Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Blood Moon by Sandra Brown

Book Description

Detective John Bowie is one misstep away from being fired from the Auclair Police Department in coastal Louisiana. Recently divorced and slightly heavy-handed with his liquor, Bowie does all that he can to cope with the actions taken (or not taken) during the investigation of Crissy Mellin, a teenage girl who disappeared more than three years prior. But now, Crisis Point, a long-running true crime television series, is soon to air an episode documenting the unsolved Mellin case. Bowie has been instructed by his unscrupulous boss to keep to his grievances and criticisms over the mishandling of the investigation to himself.

Beth Collins, a senior producer on Crisis Point, knows what classifies as a great story and when there’s something more to be told. After working on the show for seven years, Collins is convinced that Crissy Mellin’s disappearance was not an isolated incident. A string of disappearances of teenage girls in nearby areas have only one thing in common: They took place on the night of a blood moon. In a last-ditch effort to find out the truth, Beth enlists Detective Bowie to help her figure out what happened to Crissy and find the true culprit before he acts on the next blood moon—in four days’ time.   

With their jobs and their lives at risk, Bowie and Collins band together to identify and capture a perpetrator, while fighting an irresistible spark between them that threatens to upend everything.

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Elise’s Thoughts

Blood Moon by Sandra Brown has her usual style.  The plot is intense, dark, and raw, intertwined with a love story that includes sexual scenes, where the chemistry between the hero and heroine starts from the first page.

Readers will get to know John Bowie, an angry detective haunted by his failure not to solve the cold case disappearance of Crissy Mellin; Beth Collins, the producer of a true crime show, and Tom Barker, the corrupt boss of John.

Crisis Point, the true crime TV series, is going to air an episode documenting Crissy Mellin’s unsolved disappearance. Collins is convinced that Mellin’s disappearance was not an isolated incident. A string of disappearances of teenage girls in nearby areas have only one thing in common: they took place on the night of a blood moon. Detective John Bowie has been instructed by his boss not to talk to Beth or anyone else about the crime he has determined solved and closed. Not listening, he meets Beth and listens to her theories, because he has never felt comfortable with the outcome of the case and didn’t agree with the resolution. They decide to work together realizing that in four days there will be another blood moon, which can mean another girl disappearing or being murdered.  They race against the clock to find the antagonist and possibly save another girl, but in working together they also realize there is an attraction between them that cannot be denied.

This novel is intense, intriguing, and has a thrilling twist.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Did the plot or title come first?

Sandra Brown: I first came up with the title. Then I thought, what is a blood moon?  The next one comes out March 13th.  They only occur every 3 and a half years. It is a strange phenomenon. My editor and I wanted a spring book, so this was perfect.

EC: How did you come up with a story centering on the title?

SB:  I watched true crime shows and thought what a cool job it is to be a producer on one of these shows. This is the profession I gave to my heroine, Beth.  I then came up with my hero, a reluctant police officer, John, who is haunted by a cold case.

EC: What is a blood moon since it plays such an intricate role in the story?

SB: It is an astrological anomaly every 3 and a half years.  To understand, hold both your hands up. The sun is in your left hand. The moon is in your right hand. Right in the middle of them, in perfect alliance, is earth. The sun reflects light onto the moon. But the earth forms a perfect shadow on a full moon, totally covering the moon.  The reason it turns an orangish red is that the sunlight is being filtered through the earth’s atmosphere. The bad guys wanted to make sacrifices to the moon goddess, Luna.

EC: What is numerology?

SB: It goes hand in hand with the blood moon regarding the cases concerning the disappearance of the girls. A person has a core number that guides a person’s decision making.  Like an astrology sign. There are religious and cultural connotations.

EC:  How would you describe John Bowie?

SB: He was a dedicated police officer and is haunted by the cold case.  I wanted to write about his relationship with his teenage daughter and his brotherly-like friendship with Mitch. He is arrogant in a sarcastic and cynical way, intense, outspoken, sarcastic, edgy, stubborn, and cynical.

EC: What is the difference between John and Mitch?

SB: They could not be more different.  John is very serious and contemplative. Mitch always cracks jokes. He is arrogant, humorous, a smart-aleck, loyal, and caring.

EC: How would you describe Beth?

SB: Determined, loyal, savvy, gutsy, ambitious, confident in her abilities, but feeling tenuous toward her career. 

EC: How would you describe the relationship between Beth and John?

SB: They met their match in each other.  They both got under each other’s skin and are frustrated with each other. The have chemistry from chapter one. He puts her totally out of her element. They both were obsessed with this case.

EC: What is the role of the Crissy Mellin case?

SB: Her disappearance messed up Detective John Bowie’s life.  He became remorseful and regretful.  He knew there was more to it but was forced to give in to his boss. This has eaten at him. He desired to get to the bottom of it and find answers.  Beth is frustrated and impatient. She is not getting answers from John because he is not filling in the blanks.

EC:  How would you describe the boss Lt. Thomas Barker?

SB:  Incompetent, sadistic, arrogant, egotistical, and obnoxious.  He knows John has his number and is superior to him.

EC: Next book?

SB:  The next book will feature Mitch, the DEA officer who decides to change jobs and work with John. They are best friends. John and Beth will be in the next book as secondary characters. This story takes place two years after the end of Blood Moon and will be published spring of 2026.

THANK YOU!!

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

Feature Post and Book Review: Out of Nowhere by Sandra Brown

Book Description

At a Texas county fair, amidst carousels and a bustling midway, children’s book author Elle Portman is enjoying a rare night out with her favorite cowboy: her two-year-old son, Charlie. But just as they’re about to head home, the unthinkable happens: a shooter opens fire into the crowd, causing widespread panic to erupt all around them.

Also caught in the melee was corporate consultant Calder Hudson. Arrogant, self-centered, and high off his latest career win, he’s frustrated and confused when he wakes up in the hospital after undergoing emergency surgery on his arm.  The doctor tells him that he was lucky—that as far as gunshot wounds go, he pulled through remarkably well.  Others weren’t so lucky, which instills in Calder a furious determination to get justice . . . a goal shared by Elle.

Their chance encounter at the police station leads to a surprising and inexplicable gravitation to one another, but even as the attraction grows, Elle and Calder can’t help but wonder if the unimaginable tragedy that brought them together is too painful and too complicated to sustain—especially while the shooter remains at large.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64005123-out-of-nowhere?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=0q3nw2yIiS&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

OUT OF NOWHERE by Sandra Brown is an intense romantic suspense/crime thriller that begins with a random mass shooting that leaves physical and mental devastation in its wake. Out of the devastation, two of the survivors come together only to discover they still have more to fear.

Elle Portman writes children’s books and is the single mom of two-year-old, Charlie. She meets her best friend, Glenda, for a fun afternoon at the county fair. As Charlie begins to fuss, Elle decides it’s time to leave for home. The exit is congested, and Charlie is in full meltdown as shots ring out throughout the crowded midway. Elle loses control of Charlie’s stroller.

Calder Hudson is a slick, arrogant, and successful business consultant on a high after finishing a prosperous job. He is less happy about meeting his TV reporter girlfriend at the county fair. After clearing the entry gate, shots ring out and Calder recognizes what is happening and shouts for people to hit the ground. As he attempts to stop a runaway stroller, he is shot and loses conciseness as his head hits the ground.

Both Elle and Calder are determined to get justice and are shocked when the detectives tell them the shooter is still at large. When they have a chance meeting at the police station, they begin to gravitate to each other but is it just the tragedy that brought them together for now or can their feeling be real and last?

This is a fast-paced crime thriller with a plot with many twists and unexpected surprises. The reveal of the shooter is a big one. The hero and heroine of the romantic suspense part of the plot changed emotionally throughout the story. At first, I believed Elle was the average mom who suffers a tragedy, but as the story continues, you discover she has a very strong sense of self. Calder was not the most likable hero, but as the story progresses, he changes almost completely. The sex scenes are explicit, but not gratuitous. One thing that left me feeling slightly unsettled, though it was good for the progression of the plot, was the not safe safehouse set up by the detectives. Overall, an emotional, action-packed page turner of a romantic suspense.

I highly recommend this romantic suspense/crime thriller from one of my favorite authors.

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About the Author

Sandra Brown is the author of more than sixty New York Times bestsellers, including STING (2016), FRICTION (2015), MEAN STREAK (2014), DEADLINE (2013), LOW PRESSURE (2012), LETHAL (2011), and the critically acclaimed RAINWATER (2010).

Brown began her writing career in 1981 and since then has published over seventy novels, bringing the number of copies of her books in print worldwide to upwards of eighty million. Her work has been translated into thirty-three languages.

Brown recently was given an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Texas Christian University. She was named Thriller Master for 2008, the top award given by the International Thriller Writer’s Association. Other awards and commendations include the 2007 Texas Medal of Arts Award for Literature and the Romance Writers of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Social Media Links

Website: https://sandrabrown.net/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSandraBrown/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sandrabrown_NYT

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/sandra-brown