#authorinterview – Page 24 – Avonna Loves Genres

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Bright, Broken Things by Linda Shantz

Book Description

Welcome to Triple Stripe Stables, a farm in the heart of Canadian Thoroughbred horse country…
He’s racing cross-country, looking for a safe place to land.

She’s dreading a future that was never her choice.

They both want the same thing: to leave the past behind.

September means school, but this year, Nate’s not going back. He’s heading east, and while everyone at home thinks he’s pursuing a career as a jockey, he’s really just running away.

After always being a student, he lands a job as a teacher — of young Thoroughbreds, starting yearlings on a small but classy farm in Ontario. It’s the perfect place to hide, until a jockey’s agent comes along promising to give him everything he thought he ever wanted. How can he say no to a fast track to the career of his dreams? But can he go back on his commitment to the farm that gave him a break when his world had fallen apart?

Liv likes the new guy she hired to start the babies, but she kind of hates him too. He’s doing what she wants to do herself — dropping out to chase a future on the front lines of horse racing. She wishes she could be content, accepting the path vet school has firmly set her on. But a filly named Claire has captured her heart and ignited her real passion: riding racehorses. Does everyone get to follow their heart?

Meanwhile, a cherished mare on the farm carries a foal that will change both their lives and remind them… good things come to those who wait.

***

Elise’s Thoughts

Bright, Broken Things by Linda Shantz is a very enjoyable read. As with all her stories, this novella will allow readers to understand more about horses and racing along with very relatable characters.

The story includes the backstory on how Nate and Liv meet. She decides to hire him to help train the horses. Although there is an attraction at first sight, Nate realizes that Liv is hands off. What they do have in common is the love of horses and racing. Along with her sister Emilie who is the direct opposite of Liv, and a filly named Claire that stole Liv’s heart, readers get more of an understanding of the personalities of each character.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Why write this novella?

Linda Shantz: After the books I had readers who requested a prequel. This will lead those who have not read any books into the series, the backstory of Liv and Nick. I am thinking of writing the backstory on some of the other characters.

EC: You have this quote by Liv about her feelings?

LS: You are referring to this one, “The safest place is on the back of a racehorse. It is sanctuary.” Take for example what happened to me. I hurt my ankle. So being on the ground is hard, while being on a horse allows me to borrow their body. Horses provide for Liv the safety where no one can touch her.

EC: How would you describe Claire, the young thoroughbred?

LS: Flighty and excitable. She has a good head on her shoulders. Nothing ruffles her. She is ready to take on the world. A solid buddy who is a horse.

EC: What about the sisters Liv versus Emilie?

LS: Even though there is a physical resemblance they are quite opposite. Emilie does not have the competitive drive that Liv has for riding. Emilie is much more balanced. She is not obsessed with horse racing like Liv. She does not have the same need to be immersed in the whole horse racing world that Liv does. While Liv is standoffish, serious, with trust issues, seeing the glass as half empty, broken, and aloof; Emilie is mischievous, carefree, talkative, and easy going.

EC: What did you want to point out about horses being drugged?

LS: There are people who put money above horses. Racing gets a bad rap because of the drugging of horses. The vets play a big role. I point out in the book the vets are essentially working for the trainers who know what drugs are available and do things under the radar. Sometimes people have an unfair advantage because testing has not caught up with finding the drugs. Unfortunately, the vet received a very light sentence. Up here in Canada it is taken very seriously.

EC: Why is it so bad?

LS: There is not one governing body in horse racing. Each state gets to make their own decision on horse racing and drug testing. If the US adopted a single governing body, I am sure Ontario, and the other Canadian tracks would be a part of it.

EC: Next book?

LS: I am going to write the Emilie and Tim book next, probably out around Christmas. In that book Liv is going to go to England for a big race so there will be a lot of Nate, but not her.

EC: Are you still painting?

LS: Yes, I have some commissions of horses and dogs.

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: Armored by Mark Greaney

Book Description

Joshua Duffy is a Close Protection Agent – a professional bodyguard, and he’s one of the world’s elite operatives. That is he was until his last mission in Lebanon. Against all odds, Josh got his primary out alive, but the cost was high. Josh lost his lower left leg.

There’s not much call for an elite bodyguard with such an injury. So, Josh has to support his family working as a mall cop in Jersey. For a man like Josh this is purgatory on earth, but even in Paramus miracles occur.

A lucky run in with an old comrade promises to get Josh back in the field for one last job. The UN is sending a peace mission into the Sierra Madre Mountains in Mexico, an area so dangerous it’s known as Espinazo del Diablo (The Devil’s Spine). Only a fool would think they could broker peace between the homicidal drug cartels in the region and only a madman would sign on to keep those fools alive.

***

Elise’s Thoughts

Armored by Mark Greaney shows why he is currently one of the best thriller writers. Although written first as an Audible Original, the book is much more enjoyable. Once again Greaney does not disappoint. There is plenty of action, but also some important issues covered including those still able to serve after losing a limb as well as how contractor companies treat their employees.

Best known for his “Gray Man series,” there were times in the story that readers wished for Court Gentry to come out and help the main character, Joshua “Duff” Duffy. But the badass in the novel was not Gentry, but Duffy’s wife Nichole, a former helicopter pilot.

Duffy, a former military Infantry soldier who became a private military contractor, shows his tenacity after losing part of his leg. Down on his luck and struggling to financially support his family, Duffy has an old comrade set up an interview with the contracting company, Armored Saints, that has a checkered reputation. He is hired as part of a private protection squad to guard a team of UN representatives. They are going to meet with warring drug lords deep into cartel country in Mexico, hoping to negotiate a peace between them. It soon becomes obvious that Duffy and his teammates must deal with hidden agendas, double crosses, and warfare.

Not only are the guys front and center but so are the women. Dr. Gabrielle Flores, a regional analyst for the area of Sierra Madres, in Mexico, informs Duffy’s team how dangerous the area is. She is also very valuable in helping them escape, knowing the area, the cartels, and the locals. The other woman in the story is Duffy’s wife Nichole who goes on a fact-finding mission to save her husband and refuses to take “no” as an answer.

This military thriller will leave readers on the edge of their seats. The plot will remind readers of “The Dirty Dozen.” The novel has everything Greaney is known for including intense action, great dialogue, and team of heroes that are very likeable, while enemies that are very unlikeable. This is a book that should not be put down, but unfortunately, people will have to wait for book 2 to come out.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Can you tell us something about the “The Gray Man” movie on Netflix?

Mark Greaney: It stars Ryan Gosling as The Gray Man, Court Gentry, and will be released on July 22. I read the script when they started filming. I have also seen it and really liked it. They did change some things. With so many people involved in making the movie, there is always creative influences. Characters who were not in the first book but did come along later in the book series are introduced in the movie. It is true to the spirit of the longer story of the first book. The dialogue was clever for the story.

EC: How did you get the idea for Armored, your latest book and will it be a series?

MG: Yes, it will be a series. The idea came about when I was training in a school with firearms. This school trained a lot of civilian contractors. There, I took a lot of classes that were designed for executive protection. It had a lot of running and gunning with team tactics. I thought in 2009 about writing a story about these contractors. First it was an audio play, and now the novel has come out.

EC: You put a different take on contracting firms?

MG: Some are not loyal or supportive to their employees. The one I created in this book, Armored Saint, is corrupt and dirty. Overall, the contractors themselves are awesome. Some of these companies have a reputation, which I wanted to dance around a bit. In the 2000s it was the heyday for these companies and now things have dried up.

EC: How did you come up with the scene where Duffy saved the wife?

MG: Duffy had a mission that went wrong but did his job. I decided to do it in Beirut because there was an assassination of a presidential candidate fifteen years ago. With that in the back of my mind I orchestrated the different roads and tactics. I did not go over there but mapped it out.

EC: How would you describe Duffy?

MG: Very much a blue-collar worker. Not at all like The Gray Man, not a secret spy, a Superhero, or Special Forces. But he was not a mercenary because he seeks justice. In the beginning of the story, he is not a leader, but a helper. When he lost his limb, he was depressed at the inability to financially support his family. But as a strong family man he was responsible and caring. He has the desire and guts to get back out there even with the loss of a limb. Very courageous.

EC: How would you describe Nichole, Duffy’s wife?

MG: She was a Captain in the Army, flying helicopters. I wanted to write her as an alpha female. She is very assertive, someone who takes charge. She is the opposite of Duffy who is very easy going. I think she wants to go back to the world where she was a leader, her natural habitat. Overall, she is straight forward, no nonsense, and detailed.

EC: The Cartels are like the Mafia?

MG: I wrote a Gray Man book, Ballistic, where Court faced off with the Cartels. I found out through the research how much torture and violence there is. I could not put that in the books. It is a civil war in Mexico, the Mexican Marines versus the Cartels who are brutal to the townspeople. There are rivalries between the different Cartels and actual maps show what territory is held by which Cartel.

EC: What role did Dr. Gabrielle (Gabby) Flores play?

MG: I spent some time in the Archeological Museum in Mexico City where Gabby works. As I was writing the story, I realized that many of the contractors were American, French, British, and in a world they did not understand. Gabby became the character, the heart and soul of the story, that allowed me through her, to tell the story of the setting and the hardships the people face. She preached to the contractors the danger in the area and how desperate the people living there are.

EC: How would you describe Dr. Gabrielle (Gabby) Flores versus UN representative Michelle La Rue?

I contrasted Gabby with Michelle La Rue. Gabby is a realist, caring, honest, and direct. La Rue is a UN bureaucrat who overestimates her abilities and influence. She is an allegory for the UN going into places and doing things, trying to be peacekeepers. Through La Rue I was able to put in my own personal bias. La Rue has a naiveté and a jadedness at the same time, especially when she wanted the contractors to disarm in a very dangerous setting.

EC: Next books?

MG: I have written two books a year since 2009, the “Clancy series,” “Red Metal,” of course “The Gray Man,” and now this series “Armored,” where I will probably start to write the next book in August. Armored has been optioned by Sony with Michael Bay producing it. The second Armored book will have a strong dynamic between Duffy and Nichole, co-leads.

The next Gray Man book is titled Murder, the twelfth in the series, out in February next year. Zoya will be back with Zack probably in the latter part of the book.

Red Metal II written with Lt. Col. Hunter Ripley Rawlings will be out before the next Armored book.

THANK YOU!!

***

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: The Catch by Lisa Harris

Book Description

After a harrowing attempt on a judge’s life at the courthouse, Deputy US Marshals Madison James and Jonas Quinn are tasked with finding a missing woman and an endangered child in connection to the murder of the judge’s wife. What seems like a fairly straightforward case becomes hopelessly tangled when the marshals discover that the woman they are searching for is in witness protection and the Amber Alert put out for the missing child has put two lives in danger.

Madison and Jonas are forced into a race to find the woman and the child before the men who want her dead discover her location. And in a final showdown that could cost her everything, Madison will come face-to-face with the person who murdered her husband.

USA Today bestselling author Lisa Harris concludes her thrilling US Marshals series with this breathless tale of secrets kept, lies exposed, and ultimately, justice prevailing.

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Elise’s Thoughts

The Catch by Lisa Harris is an intense mystery. In the final book of the series the plot brings to close all the extending arcs.

This story is multilayered. These sub-plots had Madison searching for the person who killed her husband Luke, a search for the murderer of a judge’s wife, and a kidnapped child. The suspense ratches up after the child’s babysitter is found to be in the witness protection program and having an amber alert put out on her and the child put both lives in danger. As these three plots are weaved together readers realize nothing is as it seems.

Book three of the series gave readers a thrilling and captivating ride. All the loose threads tie together in a surprising yet inspiring ending. Readers will get their fill of suspense, action, and twists.

There is also a novella, Point Blank, part of a compilation with three other authors titled, Heroes in the Crossfire. In Point Blank, the last two series Lisa Harris has written, “The Nikki Boyd Files,” and “US Marshals,” are combined. It is interesting how she was able to compare the lead characters, Madison James, and Nikki Boyd. Both had feelings of “what if” and struggled with out-of-control feelings while attempting to let go of their guilt.

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Why include Nikki Boyd in Point Blank, the prequel to the Madison series?

Lisa Harris: I was asked to write something for a compilation so I decided this novella would be perfect for it. In the US Marshal series book 1 there is a little bit about the loss of Madison’s husband, and with Nikki Boyd books, they take place over 48 hours. They both want to make a difference in the world. Both had different careers: Nikki was a teacher and ended up in the missing person task force while Madison was a policeperson and ended up as a US Marshal. They lost someone close with neither of them having closure. At the end of the series, they do find the answers they are looking for.

EC: The scene of the silo, wow?

LH: I did a lot of research. There are a lot of accidents that happen in the silos where people can drown in the grain. I knew I had to put this in the novella. It is hard to write action scenes and I am always looking to find something different to write about.

EC: The idea for the story, The Catch?

LH: The first book had a fugitive chase. I wanted each book to highlight a different skill used by the US Marshals. This third book had a combination of witness protection and a task force looking for a child endangered. I weaved together these two elements in the story along with the Washington state setting that has beaches and a rain forest. The arcs between Jonas and Madison’s romance as well as the arc of who killed Madison’s husband gets resolved in this book.

EC: Did you know anyone who had a child who disappeared?

LH: No, I did not, thankfully. The Nikki Boyd series was all about missing children. I learned through my research. I thought about those parents who had the drama in real life versus writing fiction. It would be one of the worst things that ever happened in life, the threat of losing a child. Because there is so much darkness around us, thankfully I could have happy endings in my book, a bit of light.

EC: Do you have a crystal ball because one of the stories has a judge threatened?

LH: Sometimes it is scary how some of the things I have written about have come true. I should get my ideas from the newspaper and not the other way around. This plot includes drug trafficking, extortion, kidnappings, and revenge.

EC: How would you describe Becca?

LH: She got in way over head. She was missing something in her life and lost her heart. She smudged the line between right and wrong. She is vulnerable, troubled, frustrated, and desperate.

EC: How would you describe the relationship between Jonas and Madison?

LH: I like that it was resolved over the course of books. For example, each Nikki Boyd book took place over 48 hours. A romance cannot be resolved over that short period of time. The relationship went from admiration and respect when they first met to trying to keep at arm’s length while US Marshal partners to Madison bowing to her fears that something would happen to Jonas like her husband to a happy ending.

EC: Next books?

LH: A prequel to this series will be out June 1^st, an e-book novella, Point Blank. It covers when they first met while training. Jonas was training a group of officers that were not US Marshals yet, which included Madison. Nikki Boyd is also in the novella.

I am also self-publishing. It is a series where the town is off the grid without technology. It is Longmire meets Jericho. It is a modern western, solving crimes without technology, titled “The Fallout Series.” The third book just came out which is titled Frequency. There is also a novella to this series.

THANK YOU!!

***

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.

***

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!!

***

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!!

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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.

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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.

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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!!

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