#elisesthoughts – Avonna Loves Genres

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Three WWII Novels and Their Author Interviews

In these three novels WWII plays an intricate role. Each delves with a different setting and emphasizes a different part of the war. The Umbrella Maker’s Son by Tod Lending shows the devastation brought upon to the Jewish community in Krakow after the Nazis invaded Poland. Midnight on the Scottish Shore by Sarah Sundin takes reader on a journey with an emphasis on the MI5’s Double Cross Program that had German spies becoming double agents. The Librarians of Lisbon by Suzanne Nelson takes place in neutral Portugal having the allied spies trying to gain the upper hand on their German counterparts.

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Book Description

Born to a secure, middle-class Polish Jewish family, seventeen-year-old Reuven works alongside his father, an artisan businessman whose shop creates the finest handmade umbrellas in Poland. But the family’s peaceful life shatters when the Nazis invade their homeland, igniting World War II. With terrifying brutality, the Nazis confiscate their business, evict them from their home, and strip away their rights, threatening the lives of the city’s Jewish population, including Reuven and Zelda, the girl he loves.

Shortly after the Nazi occupation, Zelda and her family disappear, and Reuven and his father are forced into backbreaking physical labor that nearly kills them. For the young man and his family, the only chance to survive is escape—and some of them will die trying.

Fleeing a Nazi ambush through the surrounding forest, shot and wounded, Reuven is found by a local farmer who has never met a Jew—and agrees to help because he needs the boy to work the farm with him. The farmer’s wife, however, is not as kind. Her betrayal forces a desperate Reuven to escape. He embarks on a perilous journey through the Polish countryside, determined to reach the Kraków ghetto where he hopes to reunite with Zelda, whose life has also been forever changed by the horrors of occupation and war.

Elise’s Thoughts

The Umbrella Maker’s Son by Tod Lending has Reuven Berkovitz at the center of the story. Through his eyes, readers can see the brutality of the Nazis, as well as a local Polish farmer who has never met a Jew yet agrees to hide him because he needs help to work the farm. Unfortunately, the farmer’s wife is not as kind. Eventually Reuven must leave, embarking on a perilous journey through the Polish countryside, determined to reach the Kraków ghetto where he hopes to reunite with Zelda, whose life has also been forever changed by the horrors of the Nazi occupation and war.

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Book Description

In a time of war, danger lurks beneath the water–and in the depths of the human heart

As the German war machine devours the Netherlands, the only way Cilla van der Zee can survive the occupation is to do the unthinkable–train to become a spy for the Nazis. Once dispatched to Britain, she plans to abandon her mission and instead aid the Allies. But her scheme is thwarted when naval officer Lt. Lachlan Mackenzie finds her along the Scottish shore and turns her in to be executed.

Yet perhaps she is more useful alive than dead. British intelligence employs her to radio misleading messages to Germany from the lighthouse at Dunnet Head in Scotland–messages filled with naval intelligence Lachlan must provide. If the war is to be won, Lachlan and Cilla must work together. But how can he trust a woman who arrived on his shores as a tool of the enemy–a woman certain to betray both him and the Allied cause?

Elise’s Thoughts

Midnight on the Scottish Shore by Sarah Sundin has a plot as a member of the Dutch resistance who infiltrates the local Nazi Party to gather intel. Because it is becoming more dangerous for her, she decides to escape the country by coming up with a plan. She agrees to be trained as a Nazi spy and sent to the U.K. Once dispatched to Britain, she plans to abandon her mission and instead aid the Allies. But her scheme is thwarted when naval officer Lt. Lachlan Mackenzie finds her along the Scottish shore and turns her in to be executed except that British intelligence decides she is more valuable as a double agent.

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Book Description

Lisbon 1943. As two American librarians are drawn into a city of dangerous subterfuge and unexpected love affairs, they are forced to choose between their missions and the men they love. Inspired by real historical figures, award-winning author Suzanne Nelson pens a captivating story of two remarkable women, their bravery and heartache, and a friendship that withstands the ravages of war.

WWII rages Europe. Lisbon stands alone as a glamorous city on the brink of chaos, harboring spies trading double-edged secrets. Among them are Selene Delmont and Beatrice Sullivan, Boston librarians turned Allied operatives. Officially enlisted to collect banned books, both women are undercover agents tasked with infiltrating the Axis spy network.

Victory is not guaranteed.

Soon, they’re caught up in games of deception with two of Lisbon’s most notorious men—the outcast Portuguese baron, Luca Caldeira, and the lethal spy, code name Gable. As Selene charms her way through lavish ballrooms with Luca, the more bookish Bea is plunged into Gable’s shadowy world of informants. But when a betrayal unravels a carefully spun web of lies, everything they’ve fought for is thrown into jeopardy. As Selene and Bea are pushed to their breaking points can their friendship, and their hearts, survive the cost of war?

Elise’s Thoughts

The Librarians of Lisbon by Suzanne Nelson is a fast-paced roller-coaster ride of deceit, espionage, and danger inspired by real historical figures. The setting of Lisbon plays a significant role because Portugal was a neutral country filled with espionage, romance, and friendship. The main characters are two Boston librarians, Selene Delmont and Beatrice Sullivan, who are trained by the U.S. Office of Strategic Services (precursor to CIA) and assigned to work in Lisbon. Their day jobs are librarians, but they are also assigned missions for which they are sworn to secrecy, unable to reveal even to each other.

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Author Interviews

Elise Cooper: Does the setting play a role in the story?

Sarah Sundin: My husband and I are part Scottish. He has been bugging me to write a book set here for years. As I explored it more, I found things that fascinated me. Then my youngest son, a mythology buff, gave me some suggestions, the Scottish legends, especially the story of the Selkie. It has a woman who lives as a seal at sea, but as soon as she comes to shore, she sheds her seal skin, turning into a beautiful woman. I started to imagine a German female spy landing in Scotland and being captured by this Scottish man who traps her on land by hiding her seal skin. In this case the skin was her rubber raft.

Tod Lending: there were numerous ghettos all over Poland, not just in Warsaw. In this book the setting was in Krakow. I talked about how the Germans cut off the Jews’ beards and took over ownership of Jewish businesses and belongings. They beat them, abused them, humiliated them, and hunted them as animals. What happened is beyond horrific and is unimaginable. I did do a lot of research. What Reuven and the other characters had gone through really happened. I did take a little writers’ poetic license with Reuven’s emotional and psychological reactions. I also had a Jewish historian review the book facts.

Suzanne Nelson: Lisbon Portugal had bothAllied and Axis spies operating in the city simultaneously, plus, the city was a huge refuge for people fleeing occupied Europe. Unfortunately, they were stalled for weeks, months, and sometimes years because they did not have the correct exit papers. The refugees included exiled Royals who fled Europe, and famous writers and artists, including the Jewish co-authors Margaret and H. A. Rey, of the “Curious George series.” It was a surreal environment where refugees were gambling side by side with the Gestapo. Many times, no one knew who a friend or foe was. There was a real sense of loneliness, desperation, and danger among a lot of people.

Elise: Did you explore some historical significance in the book?

Tod: Reuven ponders the question of why some Jews survived. This thought came from the last documentary I made about two Holocaust survivors. They answered this question 1000 times and they always answered, ‘it was a miracle.’ I asked them was it luck, smarts, and willpower? One story after another was told how if they had crossed the street at a different moment, they would have been dead. There is a quote by Reuven, ‘Without rhyme or reason, chance had saved me once again.’

Sarah: The Double Cross Program was established in September 1940. The German military intelligence sent out spies to the United Kingdom. MI5, Britian’s intelligence group, caught every single one of the German agents. Germany never had an effective agent during the war. Of the Abwehr (German) Agents caught, sixteen were executed, but about three dozen were turned into double agents. Some were extremely effective including one agent that convinced the Germans that the D-day invasion was not going to Normandy but Pas de Calais. Regarding Cilla, I knew there were Dutch women agents who landed in Scotland, so I created my own character. She is much milder than the real spies.

Suzanne: In the book I explain about wolfram. It is a mineral that contains a metal, Tungsten. It is used in artillery manufacturing, creating impenetrable armor. Salazar, the Portuguese Prime Minister, allowed the trade to be with both the Axis and Allied countries until a few months prior to D-Day and suspended the trade for both. There was black marketing dealings and smuggling going on with the Portugal PM looking the other way. In the story Bea and Gable must discover who was selling large amounts of wolfram to the Nazis.

Elise: How would describe your main character(s)?

Suzanne: Selene ischarming, a thrill seeker, enthusiastic, brazen, estranged from her family, impatient, affluent upbringing, determined, and impetuous. She is also a reluctant seductress because she does not want to be known as a spy who only uses her looks and beauty to get information, but someone who can use her mind. Bea is reserved, quiet, has lost her parents, has a photographic memory, wants to be challenged, good instincts, and motivated. They were good friends, loyal, and Bea was Selene’s lifeline. Selene wanted adventure, to take the world by storm, and dragged Bea along for the ride. But at the end of the book Bea was the one who has found her bravery, while Selene went home wounded.

Sarah: Cilla is the double agent. She is fun loving, free spirited, and wants her freedom. She is confident, kind, respectful, lonely, isolated, determined, courageous, loyal, witty, and headstrong. She is trustworthy but no one sees her that way, so she needs to prove herself to them. Lachlan is the British naval officer who captures Cilla. He is determined, frustrated, honorable, ingenious, passionate, honest, vulnerable, dedicated, and protective. They are opposites that attract. At first, he only saw her as a German spy. They are forced to work together and the more they spend time together they see each other’s true character, willing to trust each other.

Tod: Reuven is a young Jewish man who persevered. Resilient with a spirit that carried on. He had an inner drive to live. He was protective, grief-stricken, terrified, fearful, lonely, felt hopeless and guilty. But he also was brave. At the beginning of the book, he was well adjusted and was trying to fulfill his dreams. As things fell apart as the Nazis took over, he became shameful and humiliated. Feelings like fear, grief, guilt, and insecurity began to emerge as a reaction to the traumas he suffered. There were times he was fearful, but also times where he was fearless, times he felt completely numb, and for a moment he felt suicidal. Zelda is the girl he wanted to marry and whom he searched for throughout the book. When he is reunited with her, he realizes she has built a wall and tried to avoid him even though she was lonely. She is very traumatized having feared her brothers dead and she was sexually abused. Zelda felt she was not worthy because of her shame. She crawls into her shell to protect herself. But as time goes by, she does show him how much she cares for him, yet he sees her as quiet, withdrawn, and distant.

Elise: Is there a secondary character(s) that is important to the story?

Tod: Kaja, the Polish farmer’s wife. At first, he was shocked and scared of her because she was profoundly antisemitic. What they both shared is loneliness. She did not want to be on the farm and fantasized in living in the city. She controlled him with Reuven terrified of her and feeling overpowered by her, while at the same time there were tender gentle moments because of the loneliness. He saw her as suspicious, unpredictable, angry, moody, distant, and seductive. The Polish farmer, Stanislaw saw Reuven as a son to him, while at other times he treated him like one of the farm animals. He was illiterate but had farm knowledge. They respected and trusted each other including giving Reuven a sense of pride. At times Stanislaw could be determined and reckless. Reuven saw him as a model of manhood because of his strength.

Sarah: Neil, Lachlan’s brother. Their backstory emphasizes a house divided with a long history of betrayal. Neil has hurt Lachlan deeply and Neil was hurt by Lachlan even though he did his duty. They hate each other. Neil was rude, unkind, treacherous, angry, and resentful. Lachlan is fighting for the allies while Neil has fallen in with a group of Scottish separatists. The real separatists were a fringe group before the war that continued during the early years of the war. They did not want to be a part of the allied war effort because they saw it as the “English War.” Neil was involved with this group and was imprisoned because he refused to register for conscription. He feels that Lachlan has portrayed Scotland by wearing an English uniform. I put in this book quote, ‘The Germans love to divide. That is how they conquer.’ If they saw a separatist group, they supported it.

Suzanne: Agent Gable was loosely based on Agent Garbo, a famous double agent with MI5 who had operated in Lisbon for about a year. I wanted to include a version of him in the story. He appears to be a narcissist. He is charming, a charlatan, double agent, has a temper, volatile, and blunt, with a lot of confidence. He is attracted to Bea but wants to control his feelings and wants to be the one in control. She enjoys putting him in his place. Luca was inspired by a historical figure, Aristides de Sousa Mendes. His nickname was the Oskar Schindler of Portugal. He was the consul general who worked in France and signed 1000s of visas to allow people into Portugal even though the Portuguese PM, Salazar, forbid it. He ignored the rule and disobeyed the orders. He was blacklisted in Portugal with a tragic ending. I wrote Luca with a conscience, someone vulnerable, has built walls, moody, determined, bitter, wounded, heroic, an outcast, and gruff. Selene gave him hope, redemption, and love.

THANK YOU!!

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

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Hostage Security and A Match for the Sheriff by Lisa Childs

Bachelor Bodyguards – Book #14

Elise’s Description and Thoughts

Hostage Security is a suspenseful romance that involves a child being kidnapped. Five years ago, Josh Stafford ended his engagement to Natalie Croft after he pleaded guilty to a crime he did not commit to protect his loved ones. As he was leaving for prison, he told Natalie that he did not love her, which devasted Natalie. She does not want anything to do with Josh, so she never tells him she was pregnant with his child, Henry. Fast forward to the present where Josh is out of prison and working as a security specialist for the Payne Protection Agency as a guard at Natalie’s’ family jewelry store. Now the son he never met is kidnapped. Natalie, Josh, and the rest of those at the Agency must find Henry before it is too late.

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Bachelor Cowboys – Book #8

Elise’s Description and Thoughts

A Match for the Sheriff has single mom Sarah Reynolds raising her 6-year-old son, Mikey, and taking care of the elderly ranch owner, the father of the Cassidy family. She is worried that her son may have started the fire at the ranch they were living in, but he refuses to talk to her. Marsh, the sheriff of the town, wants to get to the bottom of who started the fire or whether it was an accident. After he starts to suspect that his dad’s nurse or her son knew something about the fire, he begins to spend time with them to get answers. But the longer he is with them the more he starts to care for them. Readers will enjoy finding out what will happen between Marsh and Sarah as well as how the fire mystery will be solved.

Both books are entertaining and will keep readers turning the pages.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Is Hostage Security the first book in a new series?

Lisa Childs: Yes. It is a continuation of my “Bachelor Bodyguard Series,” which has been going for many years. This is the first book in the “Payne Protection Agency Series,” somewhat of a spin-off. I think there will be five books total. The two brothers heading this Agency, are connected to Penny Payne, the matriarch of the Payne family. These brothers are a bad-boy characters that were also suspects in the first couple of books. They are Polish and I am half-Polish myself.

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

LC: She feels helpless and does not feel like she is in control. She is scared. I think she is straight-forward, honest, angry, frustrated, and bitter. She is brave because she will do whatever it takes to get her child back.

EC: How would you describe Josh?

LC: Resentful, selfless, has made sacrifices, and he is scared for his son. He knows with hostages they must act quickly to get them back.

EC: What about the relationship?

LC: When he went to jail, she was devasted. Her trust in him and herself was shaken. She is resentful and mistrustful. They both have lies and secrets that they have kept from each other.

EC: Did you do any research?

LC: I looked up police procedures and spent a lot of time on the FBI website.

EC: What is the role of Henry?

LC: Natalie did not want Henry, her and Josh’s son, to visit him in prison. As he was going to prison, he said he did not want anything to do with her, which she assumed meant nothing to do with her and her child. Henry is the something good coming from something bad.

EC: In your other book, A Match for The Sheriff does the fire plays a big role?

LC: It is an ongoing theme since no one knows how it started. Everybody was worried that Cash Cassidy, one of the brothers, started it after his lighter was found. I was an insurance agent for over twenty years and wrote how the insurance company was dragging out the payment, where the adjuster is notorious for pushing arson charges so that he could deny claims.

EC: Is this a new series?

LC: No. This is the eighth book in the “Bachelor Cowboy Series.” I am writing four more books coming out in this series.

EC: Do the cowboy hats the Cassidy brothers wear reflect their differences?

LC: Yes, they are very different. Readers can tell their different personalities by the different colors they wear with the hats. Cash wears brown, enjoying being in nature and taking care of animals. Marsh wears white, the lawman and is the peace maker. Colton wears black, he is the fireman that must handle ashes. Collin does not wear one.

EC: How would you describe the hero, Marsh?

LC: Has a sense of humor, calm, and very observant. He felt a loss when his brother Cash went away for all those years.

EC: How would you describe Sarah?

LC: Strong, resilient, vulnerable, compassionate, anxious, protective, and distrusting.

EC: What was the role of Sarah’s son Mikey?

LC: He was bullied and had a rough time in school because his dad was a criminal. Sarah is very protective of him. She is a mama-bear. He is sensitive, quiet, shy, skittish, impressionable, and loves animals.

EC: What about the relationship between Sarah and Marsh?

LC: She feels intimidated by him. They are both uneasy about their feelings. Marsh can read her. Sarah is very nervous as to why he takes a sudden interest in her. She also cares about Marsh and does not want him to lose the election because he associates with her. In a way she is protective of him.

EC: Next books?

LC: There will be books about the Lemmon brothers. The first book has one of them finding a baby on the ranch. It is titled The Cowboy’s Baby Surprise out in July.

Personal Security is the title of the next book coming out in May. It will be Ivan’s story where he is assigned to protect an art gallery. It was once a front for money laundering. The heroine is trying to open the gallery to honor her late dad, but someone is sabotaging her efforts.

THANK YOU!!

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

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

Book Description

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

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

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

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

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Elise’s Thoughts

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

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Book Description

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

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

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

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Elise’s Thoughts

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

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Author Interview

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

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

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

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

EC: How would you describe Johnny?

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

EC: How would you describe Matt, the dad?

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

EC: Matt’s relationship with Johnny?

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

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

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

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

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

EC: What about the relationship with Johnny?

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

EC: What about the book Unforgotten?

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

EC: How would you describe Candace?

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

EC: How would you describe Bethanne?

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

EC: The relationship between Bethanne and Candace?

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

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

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

EC: What about Ryan and Candace?

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

EC: Next books?

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

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

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

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

THANK YOU!!

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

Elise’s Descriptions and Thoughts

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

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

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

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

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Which series came first?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

EC: Why did you have Regan get pregnant?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

EC: Next Book(s)?

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

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

THANK YOU!!

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Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Arctic Pursuit by Anna J. Stewart

Book Description

FBI special agent Ty Savakis keeps his promises. That’s why he’s asked Wren McKenna to join him in an isolated Alaskan town: he wants her help safeguarding a witness he swore to protect. To find the assailant who tried to kill her, Ty and Wren go undercover as a married couple. These partners have always been a perfect team, but sharing an apartment makes it impossible to resist the attraction they’ve both fought to deny. Will the violent criminal they’re tracking give them a chance to imagine a future together?

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Elise’s Thoughts

Arctic Pursuit by Anna J. Stewart is a suspenseful story. The plot has FBI Agent Ty Savakis deciding to go ‘off the books’ to help a witness, Alice, he worked with years ago. She is targeted by those she will be testifying against and is now in a coma. He asks his FBI partner Wren McKenna for her help. Not hesitating at all, she goes to Alaska to help safeguard the witness and find those responsible for trying to kill Alice. They go undercover as a married couple and decide to share an apartment. Besides searching for the violent criminal, they now give into their desires of attraction.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Is this a new series?

Anna J. Stewart: This is a new series called the McKenna Code. This is the first book of four. Aiden was in the last Honor Bound Series. He will pop up in all the books. There will be a lot of quirky characters.

EC: Why Alaska?

AJS: I watched a news show story on Whittier Alaska, which has a self-contained building with all the businesses in one building along with all the residences. I based the town in my story on this town. It is a small, enclosed town that lends itself to a mystery. No one will be able to disappear in a small town like this. One of my best friends lived in Alaska for several years and her parents visited there a few times. I was able to get insight in how the town operates. I also have been to Alaska. I was able to draw upon the town, the people, and the lifestyle. Alaska has a particular feel that I hoped I captured.

EC: How would you describe Wren, the female hero?

AJS: She is confident, has a slight temper, tenacious, tough, cautious, defiant, and determined. All the McKenna’s have a family code, an unwavering loyalty.

EC: How would you describe Ty, the male hero?

AJS: He can be stubborn, patient, and composed. He is struggling with being out of control. He is doubting himself and questions himself because the woman he asked to testify is in a coma. Ty has a lot of ghosts that haunt him. He is wondering if he will leave the FBI, trying to rediscover himself and figuring where he wants to go from here.

EC: What about the relationship between the two?

AJS: Wren is a good foil for him because she will slap him out of his guilt feelings. This is based on trust, he things she is amazing, and both follow each other everywhere. They are best friends to lovers. There is already an established relationship, the core of their relationship.

EC: What role does their being partners play?

AJS: Neither was willing to act on their attraction because they were partners and were involved with others. Now they are willing to talk openly about things. Being partners is the main conflict between them. I did do research, and FBI Agents can be married to each other. They will pop up in the fourth book. They might each work in a different section of the FBI.

EC: What was the role of Alice, the witness willing to testify?

AJS: Ty had anger, frustration, and blames himself for Alice getting hurt. He feels responsible for keeping her safe. There is a loyalty aspect. He questions his choices. Wren acts as a check and balance for him.

EC: What about the role of the McKenna family?

AJS: They are tight-knit, supportive, loving, and welcoming. I pitched it to my editor as “FBI” meets “Blue Bloods” because I am a big fan of CBS law enforcement drama. Instead of a weekly dinner I made it a monthly family dinner, set in Boston. Family is everything to them.

EC: Next books:

AJS: The second book in this series will be out in December 2025. There will be two other Harlequin Heartwarming books that take place in Hawaii coming out this year as well. I am currently writing book 3 in the “Circle of the Red Lily series” hopefully coming out in early June. It will feature a forensic specialist who never leaves her apartment.

THANK YOU!!

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Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Watch Your Back by Terri Parlato

Book Description

Accidents happen, no matter how careful or well-intentioned you are. Psychiatrist Eve Thayer frequently reassures her patients of that fact. There are even times when accidents have good consequences—like when Eve met her now-husband, Nathan, at his collision shop after another car ran her off the road.

After a whirlwind courtship, Nathan and Eve have settled into domestic life. They have a lovely home on a quiet street, a beautiful baby girl, and even the perfect babysitter to care for her. And yet, something isn’t quite right.

The stress in Eva’s life is mounting, both professionally and personally. Though the clinic where she works has been remodeled since its notorious days as an institution for the criminally insane, she feels increasingly uneasy there. And in her own neighborhood, a break-in at a nearby empty house hasn’t helped, either.

Detective Rita Myers hasn’t yet figured out whether Eve is a target or a suspect, but every disturbing discovery in this usually peaceful neighborhood seems to revolve around her. Only as a deadly ice storm crashes through does it become clear just how far from perfect Eve and Nathan’s lives really are. And as the cracks in the surface come to light, so do the sinister secrets that lie beneath.

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Elise’s Thoughts

Watch Your Back by Terri Parlato intertwines suspense, romance, retribution, and redemption in a compelling measure. It realistically shows how young couples handle stress and trying to make ends meet, which can affect their relationship. The main characters’ professions and personal lives play a significant role in the unfolding of the plot.

The two main characters, Nathan Liddle and Eve Thayer, have settled into domestic life after a whirlwind romance. Shortly thereafter they become the parents of a baby girl, Rosewyn. Due to the stresses of her job, they do not have much time together for their marriage with Nathan spending a lot of time taking care of the baby. As a psychiatrist, Eve Thayer has been tapped to lead the medical staff at a new psychiatric center in the Boston suburb of Graybridge, leaving her little time to help her husband with their infant daughter. He decides to seek companionship elsewhere by having an extramarital affair. The cracks in their relationship become huge after their baby girl is kidnapped from the babysitter’s home and their secrets are revealed. There is a multitude of suspects including Eve, her best friend Rachel, some of Eve’s psychiatric patients, and the babysitter. The detective on the case, Rita Myers, must unravel the secrets and find out who is responsible.

The narrative is told in multiple points of view of Eve, Nathan, and Rita. This helps to make the plot fast paced and intense as well as weaving together the family’s turmoil, the detective’s ability to connect the clues, and the hunt for the culprit.

This plot will have readers guessing all the way through. The prologue starts the story out with a bang, and it does not let up from there. The author writes very multidimensional characters, and the effective red herrings add to the twisty plotline.

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Author Interview

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

Terri Parlato: I often start out with writing the characters. I thought of my children and the young adults who seem to be working very hard with long hours. They have a hard time balancing home, career, and family. This gave me the idea for Eve and Nathan. Because I write thrillers, I had terrible things happen beyond the difficulties of life. The villain is out for vengeance.

EC: How would you describe Eve?

TP: She is a psychiatrist who feels overwhelmed. She is steely, workaholic, quiet, introspective, and wants to control her emotions and keeps them in check. Growing up she did not get a lot of warmth and nurturing, especially with her father cheating.

EC: How would you describe Nathan?

TP: Protective, attentive, down to earth, personable, and puts his child ahead of his own desires.

EC: Do you think the relationship between Eve and Nathan has gone downhill?

TP: After Eve finds out Nathan cheated on her she becomes very distant, and he takes to drinking and smoking. He feels very guilty, and she withdraws, becoming angry. Nathan was seeking companionship because he felt so ignored by Eve. I wanted readers to think about this moral dilemma. Both had a responsibility to talk it out but neither did, but because of having parents MIA, communicating was harder for them. Being from the social media generation they were not good communicators.

EC: What kind of parents are they to their young daughter, especially after the child went missing?

TP: Nathan is very indulgent. For Eve, she loves her daughter but is not sure how to be a mother. She struggles with ‘Am I doing this correctly?’ Then when the child goes missing both worry that the kidnapper has evil intentions. Once the child went missing it magnified the type of parents they had become. Plus, having a child kidnapped is one of the worst things a parent can go through. It brings out their doubts as a parent and tests them to their limits.

EC: What about Eve’s best friend Rachel?

TP: I wanted her to exemplify how the relationship shifted between Rachel who was single and Eve who is now married. Eve is not as dependent on her. Relationships are difficult and tricky. They used to have good old times as single women.

EC: Was Rita, the police detective, also in other books?

TP: She is in all three books set in this fictional town. Rita is the common thread with her own narrative arc. She is growing as a character and has her own demons that shows from book 1 to this book, 3. In this novel, Rita’s drawing plays a role in solving the crime. The first book explained why she draws. In elementary school, the teacher had her draw something to distract her. This really worked and helped her to handle her life. Being the youngest of nine children she lost her brother to leukemia and an older brother to the Vietnam War. Drawing taught her to deal with her feelings. Now it works with her profession because as a detective she can see clues visually. It is a coping mechanism that turned into a tool for her detective work.

EC: Is Rita a lot like Eve?

TP: Yes. Both are lonely, workaholics, and tenacious. I wanted Eve to be a different female lead than in the first two books. She parallels Rita’s personality in that both have demons and are not sure how to handle them.

EC: Next book?
TP: It will be out March 2026 and is a domestic thriller. Rita will not be in it. There will be family drama with a villain who will be causing havoc as well as a murder.

THANK YOU!!

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