#authorinterview – Page 23 – Avonna Loves Genres

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: The Handler by M.P. Woodward

Book Description

A disgraced former CIA operative must go back in the field with only his ex-wife as his handler in this electrifying thriller from a former intelligence officer.

Meredith Morris-Dale is a CIA agent and a damn good one…even if this last mission did go terribly wrong. Now she has been summoned back to Langley where she expects to be fired. Instead, she is met by the Deputy Director with stunning news.

A single well-placed CIA mole in Iran’s uranium enrichment program has kept the terrorist nation from building a bomb by sabotaging their centrifuge’s performance. But after losing his daughter in an airliner shootdown, the mole wants out–leaving the world on the brink. His one demand: a reunion with the only handler he ever trusted, John Dale–Meredith’s disgraced, fired, wayward ex-husband. As Meredith and John struggle through their fraught relationship, a craven CIA political hierarchy, Russian interference, and the rogue spy’s manipulation, they must reach deep within their shared connection to maintain, recover, or kill the asset.

***

Elise’s Thoughts

The Handler by M. P. Woodward allows readers to gain knowledge of the intelligence world with a story all too real, delving into the return of the Cold War days. If readers are looking for a Vince Flynn like author that has the same action, characters to root for, and national security concerns, Woodward is the author to read.

In this debut story disgraced CIA operative John Dale is coaxed out of retirement by his ex-wife Meredith, the head of the CIA’s Counterproliferation Division. John is asked to extract Iranian asset Cerberus, a scientist working on the Iranian nuclear program. The CIA mole has kept this terrorist nation from building a bomb through sabotage. But now the mole wants out and will only deal with his trusted former handler, Dale.

Both John, and his handler, Meredith, must work together to bring the scientist to safety. Together they face very dangerous obstacles including the CIA’s political hierarchy, Iran’s military, and Russian spies. There are Russian agents leading an SVR team anxious to take out John and Meredith, a lieutenant colonel with the Quds branch of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard who wants Cerberus just as badly as the CIA, and Meredith’s corrupt supervisor, Rance.

Woodward, a former naval intelligence officer, uses his experience to write a very believable story full of suspense and twists. There is plenty of drama, tension, and conflict. Readers will not want to put this book down.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: The idea for the story?

M. P. Woodward: I have been a naval intelligence officer and like to keep up with what is happening in the world. In January 2020 on the airport TV was the coverage of a civilian Ukrainian airliner shot down by Iran. I started to think about how and why it happened. The people on that plane were largely Iranian students going back to school in Canada. I thought it could be a plot for a novel. I wanted to write a story with authenticity and realism.

EC: How did your professional experience help in writing the book?

MPW: I divide it into two halves. The first is being in the military for several years. The other is working at Amazon doing distribution deals. With the former, I used to write war game scenarios. I knew a lot about how various agencies on both sides would react to certain escalations. This helped with some character development, setting, and timing. The business side helped me to capture working at a bureaucracy that has inertia and people with political motivations.

EC: You talk about the countries of evil toward the US which seems to be the same ones as of today?

MPW: We were in a period of history, post-Cold War that had a rule based on international order. Now we are in Cold War 2.0 with three imperialist powers who challenge the status quo to expand their sphere of influence. As I discuss in the book, China is the senior partner with Russia and Iran the junior partners, all working together. Russia is helping the Iranians with a nuclear reactor in exchange for oil drilling rights. The Chinese try to build client satellite states. Whereas the western democracies are a little slow to this threat. I am worried because they have failed to deter.

EC: The Iran nuclear threat?

MPW: Many countries in that area have nuclear weapons. A lot of them are modern societies, while Iran has different ideas. There are those in Iran who believe that the 12^th Iman will come back once Armageddon is achieved. A facility was built, spending 500 million dollars, to welcome back the 12^th Iman. These are the people in power. The idea they will have nuclear weapons is very scary. The Iranians are hiding their secret nuclear facilities which for me shows they do not want a deal with the US.

EC: Besides writing about the geo-political threat, you have well developed characters. How would you describe John?

MPW: He believes in honor, duty, and commitment, but lacks the patience of working within large organizations. He would rather work alone to get the mission accomplished. His heart is in the right place. He is frustrated with working within the system. He and I are landscape painters, a loner profession. The cabin he lives in is like the one I have, up on a mountain. He can be charming and unpredictable.

EC: How would you describe Meredith?

MPW: She is the opposite of John. She accepts the rules and works within the organization. She also has a sense of honor, duty, and mission. She goes about doing things in different ways than John and becomes frustrated with him. She can read people and at times is intense. Meredith is attracted to someone like John but has a hard time in making peace with his actions. She and John have a bond.

EC: You show how intelligence works?

MPW: Yes. I wanted to show how a lot of times the handler and the operative sometimes have incomplete information. Since they were married with an adult child, she feels her first duty is to John. Meredith is an advocate for him. I put in this quote, “Good assets are in it for ideology, or even better, their vision of morality.” They want to do the right thing because they want change.

EC: How would you describe Rance, Meredith’s CIA boss who is a political animal?

MPW: He is fallible and cautious. He is not decisive versus Meredith who thinks quickly. He does put his career first. He is arrogant, selfish, calculating, uncaring, and tries to throw Meredith and John under the bus. He thinks he can get away with things, which is his undoing.

EC: Please explain this book quote, “Intelligence failures were infamous for overlooked, seemingly innocuous assumptions.”

MPW: I worked with Special Forces who must know the smallest details. Remember during the raid on OBL when the helicopter crashed. It did so because the rehearsals during the mission had a chain linked fence. But the actual fence was a masonry wall. People like John in this story must know does the door open in or out, are the hinges on the left or right side of the door.

EC: The next book?

MPW: It will come out this time next year, titled Scorched Earth. The plot is the shadow war between Israel and Iran. The question should the Americans appease Iran and get a deal done, angering Israel. The overriding arguments, containment versus appeasement of Iran? Meredith and John are on Israel’s side. I used many real-world references. I wanted to portray the existential threat to Israel if Iran gets a nuclear weapon and highlight Israel’s military.

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: Unbridled Cowboy and The Lost and Found Girl by Maisey Yates

Elise’s Thoughts

Unbridled Cowboy and The Lost and Found Girl by Maisey Yates are filled with an emotional punch, heartbreak, warmth, and overcoming the past. With Unbridled Cowboy Yates shows why she is the champion writer of cowboys with no one doing it better.

Unbridled Cowboy begins with a tradition done years ago whether in the Old West or with religious sects, a set-up marriage. Sawyer Garrett has a huge ranch and is financially well off. Because of being hurt in the past he keeps his emotions closed off. Yet, he needs a baby mama after a one-night stand has him becoming a father, a single dad. Intent on making sure his baby has a mother he puts out an ad for a mother online. Evelyn Moore accepts it after having her life turned upside down, finding her fiancé cheating with her best friend. She instantly falls in love with baby June Bug and her attraction for Sawyer is off the charts. Now she and Sawyer must navigate through their feelings for each other to have a secure and happy marriage.

The Lost and Found Girl release date was delayed until July 26^th due to a paper shortage. But once readers get a hold of this book, they will not put it down. This story of sisterhood has at its center a mystery with a devastating secret. At the core of the mystery is Ruby McKee who was found abandoned on a bridge as a newborn baby. She has become the official mascot of Pear Blossom, Oregon, a symbol of hope in the wake of a devastating loss after a sixteen-year-old went missing years earlier. Now all sisters are struggling to find their place in life: Ruby is struggling to understand her life; Dahlia is determined to learn the story behind Ruby’s abandonment; Marianne, who seemed to have the perfect life, has her marriage going through a rough patch; and Lydia is trying to raise the children after her husband died from ALS six months earlier, but is also realizing that it was his best friend who she is really attracted to.

Both books will have readers going through a range of emotions with the characters. They will laugh with them, cry with them, and take the emotional journey of releasing all those feelings.

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: You like grandmas with the name June?

Maisey Yates: I wanted to use the name June Bug, so I thought ‘oh well’ I have another grandma with the name June. What are you going to do? The father started to call his infant daughter Bug. I thought it was cute and reluctantly affectionate.

EC: How would you describe Sawyer in the book Unbridled Cowboy?

MY: Loyal, dedicated, responsible, and sure of himself. His deepest self is sentimental, but he doesn’t want to be. What he shows the world is deeply unemotional.

EC: Abandonment plays a role in this story?

MY: He has abandonment issues which has caused him to hide what he wants the most. He does not want to be hurt again and feels his emotions betrayed him. His issues have caused him to be more cynical, hard-headed, stubborn, and stoic. He will not let his feelings get in the way and tries to keep everything under his control. He always wants to do the right thing. He would never abandon Evelyn, his siblings, his ranch, and his infant daughter.

EC: The idea of a mail-order-bride?

MY: Think of the way people date on-line today. They just use an algorithm. A mail-order-bride is not far from the way people do things now. Sawyer knows exactly what he wants, and this is how he goes about getting it.

EC: How would you describe Evelyn?

MY: She is type A: direct, organized, overachieving, and controlling. She had to have everything fall apart simultaneously to make it believable that she would give everything up. She wants to get into something simple and traditional. She sees it as an opportunity to get what she wants without getting hurt again. Evelyn wants to run away and change her life from a city gal to a country gal.

EC: What about the relationship?

MY: They never separated in this story. They were committed to never splitting up where divorce is not on the table. Even though they had an instant connection that neither counted on, after they got together in an unorthodox way, they skipped ahead to a more mature relationship. They contended with the difficult issues instead of running from them. I did not have them break-up and then get back together. Each were extremely honest and showed respect for each other’s boundaries.

EC: The role of June Bug?

MY: Without her Sawyer never would have to challenge himself. She is initially the glue that brings them together and holds them together.

EC: Both had mom problems?

MY: Evelyn can get a resolution with her mom and say how she feels, while Sawyer never was able to do it. I think it is how to live your own life and not the life your parents wanted you to have. Sawyer and Evelyn cannot fall back on their mothers as an excuse as to why they are not functional. They must move forward and stop living in the past and blaming their mothers.

EC: Sawyer versus her ex-boyfriend Andrew?

MY: Sawyer had his own integrity, driven by his concepts of honesty, trustworthy, and loyalty. He is so straight up. Andrew is not honest with himself, much less Evelyn. He hurts her because he is so beholden to this idea of society, a perfect life that looks good on paper. He is unable to separate what his parents want for him. He has not grown up and is not one of my heroes. Andrew is self-centered and passive aggressive.

EC: There is a quote about grief?

MY: You must be referring to this quote, “I’m sad because she’s not here. And nothing will bring her back. She was the single most important person in my life… I never loved anybody as much as I loved her.” This is the universal experience of loss where we cannot speak to our loved ones physically anymore. It is OK to be sad. Sawyer must accept that the loss of his grandma will make him sad. Even though someone moves forward an event can come up that will make someone sad or melancholy.

EC: Now the other book, The Lost and Found Girl?

MY: It was inspired by something that happened where I live. I am always fascinated by small towns where certain people are considered good or important even though there is not a great reason for it. Small towns can create an interesting setting because of preconceived ideas and secrets. The assumptions people make can be used in writing a story.

EC: How would you compare the sisters in your other book, The Lost and Found Girl?

MY:

Ruby: is the optimist, spoiled, the youngest. She is told she is a miracle and a town mascot, a symbol. She tries to be a fixer. The cheerfulness is not her own. Ruby takes a journey in the book and must figure out, can she be complicated. Because she was adopted she feels she cannot be a burden. Ruby is a survivor.

Dahlia: the baby before Ruby. She is the rebel of that family, cynical. She cares about things really deeply. She is the person that pretends she doesn’t care even though she does a lot. As a writer she is a bit of an introvert. Writers spend a lot of time by themselves.

Marianne: Trying to get over what happened to her. She is very much in the present. She is dramatic, emotional, and feels she is losing touch with the perfect world she made for herself.

Lydia: The oldest child, the most together. More of a realist and practical. She bottles things up and deals with it. Almost the direct opposite of Marianne. She feels she must be more together because her sisters are not.

EC: What about all the relationships?

MY:

Ruby and Nathan: I think the relationship would be too complicated for a romance novel since he is so much older than her. I like this romance and how they connected. Together they found out who they are instead of being the person everybody told them they had to be.

Dahlia and Carter: They are sweet together. He was her high school fantasy.

Lydia and Chase: They had an edge since he always loved her but could not have her. It is a forbidden romance since she married his best friend.

Marianne and Jackson: He is just a good guy. She accused him of being an unfaithful husband, but he shows her he is solid. He gave her safety and a normal life. He has shielded and protected her.

EC: You have been known to write wonderful stories that have a happy ending?

MY: I am not interested in bleak. I want to give people hope. The world is bleak and dark, but I do not want to write books that says if something terrible happens to you then you can never have something good happen. I do not want to break the trust with my readers that do expect a happy ending. I like to write women’s fiction where the heroines have been through a lot, but it does not mean they cannot be loved and end up with a hero. If there is a dark subject matter romance is needed.

EC: Next books?

MY: The next “Four Corner Series” book is titled Merry Christmas Cowboy, out in October. It is Wolf, Sawyer’s, story. It goes back to Copper Ridge. It is my second-generation story. Wolf stays out at a ranch there and meets Violet.

The next in this series is Elsie and Hunter’s story, out in February 2023. It is titled Cowboy Wild, a classic best friend little sister story. Elsie is a similar heroine to Kate Garrett.

THANK YOU!!

***

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Cold Snap by Marc Cameron

Book Description

After an early spring thaw on the Alaskan coast, Anchorage police discover a gruesome new piece of evidence in their search for a serial killer: a dismembered human foot.

In Kincaid Park, a man is arrested for attacking a female jogger. Investigators believe they have finally captured the sadistic serial killer. But one deputy is sure they have the wrong man.

In the remote northern town of Deadhorse, Alaska, Deputy US Marshal Arliss Cutter escorts three handcuffed prisoners onto a small bush plane on route to Anchorage. The men have been charged with racketeering, drug trafficking, and kidnapping. But Cutter doesn’t expect any trouble from them. It’s a routine mission and a nonstop flight—or so he thinks. When the plane makes an unexpected landing in the middle of nowhere, all hell breaks loose. The prisoners murder a pilot and guard. The plane is torched and blown up. And the last few survivors are forced to flee into the wilderness. But their nightmare’s just beginning. Back in Anchorage, deputy Lola Teariki has traced the dismembered foot to a missing girl—and the serial psychopath who slaughtered her.

It’s one of the prisoners on Cutter’s flight. . . .

Now it’s a deadly game of survival. With no means of communication, few supplies, and ravenous grizzly bears and wolves lurking in the shadows, Cutter has to battle the unforgiving elements while the cold-blooded killer wants his head on a stick. Here in Alaska, nature can be cruel—but this time, human nature is crueler. . . .

Drawing on his experiences as a deputy US marshal in Alaska, Cold Snap rings terrifyingly true.

***

Elise’s Thoughts

Cold Snap by Marc Cameron is another riveting novel featuring his main character, Deputy US Marshal Arliss Cutter. The author worked in law enforcement as a US Marshal, so he keeps the plot realistic. In this installment, there are gruesome murders, family issues that need resolving, and transporting lethal criminals as they battle the Alaskan elements.

Lola Tuakarie, part of a Fugitive Task Force, and Arliss are investigating a serial killer after women’s body parts are washed ashore. Cutter is called away on a prisoner transport leaving Lola to work the serial killer case with the Anchorage police. On the transport plane heading to Fairbanks are four very dangerous prisoners. Unfortunately, the pilot takes a detour, unknown to Arliss, where things go from bad to worse. Now it becomes a matter of surviving the elements and the prisoners.

Cameron puts the reader in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness. They feel the wind at their face, and the bitter cold from the downpour of snow. Animals also become a factor with wolves and an 800-pound grizzly bear trying to get their next meal. There is no means of communication, few supplies, and prisoners who want nothing more than to kill Cutter. He must use all his skills to protect himself and others found in the wilderness.

There is also a sub-plot regarding how Arliss’ brother, Ethan, died. Was it an accident or murder?

All these sub-plots will hook the readers into the series. The plot and characters are enthralling and allow everyone to see the hardships and danger those living in Alaska must face.

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the story?

Marc Cameron: I wanted to show how Marshals transport prisoners all the time. They could be out in rough country. I played a ‘what if game,’ using my professional experience. I moved prisoners in very cold conditions but never was stranded in an airplane with one. Small bush planes had six people. It is less about tracking down the prisoners and more about survival with those who want to kill Arliss Cutter.

EC: Who is to blame for the prisoners and Marshal being stranded?

MC: It is just a series of situations. The pilot veered out of the way to check on a friend. Jill Phillips, the Chief Deputy played a central role because Arliss worked under her. She was the one to ramrod the situation to find him.

EC: Besides the prisoner transport there is another sub-plot?

MC: There is a hunt for a serial killer who is chopping females up and letting their body parts wash up on shores around Anchorage.

EC: The influence of the grandfather?

MC: He was in law enforcement in the Florida Marine Patrol. Arliss’ valued weapon, the Colt Python revolver, was his. He raised Arliss and his brother Ethan. The grandfather was a role model who calmed and steadied Arliss. This book begins with a flashback when the boys were little. Readers get to meet him on the page for the first time. In getting to know the grandfather people can see why Arliss turned out the way he did. He is modeled after my own grandfather.

EC: In what way was Arliss’ grandfather modeled after your grandfather?

MC: Mine was a cowboy and a farmer who did not smile a great deal. He was a tough guy. When I was a little boy, he was one of my best friends. He taught me how to fire a gun, fish, and hunt. I drew some wisdom from him, especially manners. Both grandfathers were not “grumpy” but never smiled or laughed a lot.

EC: There was a scene between Mim and her daughter Constance. Who was the adult in that scene?

MC: Her daughter just accused her of sleeping with her brother-in-law when her husband was alive. She was very upset. I would leave it to the reader if they thought Mim went a little overboard in her reaction. Plus, her daughter thought she was sleeping with Arliss because she looks like him and Constance knows Arliss loved Mim his whole life. I guess I meet lots of grown-ups that act like children.

EC: The elements of Alaska are front and center?

MC: I did encounter bears several times. Sometimes, we have bears in our yard. We look out the door before we walk to our car. Every time is different. I wrote in the animals including bears and wolves plus the havoc the weather created. It would be impossible to write a realistic book about Alaska without writing about the animals and elements. Unless someone lived in or walked in deep snow it is hard to imagine how exhausting it is. It is very easy to overexert, getting sweaty, getting cold, and having fatigue. It can be deadly. Tea is very common here to warm someone up.

EC: Why the Kipling reference?

MC: Kim, is my favorite novel written by Rudyard Kipling about a child that grew up in India. He became a spy for the British. Kim’s game is a parlor game made famous by this book. A bunch of items are put on a tray. It is uncovered for a minute and people try to list all that was on it. It is a memory game. Snipers and spies play it. Trackers can use it because it is an observation game. It teaches people to observe and memorize things systematically.

EC: Readers learn a lot about trackers?

MC: They will rarely arrest someone. For example, there was a missing hunter in Alaska. Troopers knew he was in the mountains. I was one of trackers in the area. I was flown to where they had last seen him and asked to find his camp. I had to track backwards. I did find his camp. I told those in the helicopter he was headed in this direction. It is not like the old days where there was one tracker, but a whole team. We did find him. If we are tracking a fugitive, we inform the others. The best way to explain it is that the tracker is like a tool to find the person.

EC: What about your next book?

MC: The Ethan investigation is convoluted and will be reoccurring. In the next book a lot of stuff comes to light. The title is Breakneck and it comes out this time next year. A Supreme Court Justice visits Alaska and someone is trying to kill her on the wilderness Alaska train. Arliss and Lola are guarding her and trying to protect her on that train. Meanwhile Mim is in far North Alaska in the same area where Ethan used to work, and she is looking into his death.

THANK YOU!!

***

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: When She Dreams by Amanda Quick

Book Description

Maggie Lodge, assistant to the reclusive advice columnist known only as Dear Aunt Cornelia to her readers, hires down-but-not-quite-out private eye Sam Sage to help track down the person who is blackmailing her employer. Maggie and Sam are a mismatched pair. As far as Sam is concerned, Maggie is reckless and in over her head. She is not what he had in mind for a client but he can’t afford to be choosy. Maggie, on the other hand, is convinced that Sam is badly in need of guidance and good advice. She does not hesitate to give him both.

In spite of the verbal fireworks between them, they are fiercely attracted to each other, but each is convinced it would be a mistake to let passion take over. They are, after all, keeping secrets from each other. Sam is haunted by his past, which includes a marriage shattered by betrayal and violence. Maggie is troubled by intense and vivid dreams–dreams that she can sometimes control. There are those who want to run experiments on her and use her for their own purposes, while others think she should be committed to an asylum.

When the pair discovers someone is impersonating Aunt Cornelia at a conference on psychic dreaming and a woman dies at the conference, the door is opened to a dangerous web of blackmail and murder. Secrets from the past are revealed, leaving Maggie and Sam in the path of a ruthless killer who will stop at nothing to exact vengeance.

***

Elise’s Thoughts

When She Dreams by Amanda Quick, is a story with lies, murder, blackmail, and drugs. This series takes place during the 1930’s in the small town of Burning Cove, California with some recurring characters.

The opening scene sets the atmosphere for the rest of the plot. Maggie Lodge enters the office of Dr. Oxlade for a session about her lucid dreams. Unbeknownst to her, he gives her a drug called the enhancer. He is hoping to control her dreams, actions, and mind. As Maggie is fighting the effects of the drug, she barely escapes from the office.

Lucid dreams become almost a character in the story. People dreaming are aware that they are dreaming. During the dream someone may gain some amount of control over it to try to become aware of their consciousness.

Maggie must also deal with the fact that someone is blackmailing her employer, Dear Aunt Cornelia, an advice columnist. She hires private eye and former policeman Sam Sage to help find the blackmailer. The investigation leads them to a conference on psychic dreaming where Maggie realizes Dr. Oxlade is also attending. It seems some women who were lucid dreamers are being killed. As tensions rise and the murders increase, Maggie and Sam realize they are in the path of a ruthless killer who will stop at nothing to exact vengeance. They enlist the help of the series recurring characters Raina Kirk, a private detective and investigator, plus Luther Pell, to find information that will help to connect all the murdered women.

The relationship between Maggie and Sam is a delight. Their snarky, intimate, verbal fireworks conversations are enjoyable. But they also realize there is a passionate chemistry between them. What they must overcome are the secrets kept from each other. Both are haunted by their pasts.

Once again readers will not be disappointed with this 1930s mystery. This intriguing and suspenseful story is full of twists. A bonus is how Quick intertwined the information about lucid dreaming into the story.

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Idea for the story?

Amanda Quick: The story idea comes from the fact that I am personally intrigued with dreaming. One of the most interesting types is lucid dreaming where someone knows they are dreaming. The goal is to control the dream and solve problems that someone could not solve while awake. For example, rewrite nightmares or sad dreams to find peace. This was a hot topic in the thirties. Now on online there are many people looking it up. It is like waking up before falling off a cliff or in my case learning to fly.

EC: There are all types of dreams in the book, what are the differences?

AQ: Lucid dreaming is real. Astral projection is junk science, pure fantasy. It is when someone thinks they can travel in their dreams as their soul moves to another location. Latent psychic senses have someone believing they have a psychic vibe yet are not aware of it. This is also a scam.

EC: How would you describe Maggie?

AQ: Maggie is a lucid dreamer who can control her dreams, which allows her to see things in a different light. She is adventurous, outgoing, and a modern woman. She is very smart, independent, bold, a little reckless, unpredictable, and confident. Maggie wants to do the right thing and wants to find answers.

EC: Why does she have an aversion to marriage?

AQ: She had a very close call when her fiancé wanted to marry her for her money and then he was going to send her off to an asylum. In those days it was not hard to get a woman committed against her will. This is why she is wary of marriage.

EC: Sam Sage versus Sam Spade?

AQ: I did not even try to hide it and had fun playing off the character. I was going for the iconic 1930s hardboiled private eye. My character Sam Sage is much nicer and a lot more honorable. Sam Spade is from The Maltese Falcon, an American icon. I put this quote in the book, Sam Spade is “arrogant, egotistical, narcissistic ass, with the moral code of an alley cat…he isn’t interested in justice…and a lousy detective.” His goal is to prove he is the smartest guy in the room. I wanted my character to be in the same occupation but with better personality traits.

EC: How would you describe Sam Sage?

AQ: He is really interested in justice and doing the right thing. Sam is the classic good guy, very protective. Some people see him as world weary and wise cracking.

EC: What about the relationship between Maggie and Sam?

AQ: They play off each other’s strengths and weaknesses. She is reckless and he is a ‘by the books guy’. They are very passionate about each other. Each sees the underlying strength of the other and trusts each other.

EC: Next books?

AQ: It will be another Jayne Castle Dust Bunny book, a futuristic romantic suspense novel, titled, Sweet Water and the Witch, coming out September 30^th. The next Amanda Quick book is out a year from now, titled The Bride Wore White. A woman wakes up in the honeymoon suite with a dead body next to her. Raina Kirk and Luther Pell have become the anchor characters for the series and will be in every book as cameo players.

Thank you!!

***

Friday Feature Author Interview by Elise Cooper: The Sweet Life by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Book Description

Dawn Dixon can hardly believe she’s on a groomless honeymoon on beautiful Cape Cod . . . with her mother. Sure, Marnie Dixon is good company, but Dawn was supposed to be here with Kevin, the love of her life (or so she thought).

Marnie Dixon needs some time away from the absolute realness of life as much as her jilted daughter does, and she’s not about to let her only child suffer alone–even if Marnie herself had been doing precisely that for the past month.

Given the circumstances, maybe it was inevitable that Marnie would do something as rash as buy a run-down ice-cream shop in the town’s tightly regulated historic district. After all, everything’s better with ice cream.

Her exasperated daughter knows that she’s the one who will have to clean up this mess. Even when her mother’s impulsive real estate purchase brings Kevin back into her life, Dawn doesn’t get her hopes up. Everyone knows that broken romances stay broken . . . don’t they?

Welcome to a summer of sweet surprises on Cape Cod–a place where dreams just might come true.

***

Elise’s Thoughts

The Sweet Life by Suzanne Woods Fisher is a feel-good book. It has a story of self-reflection, healing, love, and faith although there are some difficult issues covered regarding loss, hardship, and fear.

The plot has Dawn Dixon’s life turned upside down when her fiancé, Kevin, backs out of their wedding. She then finds out her mother had breast cancer and treatment. In addition, both mother and daughter are still recovering from the sudden death of their husband/father.

After Kevin insists Dawn goes on vacation, using the honeymoon reservations, she decides to take her mom, Marnie. Both need a relaxing get away. But the trip turns into a longer then planned event after Marnie decides to buy a historical run-down ice cream shop. She is fulfilling a dream that Dawn and her father had. While trying to fix the shop, Marnie meets a townsperson, Lincoln, who is willing to help. Not to mention she calls Kevin for his advice. Marnie enlists Dawn’s help to carry out her dream because Dawn is the person to oversee operations and has wonderful ice cream making skills.

There is a potent emphasis on healing and self-reflection in relationships. Dawn is practical, focused, and a planner, while Marnie is spontaneous, a risk-taker, and creative. As they work together both start to understand and accept the differences of the other person.

This story is uplifting and inspirational emphasizing what is important in life. The small-town setting, humorous banter, colorful characters, and healing make for a wonderful story.

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the story?

Suzanne Woods Fisher: This is book one in the series, “Cape Cod Creamery.” About six years ago for a Christmas present I sent my husband and daughter to Penn State’s short term ice cream school. Ever since, ice cream has been a big part of our life. My editor wanted me to write a series about ice cream.

EC: Role of ice cream in the story?

SWF: It is a character. Ice cream has been a part of the family’s life, including a dream to have an ice cream shop. The mother buys this run-down ice cream shop and needs the daughter’s help. Ice cream has kept the family together and has continued to bring them together.

EC: Each chapter has ice cream quotes-why?

SWF: Little quotations about ice cream. These quotes relate to what is going on in the chapter. It gives the reader a visual appeal. There is one quote that relates to the theme, “life is like ice cream, and we should enjoy it before it melts.”

EC: Your favorite flavor?

SWF: Vanilla is my favorite. A funny story is related to that question. The most popular flavor in the world is vanilla, but the hardest to make. It cannot be masked. My husband did something that I wrote into the series. He made vanilla 59 times to make it right. The vanilla base is the main one for all other flavors.

EC: How would you describe Dawn?

SWF: She is an only child. She is more like her late father, than her mother. She is not spontaneous, or a free spirit, as is her mom. Dawn has very self-awareness and is a planner. She grows throughout the story. She is diligent, a perfectionist, and a rule follower. She was able to have some father-daughter time where ice cream between the two of them was their togetherness. After she lost her father and fiancé healing became important.

EC: How would you describe Marnie?

SWF: She is more creative. She is a breast cancer survivor. She is a child of the sixties, cooky. Marnie relies on her intuition. She is a lot of grey. She balances out Dawn.

EC: What was the role of cancer?

SWF: This is my story. On Christmas Eve I got the phone call I had it. I had surgery, healing, and then radiation. Cancer is right in front of you, but as time passes it gets farther away. The scenes where Marnie did not want to go to cancer survivor meetings was me. I wanted to be very private about it. I wrote this book during that whole process. This book was a gift to me, as an escape from that experience. Whoever is reading this, please get your annual mammogram because that is how my cancer was caught.

EC: How would you describe the relationship between Kevin and Dawn?

SWF: Kevin was struggling as the wedding got closer. He felt they were not in a place they should be to get married. He stopped and slowed things down. He kept checking in to make sure Dawn is OK. They become open where things went wrong. They are sensitive to each other.

EC: How would you describe Lincoln and Marnie?

SWF: Lincoln was a workaholic and then realized he lost everything. He had a moment that he had no one to put as an emergency contact. This was a wake-up call. They realize they have a lot in common. At this point they are just good friends and are shying away from a second romance. Both are slow, cautious, and careful. They try not to be judgmental.

EC: The historical association?

SWF: They are like a homeowner’s association. They want to keep the tone of the town. The drama of the book is how they wanted to put the brakes on anything that will be different from what the town was like.

EC: What is the theme?

SWF: Preserving the past while moving forward. Holding on to what is needed yet at the same time is not frozen, to let go and embrace the future.

EC: Next book?

SWF: It will come out in a year. Marnie goes to ice cream school and bumps into her husband’s niece, a chef who lost her job. She stays with Dawn and Marnie where Dawn and she compete. But Dawn’s cousin is clinically depressed and needs help getting back on her feet.

THANK YOU!!

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Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Find Your Way Home by Jackie Ashenden

Book Description

He’s hell-bent on telling her what to do.
She’s determined to make it on her own.
They’re both going to learn a thing or two about first impressions.

Brightwater Valley, New Zealand, is beautiful, rugged, and home to those who love adventure. But it’s also isolated and on the verge of becoming a ghost town.

When the town puts out a call to its sister city of Deep River, Alaska, hoping to entice people to build homes and businesses in Brightwater, ex paratrooper Chase Kelly is all for it. He sees the benefits of building the economy, but only if those who come to Brightwater are ready for its challenges. Former oil executive Isabella Montgomery and her plan to open an art gallery don’t seem up to the test. Now Chase is determined to help her learn the ways of his formidable hometown.

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Elise’s Thoughts

Find Your Way Home by Jackie Ashenden is an adversary to lovers’ story with a lot of adventure. Readers get to imagine the beautiful New Zealand setting with the blueness of the lakes, the white capped mountain peaks, the weather changes, and the small-town atmosphere.

The plot has Isabella Montgomery, Bethany Grant, and Indigo Jameson hoping to open shop to help revitalize a remote town. Brightwater Valley, New Zealand, put out a call to its sister city of Deep River, Alaska, hoping to entice people to build homes and businesses in Brightwater to invigorate this ghost town.

Isabella (Izzy) decided to join the group after losing her job and being ditched by her fiancée. She wants to start over and embrace the adventurous spirit of the town unlike her former town of Houston, Texas. Chase Kelly is the defacto Mayor of the town. He is trying to raise a teenage daughter Gus by himself and make the town economically livable again. But he and Izzy seem to constantly butt heads as they try to find ways to bring in tourists.

Chase is a micro-organizer, managing everything, has a need for control and is very bossy yet is very caring and will do anything for those he loves. He tries to convince himself that he is not attracted to Izzy as he overanalyzes his feelings. Izzy on the other hand is determined to just follow her own lead and try not to please others. Chase and Izzy dance around each other and struggle to deal with ghosts in their past. But when they get together sparks fly as they realize they have more in common, including exes who never really cared about them.

This is a story of love and loss, acceptance, and new beginnings. The character banter is perfect as they snipe at each other until they realize they have a connection and are learning how to trust again.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: What about the setting?

Jackie Ashenden: This the first in a series set in New Zealand. I wanted to do something connected to my Alaska series, :Deep River.” Since New Zealand is ripe with small towns it made it easy to write a small town into the series. There is a small town in the South Island, an ex-mining town that I based the story on. The South Island has a lot of outdoor activities like bungee jumping and hiking, so the heroes must be outdoorsmen. I brought in some of my Deep River characters and connected them up.

EC: How would you describe Izzy?

JA: She is Zeke’s sister from the Deep River series. She is strong-willed, stubborn, does not like to rely on others, and is very protective as well as kind. Because of being a Southern girl, she is a planner and determined with some rage over what happened to her.

EC: How would you describe Chase Kelly?

JA: He is Izzy’s male counterpart with a similar personality. He knows what he wants, an organizer as well as arrogant, rugged, serious, a brooder, very charismatic. He is an ex-SAS paratrooper. Chase will do anything for the people he loves and the town.

EC: How about the relationship between Chase and Kelly?

JA: At first, they butted heads, getting under each other’s skin. They are fighting the physical attraction as well as each other. Both realize they must work together so they decide not to antagonize each other. As they slowly get to know each other they allow their feelings to show.

EC: Seems each character has father issues?

JA: The book That Deep River Feeling has Izzy’s brother, Zeke Montgomery, as the hero. Their father is the antagonist. Izzy was the peace maker between her father and brother. Her parents told her she had to be good, or they would disinherit her. Chase’s father went to the pub, after his wife died, and never left it. He has abandonment issues, having to be on his own and raising his little brother.

EC: Their exes are the direct opposite of Izzy and Chase?

JA: Both are weary of having a new relationship. They have certain assumptions and begin to realize those assumptions are wrong. Izzy sees in Chase someone who is protective, giving and caring whereas her ex was selfish, self-centered, and wanted only a trophy wife. Olivia, Chase’s ex always wanted her way and made him always justify himself, while Izzy listened to Chase’s feelings and took them into account. This is why I put in this quote to show how Izzy and Chase realized they accepted each other for who they are. The quote, “Love is acceptance. It doesn’t require you to do anything or be anything. It just requires that you be yourself.” New Zealanders are straight up people.

EC: What about your next book?

JA: The next book in the series, All Roads Lead to You, and comes out in November. Chase’s brother Finn is the hero, and the heroine is Beth. Finn is grumpy and Beth is an optimist, seeing the silver lining everywhere. She is determined to make him her friend and he is determined to not have her befriend him.

THANK YOU!!

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