Tag: #shainasteinberg

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Echoes of Infamy by Shaina Steinberg

Book Description

In postwar Los Angeles, former spies Evelyn Bishop and Nick Gallagher dig into shady real estate dealings, murder, and the appalling aftereffects of Japanese American internment during World War II.

Now president of her father’s company, Bishop Aeronautics, Evelyn is presiding over a groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion of her factory when she is approached by Billy Takemura, a Japanese American soldier who announces that she’s building on stolen land.

Like Evelyn and Nick, Billy is a war hero. He served in the decorated 442nd Nisei company, while most of his family were forcibly interned at Manzanar. Their thriving family restaurant, and the land it occupied, were taken while they were in the camp.

Determined to right this wrong—and concerned about her father’s possible involvement in profiteering—Evelyn enlists Nick in her investigation. What starts as a discovery of widespread fraud quickly graduates to murder. Suspects range from an unscrupulous business partner to a bitter widow to Billy’s hotheaded brother. It’s up to Evelyn and Nick to expose the truth. However, it’s not easy when Evelyn is fending off betrayal in her own company and Nick’s brutal childhood returns to haunt him.

Nothing is as it seems as secrets threaten to destroy the life they have worked so hard to build .

***

Elise’s Thoughts

Echoes of Infamy by Shaina Steinberg intertwines a black mark of American history with an intense mystery.  The internment of American Japanese during World War II is a period marked by significant injustices and Steinberg skillfully shows the struggles of that community post-World War II.

The story follows the Japanese American Takemura family. The female lead, Evelyn Bishop is President of her father’s company, Bishop Aeronautics. She is presiding over a groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion of her factory when approached by Billy Takemura, a Japanese American soldier who announces that she’s building on stolen land. Like Evelyn and Nick (her husband), Billy is a war hero. He served in the decorated 442nd Nisei company, while most of his family were forcibly interned at Manzanar. Their thriving family restaurant, and the land it occupied, were stolen by a carpetbagger while they were in the camp. Billy implies that the land was fraudulently purchased. Moreover, things go from bad to worse after a construction worker, preparing the factory’s foundation, unearths a corpse with its head bashed in. Evelyn and her husband Nick decide to investigate, because shady law enforcement seems to be dragging their feet and stalling the official cause of death.

The other sub-plots of the story include women empowerment, Nick’s family issues that include abuse, and misogyny. Steinberg skillfully ties everything together in a satisfying and emotional way.

The reader is immersed in the era with the attention to historical detail. The story is gripping and enlightening with a mystery that has intrigue.

***

Author Interview

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

Shaina Steinberg: I’m Jewish, and I watched people coming out of the concentration camps, and trying to find their friends, and trying to find their family, and trying to find where to go. And I think so many people have written so many incredible, brilliant books about the Holocaust, that I decided not to write about it. But I think there’s such a strong parallel with the Japanese and Japanese American people who returned, in interned, down the West Coast.

EC: Did you base the story on anyone? 

SS: No, it wasn’t based on anyone. I did a lot of research. I read a book called Farewell to Manzanar which is a memoir by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston about their experiences before, during, and following their relocation. Naomi Hiriahara, who is also a mystery writer, wrote a brilliant book called Evergreen, about a family who had been interned, and moved to Chicago. 

EC: You seem to have a lot of subplots in the story. There’s murder, there’s Rory, there was Lewis, there was Willa. Was there a reason for that? 

SS: We look at mystery books, and usually murder, but not always, as being the center of the plot. And I think that whenever you have something major in your life, your life doesn’t stop. I think of Nick, I really enjoyed writing that part because he’s had such a horrible family, such a hard life. And in many ways, he and Evelyn are opposite in that respect. 

EC: Carl seemed very single-minded that he got angry at Evelyn without even talking to her. Is that a fair statement?

SS: Yes. Absolutely. Carl was angry at her because she continued associating with her dad, who she loved very much. But, her dad did something very bad as well. And once he took a step back, he realized that what he was angry about was not that big of a deal. It’s the small thing, and then it’s this massive thing behind it, and it appeared that was the straw that broke the camel’s back. And I think for Carl, it was difficult not to be able to be who he is and not feel his friends would accept him for who he is. Plus, there was the constant fear of being discovered, because, obviously, being gay in the 40s, is a lot different from being gay now. We’ve made so much progress and thank God for it. And I think that with Carl, it probably feels very unfair that he must hide how he feels and who he is. And it’s just one more secret on top of everything. I think he is annoyed and not thrilled that Evelyn is talking to somebody who he thinks is a traitor, who he believes did horrible things. But I don’t think that element, per se, is why he cut her out. I think it’s him needing to deal with a lot of his own stuff

EC: How would you describe Rory, Nick’s nephew?

SS: I love Rory. I think that he’s smart, and driven, and curious, and dealt a bad hand in life. And I think Nick sees himself in this kid. And he saw somebody who was completely innocent. They both had a second chance for family. I really admire Rory for being able to be self-directed enough to make a change, to make his life a little bit better. It is difficult to step outside a comfort zone, but he really does that. Rory was abused in the book. His mother would let the men in her life knock him around. And yet, he still doesn’t want people’s pity or charity. He doesn’t want to open his life and say to people, look at how hard this has been.

EC: What role did Lewis, the executive director, play in the story?

SS: I think Lewis is unfortunately a typical man for that era. He’s misogynist, but doesn’t know that word, wouldn’t think of it. He’s the kind of man who sees a very strong difference between the sexes and believes that women have a particular role, and that role is not president of the company, which is Evelyn’s position. He watched Evelyn grow up from, her toddler years, all the way into a grown and a very capable woman. And I think that it can be hard, not just for Lewis, but a lot of people to see someone they knew from childhood going off to college. And with strong opinions and passions. And he had a hard time not seeing her as a child anymore. 

EC: Is there women empowerment in the story?

SS: I think Evelyn has been fighting the good fights since the beginning of the series. And, Willa, who had engineering and chemistry degrees from UCLA, now going for her PhD, and working brilliantly for the company, even finding broken brackets on the plane’s engine mounts. She has this job that she loves. But it’s not necessarily easy. She’s coming into a world of these men, and asking them to take her seriously at a time when women weren’t really taken seriously. Unlike Evelyn, Willa comes into a department where she’s the only woman, she’s on the bottom of the totem hole, she has a very different experience. And as much as I love Evelyn, I do think sometimes it can take her a minute to look around and see that other people’s experiences are different from hers. even if it’s lumped into the same general category. 

EC: Do you think Evelyn is a feminist?

SS: Absolutely. Even though she’s a feminist, she was brought up in the other world, too. Evelyn was expected to become a wife, and a mother, and a socialite, and I think that if the war had never happened, it is probably a life that would have never fit her well, but it was probably the life she would have had. Yet the war happened, and she went to save her brother, and she found herself in many, many ways, and she found her strength. When she came back, going back into that prescribed role really didn’t fit her. And she knew herself well enough to know that this is something she couldn’t do.

EC: How would you describe the villain in the story, Russell Clements?

SS: Clements was a scam artist, uncaring, self-centered, and unlikable. He also took advantage of the American Japanese situation during the war.

EC: What do you want to say about the three American Japanese children?

SS: Hanzo, Mary, and Billy Takemura. It’s a family story. But they had conflicts. Hanzo and Billy have butted heads ever since they were kids. They each have different strengths. And they can struggle to respect the other ones’ strengths. Hanzo was never able to understand why Billy went and fought for a country that put their family in these horrible camps. And Billy will never overcome his resentment, because he feels that Hanzo abandoned the family. And I think Mary is in the middle. She can see both sides, but at the end of the day, Hanzo was the one who pulled the family out of the camp. Hanzo was the one who helped them relocate to Chicago. So, in many ways, yes, there’s this massive historical event that affects their family dynamics. 

EC: What do you want to say about the Japanese internment camps?

SS: I explain in the book that the Japanese Americans were rounded up like cattle. They were only entitled to one single suitcase. The vultures circled, trying to buy heirlooms for nothing on the dollar. Their living conditions weren’t great. 

EC: What do you want to say about Billy’s unit the 442nd Infantry Regiment?

SS: It was an American Japanese unit that fought for America. A lot of them went out with the motto of wanting to prove their loyalty, their family’s loyalty, to the United States. When they left, their parents might have approved, or they might not have approved. But almost universally, their parents told them, ‘Don’t shame the family. Go out and make us proud.’ And I think they really carried that very strongly into battle. They were incredible fighters. There were many times when they broke through the German lines after people said it was impossible. They were so incredibly brave, sometimes people recognized their humanity and the sacrifice they made. But, unfortunately, sometimes they came home, and were not accepted. People wouldn’t rent to them. There was a story of a guy who walked into a barbershop, wearing his army uniform, and the barber kicked him out, and said, ‘Nope, we will not serve you.’

EC: Next book?

SS: It will not be an Evelyn or Nick book. I’m writing a book about grief, and it centers on a young man who loses his father, and his father’s dying wish is for him to say Mourner’s Kaddish for a whole year. Traditionally, Jews are required to say the Kaddish for 30 days after burial for a child, spouse or sibling, and for 11 months after burial for a parent. It follows this young man as he grows and changes, and how he and his family struggle with that awful first year of grief. The working title is Kaddish. 

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: An Unquiet Peace by Shaina Steinberg

Book Description

As an undercover operative for the Office of Strategic Services during World War II, Evelyn Bishop routinely embarked on deadly missions. By contrast, civilian life should be simple. Yet Evelyn, now back in Los Angeles, struggles with the responsibility of being the new president of Bishop Aeronautics, when people see her as nothing more than a beautiful socialite.
 
With Nick Gallagher, at least, Evelyn can be entirely herself. Once a fellow spy, now her fiancé, Nick works as a private investigator. But the mission that first brought them together is not over. Evelyn receives a call from her former commanding officer, who is overseeing the Berlin Airlift. He is concerned that the Soviets are trying to recruit Kurt Vogel, a scientist Evelyn and Nick smuggled out of Nazi Germany. After six long years, there’s word his wife and daughter may have survived the war. Is this a chance for a long-promised reunion, or a Russian ploy to lure Vogel to their side?
 
Past and present collide again when a routine case offers Nick a reunion with a childhood friend who runs a high-class “gentleman’s club.” The clientele includes everyone from Hollywood royalty to mobsters—to a hidden enemy who will draw both Evelyn and Nick into a web as twisted and treacherous as any they have ever faced . 

***

Elise’s Thoughts

An Unquiet Peace by Shaina Steinberg brings back the partners Evelyn Bishop and Nick Gallagher, who are now engaged. Not only are readers treated to the cases Evelyn and Nick are working on but also see the role their wedding will play in the story.

The first book, Under the Paper Moon, shows how Nick and Evelyn fell in love during the war while working together as OSS partners, only to break up over a perceived betrayal. They were first drawn back together as they teamed up as private investigators to solve a murder. This second book has Evelyn and Nick engaged and planning their wedding. Unfortunately, they are not working together, as in the first story, but have separate cases. Nick is searching for a kidnapping victim who works for his long-lost childhood friend, and Evelyn is trying to track down the missing family of a German scientist.

Evelyn, now president of Bishop Aeronautics, is asked by her former boss General Henry Gibson to come back to Europe because Kurt Vogel, a scientist she and Nick spirited out of Germany during the war, has just received a postcard from the wife he thought was dead. The family had been split up, and two different teams were charged with extracting them from Germany, but Vogel’s Jewish wife and daughter never made it to safety. Now he is hoping Evelyn will find and reunite them as she travels back to Berlin during the Berlin Airlift.

Nick’s case reunites him with a childhood friend who runs a high-class “gentleman’s club” and is seeing her employees beaten with one kidnapped. The clientele includes everyone from Hollywood royalty to mobsters to a hidden enemy who is twisted and treacherous.

The supporting characters play an intricate role in the story. There is Hildy, a childhood friend of Nick’s who taught him how to survive on the streets and literally helped him lose his virginity. She now owns a “gentleman’s club,” where Julia, a bartender working for Hildy, has been kidnapped. Kurt, a German scientist, was brought to the allies by Evelyn and separated from his family. Taffy, Evelyn’s aunt, takes the place of her late mother and becomes the wedding planner.

The story has intrigue, plenty of twists, well-developed characters, and a fabulous mystery. The attention to historical detail immerses the reader in the era, making the story both engaging and informative.

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: The idea for the story?

Shaina Steinberg: I was fascinated by the idea that Russia and the USA were allies during WWII, with a very grudging acceptance of each other and partnership. But after the war they showed how they disliked each other, exemplified with the Berlin Blockade. It was such a giant game of chicken and lasted almost a year. I wanted to write the story showing how the city was devasted, suffering, and many people were raped. Yet, a part of me did not feel sorry for the people there because of what the Nazis did. There were many who just stood by and were complacent about the Jews.

EC: I went to UCLA, so “Go Bruins”. Why choose that school?

SS: I chose UCLA for the college because it was one of the only schools that accepted women for undergraduate studies. I put in how one woman was going there studying for an engineering degree and another woman for an economics degree with my main character graduating from there. I also put in this quote about UCLA, “It was beautiful with wide green lawns and neoclassical buildings.”

EC: Through two of the characters, Hannah and Sophie, you show how the Germans were antisemitic not only during but also after the war?

SS: Hitler came in 1933 and announced what he was going to do. The concentration camps did happen because people were complacent, a real lesson for now. In my research I found a lot of Germans after the war denied being Nazis and there was still a lot of antisemitism with the prevalent sentiment that the Jews caused their problems on their own.

EC: What about the women’s issues in the story?

SS: There were women who tried to make it in a man’s world. My main character Evelyn says the true scandal is how “there were not more ways for women to earn a good living.” I talked about how a lot of women in the OSS were relegated to being secretaries. During the war a third of the men left, resulting in open jobs. Many women went to work and saw how they could make a difference and gain independence. After men came back from the war it was expected for women to give up their jobs and the freedom that came with it. Women had that moment of empowerment, but it was taken away.

EC: What about the main character, Evelyn?

SS: She was a CEO of a major company and a pilot. I made her raised by her father who told her anything your brother could do, you can do. He encouraged her to go to school and follow her interests in mathematics and engineering. Her father looked at her as the natural successor. She learned the ins and outs of an aeronautics company so it made sense she would learn how to fly and know her way around airplanes. I love the idea that Evelyn could have existed.

EC: You also speak to the Jewish culture a bit where they talk about wanting to continue the culture?

SS: One of the characters, Gabe, is Jewish and he came here because the European country he lived in became untenable. I think readers can see the different experiences but there are also similarities with people who come to this country. Hannah and Sophie were Germans who tried to hide but because they were Jewish, they were turned over to the Nazis. They thought they could be protected but that was not true.

EC: How would you describe Evelyn’s Aunt Taffy?

SS: She is a society woman who focuses on a very specific world where etiquette is very important. It is so easy to look at her and write her off. She was very disappointed she could not have her own children and never got over losing her beloved husband. She knows Evelyn needs her because her tight knit family has disappeared. She wants to make Evelyn feel that she is not alone and has a deep love for Evelyn. Taffy was like a second mom to her, outspoken, direct, and intimidating.

EC: How would you describe Hildy, Nick’s good friend?

SS: She is practical, humorous, friendly, outgoing, not trusting, and owner of a brothel. She is a good listener but is closed off about herself.

EC: How about another secondary character, Julia?

SS: Responsible, caring, tough, adventurous, organized, independent, and a love for family.

EC: How would you describe the scientist, Kurt?

SS: Bitter, smart, worried, and angry. He is good at placing blame for being displaced from his family. He has an incredible amount of guilt for deciding to leave his family behind.

EC: How would you describe the LAPD officer Brian Caruso?

SS: Corrupt, mean, uncaring, self-centered, and smug. His main thought is what is in it for me?

EC: What about the relationship between Nick and Evelyn?

SS: Nick is enthralled with her, sometimes feels like an outsider. She questions the role of marriage because she wants her independence. They complement each other and are true partners. They feel that each other is family to them. They are truly in love and do bring out the best in each other.

EC: Is Evelyn hesitant because a wife is expected to be a mother and housekeeper?

SS: She does not want that for her life and Nick understands. This is a time of no-fault divorce, where wives don’t have much choice. Evelyn’s friend, Lily, was trapped in a very abusive marriage. If Nick would have left her, she would feel a deep hole inside of herself. I think she would always have the hole if he left her, but she would be able to continue because Evelyn feels she is worthy of love. Nick on the other hand would have a harder time existing without her. He would see Evelyn’s leaving, as confirming he was not loveable. With this said, I have no plans for them to break up.

EC: Why was this book different with the case load than the first book?

SS: They are building a life together. Living and working together can be challenge. In the first book it was about them finding their way back to each other. They have been through so much together. I wanted readers to see how they do their own thing yet have the support from each other at the end of the day. They can talk to each other about their cases even if it is just to listen.

EC: Next book?

SS: I am currently working on it so there is no release date or title. Taffy and Julia will be in it. Evelyn is working on the factory expansion with things going wrong. In this book Nick’s case more closely ties in with her work.

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: Under the Paper Moon by Shaina Steinberg

Book Description

It’s 1942, and as far as her father knows, Evelyn Bishop, heiress to an aeronautics fortune, is working as a translator in London. In truth, Evelyn—daring, beautiful, and as adept with a rifle as she is in five languages—has joined the Office of Strategic Services as a spy. Her goal is personal: to find her brother, who is being held as a POW in a Nazi labor camp. Through one high-risk mission after another she is paired with the reckless and rebellious Nick Gallagher, growing ever close to him until the war’s end brings with it an act of deep betrayal.

Six years later, Evelyn is back home in Los Angeles, working as a private investigator. The war was supposed to change everything, yet Evelyn, contemplating marriage to her childhood sweetheart, feels stifled by convention. Then the suspected cheating husband she’s tailing is murdered, and suddenly Evelyn is back in Nick’s orbit again.

Teaming up for a final mission, Evelyn and Nick begin to uncover the true nature of her case— and realize that the war has followed them home. For beyond the public horrors waged by nations there are countless secret, desperate acts that still reverberate on both continents, and threaten everything Evelyn holds dear…

***

Elise’s Thoughts

Under The Paper Moon by Shaina Steinberg is a fun read.  Between the scenes of WWII and the murder of someone in 1948 this blends a mystery and thriller. There is love, duty, loyalty, and forgiveness.

The heroine, Evelyn Bishop, has joined the OSS as a spy.  Besides wanting to help the allies she is trying to rescue her brother, held in a German POW camp. Her supervisor is Nick Gallagher.  They become intimate and grow close during the war until he betrays her.

Six years later, Evelyn is working as a private investigator. After trailing a suspected cheating husband, the suspect is murdered. Evelyn finds out that Nick is also a PI, who was working with the murdered victim. Teaming up for a final mission, Evelyn and Nick begin to uncover the true nature of her case, realizing that the war has followed them home.

The banter in the story adds humor to the story. There is a lot of action with some romance that includes a love triangle.

***

Author Interview

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

Shaina Steinberg: This is the first in a three-book deal, but I am hoping that I can continue writing more in the series. I love old movies and I started to watch movies from the 1940s.  These had strong women like Katherine Hepburn or Ingrid Bergman. This is partly why I set it during this period.  Plus, there is a correlation with my grandmother who was a strong and vibrant woman.  She got married and did everything society expected of her. She had regrets because she really wanted to be a doctor or a nurse. She did not have many options in her life.  My heroine, Evelyn, explores what my grandmother could have been.

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

SS: I have been fascinated by WWII and my father read bedtime stories written by Elie Wiesel. He always said, ‘it can happen here so we must be vigilant.’  I see this is as a story that delved into the war, but not just that aspect.  It shows what war can do to someone and the sacrifices made, especially what a parent would do to keep their child safe.

EC: Do you think there is a corollary between being a spy and a private investigator?

SS: Absolutely. Evelyn as a spy was extremely competent.  She was taught to be undetected and how to notice small clues that might lead to something bigger.

EC:  How would you describe Evelyn?

SS:  She is very talented, good with a gun and able to speak five languages. She is a feminist and loves the adrenaline rush. She could be selfish, petty, sarcastic, stubborn but is also loyal, fearless, funny, and brave. She is from a privileged background. But after the war, her eyes are open, which gives her empathy.

EC:  As with many of those in the military who have retired, they miss it.  Please explain how you explored this in the story with Evelyn.

SS: There were two quotes in the book that refer to this.  The first, “There is no place for me. Not here. Not there. Not anywhere.” The second, “Those first week’s home Evelyn felt as if she was under water. Sometimes it felt like sitting on the ocean floor with the weight of the water pressing down on her.” The second quote is like someone grieving and that grief encompasses everything in someone’s life. While later, after the grief is not so fresh, the person can be functional. The weight of the ocean water is the numbness. The first quote refers to how after the war she feels useless. Evelyn does not want to be a stay-at-home wife because she actively saved lives during the war and had a sense of purpose.

EC:  How would you describe the hero, Nick?

SS:  He was Evelyn’s commander during the war. During the war he felt fulfillment, a sense of purpose, confident, fearless, and self-assured. Now, after the war he feels hopeless with a sense of failure.  He feels rage and anger. The anger is an undercurrent as to when he was abandoned by his family when he was so young, feeling his life was unjust and unfair.  He uses that anger to motivate him. 

EC: What about the relationship between Evelyn and Nick?

SS:  Evelyn gave him stability, hope, and happiness.  During the war they were bonded by danger.  They are in love even though he betrayed her. From Evelyn he saw that she is kind, good, and has a belief in the goodness in people. Nick sees the world from her point of view, through her eyes. Nick gets a sense of purpose from Evelyn. I think she helps him channel all his anger into ways he can help others. After the war when he loses her, he loses his sense of purpose.  I also think the war gave her a sense of purpose. She felt like she was doing something important that could save lives. I think a big part of Nick’s appeal is that he was her partner in that purpose, and he never thought of her as anything less than strong and capable. 

EC:  Is there a love triangle between Evelyn, Nick, and her current fiancé?

SS:  Yes.  There is a scene in the book where Evelyn describes James, her current fiancé,as “romantic, sweet, kind, and chivalrous.”  Nick sees James as “desperate, needy, and old-fashioned.” If there was never WWII, she probably would have married James when she was twenty-two. Before she went to war that would have been enough because she did not know anything different.  To her James is safe and represents her being home and her innocence as well as her living breathing connection to her brother.  But what he represents is not enough for her anymore. Evelyn does not see a compability between her world before the war and one after the war. Her appeal for Nick is beyond more than their chemistry, but he was also there when she grew into the person she is now. But because of his betrayal she questions everything she saw and knew about him as well as how she sees herself.

EC:  What is the relevance of the song, “Paper Moon?”

SS: Everything she felt about Nick was turned around once she thought he betrayed her. The song represents the way Evelyn sees their love. She thought their love was real and after he betrayed her, she now feels it was hollow. On a personal level it was one of my grandmother’s favorite songs, so it reminds me of her.

EC:  Next book?

SS:  It will be published in May of next year, with a working title An Unquiet Peace. One of my regrets was that I did not explore Evelyn’s female friendships in this book, but it is part of the second book. There are still conflicts between Nick and Evelyn. It will take place in October 1948 around the Berlin Airlift. Nick also has a case of a woman who wants to leave her marriage.

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.