#elisesthoughts – Page 8 – Avonna Loves Genres

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Blood on the Wire by Candace Irving

Book Description

Duty. Honor. Betrayal.

Kate Holland has a new case. A psychologist assigned to a Little Rock VA hospital was found brutally stabbed to death. Kate met the man mere days earlier…following his argument with her own shrink.

At the victim’s house, Kate’s stunned to discover a cache of military-grade explosives. Is there more deadly C-4 floating around out there—and does someone have plans to use it?

Evidence found in the victim’s safe suggests yes. The psychologist was conducting a private investigation into a heinous crime that occurred more than two years ago and half a world away…in an active war zone.

Back in Arkansas, connections and bodies have begun to multiply. Can Kate zero in on the killer before he obliterates the most innocent victim of all—with the rest of that stolen C-4?

***

Elise’s Thoughts

Blood On the Wire by Candace Irving brings back Kate Holland and her loving furry partner, Ruger. She is a former US Navy Lieutenant who writes the “Hidden Valor Series,” and the “Deception Point Military Detective Series.” Fans of Ruger get a bonus because there is now merchandise available for purchase at https://store.candaceirving.com/collections/hidden-valor-merch-collection

The plot of this book has Kate initially investigating the death of a VA psychologist who was brutally stabbed to death. But during the investigation, Kate discovers a cache of military grade explosives. But the psychologist is not the only death, and the multiple deaths bring about multiple suspects including Gwen Lindt, someone brutally raped. Kate must put together the pieces to find out if there is a connection between the C-4 explosives, the rape, and the killings.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Idea for the story?

Candace Irving: I wanted to put in this book where Kate will be in her PTSD journey, even after she finishes her therapy. The mystery involves multiple dead bodies including a psychologist and multiple suspects, one of which will be a worker in Civil Affairs.

EC: You better never ever kill off Ruger. Do you agree?

CI: Ruger will never grow old and will never die in the series. Never mind Kate, I could not handle it. This is fiction. There is not a timeline in the series. Kate and Ruger are in a little bubble so it will take many books to get through a year.

EC: What about PTSD?

CI: Part of my goal for writing this series is to help vets and those who have PTSD. It is never just gone, even if someone finishes up their therapy. With Kate I took readers through the process of having PTSD and getting into the right therapy. The character is this story Gwen Lindt is the flip side who does not go to therapy. My consultant, Dr. Patricia Resick, and I discussed rape victims because the story centers on it. The victim in the story became promiscuous because of her horrific rapes. In her mind that is how she is dealing with her stress because she feels she can control it.

EC: Why does Kate have PTSD about her capture by Islamists and being tortured but not about her being raped by them?

CI: Dr. Resick pointed out that Kate is not hung up about the rape. I put in the earlier stories the reason. Because she was raped when unconscious she has no memory of it and therefore no PTSD regarding it. Kate will never lose control so for example she will never get drunk because she was raped while unconscious. She did kill everyone who raped her. What she did have is her physical appearance hang ups and conflicts.

EC: Why the Afghan smuggling plot of the story?

CI: SIV means Special Immigrant Visas that were given to translators and families who helped US forces during the War on Terror. But in this story, there were some characters who charged Afghans to falsify documents who wanted to come to the US. I found through my research this was going on. This part of the story was one of the chess pieces of the whole chess board part of the plot. One of the characters was motivated because he wants to help those who helped US forces out of these deadly situations and is not concerned with getting money.

EC: How would you describe Gwen?

CI: In the scene where Kate is first interviewing her, Gwen comes across as a major jerk. But as the story progresses readers might understand why Gwen acted the way she did, having a lot of resentment toward Kate. She had displaced anger. Gwen comes across as arrogant but actually she is still living in her trauma. Kate seems to understand why Gwen is acting out, that she is punishing people she displaces for those who were involved in the rapes. The statistic I put in the book is true: 20% of the women in the US at some point in their life will either be a victim of an attempted rape or were raped.

EC: Was this book sort of a crossover since you have CID Special Agent Regan Chase making an appearance from the Deception Point Series?

CI: Yes. This book is as close as I have come so far. Kate and Regan are friends. They can read each other, almost being able to finish each other’s thoughts. Kate was Regan’s mentor. Back when I wanted to connect “The Deception Point Series” featuring Regan and “The Hidden Valor Series” featuring Kate I decided that Kate while in Iraq realized that Regan is very good at doing investigative work.

EC: Why does Ruger dislike Dr. Manning, Kate’s psychologist?

CI: Ruger can sense Kate’s feelings and hurt. Ruger does not like men for obvious reasons. The moment Kate and Ruger walked into Dr. Manning’s office Ruger realized this was a smell that is freaking my mom (Kate) out because he is so attuned to Kate’s feelings and has such a strong sense of smell.

EC: What is the role of Ruger in this story?

CI: He comforts, a partner of Kate, and a search dog. Anyone who has a dog understands how Ruger is a comfort to Kate. Ruger can pick up on all her emotions.

EC: What about Arash and Kate’s relationship?

CI: They love each other. She wants to become intimate with him but initially pulls away because of the scars all over her body. They are honest with each other.

EC: Next books?

CI: There will be two books in “The Deception Point Series” that will finish off the arc. Pitch Black is the next Regan book and another one after it. These books will have a dual point of view, one from CID Agent Regan and one from NCIS Agent Mira.

The next Kate book will be after the two books in “The Deception Point Series.” The working title is Into the Cold. There will be people readers know and love and hate in this story.

EC: Rumor has it that fans of the Ruger series can get some merchandise?

CI: True. There are mugs with varied colors, T-shirts, and phone cases. People can find it here: https://store.candaceirving.com/collections/hidden-valor-merch-collection

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: Dead Line by Marc Cameron

Book Description

In the White Mountain Wilderness of Interior Alaska, twenty-four-year-old protected witness Sam Lujan is lonely for his old life. So much so, the young Apache not only breaks the cardinal rule of the Witness Protection Program—by revealing his whereabouts to his mother, he invites her to join him to see the Northern Lights. It’s her lifelong dream. No worries. It’ll be safe.

When Deputy U.S. Marshals Arliss Cutter and Lola Teariki discover Sam has gone missing, they’re asked to make a quick trip into the remote wild to make sure the witness is indeed protected. But there’s no such thing as a quick trip. Not when they’re plunging headlong into the frozen unknown at fifty-eight degrees below zero. And not when they aren’t the only ones searching. Valeria Kot, the vengeful daughter of the criminal Sam testified against, has been waiting and watching for years for just the opportunity to strike back. She’s found it—and has dispatched a sadistic hit squad to make sure Sam pays in the most savage way possible.

Once Arliss and Lola reach the trailhead it doesn’t take long for them to realize they’re dealing with more than a witness who’s broken protocol. Tracks in the snow and tell-tale signs signal an armed team—one that’s already a step ahead of them. For Arliss and Lola, and a desperate mother and son on the run, the death-defying, frigid temperatures are the least of their worries.

***

Elise’s Thoughts

Dead Line by Marc Cameron, a former US Marshal, is very realistic. This is no surprise considering he draws upon his past experiences to create riveting storylines.

This story has Deputy U.S. Marshals Arliss Cutter and Lola Teariki chasing multiple killers. Royce Decker, a former member of the St. Louis Metro PD, is on the run in Alaska for hiring a hit man to kill his pregnant wife. Also, there is Butch Pritchard, a killer-for-hire, who ruthlessly killed the woman and her unborn baby. While this is going on, a mob hit squad is heading into their area to take out a snitch in witness protection.

Besides pursuing these killers, Cutter and Teariki must contend with the Alaskan weather. Readers feel the wind chill factor with Cameron’s vivid descriptions along with the frigid coldness that has the temperature falling to minus seventy-two degrees.

Along with these plotlines, readers get more of Cutter’s backstory. He is now trying to come to terms with his estranged mother, Ursula, who left him with his grandfather when he was five years old. She has now suddenly appeared and has hit him with a new revelation. There is also the continuing saga of how Mim, Cutter’s late brother’s wife, and he are trying to forge a relationship. Then there is the relationship between Cutter and his partner Lola who he looks upon as a daughter, yet realizes she is too impulsive and may need to take a step back before she reacts.

All of this makes for a wonderful story that has personal relationships which humanize the characters. But not to be forgotten is the intense action that will have readers quickly turning the pages.

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: The idea for the story?

Marc Cameron: About 25 years ago I was on a training mission with the tactical tracking unit. It is like a real SWAT team that we operate in the woods. This happened right after I moved to Alaska.

EC: Did you get the ideas for weather playing a role in the story from your experiences?

MC: Yes. When I was working there it was winter. There was a case where the Marshals drove through Fairbanks, and the sign said 58 degrees below. As we drove North it got colder. Having spent 4 days in a cabin and deployed from it in snow machines, we learned about wind chill. Plus, the scene when I had Lola fall through the ice was realistic. I have been out on the lake ice. There is a time when people should not go out because of the cracking underneath their feet. There were times I had to chase people across the ice and thought ‘this is pretty dangerous.’

EC: Did you ever fall through the ice?

MC: I have never fallen through the ice. But I did jump through a hole in the ice to know what it is like and to learn how to get out. Falling through the ice in a river is dangerous because of the current. The key to falling through the ice on a lake is for people to relax and swim their way out, kicking their feet up, to come out of the water like a seal. It is doable if someone does not panic.

EC: Did you ever track human traffickers, one of the plot lines in this story?

MC: I have dealt with lots of human trafficking. When I first moved to Alaska in 1991 there was a bunch of exotic dancers who were pimped out and trafficked by the Russian mob. I take bits of pieces of cases I worked on.

EC: What about tracking law enforcement criminals, the other plot line?

MC: There is a whole new set of dangers to be aware of when trying to find a fugitive that is former law enforcement or former military Online there is so much out there we now assume people have a lot of skills.

EC: How would you describe Alriss’s mom, Ursula?

MC: She has secrets, can be fearless, and he has a lot of her personality. She left her sons when they were young and now Arliss has found out he has a stepsister. She is imperfect. When she was younger Ursula realized she was not going to be a good mother for her sons. Now she is trying. She was never evil.

EC: What about the Mim/Cutter relationship?

MC: Readers will see where it is going by the end of this book. Over the course of the next couple of books there will be some struggles, trying to figure out how to move forward. It was clear at the end of the last book, Bad River, that they were moving forward. It will be a journey for them.

EC: What about the next book?

MC: The next book is titled Back Track, out this time next year. There will be more of a progression in the Mim/Cutter relationship. Half of the next story will go back to 1977 when Grumpy is in his 40’s, moving from Texas to Florida. This is the year Arliss is born. Part of the book will happen in 1977, and part will be in present day, landing in Arliss’s lap. It is sort of a Cold Case of Grumpys.

THANK YOU!!

***

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Believe Me Now by S.M. Govett

Book Description

Natalie Campbell loses time. She’ll wake up in different places with no memory of how she got there. The blackouts are a symptom of her PTSD, which began after she was sexually assaulted by her boss, who was found not guilty. But she found ways to cope by setting up routines and relying on her supportive husband, Ryan. Then one day, her husband is accused of committing the same crime that ruined her life.

Natalie desperately wants to believe he is innocent, but when Alice Lytton, the young woman who accused him, is found murdered in the woods near their house, she begins to doubt the man she married.

DI Helen Stratton is also healing from old wounds. Her older sister disappeared when she was 16, and the police didn’t bother to investigate. Vowing to help other lost and vulnerable girls, she joined the force. Stratton is ready to do whatever it takes to catch the killer and bring justice to her sister and Alice.

***

Elise’s Thoughts

Believe Me Now by S. M. Govett is a gripping thriller with a very puzzling case. The dual narration between a victim and a detective help to make the story more suspenseful.

The victim is Natalie Campbell, who ten years ago was sexually assaulted by her boss who was found not guilty. One day later, he died of a heart attack and ever since Natalie has been receiving threatening letters. She has blackouts, a symptom of PTSD. Now ten years later she has found ways to cope by setting up routines and relying on her supportive husband, Ryan. But that comes to an end when Ryan is accused of committing the same crime of sexual assault. To make matters worse, Ryan’s accuser is found dead in the woods.

Investigating the crime, DI Helen Stratton thinks Ryan is guilty. She, like Natalie, is suffering from a backstory of the disappearance of her sister Karen. She joined the police to help other lost and vulnerable girls and to do whatever it takes to catch the preparators.

This story is fast paced and riveting. Readers will be on the edge of their seats as they try to figure out who can be believed and who cannot. It appears most of the characters are suspects and are guilty including Natalie and her husband Ryan. The twists add to the suspense and will throw people a curveball.

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Does this book have two stories about bosses making advances?

Sarah (S. M.) Govett: I wanted to write how there are power imbalances that come into play and how power can be abused. There was a mutual one and one without consent. Detective Helen Stratton had a mutual one but did face additional challenges. Yet, her boss still had some power over her.

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

SMG: I wanted to write a thriller with belief systems. For example, there is such a thing as rule of law, innocent people will walk free, guilty people will go to jail, or if someone works hard, they will succeed. I wanted to take them away from my protagonist, Natalie, one by one, so her whole world crumbles.

EC: How would you relate both characters, Detective Stratton and Natalie?

SMG: I wanted them to seem like chalk and cheese characters. They both had traumatic events in their life. Natalie responded by cocooning her life where her home is her only safe place, and she does not want to step outside of it. Whereas Stratton has overcome her trauma by developing a tough as nails exterior with a softer underbelly that very few people see. I like the idea that “home” represents safety and a prison. These are two women whose life and personalities have changed because something happened in their past and they were not believed. Stratton and her mom were not believed by the police when they said Karen, the sister/daughter, had not runaway. Both Natalie and Stratton coped in completely different ways.

EC: How would you describe Natalie’s PTSD?

SMG: She has an inner strength and is stronger than she thinks she is, which she discovers at the end. She has a form of PTSD. Hers has come about because she was sexually assaulted by her boss and then she is not believed in court. This has fractured her memory system giving her blackouts during stressful triggering situations and has her carry out tasks she will not remember. There are three strikes for her: she was assaulted by her boss, she was not believed, and had a stalker, her attacker’s wife.

EC: How would you describe Natalie?

SMG: She feels powerless. She runs from trauma, insecure, anxious, and paranoid. In the book she thinks she is existing rather than living.

EC: How would you describe Ryan?

SMG: Protective, calm, controlled, and gets frustrated.

EC: How would you describe the relationship between Ryan and Natalie?

SMG: He wants her to push herself, engaging more with the outside world other than with her best friend, Rachel. He is very supportive. He agreed to move and not be around families with young children since she could no longer become pregnant after the rape. She considers him her soulmate who represents her home, rock, and stability. Yet, she chased Ryan away and does not take any responsibility that in some ways the marriage is faltering. She still really loves him, but his touch can be triggering.

EC: How would you describe Detective Stratton?

SMG: Untrusting, sarcastic, can be seen as caring, and wants answers. She has a fire in her to get cases having to do with young women who have disappeared. For her, these women always represent her sister.

EC: What about the role of Alice?

SMG: She accuses Ryan of rape. Now Natalie has her trauma played all over again. She wants to make something of herself and is considered charming, a people person. Ryan became intimate with her once. I think Ryan’s actions are flawed but understandable but there are a lot of readers who think he is an absolute baddie for what he has done. Natalie at first believed her because besides Ryan no one believed her. She is very wary of doubting the testimony of women when it comes to sexual assault.

EC: How would you describe Stratton’s boss who had the affair with her, Parker?

SMG: He is a jerk, wants power over her. He is gutless. I want all my characters to be flawed instead of incredibly bad. He is a weak flawed man. He is attracted to Stratton, wants sex with her, but also wants to be married. He is weak. He wants to have what he wants. When it becomes difficult for him, he wants to walk away unscathed. She sees him as a weak man. She could destroy his life by making the affair public and she knows he is a little bit scared of her. But she will not do it. Because he knows this is the anniversary of her sister’s disappearance, he is mistakenly trying to protect her by sheltering her from work. Whereas what she really needs to do is to drown herself in work.

EC: Next books?

SMG: There will be more Stratton, but I’m also excited about a sci-fi thriller that I’ve recently completed.

THANK YOU!!

***

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Mrs. Endicott’s Splendid Adventure by Rhys Bowen

Book Description

Surrey, England, 1938. After thirty devoted years of marriage, Ellie Endicott is blindsided by her husband’s appeal for divorce. It’s Ellie’s opportunity for change too. The unfaithful cad can have the house. She’s taking the Bentley. Ellie, her housekeeper Mavis, and her elderly friend Dora—each needing escape—impulsively head for parts unknown in the South of France.

With the Rhône surging beside them, they have nowhere to be and everywhere to go. Until the Bentley breaks down in the inviting fishing hamlet of Saint Benet. Here, Ellie rents an abandoned villa in the hills, makes wonderful friends among the villagers, and finds herself drawn to Nico, a handsome and enigmatic fisherman. As for unexpected destinations, the simple paradis of Saint Benet is perfect. But fates soon change when the threat of war encroaches.

Ellie’s second act in life is just beginning—and becoming an adventure she never expected.

***

Elise’s Thoughts

Mrs. Endicott’s Splendid Adventure by Rhys Bowen is a gripping novel. No matter what book Bowen writes, readers feel they are taking the journey with the characters and are transported into the setting. The descriptions of the town and its residents are very detailed.

Readers meet Ellie Endicott in Surrey, England during 1938. After raising two grown sons and having devoted her entire married life to catering to her husband’s needs, her husband wants a divorce. He has met a younger woman and tries to bulldoze Ellie into a favorable financial settlement. She will have no part of it and decides to hire her own lawyer who helps her obtain a fair settlement.

Deciding to take a trip to the South of France, she steals her husband’s Bentley and agrees to take two companions along. Mavis Moss, her loyal housekeeper who has an abusive husband, and Miss Smith-Humphries, a pillar of the community dying from heart disease but wants to revisit happy places of her youth. While stopping for gas they rescue a pregnant young girl, Yvette, who claims she is being kidnapped.

The Bentley breaks down in the inviting fishing hamlet of Saint Benet. They’re aided by handyman, Louis; Nico, a mysterious fisherman; and welcomed by other villagers including a resident gay English couple. While exploring the small town of Saint Benet they find an abandoned villa in the hills and decide to fix it up and rent it from the owner. The simple paradise of Saint Benet is perfect until fate plays a role and WWII looms over their heads.

The three women blossom and enjoy the beautiful setting of their second chance lives, having a splendid adventure, until the German troops move into the village in 1942-43. The women and the villagers face hardships, betrayals, danger, uncertainties, and retaliations. When the war comes to an end readers realize these women were resilient, inquisitive, caring with strong minds, hearts, and souls.

This book captivates readers from chapter one and never lets up. It shows the strong bond between friends as well as how a middle-aged woman can find true love with Nico, a villager.

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Idea for the story?

Rhys Bowen: There were driving forces behind this story. We were on this lake, and I saw a villa that must have been abandoned for years. It was beautiful once but now the shutters were hanging off and the grounds were full of leaves. I thought who could walk away from something as gorgeous as this and why were there no heirs? I wanted to bring it back to its formal glory. It stayed with me, so I had a character do that, vicariously. I loved giving these women this close bond and second chances in life.

EC: Is this a woman’s adventure story?

RB: It is a story about invisible women. Middle-aged women can be conceived as no longer physically attractive. I noticed this many times in my own life after I became a certain age. Miss Marple is invisible with her knitting as nobody notices her. She sees and hears everything. I wanted to write how women were not treated well by life or had lived someone else’s life. I also wanted to write the strength of women bonding and how they could blossom into the people they should be. These three women were not treated well and has a sense of belonging.

EC: How would you describe Ellie?

RB: She never lived her own life and is now a middle-aged woman. There is this book quote how she feels all alone, “It was fine when I had my friends with me, but now I find myself alone. I had everything I desired, people I loved and who loved me. And one by one they have been taken away. I have this lovely big house and beautiful view but nobody to share it with.” I wanted to give her everything she wanted: friends, a beautiful house, a love interest, and a baby. Then all those were taken away. I wanted to explore how strong she was when once again everything was taken away from her. I think she is a survivor, optimistic, is willing to take risks, and resilient by the end of the book. But in the beginning, she was broken, angry, resentful, the perfect housewife, and feels hopeless at times. Throughout she is sensible, passionate, vulnerable, and reasonable.

EC: How would you describe Miss Theodora Smith-Humphries?

RB: She is critical, sickly, formidable, smug, blunt, organized, faithful, and a good listener. We never really know her. She gave the world the face she wanted them to see, that of an efficient smart spinster who runs everything, and who people are slightly scared of. But no one knows she had a great romance. She was not sweet, attractive, and submissive so she never had that good marriage. She had a romance that could never be, after both her married employer and she fell in love. She accepted the role of the mistress.

EC: How would you describe Ellie’s former maid, Mavis?

RB: She is scared, street smart, loyal, and has a great relationship with Ellie. She is closest to a friend and confidant Ellie has ever had. In England people don’t say something if they see something because of the stiff upper lip attitude. Yet, Ellie realizes Mavis was abused and she must save her. When Mavis gets to France she blossoms. She becomes a strong person in the community. Yet, she lives the first half of this book in fear of her husband, always having walked on eggshells.

EC: How would you describe Yvette?

RB: Young, pregnant, sacred, and a shadow figure. She plays the part well of a vulnerable person. Mavis realizes she is not who she says she is. Mavis has good instincts.

EC: What is the role of WWII in this book?

RB: I wanted to show the brutality of the Germans, and how Ellie and company tried to save Jewish men. Ellie took a big risk by staying in France, but she is so happy there she decides to stay. Then she becomes an enemy alien, unable to get a ration card or identity card. The first years of the war are not bad for the South of France. Everything is fine for her until the Germans become stationed in her village in 1943. There was a resistance cell in Marseille that smuggled out Jewish people.

EC: How come the Germans ignored the villa?

RB: They did not know it existed until quite late in the story. It was not visible from the village, up in the hillside hidden away. As long as Ellie and company stayed quiet, she was safe until the Germans found out they were smuggling Jewish men out.

EC: What about the relationship between Nico and Ellie?

RB: It was confusing to both, but they did love and respect each other. In the end they found a soul mate in each other. I wanted Nico to be an enigmatic figure. People thought of him as a local fisherman, yet he never fished that much. Ellie thinks he is a smuggler and although attracted to him does not want much to do with him because she thinks he does things against the law because he has plenty of money. The moment the war starts he helps the resistance cells by bringing in weapons and gasoline. I wanted him to be the classic bad boy in the beginning, attractive to Ellie, but dangerous.

EC: What about the village of Saint-Benet, is it based on Cassis?

RB: It is a little town outside of Marseille, an area where there are fields surrounded by high cliffs. It has a pretty waterfront with cafes surrounding it. I went there last year to make sure I had all the details correct. I did not want to call the village Cassis because I wrote things that did not happen there. It was much easier to make it the fictional town of Saint-Benet, very much like Cassis.

EC: Next books?

RB: The next book comes out in November, titled, From Cradle to Grave, a Royal Spyness novel. Georgie is given the nanny from hell is one part of the story. The other part has a possible serial killer getting rid of aristocrats.

The next Molly Murphy book comes out in March, titled Vanished in the Crowd. It focuses on the role of women. A woman scientist is working on the polio virus but gets no credit and has the findings published in her husband’s name.

The next historical novel has a working title, From Sea to Sky, coming out next July. It is about an elderly famous writer who is suffering from dementia and cannot finish her last book. A young writer is hired to finish it for her. The young writer sees things that makes her believe the story is not fiction.

THANK YOU!!

***

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: On Her Game: Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women’s Sports by Christine Brennan

Book Description

America has never seen an athlete quite like Caitlin Clark. Attracting record-shattering attendance and TV ratings, she has riveted the nation with her famous logo threes and thrilling passes and changed how fans across the country view women’s sports. Drawing on dozens of extensive interviews and exclusive, behind-the-scenes reporting, veteran journalist Christine Brennan narrates Clark’s rise—including the formative experiences that led to her scoring more points than any woman or man in major college basketball history—and delivers fascinating new details about Clark’s Olympic snub by USA Basketball, the safety concerns around her that led to charter flights for all players, the WNBA’s lack of preparation for heightened national scrutiny, and troubling outbreaks of jealousy and resentment as a white player became the top story in a predominantly Black league.

The 2024 season was a watershed. Always taking the high road in the face of criticism, Clark proceeded to write herself into WNBA record books as one of the league’s most talented rookies ever. And her winning persona—on full display whether surrounded by children begging for autographs or reporters hanging on her every word—made Clark such a fan favorite that increasingly larger arenas needed to be found to accommodate the hordes who traveled hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of miles to watch her play.

Clark arrived as a sports and cultural icon a little more than fifty years after the passage of Title IX, the 1972 law that opened the floodgates for girls and women to play sports in America. On Her Game is a sports story, certainly, but it’s also the story of a nation falling in love with what it has created because of that law—millions of new athletes, led by the magical Caitlin Clark.

***

Elise’s Thoughts

On Her Game by Christine Brennan is a portrait of sports phenomenon Caitlin Clark. Brennan has been at the forefront of women’s sports and has been selected multiple times as one of the country’s top sports columnists. Readers will understand why she is a renowned journalist and commentator because she asks tough questions and uses facts for her answers.

The book mainly chronicles Clark’s 2024 WNBA rookie season with the Indiana Fever. It follows Clark as she helped to break attendance and TV ratings records, her extra-long-distance three-pointers, and incredible passes. Brennan does not shy away from the controversies regarding herself, Clark, and the league that also show the hypocrisy of those involved with the WNBA.

As Michael Jordan said, “Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen,” which is exactly what Brennan has done in writing this book. She has hit nothing but net.

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Why write this book?

Christine Brennan: I was watching Caitlin Clark during her junior and senior years at college. I have covered a lot of Final Fours and WNBA games since the 1990s but was just watching on TV and when I saw her buzzer-beater against Indiana, a crazy, sideways shot, and couldn’t stop watching the replays, I started thinking if a veteran journalist like me was intrigued by her, how about other Americans? I saw how the crowds were standing in line, many times in the cold, to watch a woman play basketball. It was like the lines at a Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift, or Beyonce concert. On July 11, 2024, without a book proposal, Scribner offered me a contract to write this book. It came out July 8, 2025. On July 16, 2025, it debuted at No. 2 on the New York Times bestseller list. It all was so magical and whimsical.

EC: Do you think that women’s basketball is more like old-time basketball?

CB: Yes, it is team game, played below the rim, not so much freelancing as in the men’s game. It is much more a game of fundamentals: passing, teamwork, defense. Also, many top male players leave college after a year. In the women’s game, they stay for four years so fans get to know them.

EC: In your first chapter you refer to Title IX and I was wondering if you want to comment on biological men in women’s sports?

CB: People look at the election of Donald Trump as the catalyst on this. There is a certain validity to that because within a few days, the NCAA ruled, based on a Trump Executive Order, that if someone has gone through male puberty they cannot compete in women’s sports. The LPGA did the same thing. In the last few weeks, the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee also said basically the same thing, pendingthe decisions of the national governing bodies of every sport. But even during the Biden Administration, the international swimming and track and field federations ruled that if someone has gone through male puberty, they cannot compete in the women’s category at the world championships or at the Olympic Games.I believe this is a good policy, but it’s happening no matter what we believe. Especially in kids’ sports, though, leaders need to move forward with compassion and understanding, combined with science. The name-calling and hatred on this issue need to stop.

EC: What about refereeing in college and professional women’s basketball?

CB: Interest in the women’s game has never been greater, because of Caitlin Clark, the ultimate attention magnet, yet what do these millions of new fans see? The referees are terrible, and the league seems to be doing nothing about it. I deal with this in the book in a chapter titled ‘Hip Check.’ Last year, Chicago’s Chennedy Carter hit Caitlin Clark with an ugly cheap shot, but the referees did not even review the play on the video monitor. The next day it was upgraded to a flagrant foul, but Carter didn’t miss any games. Fast forward to this year when Connecticut’s Marina Mabrey plowed into Clark with a terrible dead ball foul. She was lucky Clark wasn’t injured because as Clark goes, so goes the WNBA. TV ratings plummet when she’s out. Clark is the economic rocket ship for all the players but again, Mabrey was allowed to keep playing.

EC: How would you describe Caitlin Clark’s persona?

CB: She is 23 years old going on 40 or 50. She gets tough questions about race and politics but never flinches and answers each one directly. She is a remarkable person: mature, kind, old school — and hilarious. She’s very smart and very funny. She signs autographs for girls and boys before and after every game, which is so rare. Children will be inspired by her for years to come. She is the perfect role model for millions of kids around the world who love sports.

EC: How would you describe Caitlin Clark’s basketball skills?

CB: Great shooter, especially the logo threes, a magical passer, competitive, confident, determined, incredible court vision, a perfectionist. A generational player, and perhaps even a once in a lifetime player. She is unique in sports history: a women’s team sport athlete who isn’t just one of the most popular athletes in the nation, she’s one of the most popular people in the nation.

EC: What about the quotes from Nancy Lieberman and Billie Jean King about Caitlin Clark; too bad Cathy Engelbert could not have said it?

CB: Part of Nancy Lieberman’s quote from the book is: “I just want to say thank you to you, Caitlin Clark, for just lifting our game up…we shouldn’t hate on her, we should celebrate her, not tolerate her.” Part of Billie Jean King’s quote from the book: “This year is a turning point, and it’s because of Caitlin…with all these sellouts and all this interest…whether you like it or not, Caitlin is the reason…She’s a superstar. When she does well, everyone does better…This generation has a chance to set this league on fire. Don’t blow it with animosity. Do not blow it. Just play ball. Play hard, but no cheap shots.” I used these quotes because how anyone could look at what was going on last year with the record TV viewership and attendance and minimize Caitlin Clark is just ridiculous. Throughout the book I wanted to use quotes and anecdotes to show just how wrong the naysayers are.

EC: Do you agree Caitlin Clark brought higher attendance and ratings to the league?

CB: It’s undeniable. Facts are facts. In my ‘Overtime’ chapter at the end of the book, I show how the Indiana Fever’s attendance during Caitlin Clark’s rookie year was higher than the average home attendance of five NBA teams last year. That is an unbelievable statistic, and there are many more like it.

EC: Then there was Sheila Johnson, the co-owner of the WNBA team, the Washington Mystics, that was so hypocritical. You talk about that in your book?

CB: She told CNN that the whole league should have been put on the Time athlete of the year cover instead of just one player, the player who won the award, Caitlin Clark. That is so bizarre, especially considering Johnson moved the Mystics’ two home Indiana Fever games from her 4,200-seat arena to the huge Capital One Arena, seating over 20,000, so Johnson could make more money off Clark’s appearance.

EC: Does race play a role in the reaction to her?

CB: Race definitely is a factor because the WNBA is a 74% Black league that was ignored by the male-dominated sports media for years. Now here comes a white woman who gets all the attention — which she deserves, and she is bringing a spotlight that shines on all the players — but there definitely was and is animosity toward her. Legendary civil rights leader Dr. Harry Edwards says in the book, “The league failed the players…. The league needed to do a better job in preparing…to take advantage of the tsunami of popularity that is raising all of the boats.”

EC: What would you like to say about the controversy that surrounded your question for DiJonai Carrington, after her fingers hit Clark’s eye? The players’ union called you “indecent and downright insincere.”

CB: I am a journalist who covers the WNBA just like I cover the Olympics and the NFL. They all deserve my respect as big-time sports, yet the WNBA was utterly unprepared for this moment of national scrutiny. After Carrington’s fingers went into Clark’s eye in the playoffs, millions of people on social media accused Carrington of purposely hitting Clark, so you must ask her if she did — which I did in two basic questions. Then the player’s union tried to banish me for asking the questions. I’ve asked male athletes hundreds of tougher questions. Is the union saying that women cannot handle those types of questions? Is that the message they’re sending, that women deserve easier questions? Most athletes want those kinds of questions so they can clear the air and hit it out of the park. By the way, I was not banned. The player’s union embarrassed themselves, their league, and their players.

EC: Will the lightbulb ever go on in this league where those in the WNBA will wake up and embrace Clark?

CB: There needs to be a leader who leads. If Cathy Engelbert can’t do it, get another commissioner. The players’ agents also are not being honest with their players about the impact of Caitlin Clark. Nor are some of the beat writers who cover the WNBA. I take a journalistic look at everything in this book. I tell stories and anecdotes that show that the league had no idea how big Caitlin Clark was. Unbelievable, but true.

THANK YOU!!

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Friday Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Fire Mountain by Dana Mentink

Book Description

In the shadow of a threatening volcano, long-haul trucker Kit Garrido wakes up in her crashed big rig, unable to recall what happened or why she’s suddenly in possession of someone’s baby. Fiercely independent, she has to admit that perhaps this time she could use a little help.

As the threat of eruption grows, former cop Cullen Landry refuses to leave his cabin in the evacuation area, which is why he’s the only one left who can help Kit escape the crumpled cab of her truck. He doesn’t want to get tangled up in the mystery of the beautiful woman with an abandoned infant, but when he sees the bullet hole in the windshield and the bloody handprint on the interior, he realizes that he’s in this thing, like it or not.

When two armed men with ill intent approach, the race is on to stay alive, discover the truth, and find the baby’s missing mother–all while a deadly mountain rains fire from above.

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Elise’s Thoughts

Fire Mountain by Dana Mentink is a story that pits survival against impossible odds. It has nonstop action, adventure, some tender moments, and a bit of romance.

The story opens with Cullen Landry wakening a long-haul trucker in her crashed rig. Cullen did not flee after being warned of the imminent eruption of Mount Ember where he lives in his cabin. While making sure everything was secure, he sees the crash from his cabin and decides to check to see if there are any survivors. Landry finds Kit, a female trucker who appears to have memory loss, and realizes she is in immediate danger because of a bloody handprint on the window and bullet holes in the windshield. They also find an infant buckled into the back of the truck and because of the amnesia, Kit has no clue where the baby came from. In addition, very evil people are after Kit and the baby. The race begins as they try to save themselves from the villains and the volcano, which is also a character.

Besides the action-packed story there is a budding romance. As their trust grows, walls are broken down and a closeness develops that includes sharing some of their backstory. They realize that to survive they must support each other.

This is a gripping story filled with tension that will quickly hook readers.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Idea for the story?

Dana Mentink: Mt St. Helens erupted in 1980, and it made a big imprint on my mind. Now as a suspense writer I ask myself what it would be like to survive that even though my story takes place in the present? An eruption is such a rare occurrence yet we cannot take those for granted. The predictions have gotten a lot better so people can relocate if necessary.

EC: What is the theme of the book?

DM: It is an adventure story where the characters become tired, scared, hungry, and lost. It is a running for their life type of plot. After all the extraneous stuff is stripped away it is a good place to confront issues of forgiveness, and the interaction with others.

EC: Why all the natural disasters?

DM: Besides the volcanic eruptions the story had avalanches, boulder slides, storms, and landslides. Never a dull moment. Everything is volcano related and would have taken place in a volcanic eruption. It is what people would encounter. Natural disasters show how people can dive into their own skill set and survive. I enjoy writing stories of people versus natural disasters.

EC: Why the profession of the heroine a truck driver?

DM: I have a fascination with female truck drivers because it is a male dominated profession. What would it be like to live one’s life on the road with a constant mobile situation? They live out of truck stops yet maintain relationships. It is about a road trip but having to do it for a living. I got some good clarification from someone whose husband was a truck driver.

EC: How would you describe Kit?

DM: Vulnerable, bossy, witty, has a slight temper, tough, and a planner. She likes her quiet times and is a loner. She must be tough to compete in being an independent contractor truck driver. There is an element of safety that is risky for a woman truck driver. She has had to do things on her own since she was a young woman. It is her against the world.

EC: How would you describe Cullen?

DM: Sarcastic, a know it all, stubborn, a fixer, leader, kind, and sometimes sympathetic. He has a soft side that he does not like to show people but is able to handle the little baby in his care. He has a sense of purpose, a good family man.

EC: How about the relationship?

DM: She likes to hide her emotions, introverted, wants to be businesslike, and is against forming roots. She is a rolling stone. He is tender, and he wants to establish a relationship.

EC: What is the role of the baby Tot?

DM: She is innocent, spirited, and helpless. Through her Kit is learning responsibility and both Kit and Cullen are bonding through the baby. She is only ten months old, so she is a little one very dependent on others. I wanted to put humor within their banter. They are stuck in tough situations, so I felt a little laughter is a good thing.

EC: Why the sex trafficking angle?

DM: It is an enormous issue for our country, states, and I wanted an evil villain. There is not much someone eviler than someone who treats people as property.

EC: What do you want to say about Cullen’s former job, as a policeman?

DM: It is rough job. I went to the Citizen’s Police Academy. It takes such a mental toll on individuals. Police see the worst of humanity, and it does affect them. I wanted to consider how this would play out over the course of someone’s life. My husband was a police officer very briefly and then moved to fire prevention. Those in the police do not get that appreciation as much as they deserve.

EC: What did the stuffed bear symbolize?

DM: It was a connection to what Kit viewed as a happy childhood given to her by her dad. It is important throughout the story. I still have my favorite stuffed animal I had as a child.

EC: Next book?

DM: It is titled Raging Waters, coming out March 2026 this time. It features Gideon, Cullen’s brother. He is trapped in a town where this dam is failing.

THANK YOU!!

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