Tag: #elisesthoughts

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Kingdom on Fire: Kareem, Wooden, Walton, and the Turbulent Days of the UCLA Basketball Dynasty

Book Description

Few basketball dynasties have reigned supreme like the UCLA Bruins did over college basketball from 1965–1975 (seven consecutive titles, three perfect records, an eighty-eight-game winning streak that remains unmatched). At the center of this legendary franchise were the now-iconic players Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Bill Walton, naturally reserved personalities who became outspoken giants when it came to race and the Vietnam War. These generational talents were led byJohn Wooden, a conservative counterweight to his star players whose leadership skills would transcend the game after his retirement. But before the three of them became history, they would have to make it—together.

Los Angeles native and longtime sportswriter for the Los Angeles Times, Scott Howard Cooper draws on more than a hundred interviews and extensive access to many of the principal figures, including Wooden’s family to deliver a rich narrative that reveals the turmoil at the heart of this storied college basketball program. Making the eye-opening connections between UCLA and the Nixon administration, Ronald Reagan, Muhammad Ali, and others, Kingdom on Fire puts the UCLA basketball team’s political involvement and influence in full relief for the first time. The story of UCLA basketball is an incredible slice of American history that reveals what it truly takes to achieve and sustain greatness while standing up for what you believe in.

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Elise’s Thoughts

Kingdom on Fire by Scott Howard-Cooper is a wonderful book to read during March Madness.  College basketball has changed over the years, but not for the better with the days of selfish players, and defense being a strategy of the past.  This is why this book is so relevant today because it shows how the game used to be played and what is missing in basketball today.

The unlikely trio of John Wooden, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (formerly known as Lew Alcindor), and Bill Walton created one of the greatest dynasties in sports history. From 1964 to 1975 the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) basketball team won 10 national championships, including seven in a row, and amassed four perfect seasons. This seems like today an unheard feat considering college basketball teams are hampered by the “NIL”, the portal transfer and “one-and-done.” The three together had a winning attitude set against the turmoil in America of the 1960s and 1970s. 

This is a must read that captures the basketball history of that era and the cultural unrest regarding civil rights and the Vietnam War.  The author fascinatingly weaves together sports, politics, and history within the contexts of UCLA basketball.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Why the title?

Scott Howard-Cooper: The title came about because I was struck that the UCLA Bruins obviously had this empire, this kingdom, and this program at the peak for so many years.  I also wanted to put it with the backdrop of the times in America of the sixties and seventies.  There was so many things going around the Bruin basketball players. The meat of the book is the arrival of Lew Alcindor before he became Kareem Abdul- Jabbar, through the departure of Bill Walton. 

EC:  Why write it now?

SHC:  I wanted to write it now because this season that just finished is the fiftieth anniversary of the end of the seven consecutive championships. One year from now will be the fiftieth anniversary of Coach John Wooden’s last year.

EC:  Do you think Coach Wooden was the best basketball coach ever?

SHC:  I do, but I also think he would not think so. He was not a great coach in basketball strategy and was the first to say he was not a good x’s and o’s coach. He was not the guy who would ‘rule the chess board’, never would outsmart someone. Looking at the preparation and the system he had in place, the way he was able to mesh talents and personalities for so long, year after year, is remarkable. The times need to be factored in. He kept everyone focused.  He also had the greatest coaching staff of all time.  His assistants were invaluable in the strategy and the recruiting.

EC: Isn’t one of the things that made him great is his ability to know his weaknesses and hire assistant coaches to supplement that?

SHC: This is one of the reasons he was so great.  He did not want yes men. He wanted people to disagree with him.  He wanted smart people around him. Assistant Coach Jerry Norman played a role in the early strategy sessions. Another assistant coach, Gary Cunningham, was Lew Alcindor’s first coach of the freshman team.  Other great assistant coaches were Denny Crum and Frank Arnold. He wanted to know what his assistant coaches were thinking. I do not think it was just a coincidence that Cunningham, Norman, and Crum played for Wooden.

EC:  Do you think he had the players leave their politics at the door?

SHC: Yes and no. The politics and the issues going on in society were always with the players. Lew Alcindor and Bill Walton could have brought the whole dynasty down if they were about ego, worried about how many points they were getting, or wanting to bring the protests to the courts, which they could have done.  I do think John Wooden was worried when Lew Alcindor came out from New York, that he would want to dominate the ball and the headlines. As it turned out, Alcindor and Bill Walton were the definition of selfless and team first.  They had no egos.  They did not care about the spotlight and in fact hated it. They would talk about their teammates. They cared about the win and playing right. Once they stepped on the court, they were selfless. 

EC:  Were there any players who tried to fuse their causes with basketball?

SHC:  Yes.  A player, Andy Hill came to Wooden during the National Moratorium Protest in 1969 and asked him to cancel practice to show people how UCLA basketball is standing up for a cause. This did not go over well. Wooden did not cancel. He looked at Hill and said ‘Andy you do not have to be at practice today.  You do not have to be at practice ANY DAY.’ There were moments after the games where players protested.  They did not silence the beliefs but knew how to keep them in check.  They knew when and where. Bill Walton believed in Bruin basketball.  While Walton and Alcindor had their stands on civil rights and the Vietnam War, they also had their stands on the greatness of UCLA basketball.

EC: Were there any examples of discontent?

SHC: Jim Wooden, John’s son, a proud Marine, told me how angry he was at Walton for protesting. He wanted to confront Walton. This was not a cocoon, but everyone knew where to draw the line and not cross it.

EC: How would Wooden have reacted to the way the NIL (Name-Image-Likeness) is structured?

SHC:  He would have reacted from afar.  John Wooden would not be coaching in today’s world. He hated to recruit but did recruit Lew Alcindor.  Weekends were family time for him and his assistants.  Now players are recruited but must be re-recruited to make sure they do not transfer. He would not have had anything to do with this version of the game: the recruiting, the money involved, and the emphasis on individual stardom.  He would have either have gone into retirement or he would have become a high school English teacher somewhere. He was old school even then. He would never compromise the basketball side. He wanted the ball to be moving. The people who wanted to play fancy and who needed to take the shot were the antithesis of what John Wooden wanted.

EC: Would Wooden have like the style of UCLA’s current coach where he yells at his players?

SHC: He would not have approached him.  But if someone around the current coach initiated the conversation he would have commented. One of the interesting parts of the book shows how people need to suspend what they know about Wooden in the 21st century.  He was a yeller. He would ride his players in practice.  He was on officials during games.  He would even rag on opposing players. He was fierce and driven as a coach. He would do whatever was in the rules to win the game.  The John Wooden, America’s grandfather, was not Coach John Wooden of the sixties and seventies.

EC:  Who would you consider the best UCLA player ever under Wooden?

SHC: Lew Alcindor and Bill Walton are impossible to decide. Most people feel that Kareem Abdul- Jabbar is the best player in college basketball history. Through my research I found out that is just not the case. Bill Walton has a very strong case. He does not like to be put on the same plateau. Other coaches and John Wooden and opponents said that it would be easier to play Alcindor than Walton. There is not a clear-cut number one the way most people believe.

EC:  Are you writing another book?

SHC:  I am scratching out a few ideas and would like to write another book.

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: Deadly Mountain Escape by Mary Alford

Book Description

Can this officer stop a trafficking ring?

Or will deadly criminals stop her first?

A search for a missing young woman becomes a nightmare for K-9 deputy Charlotte Walker when she stumbles on a trafficking ring and is captured. Death seems certain until she’s rescued by rancher Jonas Knowles. Together, they take shelter in the Amish community he left behind. But they can’t hide forever—not when the criminals are still after them and countless girls are at risk… 

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Elise’s Thoughts

Deadly Mountain Escape by Mary Alford explores sex trafficking. This story is sadly all too relevant for today. Through the character’s eyes readers will understand all the dangers involved with rescuing these girls.

Charlotte Walker is a K-9-unit deputy that is asked by her neighbor to find her granddaughter, Lainey. As she and her canine partner, Annie, begin the search she is attacked and almost died if not for the efforts of Jonas Knowles who witnessed what happened.

Annie is a great addition to the story.  She is brave and loyal and helped to rescue Jonas and Charlotte multiple times.

Because they need to escape their pursuers, they go to Jonas’s brother, Abram’s farm.  Abram is Amish and agrees to accompany Lainey to the Sherriff’s office. By working together, Jonas and Charlotte as well as Lainey and Abram develop feelings for each other.

While pursuing the sex traffickers, Jonas and Charlotte become close and decide to tell each other why they closed themselves off to any type of relationship.  But in sharing their guilt they realize they have feelings for each other. Charlotte lost her beloved fiancé after he fell to his death looking for a search and rescue victim.  Jonas feels guilty over losing his wife and future child when she had complications during the pregnancy, and he was out trapping.

The setting, a very realistic Montana mountain winter, also plays a role in the book. Readers will take the journey with the characters as they trudge through snow, becoming wet, freezing, and tired.

This is a wonderful action-adventure suspense story with memorable characters and a plot that has several twists and surprises. The danger and suspense will keep people on the edge of their seats as they search for clues alongside Charlotte and Jonas.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the story in Deadly Mountain Escape?

Mary Alford: I enjoy writing stories where the hero and heroine have gone through something very dark in their past.  In this case it was both. This is the type of story I like to read. I also dealt with the subject of human trafficking because I want to shed a light on it. The next book that comes out will deal with more of that tragedy.

EC: Can you explain this book quote, “Focusing on the past is the surest way to stop moving forward?

MA:  We all have moments in our past that we dwell on them. Even with someone who was lost, people always regret not spending more time with them.  They are living in the past and missing those times in the moment that are so rewarding. I am guilty of this also. People tend to beat themselves up over something they cannot change.

EC:  How would you describe Jonas?

MA: He is bitter.  Despite everything that has happened to him he tries hard to become a hero. He is one of those that has regrets and blames himself for losing his pregnant wife. He lost his wife and baby.  It shattered him and he left the Amish faith because of this.  He has a lot of guilt that has him keeping to himself. He is very determined and can be protective to save the other women in the story.

EC: How would you describe Charlotte?

MA: She is in law enforcement. She is strong, family oriented, and caring.  She also blames herself for losing her fiancé falling to his death.  She just focuses on her work and not on relationships. She can be angry, guilty, and confident. She is angry because her life did not turn out the way she wished.

EC:  How would you describe Lainey?

MA:  She is a typical teenager who wants to live her life with a little rebellious streak.  She is on the flighty side and immature. She is kidnapped but is very headstrong.  She falls for an Amish man who is helping her escape.

EC:  What about the relationship between Charlotte and Jonas?

MA:  Charlotte helped him come back to life as they work together to rescue the girls. They are connected because they both lost a loved one and can relate to what each other are going through.  They bond through their grief. As the story unfolds, they end up counting on each other and protecting each other, slowly developing feelings for each other. They realize they want a future together because they are kindred spirits.

EC:  What was the role Annie played in the book?

MA:  She is the dog that helped them throughout the search.  Annie is based on my dog named Kelly who has passed on. They both are a bluetick coonhound. She is fiercely protective and would do anything for her owner.

EC:  You also write a self-published book, Shrouded Past?

MA: This is book five of the Hope Island Securities Series. This is the first book in the series that does not feature one of the founding members team. Going forward the founding members, as in this book, will not be featured, but will be in the story assisting.

EC:  Next book?

MA:  It is titled Ambush in the Mountains featuring Lanie and Abram.  It will deal a lot more with human trafficking. There will be another wounded warrior soldier with a woman who escaped from a human trafficking ring.  It will come out in July.

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: In Sunshine or in Shadow by Rhys Bowen and Clare Broyles

Book Description

New York, 1908: The days are getting longer—and warmer—in Manhattan. Molly Murphy Sullivan doesn’t want to leave her home in the city, but typhoid is back, and she’s expecting. So she heads north with the children to summer with her mother-in-law in Westchester County. Molly tells herself it won’t be so bad, after all the countryside is pretty, and she’s determined to make the best of it. Even if she’s leaving her husband, Daniel, behind. And at least she’s not the only one heading north. Her great friends, Sid and Gus, are headed to the Catskills to visit Sid’s family.

Though her mother-in-law is a surprisingly excellent host, Molly quickly grows bored. And when Sid and Gus invite her to visit, Molly jumps at the chance to stay with them at an artist’s community. What a pleasant time they’ll have, so far from the city, although Sid isn’t so enthusiastic about having to visit her family in the nearby Jewish bungalow community. But deep in the Catskills, tensions are running high, and it’s not long before a body delays Molly’s return to Westchester.

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Elise’s Thoughts

In Sunshine or In Shadow by Rhys Bowen and Clare Bowles the focus is on the good friend of Molly Murphy, Sid. As with all these books readers get a glimpse of what is happening in the time period that is weaved throughout the story.  This book is very relevant because it delves into the Catskills before it became a resort and how antisemitism flourished, just as today.

Because of the typhoid epidemic in the city, Molly and her children decide to stay with her mother-in-law in Westchester.  Molly, who’s bored, visits her friends, who are staying at an artists’ retreat near Sid’s relatives. Sid’s grandfather’s alleged ill health was just an excuse to get her to the Catskill farm, where a matchmaker has brought possible mates for both Sid and her cousin Mira. 

Mira’s match, Mr. Simon Levin, has made many enemies. Sid’s match is a college professor she finds interesting but has no intention of marrying. While out walking in the woods, Levin is shot with his own rifle, and the local police immediately focus on Mira, as a suspect. After her friends beg Molly to help Mira, she unearths other motives for his murder.

The reader is kept guessing as to who the murderer was almost to the very end, with clues strewn throughout. Where it really shines is in the descriptions of life during that time period, 1908, and all the historical information on the early Catskill resorts. A riveting murder, fun characters, interlaced with tidbits of historical information make this story a great read.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: How much are you involved in writing this story?

Rhys Bowen: Very involved. We talk through the story idea.  Then Clare does some research, and we see what we want to incorporate. In the first couple of books, we wrote alternating chapters.  Now Clare is writing more, but I am still going in and giving my suggestions.  I am still very hands on. Working with someone else is a gift because they have enthusiasm and new ideas.

Clare Broyles:  If I do write a scene or a chapter she reads it immediately for feedback, and vice-versa.

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

RB:  We realized we never focused on Sid and her Jewish heritage.  We thought it might be interesting to have her family wanting to have her married off. With the typhoid epidemic everyone wanted to get out of the city, but Jewish people were not welcome at the normal resorts.  They decided to go up to the Catskills and stay in primitive cabins. We used typhoid to get Molly out of the city. Even some upscale houses became sick. This is why we bought in the cook, “typhoid Mary,” who went from household to household affecting the families.

CB:  We wanted to write everything going on at the Catskills.  It had its beginning in 1903. Park Rangers were just coming into existence.  Their chain of command had them reporting to NYPD, a perfect line to Daniel. They had the mining in trouble. There was also the growing environmental movement that started to clash with the big quarry there. Plus, there was a Bohemian community of professional women. Ontera was its name. We fictionalized it. We wanted to show that it was a place where woman could be free.

EC:  Your story is very relevant today considering what happened on October 7th and the antisemitism going on in the US today.  Do you agree?

RB:  It is very relevant now.  It did not matter how respected someone was or how rich, it was hard for Jewish families to get out of NYC. They were still not welcome.  The police detective in this story exhibited the underlying antisemitism that comes out all the time. My health club is in the Jewish Community Center and there must be a guard outside and now there is a sheriff’s car.

CB:  There were stories around that time that had to deal with the ‘No Hebrews allowed” signs at the upscale resorts.  Unfortunately, this continues to be relevant throughout the years.

EC:  There is a portrayal of the different levels of Judaism. Please explain.

CB:  Sid’s family was wealthy and less religious versus the religious immigrant strain.

RB:  One of my oldest friends in New York picked up some tiny things we did to make it more accurate.  She did loads of research for us.

EC:  The Catskills?

CB:  It was based on fact.  Some background, there were some wealthy Jewish philanthropists that wanted to help Jewish immigrants. This was about fifty years before.  They bought large tracks of land in the Catskills to give to arriving families who instead of farming made money by renting out cabins.

EC:  How would you describe Mira, Sid’s cousin?

RB:  She is an interesting character. Not much of a fighter.  Not strong-willed or independent. She is hopeful. She is very young who has been a sheltered Jewish girl.  Sid and Gus gave her options in life.

EC:  You also go into arranged marriages?

RB:  Her role in life was to marry whoever her family chose for her and live happily ever after. We put in this quote from Sid, “This is how it is done in the old country.  Parents chose a spouse, daughters obey, with a question of dowry and financial advantage.  Love did not enter into it.” Gradually we see Mira gaining strength throughout the story. There were very few opportunities for women. Sid and Gus survived because they had money. Maybe this is easier than online dating now.

CB:  It is not just the Jewish community that does this.  We first considered to set it in Boston with Gus’ family.  Women at the time did not have much of a voice. Mira’s family did not force her into marriage but made that option the most attractive. I think Gus’s family in Boston would have done the same thing.

EC:  How would you describe the victim, Levin, who was chosen to marry Mira?

RB: He is brash.  He is someone who talks about how good they are at their job and how much money he makes. He is annoying and sleezy. He is not trustworthy but is clever enough to convince people he might be a good match.

CB:  He talks a good talk.

EC:  What about your next books?

RB:  The historical novel comes out in August titled The Rose Arbor. It takes place in 1968 with a little girl vanishing. The heroine is a journalist.  Her roommate is a police officer.  They go down to the South of England. Through their research they find out that three little girls evacuated during WWII also disappeared. This book is a jigsaw puzzle tying all the cases.

CB:  The next Molly book has Bridie growing up, a fourteen-year-old.  Ryan, a playwright, has written and acted in some motion pictures. Bridie is offered a part. It is titled, Silent as The Grave. It takes place in 1908. The very interesting part of the stories are the situations that lead to a murder.  The way the people acted and felt in history.

RB:  The special effects were all real.  Someone tied to the train tracks was real, taking terrible risks.  This all is presented in the book. It comes out the same time next year. All our books are linked to real time. We think about what happened then and how do we tie into it. I like to learn when I read. The sleuth character and how she handles things that stretch her makes the story interesting. When people write me fan mail, they never say that was a clever plot, but say “I love Molly,” which is what matters.

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: The Women by Kristin Hannah

Book Description


Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.

As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is over-whelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets—and becomes one of—the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost.

But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.

The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm’s way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, The Women is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era.

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Elise’s Thoughts

The Women by Kristin Hannah is yet another home run.  It has become obvious for those who have read her books she must own stock in Kleenex because people will go through a tissue box. The novel is split into two parts: During the Vietnam War and after.

The story has a twenty-year-old, Frances “Frankie” McGrath, after finishing nursing school, deciding to serve in Vietnam as an Army nurse. Nothing can prepare Frankie for what awaits in Vietnam, a chaotic and destructive environment.

Her story shows how the friendship grew between three American military nurses serving in Vietnam: Frankie, Barb Johnson, and Ethel Flint, where they became a sisterhood.

These women served and sacrificed so much yet were dismissed and seamlessly forgotten. Vietnam was a dark thorn in American history, but it is also a tragedy the way those who served were treated when they came home. Through Frankie’s eyes readers can take a journey with her, going through bad times and ending with hope.

It is a story about patriotism, friendship, and remembrance.  These women who served in Vietnam were not only strong, but also courageous. As Hannah so brilliantly points out they should not have any shame, because it all belongs to Americans who mistreated them.

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Why write about Vietnam vets now?

Kristin Hannah: I have wanted to write it for quite some time.  It has been on my mind for a long while. I wanted to focus on returning from war.  I saw this personally when I was a child. I think for a long time Vietnam was a subject people did not want to read about or talk about. I sought to show what life was like in the Vietnam hospitals with its horror, difficulty, and camaraderie. On a book tour I was told by both male and female Vietnam vets and their children how this was an unspoken trauma in their family for over fifty years.  If the book helps in some small way this makes me happy.

EC: The female lead, Frankie, a Vietnam vet, seems to have the same journey as many vets who come home and feel misunderstood. Agree?

KH:  It is a sad truth that we have often failed our veterans upon their return in how we care for them. This has been my soapbox for a while.  If we as a country are going to ask people to put themselves in harm’s way for us it really behooves us to care for them fully when they come home.  This is especially true of female veterans who are often forgotten in this equation.

EC:  Your earlier book, Home Front, was similar but focused on a war on terror vet?

KH:  My passion for wanting to focus on returning veterans led me to write Home Front. This was the beginning of my rearing up to write this book, The Women. By speaking with a Blackhawk pilot who deployed, Teresa Burgess, a warrant officer, helped me to find authenticity.  She also helped me to understand when women are considered in combat and when they are not. This idea that someone can be a Blackhawk pilot rescuing soldiers in a hot landing zone and not be considered in combat just stayed with me. One of the things the Vietnam nurses heard when they came home and tried to get help for their emotional trauma, “well you were not in combat so why would you have any issues.”

EC:  Your dedication in The Women was very powerful.  Do you want to explain it?

KH: It summarizes the book. It is my discovery of why I wrote this story. It was shocking to see that even the male Vietnam vets brushed off what nurses went through. The women were continually confronted with their invisibility and lack of remembrance for their service even by the VA and those who should have known better. Women have served as nurses in wars for ages. It was weird to me how consistently they were overlooked. They have been marginalized or forgotten.

EC:  You do explain that the Vietnam veterans, unlike other vets, were treated horrifically, which included being called baby killers, being flipped off, and spat upon.  Why put it in?

KH:  This is why I wanted to write about the Vietnam era.  As a child I remember how they were treated when they came home. My best friend’s father was shot down and I wore his POW bracelet for decades. This stayed with me. I always wanted to write about this terrible and dark period of American history because it so important for healing, individually and as a nation.  We need to recognize and remember their service. I think in many instances they lived in the shadows about what they went through.

EC:  You also delve into PTSD?

KH:  Remember this is a time when there was no help for PTSD for the men either. This is the beginning of the treatment and the understanding of it.  The male vets faced daunting challenges to getting help as well, especially in the late 1960s. These vets came home to a toxic American reaction to their service. I do not think it can be overstated about how it affected their healing and wanting to get help.  This was entirely new.  The WWII vets came home to ticker tape parades of gratitude and honor, while the Vietnam vets, both male and female, came home to horror.

EC:  Do you think PTSD played a huge role in the book?

KH:  In my first draft I did not include it because I wrote about it before in Home Front and The Great Alone, the dark side of PTSD. But the truth is, in reading about the Vietnam era vets it felt wrong not to talk about this journey of theirs including emotional trauma, flashbacks, nightmares, and responses they did not understand.  There was this layer of shame and silence that overlayed their service. I had to have Frankie experience what so many of her sister and male counterparts experienced.

EC: Do you think wars now and in the past helped women who served be more empowered, many breaking the glass ceiling?

KH: I agree. I met a woman who was a nurse over there, became a lawyer, and is now a judge in Southern California. She said that one of the things learned after being a nurse in Vietnam is that “we can do anything.” I thought how true and powerful.  The women who I met have a wide range of careers. The 1960s was a time when women’s roles were much more prescribed, yet these women broke out of it and realized their own strength and power. Women should be able to do anything they want.

EC:  How would you describe Frankie?

KH: I created Frankie to be a woman of her time, someone coming of age in the 50s and 60s.  She realized her own strength but became broken by her Vietnam experience.  Because of her lack of healing, she makes choices that destroy her.  She must fight with her girlfriends at her side as well as her own self to become the best version of herself.  She has learned from her mistakes, a survivor.  At times very competent, angry, fragile, anxious, and unhinged.  She is very smart, honest, and compassionate. Not necessary all these things all at once, a before and after.  When she came home to stateside after the war, she is fighting between the woman she was raised to be and the woman the Vietnam War turned her into. It takes her a long time to accept this new version of herself. She had to forge an unfamiliar and sometimes an unsupported path.

EC: What about the friends Ethel and Barb?

KH:  Barb was the rebel rouser. They both are loyal and helped each other and Frankie.  They are strong and believed in each other. This is a presentation of female camaraderie during war. One thing I always heard is that war can be the best of times and the worst of times simultaneously. The best of times is the friendships they made, and they felt they did something that mattered.  Barb, Ethel, and Frankie were literally saving lives. This all comes together that created powerful bonds. 

EC:  You have a recurring theme in all your books?

KH:  Yes, female friendship is something I cared deeply about.  It is important to me that Frankie was healed by herself but also with her girlfriends. They saved her.

EC:  What about Frankie’s relationship with her father?

KH:  I found in my research how often these women who served felt unsupported by their own families, both on leaving and on returning. The father was part of the greatest generation who taught Frankie to be proud of her family’s military service.  He was proud when his son went off to war, but embarrassed and ashamed when his daughter did the same thing. I think many women in Vietnam did not have the support of their own families.

EC:  Frankie’s love interests: Jamie and Rye?

KH:  Rye was Frankie’s brother’s best friend.  Over the course of her in country and at home life she falls in love several times.  Some of these love stories prove to be helpful and some are difficult.

EC:  The way Jamie was described I thought of Robert Redford in the movie, “The Way We Were”- do you agree?

KH:  Me too. I said in the book that he looked like Robert Redford in the movie, “This Property Is Condemned.”

EC:  Did the movie or TV show MASH come into your mind?

KH:  I mention it in the book because it came out in 1972/73. I grew up watching it.  It took me awhile to figure out what war were they talking about. I was astounded by those who said, “there were no women in Vietnam,” considering MASH was on. Women have served as nurses throughout wars.  How is it that these women were completely forgotten, even by the people who ought to know better. 

EC:  The emphasis in the book is that those women who served in Vietnam were forgotten?

KH: And they were not thought about. I saw this cartoon where someone pulled a military uniform out of the attic, and someone asked when did your grandfather serve.  They responded, “it was my grandmother.” It is so indicative to me that people automatically think soldiers are just male. There were over 10,000 women serving in Vietnam.

EC: Is The Nightingale still going to be made into a movie?

KH: It got stalled for a couple of years because of the pandemic and then got tripped up because of the writer’s strike and the actor’s strike.  I think we are finally on track to film in 2024, fingers crossed.

EC: Do you have any control over your books being made into movies?

KH: Control is not a word I would use. For The Nightingale they have been good about keeping me involved that includes me reading the script and giving input. This is as much as I can hope for as a novelist since I do not want to do the heavy lifting.  So, I must give up control to the people who hopefully know what they are doing.

EC: Is this book, The Women, going to be made into a movie?

KH: Warner Bros. has picked it up and they want to do a big screen.  I do not have control, but I do have input. I feel very much I am a part of the team, and this is a great feeling.

EC:  Next book?

KH: Right now, I am thinking about some things.

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: Double Grudge Donuts by Ginger Bolton

Book Description

When the Fallingbrook Arts Festival rolls into town weeks before she’s set to tie the knot, Emily expects talent and friendly competition at the week-long summer series to go together like coffee and double fudge. But the fun crumbles fast after a lively bagpiper takes first place on day one and turns heads for the wrong reasons—all before Emily and her tabby cat find him dead in a clear case of murder. Along with a distinctive weapon at the crime scene, several strategically placed items leave disturbing clues about the killer’s identity, including a broken piece of a Deputy Donut mug . . .

While detectives aren’t sure who silenced the bagpiper’s music, they don’t trust Emily or her family to tell the truth. With her nuptials and career on the line, Emily launches an unsettling investigation to save herself from trouble and bring a dangerous figure to justice. The search not only brings too many suspects into the picture, but also leads to a strange discovery on Deputy Donut’s rooftop. A discovery that tells Emily she better get cooking, because someone may be watching her every move . . .  and carefully plotting to turn a wedding into a funeral!

***

Elise’s Thoughts

Double Grudge Donuts by Ginger Bolton is a scrumptious read.  She combines tasty treats with likeable characters within a riveting mystery.

The story has a murder but also a happy ending for Detective Brent Fyne and Deputy Donut Café owner Emily Westhill. It begins with the Fallingbrook Arts Festival with Emily expecting lots of talent and friendly competition at the week-long summer series that will go together with coffee and donuts. She is half owner along with her ex-father-in-law Tom. She’s thriving and happy. Someone who is strong, intelligent, empathetic, and smart.

Their relationship was a no go for a while because Brent was the detective partner of Emily’s late husband. In fact, unlike some of the other cozy mysteries Brent does not chastise Emily or get upset with her for investigating as an amateur sleuth. He relies on and trusts the information Emily finds and he’s happy for her to call for backup anytime she feels the need. Brent admires these things and doesn’t berate her when she finds clues for him.

During the contest bagpiper Kirk MacLean interrupts other performances with a noisy rendition of “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean,” but despite that rudeness wins the contest. Kirk’s antics continue when he drowns out a teen barbershop quartet. He’s annoying, playing the pipes up and down the street even in the middle of the night while others are sleeping. After speaking with people, Emily finds out that he’s not well-liked. The next morning tragedy strikes when Emily finds the piper dead and calls the police. The list of suspects is long and include a local guy who lost first place to him, Emily’s own parents, the owner of the local café, and other friends of Emily.  She with help from some of her friends decides to investigate and find the real killer.

Bolton worries about jumping the shark after the marriage but has nothing to worry about because the focus of her stories are the characters personalities and a plot that has many twists and turns.  Readers are kept guessing in these fun and exciting mysteries. Not to mention mouthwatering donuts.

***

Author Interview

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

GINGER BOLTON: A cozy writer said that there was a bakery that was about to close. The nine police in this small town decided to buy it so they run this bakery. I used that to jump start the series with a bakery donut shop somehow connected to law enforcement and first responders. I thought donut shops is a great place to pick up a lot of clues. For this book there was an incident that I based the murder weapon on. 

EC:  Do you like donuts?

GB:  I like the plain old-fashioned donuts with nutmeg. I actually cook donuts but do not do it often.

EC:  How would you describe Brent?

GB:  Brent is gentle, kind, loving, and thoughtful.  He keeps a neutral face when he needs to.

EC: How would you describe the relationship between Emily and Brent?

GB:  In the beginning of the relationship, he and Emily were standoffish because he was her first husband’s detective partner who got killed in the line of action. They share this major grief. When they finally got around to speaking with each other they bonded over communicating about their shared grief. 

EC:  Do you think you will jump the shark by having them get married?

GB: I hope I do not jump the shark by having them get married. This is a worry for me. I thought this was going to be the last book in the series.  But then the publisher wants two more books. 

EC:  How would you describe the victim?

GB:  Kurt the bagpiper is devious and mean.  He interrupts other performances.  Nobody really likes him.

EC:  How about your next book?

GB: The next book is titled, Blame The Beignets and is based on the famous New Orleans donuts. It will come out the end of November with Emily discovering a body while kayaking with her assistant a suspect.

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: The Deepest Kill by Lisa Black

Book Description

For software pioneer Martin Post, the third richest man in America, his private compound on the Florida coast is a sunny no-man’s-land separating his family from the rest of the world. Now, expert forensic analysts Ellie Carr and Rachael Davies of the renowned Locard Institute have been summoned to its dark side.

Martin’s pregnant daughter, Ashley, had ventured on a day trip in her motorboat into the Gulf, only to wash up dead on a nearby shore. Although the local coroner determined her death was an accident, Ellie and Rachael soon confirm Martin’s gravest fear: His daughter was murdered. Was it a kidnapping gone wrong? Or something even more brutal? Ashley and her husband, Greg, had been working working with Martin on a revolutionary new defense initiative for the US military – could espionage have played a part in her death?  Martin believes Greg is behind the murder, and the spoiled charmer does set off Rachel’s deception radar.  If the widower didn’t kill Ashley himself, why isn’t he more upset that she’s dead?

Drawn into the Posts’ increasingly dangerous family dynamic, Ellie and Rachael must work hard and fast to discover what secrets are buried at the heart of the crime. Because the churning waters of the Gulf are getting rougher. And soon, Ellie and Rachael  themselves will be in danger of getting crushed in their depths.

***

Elise’s Thoughts

The Deepest Kill by Lisa Black brings back forensic investigators Dr Ellie Carr and Dr Rachael Davies of the Locard Institute.  Once again readers get a glimpse into the forensic world as Black uses her own experiences as a forensic scientist to intertwine information within the riveting plot and readers will not be disappointed.

Carr and Davies are asked by billionaire Martin Post to investigate his pregnant daughter’s death.  Ashley had taken out her boat into the Florida Gulf, and just disappeared until her body washed ashore.  Both scientists determine that her death was not accidental but murder. Her husband, Greg, is considered the number one suspect. But because Greg, Ashley, and Post were working on a revolutionary defense initiative for the US military, some think that foreign agents might be involved. Thus, FBI agents Michael Tyler and Luis Alvarez are brought into the investigation.

Also adding to the storyline is the coast setting and the weather that appear as a character. Not to mention that Black gives more details of Ellie’s backstory whose mother died under suspicious circumstances and her death was also ruled drowning.

***

Author Interview

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

Lisa Black: Throughout the series readers will discover more of Ellie’s history that is relevant to what is happening. This story popped into my head as I was thinking about defense contracting and the Laci Peterson case. I describe it as the Laci Peterson case if her father was Bill Gates, although I never worked on it.  I did watch a documentary about it.

EC:  Do you like switching off from featuring as the main character, Ellie, and Rachel?

LB:  I want both in the story.  It depends on what needs to be done because their expertise is in different areas. It depends on what they are investigating.  If it deals with pathology and anatomy Rachel will be featured more, but if it is about fingerprints then Ellie will be featured. It depends on what is called for with the investigation.

EC: Deception, detection, and body language are mentioned.  Does it play a role in forensic analysis?

LB:  Not really, it was what a detective does.  But a class was offered for the police officers in detection and deception.  I was allowed to attend it. It was a two-day class which I found interesting.  I got a lot of ideas for this story. For example, what was told about people’s feet.  I put a scene in about it.  People know that they should cover their faces, but a person’s feet can betray them. There must be a baseline that should be interpreted.

EC:  Did the setting play a role in the story? I laughed when I read what you said about your husband and moving to Florida.

LB: I live in Florida now. I have accepted the move he wanted to make, but still would rather have stayed where I was because I loved Cleveland where my job and family are.  I wanted to present how I felt when I first came here.  It was a shock. I hoped to have a little fun presenting an outsider’s view of Florida.  There are hurricanes, and in summer it is hotter than heck and very humid.  Florida has two seasons, raining season and not raining season.

EC: What about the boat scenes?

LB: When I was a child in Lake Erie, we had a boat, so I am comfortable around boats. I love boats. This was also inspired by the Laci Peterson case because they think the husband dumped her body in the water.

EC:  You put in the forensics about the water?

LB: Yes, being in the water changes a body. The way it decomposes and what happens to it after death. A body is affected greatly after being submerged.  This helped me to keep the mystery going.

EC:  Was the father’s dead wife presented like a hologram?

LB: No.  I was basing it on smart phones, Alexa, and Siri, all the artificial types.  He just gave it his wife’s name so when he asked a question he referred to her name.

EC:  How would you describe Ellie?

LB:  Someone who wants to fit in, committed, athletic, and does not handle change very well. She does have insomnia.  Having to move around a lot as a child has made her a little insecure. Having her adjust to new living situations made her crave stability. She was always raised by aunts, uncles, and cousins.

EC:  How would you describe the husband, Greg?

LB:  Energetic, amiable, rich, shallow, and arrogant. Picture a spoiled frat boy. He is used to women giving him what he wants because he is cute and the rest of the world giving him what he wants because he is rich. He was born rich.

EC:  What about your next book?

LB:  It is titled Not Who We Expected. The plot has this aging rock star trying to make a comeback.  He calls the Locard Institute because of his missing daughter and is very worried after the boyfriend turns up dead.

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.