in to his boss. This has eaten at him. He desired to get to the bottom of it and find answers. Beth is frustrated and impatient. She is not getting answers from John because he is not filling in the blanks.

EC: How would you describe the boss Lt. Thomas Barker?

SB: Incompetent, sadistic, arrogant, egotistical, and obnoxious. He knows John has his number and is superior to him.

EC: Next book?

SB: The next book will feature Mitch, the DEA officer who decides to change jobs and work with John. They are best friends. John and Beth will be in the next book as secondary characters. This story takes place two years after the end of Blood Moon and will be published spring of 2026.

THANK YOU!!

***

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Two Weddings and a Murder by Alyssa Maxwell

Book Description

As Lady Phoebe and her betrothed say their vows of holy matrimony, a killer has vowed unholy vengeance on the town’s chief inspector . . .

June 1922: The blessed day has finally arrived. Phoebe Renshaw and Owen Seabright are to be wed, and lady’s maid Eva Huntford could not be more delighted for her lady’s happiness. But she is disturbed by one notable absence from the ceremony—her beau, Police Constable Miles Brannock. When Miles finally does appear, breathlessly running into the reception at Foxwood Hall, he brings grim news: he’s found Chief Inspector Isaac Perkins murdered, shot in his home in his favorite parlor chair with his own gun.

A policeman naturally makes enemies, especially those of questionable character. In charge of finding his former boss’s killer, Miles reviews the details of the crime scene. The murder weapon has been wiped clean and left on the table next to the remnants of the chief inspector’s breakfast: sausage pasty and coffee reeking of a bit of whiskey. No sign of forced entry. A seemingly peaceful scene—other than the bullet hole in the victim.

Before Miles can make much progress in his investigation, a Scotland Yard detective arrives in Little Barlow to take over the case—and promptly focuses his suspicions on the constable himself, who he reasons had motive and opportunity. Coming to their maid’s defense, Phoebe and Owen postpone their honeymoon to join Eva in clearing her beau’s good name and unmasking the identity of the true killer.

***

Elise’s Thoughts

Two Weddings and A Murder by Alyssa Maxwell is a great historical cozy mystery. Readers will be sad to learn this is the last book in the series.

The book opens with the wedding of Phoebe Renshaw and Owen Seabright. Her lady’s maid, Eva Huntford, is distraught and worried that her boyfriend, Police Constable Miles Brannock, is not in attendance. After he finally appears, he brings the bad news that Chief Inspector Isaac Perkins has been murdered, shot in his home in his favorite parlor chair with his own gun. Because of the conflict of interest, an outside detective has been brought in to investigate. A Scotland Yard detective, Mick Burridge, arrives in Little Barlow to take over the case. He promptly focuses his suspicions on the constable himself, who he reasons had motive and opportunity. Phoebe and Owen postpone their honeymoon to join Eva in clearing her beau’s good name and unmasking the identity of the true killer

This series goes out with a bang. Readers will be riveted to their seats as they turn the pages but will also be disappointed when coming to the last page knowing this will be the last book in the series.

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Is there a difference between your two series?

Alyssa Maxwell: Yes! The period and settings are different. The “Newport Series” takes place in the Gilded Age in the United States, specifically Rhode Island, while this book takes place right after WWI in England. There is a whole different social dynamic going on.

EC: How did you get the idea for this series?

AM: Downton Abbey influenced me. My editor came up with the basic idea of Downton Abbey with a mystery twist. I loved the idea of being out in the country.

EC: What historical events do you emphasize?

AM: After WWI, class lines started to change a bit, and women started in the work force. Some of the old ways of the landlord and the servant, the very strict class boundary was changing.

EC: Why did you start out with a wedding and end with a wedding in this story?

AM: In the prior book, A Fashionable Fatality, Phoebe the main character was engaged. Because this is the last book in the series, I wanted to tie up her life and the other main character, Eva. A happy ending for the series and a happy beginning into the readers’ imagination.

EC: How did you get the idea for this story’s murder?

AM: Chief Inspector Perkins has been a thorn in Phoebe and Eva’s life throughout the series. He does not do his job well and does not appreciate their interference to solve the murders. I thought this would make a good victim and who better to be accused than his partner, the person who potentially will take his over his job, Constable Miles Brannock. It also raised the stakes for Phoebe and Eva to solve it because he is Eva’s future fiancé.

EC: How would you describe Phoebe?

AM: She is a modern young woman for that period. She is forward thinking, independent, but not devoid of tradition. She believes people should be valued by how they live their lives and not what they were born into. Phoebe is caring, impulsive, and analytical. She lost her mother at an early age and Eva has filled that gap.

EC: How would you describe Eva?

AM: She is more traditional than Phoebe. She is set in her ways but realizes she can aspire to more. Eva is an older woman. She is honorable, loyal, faithful, and dutiful. She sees Phoebe as more of a daughter.

EC: How would you describe Miles?

AM: He is fiercely loyal, steady, and dependable. He can look at different sides of the same issue.

EC: How would you describe Owen?

AM: He is very honorable. He is cavalier because he has been raised with wealth and privilege. He is adventurous. He is completely devoted to Phoebe and accepts her forward thinking ideas.

EC: What role did Detective Burridge play in the story?

AM: Burridge comes from Scotland Yard. He has tunnel vision, focused on getting a suspect, bringing him in, and proving he did it to close the case.

EC: What did the gypsies in the story represent?

AM: The social changes happening and people set outside of their comfort zones. They had to be adaptable and willing to change to survive. They were not respected, and they followed their own traditions. They were seen as wild, uncivilized, and unscrupulous. I did envision that they felt trapped behind walls, rules, and closed in. They did not want to be regimented.

EC: Can you explain the quote referring to motive, opportunity, and means?

AM: These make up a mystery. Opportunity would be when someone could catch the victim off guard. Means is how the victim is killed.

EC: Next book(s)?

AM: There will be another Newport mystery titled Murder at Arleigh coming out in August. It is based on the real couple Harry and Elizabeth Lehr. Everybody thought they were a love match, and they are not at all. Elizabeth thinks her husband is trying to kill her.

THANK YOU!!

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Storm Warning by Elizabeth Goddard

Book Description

Haunted by a half-forgotten past, former army photographer Remi Grant is working at an isolated storm-watching lodge on the rocky Washington coast when she receives a mysterious puzzle piece. The piece may be the catalyst to unlock a disturbing incident she struggles to remember–the event that sent her into hiding. But with heavy storms rolling in, she must focus on the present, not get caught up in the past.

When a mysterious man at the lodge saves her life–more than once–Remi becomes suspicious and confronts him. After a catastrophic event in his own life, former military pilot Hawk Beckett is trying to get some perspective at the suggestion of his former commanding officer. Faced with the fiercest storm to hit the coast in a decade, Remi and Hawk are forced into survival mode.

But they’re not alone at the lodge. Someone doesn’t want Remi to remember what happened–and they will stop at nothing to see her dead.

Elise’s Thoughts

Storm Warning by Elizabeth Goddard has non-stop action and mysterious circumstances with unexpected twists that will keep people totally engaged. There is international espionage, betrayal, and dangerous secrets.

The female lead, Remi Grant, is a former army photographer who has no memory of a tragic day in her past. She has moved to Cedar Trails Lodge, getting a job as the manager. Trying to work through her memory problems, it appears someone is trying to help her remember by sending her packages containing puzzle pieces and notes. Her quiet solitude is disturbed by a series of events that threaten her life. First there was the shredding of a rope ladder she needed to climb to get safely out of the ferocious ocean tides. Had it not been for the strong hand of a total stranger, Hawk Beckett, who pulled her to safety, she would have fallen to her death. He is at the Lodge to try to recover from the hurt and pain from a mission gone bad when an army helicopter pilot, loss of his job in law enforcement, and a fruitless search for his brother who he believes to be an assassin.

It seems that someone is trying to silence Remi permanently and Hawk always seems to be in the right place at the right time to help save her. They decide to team up and watch each other’s backs.

To add to the tension is the environment with the whipping winds, cold rain, and the dangerous Washington coast.

This gripping tale will take readers on a wild and crazy ride from the beginning chapter to the end with twists that will shock them. The story if full of shocking suspense.

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: The idea for the story?

Elizabeth Goddard: I wanted to set a story off\\\\ the Washington coast for a very long time. There are people who come to watch the storms during the winter. I had in my mind to write a former military photographer. I put it all together to write a mystery surrounding a storm watching lodge.

EC: Does nature play a role?

EG: Yes, with its beauty and brutality that makes for a great suspenseful story. Hidden Bay is fictional but based on several bays in the Olympic Peninsula that are close to the ocean, rugged, with a rocky coast and a wilderness area. It has a rain forest with winds, cold, and rain.

EC: What role does the lodge play?

EG: It houses certain individuals that want to stay hidden from the outside world. It seems invisible to the world. It is based on a real lodge that overlooks the ocean. There is very limited cell service.

EC: How would you describe the female lead, Remi?

EG: She has amnesia. Someone who is wary, vulnerable, impulsive, secretive, built walls yet is determined, mysterious, and tough. She has brain trauma, which I relied heavily on research I had done regarding my own son who has a brain injury from ten years ago.

EC: How would you describe the male lead, Hawk?

EG: Charming, former Army as a Night Stalker, competitive, compassionate, and protective. He is very heroic who was a former Army helicopter pilot that delivered special ops teams anywhere in the world.

EC: What about the relationship?

EG: I have a book quote, “She came to the lodge to remember, he came to the lodge to forget.” She is originally distrustful of him. They are kindred spirits running from demons who are damaged.

EC: What about Cole, Hawk’s brother?

EG: They are two competitive brothers whose father pitted them against each other. They had a sibling rivalry. He is a hired gun, someone who is rogue, ghost-like. He has contempt for what he believes Hawk has become.

EC: Next book?

EG: It is Jo’s story, a forensic artist and a handy person on the run who was introduced in this book. She teams up with someone who was in book one to find out who wants to kill her. The title is Perilous Tides coming out in July of this year.

THANK YOU!!

***

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: B Is for Bonnet and Unforgotten by Shelley Shepard Gray

B is for Bonnet and Unforgotten by Shelley Shephard Gray are both riveting stories.

Book Description

Raised by their divorced, lapsed-Amish father and English mother, siblings Jonny, Martin, Kelsey, and Beth can’t wait to reinvent their lives. The four don’t have much in common, but they long for the stable sense of family they felt when visiting their New Order grandparents, Josiah and Sylvia Schrock, in peaceful Holmes County, Ohio. And the Schrocks couldn’t be more surprised when the grandkids want to try living with them—and joining their faith . . .

When Jonny hears startling news about his health, he knows it’s past time to change his life. Quitting college, he unexpectedly finds the fulfilling job of his dreams. And he’s instantly smitten with cafe owner Treva Kramer, whose baked goods are as warm and delicious as her lively personality. But no matter how hard Jonny tries, he can’t seem to get past her secret sadness and distrust. Can he prove that his feelings for her are for real—and forever—in time?

A bad breakup left Treva heartbroken—and resolved to be independent without relying on anyone ever again. Exhausted from pouring everything she’s got into her cafe, she’s stunned by Jonny’s easygoing ways—and drawn to his optimistic nature. But when she thinks his real interest is in becoming Amish, she’s even more determined to stay focused—and keep her heart safe . . .

Soon, deep secrets and hidden family truths will test Jonny and Treva in unexpected ways. And with help from his warm-hearted grandparents, he and Treva might gain the happiness they secretly long for—with each other.

###

Elise’s Thoughts

B is for Bonnet continues the story of four English raised siblings, Martin, Kelsey, Beth, and Johnny, who return to their grandparents Ohio community as they ponder becoming Amish. This book is Johnny’s story who becomes smitten with Amish café owner Treva Kramer. He and she must navigate the difficulties of being heartbroken, she by a former boyfriend and he by his father, Matt, who was MIA during his childhood. This book is about love, forgiveness, family and second chances where Treva is willing to take a chance on a new relationship and Matt tries to be closer to his children.

***

Book Description

Even though Bethanne Hostetler has found some peace seven years after an attempted assault and the accidental death of Peter Miller, she is still haunted by the memory. When her Englisher cousin, Candace–who has just been crowned Miss Crittenden County–reveals that she has a stalker, all of Bethanne’s old fears come rushing back.

Jay Byler had once been Peter’s best friend, and the fact that he did not protect Bethanne that fateful night has haunted him ever since. To make matters worse, she continues to avoid him–even as he continues to love her. Jay can only hope and pray that one day Bethanne will see the person he is today and not the boy he used to be.

As Candace’s stalker becomes bolder, Officer Ryan Mulany becomes her escort to various events. He knows he should only think of Candace as a job, but the more time they spend together, the harder it gets to maintain professional distance. And when everyone’s worst fears are realized, all four must work together to prevent another tragedy before time runs out and another innocent person is hurt.

###

Elise’s Thoughts

Unforgotten, is Bethanne Hostetler’s story. Readers might remember her from book one, Unforgiven. This book also delves into abuse and has Bethanne’s cousin, Candace, being stalked, bringing to the surface all of Bethanne’s fears and memories. As Candace’s stalker becomes bolder, Officer Ryan Mulany becomes her escort to various events. He knows he should only think of Candace as a job, but the more time they spend together, the harder it gets to maintain a professional distance. Bethanne also wants a relationship with Jay Byler, a man feeling guilty about not helping during and after her traumatic event. She realizes she wants a relationship, but needs to move slowly, something he is willing to do. Just as it seems the four might find their happily ever after, a chilling plan hatched by Candace’s stalker puts their lives in danger. This story has romance, suspense, healing, forgiveness, plus the issues and aftermath of assault and PTSD.

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: How far through the alphabet do you plan on going in this series?

Shelley Shepard Gray: When I first started writing an alphabet series with my editor and we laughed about writing stories surrounding the whole alphabet. I started thinking I would write three books with the Amish ABCs. I am happy to say I just got a contract for D and E, slowly making my way through the alphabet.

EC: How did you get the idea for the story in B is for Bonnet?

SSG: This book involves Johnny, the youngest sibling. I thought that it would be nice to have the parent’s point of view, which is why Matt, the dad, and Kennedy play a role in this book. I think the story is richer because of putting them in the book.

EC: How would you describe Johnny?

SSG: He is independent, secure, confident, sensitive, sarcastic, sweet and kind. Sometimes he says things and does not think before he says them, basically impulsive. He has a little bit of growing up to do. He contrasts with Beth and Martin who are very cautious. Johnny is at a crossroads as he tries to figure out his future.

EC: How would you describe Matt, the dad?

SSG: He sometimes angry and resentful. He feels adrift. Matt regrets that he does not have a good relationship with his children. He had tunnel vision but now wants to mend bridges with his children.

EC: Matt’s relationship with Johnny?

SSG: He is an example of someone who just goes about their day until they get that phone call that something happened. The conversation with Johnny over his health was Matt’s wake-up call. Matt is trying to reinvent himself with his children. Johnny feels Matt talked down to him and did not listen. Yet, he is more open to have a give and take with his dad.

EC: How would you describe Kennedy, Matt’s lover?

SSG: She is free spirited, a pet sitter. She is nurturing and independent. Kennedy can be matter of fact. She will question Matt about his past and thinks he is charming. Kennedy is forthright.

EC: How would you describe Treva, the female lead?

SSG: Insecure, an only child, sensible, very confident with her work, and almost a workaholic. She has insecurities with relationships, including with her family. She needs to embrace her life.

EC: What about the relationship with Johnny?

SSG: She learned that a career does not make a full life. At first, he is judgmental, misconstruing her statements. They were encouraging of each other.

EC: What about the book Unforgotten?

SSG: I came up with the idea of two cousins that were close but very different. It is not the last book in this series. Bethanne needed a point of view, and I wanted her to become the heroine in this suspenseful story.

EC: How would you describe Candace?

SSG: She is not Amish and has won the beauty contest for Crittenden County. She always looks out for Bethanne. Candace’s mom has decided not to be Amish and has never been Baptized. Candace is vulnerable, sociable, caring, and is fearful because of her stalker.

EC: How would you describe Bethanne?

SSG: She is very timid in the beginning but ends up as a survivor. Her mom is Amish. She tries to overcome her fears and now has PTSD. In some sense she feels captive in her own house and is determined to break away from it. She has a mother who is overbearing and shelters her.

EC: The relationship between Bethanne and Candace?

SSG: They are like sisters and are protective of each other. They now have both been abused. They are very close.

EC: How would you describe the relationship with Jay and Bethanne?

SSG: He helps her see the world from outside her own perspective. He is caring and respectful of her. He has some guilt about being a friend of the one who tried to rape her. He is good for her because he is even-tempered and kind. He is not pushy and is willing to wait for her to come around.

EC: What about Ryan and Candace?

SSG: He is considerate of her. He is six years older than her so is more mature. He feels like an outsider of the town. They resisted the relationship at first but there were sparks between them. They were thrown into a strange situation.

EC: Next books?

SSG: C is for Courting is finishing up Martin and Patty and features Beth. The mom, Helen, of the four children will also be in scenes in this book. Matt will also be in this book. It will be out in October. Hopefully the readers will feel there is closure. In the alphabet series “D” and “E” will be with new characters and a trilogy but set in the same fictional town.

The third book in the Amish Suspense Series comes out in June and is titled, Unshaken. It does take place in the same town. The plot has an Amish girl witnessing a murder and must go into hiding. It will have new characters.

There is another book coming out in April for Harlequin, a contemporary romance series. It is set around a food bank. It is a small-town romance series, with the first book titled Their Surprise Reunion.

Another series, I am writing, will be about an Amish Widow’s Club for Revell. It is about a group of women, some English, some Mennonite, and some Amish who are widows and for various reasons do not ever intend to marry again. But of course, life takes a turn.

THANK YOU!!

***

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Deception Point Series by Candace Irving

Elise’s Descriptions and Thoughts

This is part II of the Candace Irving Q/A talking about the “Deception Point Series.” (https://store.candaceirving.com/)

In part I Candace talked about her “Hidden Valor Series.” (https://avonnalovesgenres.com/friday-feature-author-interview-with-elise-cooper-hidden-valor-military-veteran-k-9-series-by-candace-irving/)

There are similarities between both series in that each has great characters, very unlikeable antagonists, an intense plot, some romance, and a riveting story that readers will not want to put down. The author allows readers to connect emotionally with the characters. The differences are that the “Hidden Valor Series” takes place mainly in Arkansas, with the heroine, Kate, a retired CID officer, now working with the State law enforcement, while in the other series the heroines move around the globe and are active duty, having a partner both romantically and professionally: Kate with Arash, Regan with John, and Mira with Riyad.

With both series, books should be read in order. The Deception Point Series should be read in this order: Aimpoint, Blind Edge, Back Blast, and Chokepoint. These books involve an active-duty Army investigator, Regan, and an active-duty Navy investigator, Mira, both who are women. It is obvious that Irving has done her due diligence, with the research put in making the stories realistic and believable.

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Which series came first?

Candace Irving: I wrote Blind Edge of the “Deception Point Series” before the Kate “Hidden Valor series.” Also plotted a few chapters to the next books in the Deception Point Series, Back Blast and Chokepoint. All these books were thought out. Then I was told that many people want plots set inside the US. As I was riding my bike in Arkansas and saw this seat deserted in a field, a brown bag filled with body parts popped into my head. I went home and The Garbage Man was born featuring Kate Holland. This was published first even though I wanted Blind Edge published before the pull out of Afghanistan.

Originally, I was going to write one book in this series and then another book in the other series, but it did not turn out that way. Those reading the Kate series realized that there is another series, “Deception Point,” and began to read it and love it.

EC: What is the big difference between the two series?

CI: Hidden Valor has an overriding arc about the characters’ backstory, but each book has a different plot. Deception Point has a continuing arc throughout the books that is the plot line. Both these series must be read in order.

EC: Do you agree that the similarity between each series refers to the characters’ backstory?

CI: Every character has a bad fathers and a Mother MIA.

EC: How would you classify the “Deception Point Series?”

CI: They involve the military but for me they are really crime thrillers. They are not like Tom Clancy’s books. Some people thought they are like the Jack Reacher series, but they are not. They are women and active duty.

EC: The Hidden Valor series has more PTSD references than the Deception Point Series?

CI: Yes, because Kate was very debilitated at the beginning of the series. She could no longer function in the military. Regan and John do not really have PTSD.

EC: Would you ever write a third series with just Mira, the featured character in Chokepoint?

CI: No, she will remain in the “Deception Point Series.” I consider this the active-duty series with Mira featured in a Navy plotline, any Army story will have Regan featured, and a veteran story will feature Kate from the “Hidden Valor Series.” I will give a heads up that there will be a crossover between Regan and Kate in the “Hidden Valor series.” Regan is undercover as herself and is investigating a case in Arkansas. Remember in the book, In the Name Of, there were a couple of phone calls between Regan and Kate. But in the crossover book, Regan and Kate will be together since Regan is Kate’s protege.

EC: Why did you have Regan get pregnant?

CI: At first, I was going back and forth if I should take it out. But then I decided to keep it. I know some people ask why she would have sex without protection, but she really thought she could never get pregnant.

EC: How would you compare your three female heroines: Kate, Regan, and Mira?

CI: Regan can mask her feelings: reading facial expressions, while only to a certain extent, Kate and Mira can, because they were taught that as part of their jobs. Regan can lie and people cannot tell, including pretending she likes someone when she really doesn’t, while Mira cannot quite mask her feelings.

Kate has more compassion because of what happened to her and is more forgiving of others’ mistakes than Mira and Regan. Mira has a chip on her shoulder because she was charged with a crime yet was innocent.

All of them feel guilt. Kate because her best friend was beheaded, and she is determined to prove to her father’s ghost that she is a good investigator. Regan because her dad was a dirty cop; and Mira feels guilty because she never had to deal with the emotional abuse inflicted on her brother by her dad.

All are confident and self-assured. Mira has a temper, especially when people get in her face she gets right back in that person’s face. All are gutsy, if knocked down they all will get back up. They are all loners but are not lonely because they have friends and good support systems.

EC: Why was Kate retired and Mira/Regan active duty?

CI: I took some real elements that are common to those who served and combined them together so a lot of veterans can relate to part of her having PTSD. Because she had so much trauma, she knew she could no longer serve. I also want to differentiate between each series, so she is not active-duty, and the others are. Regan has her arm problems that when stressed she does not have a lot of control over, but it would not force her out of the Army. She did have to learn how to make her left hand her dominant hand.

EC: How would you compare your three male heroes: Arash, John, and Riyad?

CI: I wanted them all to be different although parts of Arash and John are my husband. Many readers think Riyad is a jerk, but it is because of his background. He takes no prisoners and makes no excuses. John is willing to own up to his mistakes. Riyad and John are active-duty Special Forces where they know how to be confrontational, while Arash was in military intelligence, knowing how to get what he wants without getting in someone’s face. Riyad does not consider any other opinions and expects people to do it his way, the SEAL mentality. To a certain extent Riyad has tunnel vision because of what happened to him when he was a SEAL commander. In their own way each are stubborn, sarcastic, but stoic.

EC: How would you compare all three relationships: Kate/Arash, Regan/John, and Mira/Riyad?

CI: Each hero gets under the heroines’ skin. Kate and to some degree Regan will cut Arash and John slack, while there is no way Mira allows Riyad any slack. Riyad would get in Mira’s face and say no and John would do the same things with Regan. Arash is clever on how he approaches his disagreements with Kate. All are driven. John and Riyad blame first and then questioned later regarding Regan and Mira, although John is willing to realize he was wrong, and say he is sorry, for his assumptions. Riyad gets upset with himself for calling Mira ‘woman’ because he cares for her, while she is starting to understand him after knowing his background. All the heroes are chauvinistic. All the heroes and heroines are caring, intense, compassionate, persistent, and protective.

John/Regan and Arash/Kate feel secure in their relationships. I would say that John is on one end of the spectrum of their feelings and reactions, Arash is in the middle, and Riyad is on the other end.

EC: Next Book(s)?

CI: With both series I know what will happen in the current book I am writing, maybe with the next book, but not with other books in the future. I am a linear writer in that I start at the beginning and plot every single chapter in succession. In the next Regan book, Pitch Black, which will come out in January 2026, Mira will be kidnapped after she and Riyad travel to Saudi Arabia for an investigation. Mira and John end up in Yemen with Regan and Riyad working together to find them.

The next Kate book, Blood on the Wire, will be published in August of this year. The relationship with Arash will progress. Also, her former partner Seth’s story will be a part of this story. The case involves a psychologist at a Little Rock VA hospital who was found brutally stabbed to death. In the victim’s house, Kate is stunned to discover a cache of military-grade explosives. Plus, the psychologist was conducting a private investigation into a heinous crime that occurred more than two years ago in an active war zone. Bodies have begun to multiply.

THANK YOU!!

***