#authorinterview – Page 34 – Avonna Loves Genres

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: The Lady Has a Past by Amanda Quick

Book Description

Beauty and glamour meet deception and revenge in this electrifying novel by New York Times bestselling author Amanda Quick.

Investigative apprentice Lyra Brazier, the newest resident of Burning Cove, is unsettled when her boss suddenly goes on a health retreat at an exclusive spa and disappears without another word. Lyra knows something has happened to Raina Kirk, and she is the only one who can track her down. The health spa is known for its luxurious offerings and prestigious clientele, and the wealthy, socialite background Lyra desperately wanted to leave behind is perfect for this undercover job. The agency brings in a partner and bodyguard for her, but she doesn’t get the suave, pistol-packing private eye she expected.

Simon Cage is a mild-mannered antiquarian book dealer with a quiet, academic air, and Lyra can’t figure out why he was chosen as her partner. But it soon becomes clear when they arrive at the spa and pose as a couple: Simon has a unique gift that allows him to detect secrets, a skill that is crucial in finding Raina.

The unlikely duo falls down a rabbit hole of twisted rumors and missing socialites, discovering that the health spa is a façade for something far darker than they imagined. With a murderer in their midst, Raina isn’t the only one in grave danger—Lyra is next.

***

Elise’s Thoughts

The Lady Has A Past by Amanda Quick (the pen name for Jayne Krentz) is another winner. This historical novel explores California in the 1930s with riveting characters and a suspenseful mystery.

The plot has private investigator Raina Kirk disappearing after spending a night with her boyfriend Luther Pell. Her apprentice, Lyra Brazier, Luther, and his private investigator Simon Cage realize that Raina has traveled to the plush spa resort of Labyrinth Springs Hotel. Simon and Lyra team up, posing as a honeymoon couple, and check in to the hotel to try to find Raina. They become suspicious of those working and staying at the hotel, discovering that the health spa is a façade for kidnappings and ransoms. Both must watch each other’s back and race with time to find Raina before it is too late.

Lyra is a great character with an uncanny intuitive nature. She is fearless, smart, and works well under pressure. She realizes that she and Simon make a good team considering he senses emotions from objects. Although he gives off an aura of nerdiness, he is nothing of the kind and is very good at connecting the dots.

Readers will enjoy not one, but two relationships in the book. Raina and Luther’s feelings about each other are explored, while Lyra and Simon realize they care for each other deeply. Besides the double romance people will be treated to a gripping mystery, tidbits of 1930s California, and very captivating characters.

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Elise’s Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Why 1930s?

Amanda Quick: The whole fantasy side of California at that time was sold to the public by the movie studios. I have in my head the quick lines that were in the movies and the brilliantly written plots. I love that fast repertoire and the quick wit. This suits my style because I am a very dialogue driven writer. Everybody has a sense of what the 1930s California setting looks like. They are iconic.

EC: Did you do research?

AQ: I enjoy going through books and newspapers about that time-period, and picking up odds and ends, bits and pieces. I stumbled across what happened in the spas and cosmetic industry that were quite the rage in the 1930s. These made perfect settings for a murder. I got an interesting question in my mind, looked for an answer, and then one thing led to another.

EC: You explore the backstory on Raina?

AQ: A lot of people including myself have been curious about her. I have never explained her background until this book where it becomes an issue. She wants a sense of belonging after being in an abusive marriage. After coming to Burning Cove she wanted to leave the past behind. Raina must resolve her past to be free to really love Luther.

EC: How would you describe Lyra, Raina’s apprentice?

AQ: She is the siter of Vivian, the heroine of Close Up. Lyra is optimistic, smart, curious, and genuinely interested in people who respond and speak with her. She is also calm, sophisticated, and intuitive. Although coming from wealth and society she is now looking to be a private investigator. Basically, she is a half full person who is positive with good energy. When needed for the investigation she played a role of being dipsy, shallow, arrogant, and self-centered, but this is not really her.

EC: How would you describe Simon?

AQ: He was raised as an orphan and was shattered by the father figure who raised him. He is lonely, in control, and responsible. Simon has a talent for sensing emotions and finding energy left behind.

EC: How would you describe the relationship?

AQ: Simon considered Lyra unpredictable. They had to learn to trust each other to survive. Because of his past he is afraid to have a close relationship. Lyra is looking for someone who can accept her true personality and not see her as a society girl.

EC: What about the relationship between Luther and Raina?

AQ: They both have secrets they must give up, and then they need to understand how those secrets played into their past life. Physically they are a couple, but emotionally they tip toe around each other. In this story they make a giant step and move forward in their connection.

EC: You delve into the psychic, but it seems very believable?

AQ: There is nothing supernatural about it, but an extension of intuition on Lyra’s part. People who do not like reading about the supernatural are OK with the psychic element in the book. It is just one step beyond having it feel real.

EC: How about the setting?

AQ: It is a fake Palm Springs. In the 1930s, the Hollywood crowd discovered it. It had a resort atmosphere. There were therapeutic springs.

EC: What about your next books?

AQ: Out in November is the totally futuristic book I write as Jayne Castle. It has the Dust Bunnies, pets of the human inhabitants of the planet Harmony. I think they captured the hearts of many fans of this series, and I would not be surprised to see on my tombstone “the creator of the Dust Bunnies.” The book’s title is Vuild Voss.

The Jayne Krentz book is titled Lightning In A Mirror and comes out in January. It is the third book in the “Fog Lake Trilogy.” It is about a mysterious government project involving psychic experiments.

The Amanda Quick book comes out next May. I am working on it now. There will be a new set of characters except for the core characters Raina and Luther. The hero and heroine from previous books could make a cameo appearance but I do not repeat them as characters because their story is settled.

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: Fallen and A Simple Murder by Linda Castillo

Fallen Book Description

When a young woman is found murdered in a Painters Mill motel, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder is shocked to discover she once knew the victim. Rachael Schwartz was a charming but troubled Amish girl who left the fold years ago and fled Painters Mill. Why was she back in town? And who would kill her so brutally?

Kate remembers Rachael as the only girl who was as bad at being Amish as Kate was—and those parallels dog her. But the more Kate learns about Rachael’s life, the more she’s convinced that her dubious reputation was deserved. As a child, Rachael was a rowdy rulebreaker whose decision to leave devastated her parents and best friend. As an adult, she was charismatic and beautiful, a rabble-rouser with a keen eye for opportunity no matter who got in her way. Her no-holds-barred lifestyle earned her a lot of love and enemies aplenty—both English and Amish.

As the case heats to a fever pitch and long-buried secrets resurface, a killer haunts Painters Mill. Someone doesn’t want Rachael’s past—or the mysteries she took with her to the grave—coming to light. As Kate digs deeper, violence strikes again, this time hitting close to home. Will Kate uncover the truth and bring a murderer to justice? Or will a killer bent on protecting a terrible past stop her once and for all—and let the fallen be forgotten?

###

A Simple Murder Book Description

Together for the first time in print, A Simple Murder features six original short stories starring whip-smart chief of police, Kate Burkholder.

While on vacation with her partner John Tomasetti in LONG LOST, Kate discovers that the old house where they’re staying is haunted by a girl who disappeared decades before…

An abandoned baby is discovered on the Amish bishop’s front porch in A HIDDEN SECRET, and Kate is called in to investigate.

SEEDS OF DECEPTION unearths the secrets of Kate Burkholder’s own Amish past―and lays the groundwork for her future career in law enforcement.

In the midst of a power outage in Painters Mill, a teenage girl is attacked at an Amish party in ONLY THE LUCKY.

IN DARK COMPANY is the story of an injured woman with amnesia who seeks Kate’s help in trying to remember her attacker’s identity…and her own.

In IN PLAIN SIGHT, Kate investigates what she believes is a straightforward hit-and-run accident―but soon uncovers a story of teenage passion that may have led to attempted murder.

***

Elise’s Thoughts

Fallen by Linda Castillo brings back the wonderful character, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder. Fans of this series are never disappointed with these amazing stories, and this novel is no different.

The plot begins with a young woman brutally murdered at a Painter’s Mill motel. Called to investigate, Police Chief Kate Burkholder realizes she knew the victim, Rachel Schwartz. She and Kate had some things in common, not really fitting into the Amish community when they were young women.

This story allows readers to get a further glimpse into Kate’s life before she left the Amish community. There is a mixture of old Amish traditions with the changing values of some. People are led to understand why Kate and Rachel felt the need to join the “English community.” As a child, Rachael was a rowdy rulebreaker whose decision to leave devastated her parents and best friend, Loretta. As an adult, she continued to be a rabble-rouser, not caring who she hurt to succeed in life. Her no-holds-barred lifestyle earned her a lot of enemies, both English and Amish.

Through Kate’s investigations people learn of frequent explanations for why officers think and act in a certain way. Kate realizes someone doesn’t want Rachael’s past, or the mysteries she took with her to the grave, coming to light. As Kate digs deeper, violence strikes again, this time literally hitting close to home as Kate is put through the ringer, having to fight for her own life.

###

With A Simple Murder, readers are treated to another Linda Castillo book, out this year. These six short stories feature Kate Burkholder and her partner in crime (and the bedroom) John Tomasetti. The stories are not as complex, dark, or gritty as the novels. There are crimes of greed, jealousy and passion. Even with short stories, Castillo has a knack for pulling readers into the story by weaving in a fascinating plot line with interesting characters, highlighting Kate Burkholder’s abilities as the police chief of Painters Hill.

The stories’ plots:

Long Lost has Kate and her lover John Tomasetti on vacation when they are asked to investigate a girl who just disappeared years ago.

A Hidden Secret has a baby abandoned on a Bishop’s doorstep. The infant was left with some items which led Kate to believe that the mother might be Amish. Kate and John are determined to find the mother.

Seeds of Deception explores Kate’s Amish past. She wonders who burnt a barn, and were her friends involved.

Only The Lucky delves into the rager parties with drugs, alcohol, and music. When one of the Amish girls attending the rager is attacked and left for dead, Kate has to find out who wanted to hurt this young woman.

In Dark Company Kate must find the person who tried to kill a woman. The problem is the victim has amnesia and Kate wonders if she is hiding anything or is truly a victim.

In Plain Sight a teenage Amish boy, Noah Kline, is seriously injured by what appeared to be a hit and run. But Kate discovers there were some who had motives to injure Noah because he was dating an English girl.

***

Elise’s Author Interview

Elise Cooper: With both Fallen and A Simple Murder you have twists and turns.

Linda Castillo: It is satisfying as a mystery writer to lead the reader down a slightly wrong path whether in the short stories or the novel. But I also leave subtle clues to be fair.

EC: In Fallen, there are more glimpses of Kate’s past?

LC: I am always thinking of Kate’s past. Last year’s book, Outsider, delved into her years before she became Police Chief in Ohio. This book gives glimpses of Kate shortly before she left the Amish community.

EC: How would you describe the victim, Rachel?

LC: Kate knew Rachel as a child since she sometimes babysat her. Rachel was a rebel rouser from the time she was two years old, and it got worse from there. Kate realizes as a child Rachel was a ‘pistol” type personality. In some ways she could be loveable, while in other ways she was maddening and disrespectful. As she became an adult Rachel did really bad things. She had aspects of a sociopath without much of a conscience. She was a rule breaker, risk taker, could not identify boundaries, and stepped over the line. But even with all that, Kate felt Rachel deserved justice and did not deserve to be bludgeoned to death.

EC: How would you describe Rachel’s friend Loretta?

LC: She was always Rachel’s best friend. A rule follower, the polar opposite of Rachel, because she always wanted to do the right thing. She was very protective of Rachel and never abandoned her even when Rachel had “Fallen” from the graces of the Amish community. She always knew there was some good buried inside Rachel.

EC: Rachel wrote a tell all book about the Amish community. Did that ever really happen?

LC: There were actual books, which I have read. The authors were disgruntled so they wrote a book. Rachel made a lot of enemies with her book, because there were people in Painters Mill who did not want things to come to light, including Kate’s brother.

EC: What is the Amish rager?

LC: A rager was a huge outdoor party, held in a barn or field, without adults. There was music, alcohol, and sometimes the English showed up. The gathering had a lot of rule breaking before the Amish were baptized, many on rumspringa. I wrote about it in one of the short stories and in this novel. I knew about it because I was sent an article that said the sheriff had to arrest 74 Amish teenagers. Because Amish teens are pretty well behaved and had led protective lives some act out during rumspringa.

EC: Did you base anything on the Killbuck clan, considered to be Hutterites?

LC: It is loosely based on a clan in Ohio. In 2013, there was an incident in which Amish religious symbols were violated. Once a woman gets married, she no longer cuts her hair, and the husband does not shave his beard. A bishop directed his followers to forcibly cut the hair and beards of other members of the Amish faith. Prosecutors actually charged sixteen with a hate crime. In this novel, I just took it a step further, fictionalized it, and made them cult-like.

EC: Kate had some similar qualities to young Rachel?

LC: Both did not follow the rules although Kate knew boundaries. Kate did see parallels between the two of them. They got in trouble and did not respect many of the Amish norms. In some way they were kindred spirits with spunk since both drank and smoked.

EC: In A Simple Murder readers get an understanding of the Kate and John relationship?

LC: Kate’s biological clock is ticking since she is in her mid-thirties. The wonderful thing about fiction is that the characters do not have to age. It has been satisfying as a writer to see John Tomesetti heal. After he bought the farm and barn and fixed it up, he knew he was going to spend the rest of his life with Kate. They are going to stay together and at some point, will get married.

EC: A Simple Murder is a compilation of short stories?

LC: Yes. They were previously released in e-format. These stories are not as dark, a little lighter, more fun, and not quite so heavy. My goal was to try to capture the setting, characters, and keep the mystery straight forward.

EC: When will your next short story be released?

LC: It will be probably released before my next book Hidden.

EC: What about your next book?

LC: Hidden will be out this time next year. The setting is in Kish Valley in the middle part of Pennsylvania. Kate was asked by three elders from that area to investigate a Cold Case where a Bishop’s remains are found after eighteen years.

THANK YOU!!

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Choose Me by Tess Garritsen and Gary Braver

Book Description

Taryn Moore is young, beautiful and brilliant…so why would she kill herself? When Detective Frankie Loomis arrives on the scene to investigate the girl’s fatal plunge from her apartment balcony, she knows in her gut there’s more to the story, especially after the autopsy reveals that the college senior was pregnant. It could be reason enough for suicide-or a motive for murder.

To English professor Jack Dorian, Taryn was the ultimate fantasy: intelligent, adoring, and completely off limits. But there was also a dark side to Taryn, a dangerous streak that threatened those she turned her affections to–including Jack. And now that she’s dead, his problems are just beginning.

After Frankie uncovers a trove of sordid secrets, it becomes clear that Jack may know the truth. He is guilty of deception, but is he capable of cold-blooded murder?

***

Elise’s Thoughts

Choose Me by Tess Gerritsen and Gary Braver delve into the world of adultery. The story conjures up feelings of betrayal, deception, guilt, and personal responsibility.

The novel opens with the death of college student Taryn Moore, who supposedly plunged to her death from the balcony of her apartment. But Boston Detective Frankie Loomis wonders if the death really was a suicide, or could it be possibly a murder. For her, the clues do not add up, knowing how college age girls act (considering she has raised twin daughters). After discovering additional and sordid secrets, the detective is even more convinced that Taryn’s death is not what it seems.

The narrative works backwards from the discovery of Taryn’s body and is delivered in alternating chapters by Taryn, Jack, and Frankie. The suspects include Professor Jack Dorian, his wife, Dr. Maggie, Taryn’s seminar nemesis, mean girls Jessica and Caitlin, Cody Atwood, the shy seminar student who has a crush on Taryn, and Liam the ex-boyfriend who Taryn is stalking.

As the book progresses, readers will also realize that Taryn is not the innocent victim. She has a dangerous streak where she can be ruthless and selfish. This shows in her two relationships, one with Liam, a childhood sweetheart who outgrew her, and the other with Jack, her college professor. With both, Taryn becomes a stalker, unwilling to accept the relationship is over.

Taryn sees herself as a victim and becomes obsessed with that feeling. After taking a college seminar, “Star Crossed Lovers,” she realizes the similarities between herself and women in Medieval and Greek mythology. All have been betrayed and abandoned by men in relationships. Whether it was Abelard and Heloise, Tristan and Isolde, Romeo and Juliet, or Jason and Medea, the men said the words “I love you,” but not for a lifetime.

The many twists and turns make for an exciting read. The authors turned the characters on their heads making the supposed victim unlikeable and the adulterer, the one people root for.

***

Elise’s Author Interview

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

Tess Gerritsen: It occurred to me these kinds of events that are a “he said, she said,” always have two points of view. The man sees it differently than the woman. I thought how interesting it would be to base a story on an illicit affair. I talked about it with Gary, and he agreed to write the male point of view, while I wrote the female view.

Gary Braver: I wrote Jack and Tess did Detective Frankie Loomis and Taryn. We wrote by going back and forth with email.

EC: As the book progressed, I did not see Taryn as a victim and even disliked her.

TG: People are not supposed to like her just because she is a victim. There are shades of gray. We wanted to show how a victim can also be a villain. What readers want and what they desire are two different things. They think they want a likeable character but really want a fascinating character. I point to Scarlett O’ Hara. She is not a likeable character, but we cannot walk away because she is so interesting.

EC: I actually thought of Jack as the victim.

TG: Jack was the one person in the book who needed to be liked because he is our hero.

GB: I liked Jack and identified with him. I think he became a sympathetic character because of his sense of guilt and regret. He knew what he did was wrong when he violated his martial vows and professorial obligations. Title IX says professors should not date their students. Jack had an adulterous affair and was tormented with what he did.

EC: How would you describe Taryn?

TG: Brilliant, charming, and beautiful. She was like a train wreck because of her obsessiveness and how damaged and hurt she was. In the beginning she was vulnerable, betrayed, hurt, and damaged, but as the story went on, she became selfish. Her personality is like peeling an onion. As readers get deeper and deeper into knowing her, they realize she is not who she seems to be at the beginning.

EC: How would you describe Jack?

GB: Sensitive, needy, and longs for romanticism. At times he wants to believe that circumstances at home pushed him into Taryn’s arms because his wife is on a treadmill with her practice. We did not want to vilify either character or exonerate them.

EC: What role does Jack’s wife Maggie play?

TG: Is she an innocent victim or possible suspect? She is the anchor to Jack. We wrote her to show the consequences of a mistake and how lives are destroyed. Jack sees it as possibly losing the love of his life, Maggie.

GB: She is smart, dedicated, and a professional. She would never have an affair. Both she and Jack are devoted to and love each other.

EC: How would you describe Detective Frankie Loomis?

TG: She is a middle-aged mother of two teenage daughters with the wisdom of motherhood. She can sniff out trouble. I see Frankie as Jane Rizzoli in twenty years.

EC: What about the relationship between Taryn and Jack?

TG: Jack fulfills a romantic need as well as a parental lead for Taryn. Her father abandoned her, so she sees Jack as a romantic hero, the man to protect her.

EC: Medieval literature and Greek Mythology?

GB: In his seminar, “Star Struck Lovers,” Jack uses classical stories where men used and abandoned women. It is the unity that holds the book together. These ancient classics are still being debated by feminists today regarding what is an accurate and inaccurate way to interpret them. It is a history of men who do wrong and fall on their swords.

TG: Taryn feels closest to Medea who gets revenge. I would have taken this seminar if I were in college. The stories we found are ones where Taryn would see herself of being abandoned or losing a lover. They were role models for her on how she would behave. She put herself into their lives to help her live her life.

EC: Can you explain this quote from Taryn. “But if you believe entirely in fate, then you believe we have no control over our futures. That some higher power decides everything for us, good and bad. That means there are no coincidences in life, no accidents, no laws of nature, and no free will… People are ultimately responsible for their own actions.”

GB: It was referring to Romeo and Juliet and based on the notion ‘I am fated to be your lover. We are to be with each other for the rest of our lives.’

TG: Gary wrote that part of fate versus self-control. I agree that a lot of people feel they are not responsible anymore. Fate made someone do it or some politician. We need to take responsibility for our own actions. We also need to face the consequences for our actions without blaming anyone else.

EC: What do you want readers to get out of the book?

TG: It is not just a murder mystery, but also an exploration of how flawed people are. A mistake can destroy someone’s life and that we are responsible for the things we do.

EC: What about your next books?

TG: I just finished Rizzoli & Isles book thirteen. It is titled, Listen To Me and will be out in June 2022. It features Jane’s mom, Angela, who has an ex-cop boyfriend. She is frustrated because she feels no one listens to her concerns. People do not necessarily believe her instincts that something is really wrong in her neighborhood.

I am working on a spy novel. The protagonist works for the CIA and I got the idea from many retired CIA agents that live in my neighborhood.

I am also in negotiations to do a TV movie for Lifetime with a screenwriter friend of mine.

GB: My next book is titled Served Cold. It is about a mystery writer who thinks they have a breakout book until it is trashed in the New York Times by a reviewer. The author goes after the reviewer.

THANK YOU!!

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: The Boy In The Photo by Nicole Trope

Book Description

She becomes aware of the silence at the other end of the line. A prickling sensation crawls up her arms, her heart rate speeds up. ‘Found who?’ she asks, slowly, carefully, deliberately.
‘They found Daniel.’

Six years ago

Megan waits at the school gates for her six-year-old son, Daniel. As children come and go, the playground emptying, panic bubbles inside her. Daniel is nowhere to be found.

According to his teacher, Daniel’s father, Greg, has picked up his son. Except Greg and Megan are no longer together. After years of being controlled by her cruel husband, Megan has finally found the courage to divorce him. Hands trembling, she dials his number, but the line is dead.

Six years later

Megan is feeding baby daughter, Evie, when she gets the call she has dreamt about for years. Daniel has walked into a police station in a remote town just a few miles away. Her son is alive – and he’s coming home.

But their joyful family reunion does not go to plan. His room may have been frozen in time, with his Cookie Monster poster and stack of Lego under the bed, but Daniel is no longer the sweet little boy Megan remembers.

Cold and distant, Daniel is grieving the death of his father, blaming Megan for his loss and rejecting his family. And as Megan struggles to connect with the son she no longer recognises as her own, she begins to realize that Daniel has a secret. A secret that could destroy their family and put them in terrible danger.

***

Elise’s Thoughts

The Boy In The Photo by Nicole Trope is a suspenseful read. This Australian author makes her US debut and does it with a bang. She takes readers on an emotional roller coaster involving love, hurt, heartbreak, and joy.

The story is told in two parts: six years ago, and six years later. Megan Kade divorced her abusive husband, Greg Stanthorpe. Intending to get Megan back or to hurt her he kidnaps their son and goes off the grid.

Six years later the boy, Daniel, appears at a New South Wales police station, reporting that his dad died in a fire. Daniel is distant, volatile, and in some ways resistant to Megan. He believes all the horror stories told to him by his father. The flashbacks of how both Megan and Daniel feel in the six-year gap emphasizes their grief and apprehension.

This emotionally harrowing story has many twists and turns. It is so heart wrenching for both Megan and Daniel and the reader as well. People should make sure they have some time because they will not want to put this book down.

***

Elise’s Author Interview

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

Nicole Trope: The idea started with a story on the news about a woman who was fighting to get her children back from Lebanon. He ex-husband had taken them to visit his family and refused to come home. She ended up hiring an organization who specializes in grabbing your child away from the abducting spouse and returning them to you. The plan failed and she was left distraught. The courts in Lebanon were of no help because the country is not part of the Hague Convention on child abduction. I wondered how long it would be until she was able to see her children again and how they would turn out if they ever returned to Australia. They had been taken from one culture into another and were still very young. I tried to imagine how their father would have explained that they were never going to see their mother again and I realized that he must have only had his own interests at heart.

EC: How would you describe Greg, the ex-husband, besides pure evil with no redeeming qualities?

NT: He a narcissist in the most classic sense. He is self -absorbed and can only see the world and those in it in relation to him and how they affect him. He lacks empathy and the ability to see anyone else’s point of view. His own pain is obvious to him but not the pain suffered by his wife and child. They only exist in relation to him and his needs. Control is a big part of who he is as well. When Megan and Greg first met, he was charming and lovely. Narcissists make you feel you are the center of their world and only when things get difficult do you realize that the only people, they really love are themselves.

EC: It is inconceivable that anyone who loves their child would act like him. Please describe his lies:

NT: Inconceivable but not something that is not played out in family courts across the world. Greg planned to take his child from the moment he realized his hold over Megan was gone. To facilitate that he began a campaign of lies against Megan, telling Daniel that the divorce was her choice, that he was the victim, and that she had stopped loving him.

EC: Life can be shattered in an instant?

NT: We see that every day. A car accident, a diagnosis, a lost baby, a missing child. I’ve always seen life as somewhat precarious. The idea that you can grow a child inside you, carry it to term, and give birth to a healthy baby seems simple and yet it’s a miracle. Keeping your child safe in today’s world sometimes feels impossible. When Megan realizes that Daniel is gone, that he’s been taken by his father, her whole world shifts.

EC: How would you describe Daniel-then and now?

NT: Daniel was a sweet little boy, adored by his mother and just an ordinary six-year-old. At twelve he is confused, distant, aggressive, and filled with uncertainty at his place in the world. He struggles with trusting his mother after everything he has been told.

EC: Please discuss parental alienation?

NT: Parental alienation is a term used when one parent turns their child against the other parent. As in the book, it’s mostly a subtle form of abuse because the parent doing the alienating would not simply say, ‘I hate your mother she’s awful.’ What is done is a consistent breaking down of the child’s faith in the other parent. ‘Your mother could have called you today, but she didn’t want to. I would let you do this but your mother wouldn’t. No one loves you like I do. Your mother is too busy with work to talk to you. You make your mother angry.’

EC: What about parental abduction?

NT: Parental abduction is when one parent steals a child from another parent. It’s kidnapping but I’m sure that in some cases the child may not even know it’s happening. It’s a form of abuse and control over the other person in the relationship. It’s a way to make a former partner pay for hurting you by using the child as a pawn. Men or women who are abusive and controlling often use their children as pawns when the relationship breaks down. The child is seen as something to own rather than a person with any rights. Greg took away what Megan loves most, Daniel, to cause her pain.

EC: How would you describe Megan?

NT: I would say she’s someone who’s been to hell and back and survived. She is sensitive, quiet, and artistic. She can never really be sure that her son is alive until he walks into the police station six years after his abduction. She exists in this terrible limbo where she struggles to move or change her life. I think she only forces herself to go on living in the hope that he will one day return and then like any grief she finds a place to put it so that she can begin to live a life again. I admire her resilience. It takes her a long time to find a way to be in the world without her son.

EC: Please compare the past and present relationship between Megan and Daniel?

NT: To a six-year-old his mother is his whole world. That’s what Megan was to Daniel and when Greg took him away, he took away Daniels’s security and sense of self. When Daniel returns, he has been told over and again that his mother did not love him as she said she did. He was young enough to believe his father. Megan has not had the six years of growing in between. Her love for him is still as strong. In the novel she is really struggling with who he is now. He’s a very different person who’s had six years of experience away from her, now almost a teenager. Daniel wants her to know him, and she wants to know him as well but it’s a distance that they struggle to breach. They are like complete strangers.

EC: Greg manipulated Daniel?

NT: As Daniel grew up, he found himself in remote situations. He was kept from attending school and was always told not to question. Having raised teenagers when they have questions besides going to their parent they ask friends, teachers, and go on the Internet. These were all denied to Daniel because Greg isolated him. Daniel had the same relationship with Greg as Megan did. They wanted to appease him, feared his anger, and did not want to do anything wrong.

EC: While married Megan was also manipulated by Greg?

NT: Greg took away Megan’s identity as a person. There is a scene in the book where she is afraid to order a glass of wine. Her brother asks her ‘what happened.’ She does not even really know. It starts out as tiny compromises, which she felt were not big deals until eventually everything adds up.

EC: In the book there is a quote, “Before her divorce she had lived in a house she didn’t like, driven a car she hated…But everything she did had seemingly been her choice because Greg had always said, ‘Whatever will make you happy…’ That Greg’s version of love was only about suffocating control.” Please explain

NT: I think that there has always been a dispute about levels of domestic abuse. A bruise can be seen, but abuse exists in many more forms than that. In Australia, coercive control has only just been recognized by law as abuse. Sometimes control is a slow breaking down of your own opinions until you’re not sure who you are any more. What starts out as love and compromise can eventually become very one sided. That’s what happened with Megan and Greg. Before she met him, she never questioned her own opinion on things but by the time she left him, she wasn’t even sure who she was anymore. If someone criticizes your choices often enough and you’re sure that they love you-it’s easy to believe they must only be doing it to help you-not hurt you. That’s how it begins and soon you’re making choices on things that are not really what you want but you’re keeping the peace and the other person happy.

EC: Are you a runner and how did running play a role in the story?

NT: I used to run but now I ride the bike at gym. I don’t know how I would get through life without the kind of intense exercise that raises your heart rate to a point where your mind stills. It’s a way to center yourself and when Megan finds it, it’s symbolic of her journey back to life and towards acceptance that Daniel will return to her when he’s an adult.

EC: A heads up about your next book?

NT: Home Sweet Home comes out on August 6^th. It begins with a delivery driver, trying to deliver a computer to a house in the suburbs. The owner of the house answers the door but then tells him she can’t open the door. The way she says it alerts this particular man, a man with a difficult past, to something being wrong inside the house. At the same time the next-door neighbors grow concerned for the family inside. It takes place over the course of just seven hours, but it is another example of how a life can change in an instant, The world shifts and who you were when the sun rose is not the same person as who you are when the sun sets.

THANK YOU!!

Blog Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: The Wreckage of Us by Brittainy Cherry

Hi, everyone!

Today I am excited to share My Feature Post and Book Review on the Blog Tour for THE WRECKAGE OF US by Brittainy Cherry.

Below you will find an interview with the author, a book summary, my book review, an excerpt from the book, an about the author section, the author’s social media links and a Rafflecopter giveaway. Enjoy!

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Interview with the Author

The Wreckage of Us takes place in the inauspicious town of Eres, Nebraska. Not exactly a place where happily-ever-afters are made. What made you choose this setting?

I wanted to tell a story about a small town that was overlooked by the world as a whole. Most people would overlook a town like Eres, Nebraska, but there are still people who are living, who are loving, and who are struggling in these small towns. I wanted to show their stories, and how even though the rest of the world may not see them, that they still matter. They deserve their happily ever afters just as much as the rest of the world.

Hazel, your heroine, is newly eighteen when her criminal step-father throws her out of the house. She literally has nothing when the story begins—not even her mother’s support. What choices does Hazel make? Do you agree with them?

Hazel chooses to find a job in order to help her mother from a distance. I think she acts on impulse, not exactly thinking things through. She doesn’t get the opportunity to think far into the future, she only has right in that moment. Second by second. I do agree with her choices in a way, since she isn’t harming anyone with these choices. She is just doing her best to make it to the next day.

Forget about healing, Hazel is in survival mode. What keeps her going?

Her twisted love and care for her mother is keeping her going—along with her unborn sister. She knew what it was like to grow up in her household, and she wouldn’t want her little sister to go through those same kind of struggles. So, that pushes Hazel to keep moving forward and fighting for her family.

Your hero is a very interesting mix of both the town’s “golden boy” as well as the town’s “bad boy”. Ian is…complicated. How did you get to know him? How does Hazel get to know him?

I believe Hazel and I both got to know Ian the same way—piece by piece. He has a wall of protection up from the world due to the trauma he experienced as a child. Being abandoned by his parents really did a number on Ian’s trust. Yet, the beautiful thing about Ian is when he loves, he loves fully. He does everything he can to make sure those he loves are taken care of. Once his pieces are discovered, he makes a beautiful complete puzzle.

Music is Ian’s whole life. He sees it as his escape, a way out of the stifling Eres, Nebraska. However, he struggles with his emotions and allowing himself to really feel the music he is making. What needs to change for him?

He needs to tap into his darkest struggles. He has to go to the edge of his anger, his hurts, and express those feelings on the page in front of him. Ian holds so much in that it becomes a creative block in a way. Once he starts breaking those walls down—with the help of Hazel—he discovers his real creativity. He finds his voice, he finds his songs. He finds himself.

Hazel and Ian are an unlikely pair. They really get on each other’s nerves and they want different things out of life. Yet despite their differences, they find a connection. What is the spark that brings them together?

I think it’s loneliness. They grew up without having the true love of their parents. And in the town of Eres, drugs are a big issue. Those drugs affected both of their parents lives in different ways, but it’s a connecting factor for them both. They are able to connect with one another because they both know what it’s like to hurt so deeply and dream of a parent’s love.

The theme of “impossible love” runs through your novels. Two people that can’t possibly make it work realize that they don’t want anyone else but each other. What excites you about these types of stories.

I think there’s something so exciting about a love worth fighting for. When the passion is given from not only one side of the equation, but both the hero and heroine know the feelings they have run deep. Sure, there are struggles, like there are in everyday life, but they know they wouldn’t want to struggle with anyone else in the world. They fight for their happily ever after, no matter what. And that, in my mind, is what makes the impossible love become possible and true. That’s what gives us the happily ever afters that we as readers crave.

Currently our country and the world are going through unprecedented crisis. The arts have become so important for people to feel a sense of normalcy. As a writer, how do you hope your story affects your readers?

I hope my stories give my readers hope. I hope it reminds them that even throughout the storms, the sun will always shine once the clouds move to the side. There’s beauty in the storms, too, if you are willing to look hard enough. There are lessons of self that can be learned, and I think my characters discover that from time to time. I just hope to showcase that this is still a time to believe in happily ever afters, and that the world’s story as a whole, is far from over. We still have so much beauty to still discover. We still have so much light to find. And those facts alone, give me hope, and I hope my stories do the same for readers. I hope I give them light.

How has our current situation affected projects you are working on now? (Any spoilers you can tell us about what is up next for you?)

I’m finding myself more forgiving of my writing pace! I fell off for a while, and found it hard to be creative, but now that I am in a groove, I am finding writing fun again. It’s my great escape from the issues around me. Words save me day in and day out, and I’m thankful for that. Up next for me is my second book in my Compass series, which is entitled Eastern Lights. It’s my first ever romantic comedy, that is filled with so much heart. I think readers are going to love getting to know Connor and Aaliyah’s story!

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Book Summary

I know I should stay away from Ian Parker.

But when my drug-dealing stepdad kicks me out, I have nowhere to go. Squatting in an abandoned shed on Ian’s grandpa’s farm seems like as good a plan as any.

Ian finds me there, of course, and he insists on me moving into his spare room. I should say no, but the appeal of a roof and a warm bed is too much. Not to mention Ian’s brown eyes and strong arms.

We’re nothing alike, but the spark between us is undeniable. My life is finally looking up.

Until I call the cops on my stepdad and unintentionally get my pregnant mom arrested.

Now I have to sacrifice my dreams to take care of my mom’s baby. She’s the only family I have left. Meanwhile, Ian’s band is taking off; his dreams are coming true.

Ian is my one chance at love. I just hope he doesn’t become the one chance that got away.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51338439-the-wreckage-of-us

About the Book

Title – The Wreckage of Us

Author – Brittainy Cherry

Release Date – September 8, 2020

Publisher – Montlake

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

THE WRECKAGE OF US by Brittainy Cherry is a contemporary romance which has the H/h in the New Adult age range, but they have been through so much even before they meet that it feels as if they are older as you fall into their well written story by this new to me author.

Hazel Stone lives with an abusive drug dealer step-father and an addicted mother until her eighteenth year when they kick her out. It is a good thing she was hired recently on Big Paw’s ranch. She ends up squatting in an old abandoned shed until she is found out by Big Paw’s grandson, Ian and is offered a room in the manager’s ranch house.

Ian Parker dislikes the strange girl all in black that his grandfather hired and told him her had to train. Ian’s drug addicted parents left him on his fourteenth birthday and never returned. Big Paw and his wife Holly raised Ian and he wants nothing to do with the girl whose father sells the drugs in their small Nebraska town.

Ian and his three friends not only work on the ranch, but have a band called The Wreckage. They are on the verge of realizing their dream of fame. They just need that special level of emotion to take their songs to the next level. Hazel brings out that emotion and helps with the words.

Ian and Hazel find that special kind of connection, but Ian and the band are taking off and Hazel has responsibilities in the small town of Eres that keep her there. Can this new found relationship and love survive?

This book was a complete surprise to me. There are heavy subjects like physical abuse and drug abuse that I feel the author handled realistically, but the overall story is filled with the dream of forever love, family and hope. Ian closed himself off after his parents abandoned him, but he did have the love and support of his grandparents and bandmates. Hazel had a harder young life and yet she was willing to work as hard as necessary to obtain her goals step by step and was always hopeful. I loved the back and forth between small town life and the California rock star life with Hazel not wanting to stop Ian from reaching for his dreams for any reason and Ian counting on Hazel and the ranch to keep him grounded. All the secondary characters, good and bad were fully fleshed and realistic. The sex scenes were not gratuitous, but appropriate for the story.

I can highly recommend this N/A contemporary romance!

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Excerpt

A typical Eres Saturday night.

I wandered the ranch with a notebook and pen in my hand. I kept scribbling down lyrics and crossing them out before trying again to create something better, stronger—realer. I kept drumming my fingers against each other, trying to unlock the pieces that I was missing. As I paced back and forth, a voice broke me away from my mind.

“It’s the words.”

I looked up to see Hazel sitting in the rocking chair that Big Paw built for my mother years ago. I used to sit in Mom’s lap as she’d read me stories before bedtime all those years back.

There’d been times I thought about getting rid of the chair in order to forget that memory, but I hadn’t found the strength to let go just yet.

“What do you mean it’s the words?” I asked, walking up the steps of the porch. I leaned against the railing facing her.

She blinked and tilted her head in my direction. “Your words are trash.”

“What?”

“The lyrics to your songs, they are complete garbage, filled with clichés and bubblegum. Don’t get me wrong, the music style and tempos are brilliant. And even though it pains me to admit, your voice is so solid and soulful that you could be a star in a heartbeat. But your lyrics? They are pig shit.”

“I think the saying is horseshit.”

“After spending weeks in a pig pen, pig shit seems to truly sum up my feelings about your music. But my gosh, your voice. It’s a good voice.”

I tried to push off her insult, and tried to ignore her compliment, too. But it was hard. I had an ego that was easy to bruise, and Hazel was swinging her punches while also speaking words of praise. It was as if every bruise she made, she quickly covered with a Bandaid.

Insult, compliment, insult, compliment. Wash, rinse, repeat.

“Everyone else seemed to enjoy it,” I replied, tense with my words.

“Yeah, well, everyone else are morons who are drunk off their minds.”

“Oh? And you think you could do better?”

She laughed. “Without a doubt.” “Okay, Hazel Stone, master of lyrics, give me something to go with.”

She gestured toward the other rocker beside her—the one Dad used to sit in.

I sat down.

She pressed her lips together. “Okay. Give me one of your songs. One that you know is crap but are pretending isn’t crap.”

“They aren’t—”

“Lying isn’t going to get us far tonight, Ian.”

I narrowed my eyes and murmured a curse word before I began flipping through my notebook to find a song for Hazel to magically make better. “Fine. We can do Possibilities.”

“Hmm… What is it about?”

“A new relationship forming. I want to showcase those beginning feelings, you know? The fears and excitements. The nerves. The unknown. The—”

“First chapters of love,” she finished my thoughts.

“Yes, that.”

She took the pencil from behind my ear and took the notebook from my grip. “May I?”

“Please. Go for it.”

She began scribbling, crossing things out, adding things in, doing whatever came to her mind. She worked like a manwoman, falling into a world of creativity that I didn’t think she’d held inside of her. The only thing I knew about Hazel Stone was where she came from, and the clothes she wore. I hadn’t known anything else, but now she was pouring herself out on the page, and I couldn’t wait to see what the hell she was scribbling.

She took a breath and handed the notebook back to me. “If you hate it, no harm, no foul,” she said.

My eyes darted over the words. “It’s possible this is forever ours. It’s possible we’ll reach the stars. We’ll fight for this, we’ll make it real. Is it possible, possible, to show you how I feel?”

“Shit.” I blew out a breath of air. “Hazel…that’s… It’s like you crawled into my head and read the thoughts I couldn’t decipher. That’s the chorus. That’s it.”

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About the Author

Brittainy Cherry has been in love with words since she took her first breath. She graduated from Carroll University with a bachelor’s degree in theater arts and a minor in creative writing. She loves to take part in writing screenplays, acting, and dancing—poorly, of course. Coffee, chai tea, and wine are three things that she thinks every person should partake in. Cherry lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with her family. When she’s not running a million errands and crafting stories, she’s probably playing with her adorable pets.

Social Media Links

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/BrittainyCherryAuthor

Twitter – https://twitter.com/brittainycherry

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/bcherryauthor

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Rafflecopter Giveaway

Direct Link

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/07c2363f262

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Miranda and the D-Day Caper by Shelly Frome

Hi, everyone!

Today is my turn on the Virtual Author Book Tour for this new Amateur Sleuth Mystery. I am excited to share my Feature Post and Book Review for MIRANDA AND THE D-DAY CAPER by Shelly Frome.

Below you will find an interview with the author, a book description, my book review and the author’s bio. Enjoy!

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Author Interview

Interview with Avonna Loves Genres

What would you say inspired you to write it?

At a certain point, given the partisan nature of today’s political scene and all the tribal bickering, I began to get deeply nostalgic for yesteryear and small town American when virtues like decency and honesty seemed to be shared by all and you could engage in a lost cause with all your heart.

What was the source of inspiration for your protagonist? What about your antagonist?

My protagonist Miranda was inspired by my realty broker down here in the Blue Ridge who seems to be both highly practical and, at times, tomboyish and adventuresome. I thought she’d make a compelling amateur small town detective.

As for my antagonist, the subject of one of my profiles for the local paper was a cool, boyish looking folksinger/songwriter. With a little stretch of the imagination I thought he’d make a great backwoods sociopath who found causing havoc a great deal of fun.

What’s the longest time you’ve spent working on a project?

My work on my book on The Actors Studio took a number of years. It first started out as a graduate thesis. Then a TV show called “Inside the Actors Studio” came along which took place nowhere near the iconic studio on West Forty-fourth Street. And so I went back and interviewed many prominent figures from the real Studio, organized my notes and photos and spent well over another year putting it all together.

Would you say becoming an author has changed you? In what way?

I no longer feel I have to perform or entertain people or hold their interest. I can take my time getting lost in my work and allow my characters to fully come to life without constantly having to live up to other people’s expectations.

How do you deal with bad reviews or acid criticism? What would you advise other authors to that effect?

Someone once told me that you really haven’t taken the plunge and risked everything until someone comes along and vilifies your published book. Which is fine as long as there are five star reviews to balance the picture. However, if there are only one and two star reviews, it’s time to go back to the drawing board and come to terms. If you had no editorial input in the first place, then the tale either wasn’t ready or hadn’t a chance to please anyone but yourself.

Is this title part of a series? Without giving us spoilers, of course, what can we expect from the next books in the series?

The previous book is called Moon Games, Miranda’s first adventure. At this point in time, I think she can rest on her laurels. I’d hate to put her through all this again unless some pressing need presents itself.

What do you have stored for us in the future? What are you working on/planning on next, aside this title/series?

I’m deep in the throes of a crime story with the working title Shadow of the Gypsy. It’s a much deeper venture, perhaps even partly highly personal and I have no idea of its commercial potential or marketability.

Full Disclosure

If you could choose to be someone else for just one day, it would be… ?

Robert Redford. I’d love to know what it feels like to have been so cool and handsome that everything comes easily to you and you can have the pick of projects, meet up with members of the industry you admire both here and abroad, and go anywhere and do anything your heart desires.

If a character from any book could become real and you could spend a day with them, it would be… from the book… ?

Sam Spade from The Maltese Falcon, hanging around the streets of old San Francisco, meeting all kinds of colorful and shady characters, having the license to delve anywhere on the mean streets and fashionable enclaves.

The best thing in your life is… ?

No longer having anything I have to prove.

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Book Description

A modern day mystery with WWII tactics, old-time heroes and values, and the efforts of two amateur cousin sleuths from the Heartland.

On a sparkling spring morning in the Blue Ridge, small-town realtor Miranda Davis approached the tailgate market, intent on dealing with her whimsical cousin Skip’s unexpected arrival from New York. It turns out that Skip was on the run and, in his panic, grabbed his beloved tabby Duffy, recalling that Miranda had a recent part in solving a case down in Carolina. His predicament stemmed from intercepting code messages like “Countdown to D-Day,” playfully broadcasting the messages on his radio show over the nation-wide network, and subsequently forced to flee.

At first, Miranda tried to limit her old childhood companion’s conundrum to the sudden abduction of Duffy the cat. But the forces that be were hell-bent on keeping Skip under wraps by any means after he now stumbled close to the site of their master plan. Miranda’s subsequent efforts to decipher the conspiracy and somehow intervene placed both herself and her old playmate on a collision course with a white-nationalist perpetrator and the continuing machinations of the right-wing enterprise, with the lives of all those gathered for a diversity celebration in nearby Asheville and a crucial senatorial vote on homeland security hanging in the balance.

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My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

MIRANDA AND THE D-DAY CAPER by Shelly Frome is a cozy mystery featuring amateur sleuth, Miranda Davis. This is the second book featuring this protagonist, but it can easily be read a standalone.

Miranda Davis is a small-town realtor in the Blue Ridge Mountains who received some notoriety when she helped solve a mystery. Now her cousin and childhood companion, Skip shows up on the run from New York City hoping for her help. He embellished some stories with items he saw in the station manager’s office harking back to WWII and D-Day on a nighttime radio talk show he was covering for a friend. All of a sudden, he is being threatened and his beloved tabby cat is stolen and held to control Skip.

Miranda thought Skip’s story was just another one of his whimsical stories, but she is willing to help find his cat. But as she gets more involved, she discovers that there is much more truth than fantasy in the story Skip told on air. They are suddenly entangled in a plot involving right-wing nationalists that leads all the way back to D.C.

Can Miranda, Skip and all Miranda’s friends figure out who all the players are and what they have planned before the clock runs out and many people are killed?

I enjoyed Miranda and all the characters in her town. It is small-town southern laid-back even as Miranda tries to hurry some along in their help. When Miranda and Skip come together, I had a hard time at first straightening out what was happening, but once everyone was sorted and the mystery plotline began to pick up in pace I was completely caught up in the story. I feel Mr. Frome did a good job of using a heavy political topic lightly, but not frivolously. It was done with both entertaining characters and an intricate plot. The mystery plot was believable and could come right out of the news today, even as the plot clues were out of WWII.

I recommend Miranda and all her friends for an intriguing and entertaining cozy mystery read.

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Author Bio

Shelly Frome is a member of Mystery Writers of America, a professor of dramatic arts emeritus at the University of Connecticut, a former professional actor, a writer of crime novels and books on theater and film. He is also a features columnist for Gannett Media. His fiction includes Sun Dance for Andy Horn, Lilac Moon, Twilight of the Drifter, Tinseltown Riff, and Murder Run. Among his works of non-fiction are The Actors Studio and texts on the art and craft of screenwriting and writing for the stage. The Secluded Village Murders is his latest published foray into the world of crime and the amateur sleuth. He lives in Black Mountain, North Carolina.