#standalone – Page 15 – Avonna Loves Genres

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Billy the Kid: The War for Lincoln County by Ryan C. Coleman

Book Description

Age 14: Orphan

Age 15: Inmate

Age 16: Outlaw

Age 17: Killer

In 1870s New Mexico, the territory is at a crossroads. The indigenous population is being driven out—and driven down—by the white settlers migrating west after the Civil War. The center of power isn’t the governor but rather the Santa Fe Ring, a group of wealthy politicians, businessman, and landowners who exercise power through organized crime, theft, graft, and murder. Their main source of income is a mercantile store in Lincoln known as the House.

After escaping jail, William Bonney—a.k.a. Billy the Kid—is a seventeen-year-old orphan who’s been on the run for the better part of two years. All he wants is to belong—to find a place he can call home and people he can call family.

He’d have been better off alone.

Billy falls in with a gang of ruthless rustlers and murderers who work as muscle for the House. But when Billy crosses one of the members, the gang sets out to kill him.

Billy narrowly escapes, finding refuge under the tutelage of John Tunstall, an English immigrant new to the territory who has his sights set on opening a business in Lincoln—and he’s intent on competing directly with the House. But when Tunstall is murdered, any positive effect the mentor had on Billy is eradicated, leaving the Kid with only one thing on his mind …

Revenge.

From orphan to outlaw to killer, this is the untold story behind the legend of Billy the Kid.

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Elise’s Thoughts

Billy the Kid by Ryan C. Coleman shows the notorious bad guy in a completely different light.

This book takes readers on a journey with William Bonney, aka Billy the Kid, from the age of fourteen when he became an orphan, to fifteen when he was a prison inmate, to sixteen, an escaped outlaw, and at the age of seventeen, a killer.

New Mexico in the 1870s is not yet a state, but a territory. The center of power is the Santa Fe Ring. They are a group of wealthy politicians, businessmen, and landowners who exercise power through organized crime, theft, graft, and murder. Billy falls in with a gang of ruthless rustlers and murderers who work as muscle for the House. But when Billy crosses one of the members, the gang sets out to kill him. Billy narrowly escapes, finding refuge under the tutelage of John Tunstall, an English immigrant new to the territory who has his sights set on opening a business in Lincoln, intent on competing directly with the House. But when Tunstall is murdered by those working for the House, any positive effect the mentor had on Billy is eradicated. Billy has only one thought, to get revenge for his friend and mentor’s murder.

The Lincoln County War, in which, Billy becomes intertwined, is between Lawrence Murphy, a merchant with connections to the notorious Santa Fe Ring. On the other side is Alexander McSween, a young lawyer, and John Tunstall a merchant and rancher from England with a rival store. The competition soon moves into bloodshed. Out of a sense of loyalty, Billy takes the side of McSween and Tunstall, fighting on the side of “The Regulators.” It was here that he became an outlaw, only because The Regulators did not have the power and influence on their side of the law.

Anyone who loves westerns will be fascinated with this book that breaks down all the discrepancies about Billy the Kid. Coleman shows him as more of a gunman protecting his friends than a psychopathic killer. There is plenty of action that will keep readers pinned to their seat.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Do you agree the portrayal of Billy the Kid was that he was a psychopath?

Ryan Coleman: This was an inspiration. The movies showed him as a psychopath with bullets whizzing. This did not ring true for me. I wrote this book to put his life in context, since he was 14 – 21 years during the period.

EC: How did you get interested in Billy the Kid?

RC: It started with the movie “Young Guns” when I was a child. Over the years I was consumed so I searched for every documentary and book I could find.

EC: Would this be made into a movie or TV show?

RC: I thought this book might make a good limited series. My background is from the film and TV world as a writer. I met up with the screenwriter, Shane Salerno, who now represents novelists. He suggested I write this novel. This is when I decided to write a book.

EC: Do you think Billy is really a hero?

RC: I would not go as far as to call him a hero. New Mexico where Billy resided was an extremely corrupt territory, not even a state yet. A 100% true story is when he gets arrested at the age of 14 or 15. This older guy asked him to hold some blankets and some guns that were stolen. But Billy gets busted and is taken to jail where he escapes. This is a pivotal moment in his life. Unfortunately, circumstances created Billy the Kid and worked against him.

EC: Who were his influences?

RC: I think he was looking for a family. He never knew his father and his stepfather was not very nice. He was looking for a mentor and father figure. He found it with John Tunstall. Funny how he was always portrayed in the movies as an elderly wise ‘sit on my knee’ type of mentor. In actuality, he was only twenty-seven years.

He was also influenced by his favorite song, “Silver Threads Among the Gold.” The words were a metaphor for him not having control of his own life. He was pulled by a force greater than himself into the Lincoln County War, and not able to control his own destiny. As the book goes on, every time he dreams he gets a little further into the dark woods.

EC: How would you describe who he was before Billy the Kid, Henry?

RC: He was a sharpshooter, clever, quick, and calm.

EC: What about Billy the Kid?

RC: He liked to taunt people, loyal, and took to revenge. He was fearless, cold-blooded, charming, and felt whatever he did was justified to protect his friends. Once Tunstall, his mentor, was killed in front of him a switch was flipped. At the time he was 17 or 18 years. He needed a meaning to his life, which ended up being retribution for his friend’s murder.

EC: What role did the Buck Morton character play in the story?

RC: He was a real person. He was really part of the bad gang, The Boys, and was killed by Billy’s group, The Regulators. After Billy joined up with The Boys, there was a member of that gang who was jealous of Billy because he believed his girlfriend had the hots for him. They wanted to kill Billy, which caused him to leave that gang. I used Buck as that person and made it his girlfriend. I wrote in the story how she did not have the hots for Billy, but Buck believed she did. I used Buck as the connection between that event and how the Regulators killed Buck. This is where the fiction slipped into the historical fiction.

EC: What about Jesse Evans?

RC: He was the head of the gang, The Boys. He had a very nasty streak. He acted as muscle and protection for Billy’s enemies.

EC: Did the corruptness in New Mexico cause Billy not to get a fair shake?

RC: That is true. The Lincoln County War was the story of organized crime. The corruptness was off the chart including the Governor. They had power that went all the way to the White House. To enrich themselves they ruled through criminality. There were so many moving pieces to create the perfect storm that pulled Billy into the Lincoln County War where he became a legendary figure. There were actual records of how he spoke and thought. His friends who lived told of a completely different side of him, which was never shown on screen. Although his brother did not speak a lot about Billy. After Billy escaped from prison, they never saw each other again.

EC: What do you want the reader to get out of it?

RC: Being depicted as a psychopath did not line up with everything I learned about him.

EC: Do you think circumstances influenced who Billy became?

RC: His backstory was one of trauma. His mother died when he was fourteen, while his stepfather abandoned him and wanted nothing to do with him. Everything I heard about him was that he was affable, charming, smart, literate, and personable. I think if his mother did not die when he was fourteen, there would never have been a Billy the Kid. His mother’s death combined with his stepfather abandoning him set off a chain of events. It left a void in his life.

EC: Next book?

RC: I am thinking of writing something in the crime thriller genre.

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: Echoes of Us by Joy Jordan-Lake

Book Description

In the midst of World War II, a Tennessee farm boy, a Jewish Cambridge student, and a German POW forge a connection that endures—against all odds.

But now everything that Will Dobbins, Dov Silverberg, and Hans Hessler fought for is at risk as their descendants clash for control of the corporation they founded together. In an attempt to remake its tattered corporate image, the firm hires event planner Hadley Jacks and her sister Kitzie to organize a reunion for the families on St. Simons Island, Georgia, the place that changed all three men’s lives forever.

As Hadley and her sister delve into the friends’ past, they uncover the life of the courageous young woman who links them all together…and the old wounds that could tear everything apart.

Told in dual timelines spanning World War II and the present, Echoes of Us follows the ripple effects of war, the bonds that outlast it, and the hope that ultimately carries us forward.

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Elise’s Thoughts

Joannie’s disappearance and a mysterious older woman who lives on the Island during the present day makes the story suspenseful.

It seems there is an unlikely friendship between an English Jewish instructor, Dov, a Tennessee farm boy, Will, and a German submarine POW, Hans, who deserted.

In the present day, 80 years later, everything that Will Dobbins, Dov Silverberg, and Hans Hessler fought for is at risk as their descendants’ clash for control of the corporation they founded together. To remake its tattered corporate image, the firm hires event planner Hadley Jacks and her sister Kitzie to organize a reunion for the families on St. Simons Island, Georgia, the place that changed all three men’s lives forever. As Hadley and her sister delve into the friends’ past, they uncover the life of the courageous young woman, Joanie, who links them all together.

It is the story of love, courage, friendship, and resilience set on St. Simon’s Island within the backdrop of WWII. The mystery is center stage and very compelling. The plot twists and turns in unexpected ways, leading to an ending that is as surprising as it is satisfying.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Idea for the setting?

Joy Jordan-Lake: My family has been connected to where the story takes place, St. Simon’s Island off the coast of Georgia, which was my dad’s favorite place in the world. I knew a lot of the history of the Island, but nothing about the WWII history until after they built the Homefront WWII Museum. It is incredibly well researched and allows viewers to see what it was like to be on an aircraft carrier, working on the radar station, a fighter pilot, or someone at home.

EC: How did you realize that there were German submarines on America’s East Coast?

JJL: When I first walked into the museum, I saw the story of someone killed on the East Coast by a German submarine. In 1942 a German sub was lurking off the coast of St. Simon’s Island and ended up sinking a couple of ships and killing a bunch of people. This is where the novel starts. Some of the characters are based on actual people. All the fictional characters are based on actual people and actual events.

EC: How would you describe Joanie?

JJL: Quick-witted, fiery, courageous, and has guilt at times. She became a WASP, Women Air Force Service Pilot. Joanie has the name of one of my cousins that grew up on the Island.

EC: What did the WASPs do during the war?

JJL: They flied planes for their country. Joanie is based on a compilation of the WASP women. They are brave women. They ferried planes here in the US. They flew every single type of plane used during WWII. They had to fly with unbelievable conditions: very little rest, really hard conditions, and unable to cleanse themselves. It was anything but glamorous. In the early days they came from money and learned to fly, while others were taught by their father, or a brother. They had a love of flying. Some were fashion models, farm girls, schoolteachers, and so on.

EC: How did Joanie’s relationship with her twin brother, Sam, affect her?

JJL: He is someone Joanie can connect with and share her feelings about the mental and emotional loss of her father just as my father who died of Alzheimer’s.

EC: How would you describe Dov?

JJL: He is the Jewish character. He has integrity, regrets not being in combat, and is very tender. He is a compilation of characters. He is partly based on a real person who taught at the radar training school on the Island. I interviewed someone who helps to run the museum. She commented that there was an instructor at the radar training school who was upset that he was here teaching while those he taught would be under terrible dangers and stress. They had to decide if the plane approaching was a friendly or enemy that needs to be shot down. In the actual person’s letters, he was contemplating going back into the fighting arena. Dov represents this ethical struggle. The allies decided to have their very best pilots become instructors. He was made British because there was a Brit who was sent to the Island by the English to train Americans.

EC: How would you describe the German POW, Hans?

JJL: He was drafted into the Nazi Navy. He chose to desert. I wanted to show how Dov and Hans were suspicious of each other, wary of each other, and even had hatred. He is partly based on the Captain of a German U-Boat that was on the coast of the Island who did not desert. I did the research on what would happen if someone deserted from the German military.

EC: How would you describe William, the Merchant Marine?

JJL: I grew up in the mountains of East Tennessee so I made him a Tennessee farm boy. He quotes Shakespeare and has an artistic soul. He is brilliant. He becomes a friend with Joanie and Dov.

EC: Next book?

JJL: It is set in the North of Italy. It has some flashbacks to 1969 but is set mostly during present day. The plot has the Mafia involved in a theft. The working title is Outrageous Fortune.

THANK YOU!!

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Feature Post and Book Review: The Forest of Lost Souls by Dean Koontz

Book Description

Raised in the wilderness by her late great-uncle, Vida is a young woman with an almost preternatural affinity for nature, especially for the wolves that also call the forested mountains home. Formed by hard experience, by love and loss, and by the prophecies of a fortuneteller, Vida just wants peace. If only nearby Kettleton County didn’t cast such a dark shadow.

It’s where José Nochelobo, the love of Vida’s life and a cherished local hero, died in a tragic accident. That’s the official story, but Vida has reasons to doubt it. The truth can’t be contained for long. Nor can the hungry men of power in Kettleton who want something too: that Vida, like José, disappear forever. One by one they come for her, prepared to do anything to see their plans through to their evil end. Vida is no less prepared for them.

Vida, the forest, and its formidable wonders are waiting. She will not rest until goodness and order have been restored.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199396945-the-forest-of-lost-souls?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=J6mAT69dnB&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

THE FOREST OF LOST SOULS by Dean Koontz is a slow burn suspense/thriller featuring a battle between a female champion of the natural world, an oligarch who only loves money, and a cast of characters and animals both spiritual, paranormal, and very human.

Vida has always had an otherworldly connection to the natural world. When a fortune teller comes to Kettleton County, Vida is drawn to her. The prophecies she receives impact and prepare her for a future full of danger and loss, but also love and peace if she survives.

This story has many of Mr. Koontz’s recurring tropes and yet he always finds a new way to pull me in and emotionally connect me to the main protagonist. Vida is a strong young the woman connected her entire life to the natural world, both spiritually and with a shade of the paranormal. Her special gifts are recognized by the fortune teller and are used to protect the world she loves. There are mysterious wolves, an albino mountain lion, a war veteran with search and rescue dogs, and a Native American couple who all help Vida against the invasion of an oligarch and his minions who plan to destroy her beloved mountains.

The writing is full of evocative language not usually found in genre style suspense/thriller novels which had me more involved with the story’s themes rather than just rushing to the crime plot climax, but I was disappointed that after so much imagery and intrigue, the climax seemed a bit rushed.

Overall, Vida is a memorable protagonist, and this story is worth the read.

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About the Author

When he was a senior in college, Dean Koontz won an Atlantic Monthly fiction competition and has been writing ever since. His books are published in 38 languages and he has sold over 500 million copies to date.

Fourteen of his novels have risen to number one on the New York Times hardcover bestseller list (One Door Away From Heaven, From the Corner of His Eye, Midnight, Cold Fire, The Bad Place, Hideaway, Dragon Tears, Intensity, Sole Survivor, The Husband, Odd Hours, Relentless, What the Night Knows, and 77 Shadow Street), making him one of only a dozen writers ever to have achieved that milestone. Sixteen of his books have risen to the number one position in paperback. His books have also been major bestsellers in countries as diverse as Japan and Sweden.

Dean Koontz was born and raised in Pennsylvania. He graduated from Shippensburg State College (now Shippensburg University), and his first job after graduation was with the Appalachian Poverty Program, where he was expected to counsel and tutor underprivileged children on a one-to-one basis. His first day on the job, he discovered that the previous occupier of his position had been beaten up by the very kids he had been trying to help and had landed in the hospital for several weeks. The following year was filled with challenge but also tension, and Koontz was more highly motivated than ever to build a career as a writer. He wrote nights and weekends, which he continued to do after leaving the poverty program and going to work as an English teacher in a suburban school district outside Harrisburg. After a year and a half in that position, his wife, Gerda, made him an offer he couldn’t refuse: “I’ll support you for five years,” she said, “and if you can’t make it as a writer in that time, you’ll never make it.” By the end of those five years, Gerda had quit her job to run the business end of her husband’s writing career.

Dean Koontz lives in Southern California with his wife, Gerda, their golden retriever, Elsa, and the enduring spirit of their goldens, Trixie and Anna.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.deankoontz.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/deankoontz

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-forest-of-lost-souls-by-dean-koontz

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: A Letter from Ireland by Ann O’Loughlin

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for A LETTER FROM IRELAND by Ann O’Loughlin on this Bookouture Books-On-Tour post.

Below you will find a book summary, my book review, an about the author section, and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Summary

My whole life, I’ve been haunted by a secret I’ve left behind on the coast of Ireland. I may be gone, but if you’re reading this Casey, I need to tell you everything…

When Casey’s dear friend Rosie passes away, her heart breaks in two; Rosie didn’t even tell her she was sick. And when a mysterious letter arrives from beyond the grave, describing the secluded island where Rosie spent every summer, Casey questions if she really knew her friend at all. With Casey’s hectic job ruling her life, and her marriage crumbling around her, she books a ticket to this beautiful Irish island to feel close to Rosie again, and find out what secrets she has hidden there.

Casey rushes to Rosie’s tumbledown cottage and immediately falls in love with the glimmering shores and breathtaking coves of Scarty Island. Why did Rosie keep this magical place a secret, even from her own husband? Desperate for answers, she jumps to the aid of locals organizing afternoon teas for tourists, and helps handsome but overworked pub owner Shay. Though Shay stays tight-lipped, Casey notices how his hazel eyes shine when she makes him laugh, and how her heart skips a beat when his rough hands brush hers.

But just as Casey finds herself falling for Shay’s quiet strength, a final letter arrives that changes everything. The tear-stained pages tell the story of a forbidden romance and a tragic day at sea that destroyed Rosie’s life. It could shatter Casey’s blossoming romance and tear the small island community apart.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/217294589-a-letter-from-ireland?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=mrEKriMdOU&rank=3

Purchase Link: https://geni.us/B0DCHF7ZQDsocial

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My Book Review

RATING: 3 out of 5 Stars

A LETTER FROM IRELAND by Ann O’Loughlin is a women’s fiction story about four best friends who have a falling out and are never the same again. When Rosie passes away from cancer, which none of her friends knew about, she sets up a two-month long reunion of the remaining three women on her private island off the coast of Ireland, but there are secrets to be revealed in the form of letters from their dead friend.

The description of this story had me wanting to sit down and read about these women’s lives and it is full of surprises and big emotions, but not until far too late into the book. The first third of the story was repetitive, slow, and almost had me putting it down for good, but I carried on and was glad that I did as far as the overall plot.

The three women are portrayed at various stages of their lives and Casey is the focus. I had a hard time warming up to her and I never felt a deep connection to any of the three. The story focused as much on the location as the women which I felt their character development should have been deeper. The romantic subplot between Casey and Shay just felt thrown in and did not make me feel any more for Casey, especially since she was still legally married.

Overall, this was just an alright women’s fiction read that for me did not live up to the promise.

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About the Author

Ann is the Irish author of five novels and has been translated into eleven languages. Her first novel The Ballroom Cafe was also an ebook bestseller and in the top 20 bestselling books of 2015 on Amazon UK. Ann loves to write and often gets up at 5am to get the words down, before starting her other job of writing as a news reporter. A leading journalist in Ireland, Ann has covered all major news events in a long career with Independent Newspapers, Ireland. She is now a senior journalist with the Irish Examiner specialising in legal issues. Ann has also lived in India. Originally from the west of Ireland she now lives on the east coast with her husband and family.

Social Media Links

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

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annoloughlinbooks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/annolwriter

Newsletter: https://www.bookouture.com/ann-oloughlin

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: The Son’s Secret by Daryl Wood Gerber

Book Description

Maggie Lawson is the smart, capable dean of a boutique college, but even the most confident mother has a weakness – her child. When Maggie can’t reach her college senior son, Aiden, to tell him that his father has been shot, she starts to panic. She texts. She calls.

Is Aiden ghosting her, or have the dangerous stories Aiden’s father, her investigative journalist ex-husband, pursues finally brought trouble to her door? Maggie is sure that something is very wrong, but no one believes her. As dark events unfold, she must rely on her own investigative instincts to find Aiden. But when Maggie uncovers a devastating secret, she faces a race against time to save him.

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Elise’s Thoughts

The Son’s Secret by Daryl Wood Gerber is not the type of story her readers are used to. Instead of gardens, tea shops, and fairies flying around she has ventured into suspense and mystery. This story explores the complex mother-adult son dynamic. Parents will relate to the main character understanding the fine line between being hovering to being supportive and caring. Plus, the anxiety that every parent goes through when their children do not answer their texts.

This story has Maggie Larson, now the Dean of a college, trying to notify her son, Aiden, that his father has been shot and is in the hospital. When Aiden does not respond she begins to panic. Since they were close, she finds it difficult to believe he would ghost her, disappearing and disregarding her texts.

She eventually gets her ex-husband, Josh, to believe her and together they investigate what could have happened to their son. As they pursue the disappearance, evidence and then threats pile up, convincing them that something seriously has happened.

This story can be considered a domestic and psychological thriller. Readers will be put on a rollercoaster ride. There is tension and intrigue that will have people taking the journey with Maggie.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Why this genre?

Daryl Wood Gerber: When I first became a writer, I wrote suspense, but they did not get published. Finally with the cozy mystery genre I found my voice. Yet, I still wanted to write suspense. So, I took a couple of the suspense I first had written and re-wrote them. I wrote outside the norm of the cozy. I had an English publisher put this story out.

EC: Idea for this book?

DWG: This story had been sticking in my head for a long time. It came to me when my son was clerking for a judge in New Orleans. I thought ‘what would happen if he disappeared, and I could not get a hold of him.’ This is a mother’s worse nightmare.

EC: Do you think part of the key to this story is the non-response of adult children?

DWG: Yes! The adult children do not answer their phones, and many times do not answer their texts. It drives me crazy, and I put it in the story. I would write to my son asking if he had seen my three previous texts and to please respond. He answered, ‘sorry mom I got busy, and I thought I did.’ Really, he could see if he did. My first fear is that something was wrong because he was not responding. I do not think I overreact.

EC: How would you describe Maggie?

DWG: A nurturer, hovers, caring, sometimes smothering. She wonders if she is a helicopter mom. When her friend and daughter-in-law tells her she is too much she wonders if she is over-reacting to her son not responding or is she right to worry. She is a complex character because this is a contradiction to her being a dean of a college, and previously an investigative reporter. After her brother committed suicide, her mother checked out. Maggie promised herself she was not going to be that type of mother and would be dialed in. Her attitude comes from myself who is a mom who does not want to hover but wants to guide because I am older and wiser.

EC: How would you describe her son Aiden?

DWG: He is artistic, creative, and at times emotionally overwhelmed. He is sometimes very tough on himself. After he lost his fiancé, he has become emotionally ripped open for two years. Now a woman comes into his life who he falls in love with. He can be temperamental.

EC: What is the role of Maggie’s divorce?

DWG: Her ex-husband is an investigative reporter. After he had a couple of affairs they got divorced. I had him shot and in the hospital to show that Aiden does not respond to the dad also, never reaches out, even though they are close. Maggie must repair the bridge with her ex so they can work together to find Aiden. He helps to keep her grounded. They become a wonderful team if the emotional baggage is taken away.

EC: What about the role of suicide?

DWG: Maggie had to deal with it twice in her life. Once, when her brother committed suicide, and when she had a student commit suicide. Now she worries if Aiden has committed suicide. This drives the story.

EC: Next book?

DWG: It comes out in October, the first in a new series, “The Literary Dining Mysteries.” It is titled Murder on The Page. It is a cozy mystery involving food and books. A caterer lives in North Carolina in the Blue Ridge mountains who was close to the local bookstore owner. After she were killed, she is determined to find out who did it. Each book in the series will focus on some classic novel. This one will have Pride and Prejudice. The community will have book clubs with food, reading, and dress up.

THANK YOU!!

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Blog Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Zenith Man by McCracken Poston, Jr.

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for ZENITH MAN: Death, Love, and Redemption in a Georgia Courtroom by McCracken Poston, Jr. on this AME Bog Tour.

Below you will find an author Q&A, a book synopsis, my book review, an excerpt from the book, and the author’s bio and social media links. Enjoy!

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Author Q&A

How did you do research for your book?

Since my book is about a murder trial in which I was the defendant’s lawyer, the research was first done for the trial. Beyond my case file, I did other research in the media archives and other places to piece together the strange story of Alvin and Virginia Ridley.

Which was the hardest character to write? The easiest?

Unplanned, my book also became the true story about the relationship between me and my father. I wrote it truthfully, but any time you are writing about a loved one, it can be hard. The easiest character to write about was my client, Alvin Ridley, although he was a tough client!

What made you write a book about the Zenith Man?

This was the most incredible story to live through. After the trial ended, I immediately felt that this would be a good book.

Where do you get inspiration for your stories?

So far, I have written nonfiction.

There are many books out there about true crime. What makes yours different?

My story is the inside account of being the criminal defense lawyer for a most unusual defendant.

What advice would you give budding writers?

Write the bones of your story down quickly. You can add the other stuff later. Save the stories!

In your book you state….”The voters would get their change, but mostly the faces would stay the same.” Why is that?

The rash of partisan party-switching that took place in Georgia after my last political race (and first defeat).

Do you have another profession besides writing?

I am a full-time criminal defense lawyer, thanks to the second act that Alvin Ridley gave me, and for 28 years I have been a part-time juvenile court judge.

How long have you been writing?

I have been writing down experiences and stories all of my adult life. Social media allowed me to share vignettes and short tales, all true stories.

Do you ever get writer’s block? What helps you overcome it?

Maya Angelou once said “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” Until recently, I understood this agony. She was speaking to me.

What is your next project?

I have been blessed with many interesting legal cases, but I am also drawn to trying my hand at fiction – perhaps based on true stories.

What genre do you write and why?

Nonfiction. The story I had to tell is a true story.

What is the last great book you’ve read?

I recently reread The Water is Wide by Pat Conroy

What is a favorite compliment you have received on your writing?

Someone I know told me that they could hear my voice in the writing of my book.

If your book were made into a movie, who would star in the leading roles?

I refuse to jinx it, but the Alvin Ridley role is Oscar bait!

If your book were made into a movie, what songs would be on the soundtrack?

I would love classic 1980s Athens, Georgia music, to wit: Pylon, B52s, R.E.M.

What were the biggest rewards and challenges with writing your book?

I was frustrated in the telling of the story in other ways over the years.

In one sentence, what was the road to publishing like?

For years like the tortoise, then at once like the hare!

What is one piece of advice you would give to an aspiring author?

Keep at it.

Which authors inspired you to write?

Grisham, Turow, King

What is something you had to cut from your book that you wish you could have kept?

My first draft was 177,000 words. Obviously, lots had to go. But I think it came out about right.

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Book Synopsis

Was this small-town TV repair man “a harmless eccentric or a bizarre killer” (Atlanta Journal Constitution). For the first time, Alvin Ridley’s own defense attorney reveals the inside story of his case and trial in an extraordinary tale of friendship and an idealistic young attorney’s quest to clear his client’s name—and, in the process, rebuild his own life.

In October 1997, the town of Ringgold in northwest Georgia was shaken by reports of a murder in its midst. A dead woman was found in Alvin Ridley’s house—and even more shockingly, she was the wife no one knew he had.

McCracken Poston had been a state representative before he lost his bid for U.S. Congress and returned to his law career. Alvin Ridley was a local character who once sold and serviced Zenith televisions. Though reclusive and an outsider, the “Zenith Man,” as Poston knew him, hardly seemed capable of murder.

Alvin was a difficult client, storing evidence in a cockroach-infested suitcase, unwilling to reveal key facts to his defender. Gradually, Poston pieced together the full story behind Virginia and Alvin’s curious marriage and her cause of death—which was completely overlooked by law enforcement. Calling on medical experts, testimony from Alvin himself, and a wealth of surprising evidence gleaned from Alvin’s junk-strewn house, Poston presented a groundbreaking defense that allowed Alvin to return to his peculiar lifestyle, a free man.

Years after his trial, Alvin was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, a revelation that sheds light on much of his lifelong personal battle—and shows how easily those who don’t fit societal norms can be castigated and misunderstood. Part true crime, part courtroom drama, and full of local color, Zenith Man is also the moving story of an unexpected friendship between two very different men that changed—and perhaps saved—the lives of both.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/157995299-zenith-man?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=AH1gVat6bE&rank=2

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

ZENITH MAN: Death, Love, and Redemption in a Georgia Courtroom by McCracken Poston, Jr. is a captivating debut true crime/court room novel told by the small-town Southern attorney of a man accused of murdering his wife no one knew he had. This is the first time I have heard of this case. Court room dramas can sometimes be very boring or dry, but this case is fascinating, and I could not put the book down.

Alvin Ridley had been considered “different” his entire life in Ringgold, Georgia. One day in October 1997 Alvin called 911 to report the death of his wife. No one knew he was married or that anyone was even living with him. Alvin tried to tell the authorities he found his wife dead in her bed with her face in her pillow after an epileptic seizure, but the coroner believes it is a murder, and he is arrested.

McCracken Poston, Jr. returned to his law career after a failed Congressional election and failed marriage. Alvin was known to Poston as a local character who used to sell and repair Zenith televisions. Alvin asks Poston to represent him after his arrest and he agrees because he just cannot believe Alvin is capable of murder.

Alvin is a difficult client, but Poston learns how to bargain and deal with his idiosyncrasies. As evidence is disclosed, Alvin and his wife’s lives are examined, and Poston spends more time with Alvin, he is determined to prove Alvin innocent.

This is a story that pulled me in from start to finish. Mr. Poston’s storytelling brought Alvin to life on the printed page. He is honest about his personal failings and his misunderstanding of Alvin, who was years later diagnosed to be on the Autism spectrum, even as he grows to care about his client personally. As the story progressed, I felt more and more compassion and empathy for Alvin. His care of his mother before she died, his love of his wife, his care of his cats, and his love and pride in his TV repair shop all showed how he tried to always do what was right, but because of his paranoia and autism, many others in his small-town ostracized him. What we do not understand, we fear. His chosen inscription on his tombstone made me cry. With Alvin not being diagnosed at the time of his trial, you wonder how many other “different” people have been wrongly accused and imprisoned over the years.

I highly recommend this debut true crime novel with a defendant I will not soon forget.

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Excerpt

Prologue

October 4, 1997

Emerging from his late parents’ run-down house on Inman Street, itself for years the target of local innuendo, Alvin Ridley, failed television repairman and the town bogeyman, abruptly turns to lock the door. Glancing around to see if his perceived tormentors are watching him, he pulls open the formidable homemade gate and then slowly drives a thirty-two-year-old Chevrolet pickup truck through it. Then he jumps back out and quickly closes and locks the gate with chains and a padlock.

Two-tenths of a mile down Evitt Street, he carefully drives the 25 mph speed limit right past the local volunteer fire department, visibly staffed with an ambulance and professional EMTs always on the ready, and turns south on U.S. Highway 41, away from town. Thinking better of it less than half a mile later, he pulls into the roadside monument for the 1863 Battle of Ringgold Gap and turns around.

Continuing to drive slowly, as if it were a usual lazy Saturday morning, he pulls into the ShopRite parking lot and tries the pay phone on the exterior wall. Unsuccessful with this attempt, he gets back into the truck and drives through two parking lots to a pay phone located along LaFayette Street, behind the Catoosa County Courthouse Annex and Jail. He puts coins in the phone and calls, if you believe the later speculation, a funeral home to retrieve a dead body from his house. He most certainly calls Erlanger Hospital in downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee, but is instructed that this is a matter for the Catoosa County authorities.

Reluctantly he dials 911. The Catoosa County 911 office is just across the street. The operators could look out the single window facing LaFayette Street and see the stooped figure making the call.

“Catoosa 911. Where is your emergency?”

A pause, and then he answers flatly, giving his home address.

“What’s the problem?”

Again, lacking emotion, he says, “I think my wife’s passed out.”

The operator confirmed the address.

“Yeah.”

“Is she breathing?”

“I don’t think so—it’s behind the steel plant there.” He adds matter-of-factly, “I’m calling from a pay phone booth.”

“You don’t have a phone at your house?”

“There’s no phone there.”

This is the portion of the 911 call, in the detached voice of the caller, that is instantly spread around the world upon the revelation that a dead body was found in the ramshackle house on Inman Street. The immediate problem for investigators is, who was this soul? Certainly not the alleged spouse of the infamously solitary Alvin Ridley. Ridley said it was his wife, but can produce no identification for her. The body of the woman he calls his wife—Virginia—is declared dead by the coroner Vanita Hullander, who plans to take it to the hospital across the county in Fort Oglethorpe, and the next morning,deliver it to the state crime lab in Atlanta.

The portions of the 911 call not shared with the public or played on the news stations were the parts where the caller shared that his wife was, in his words, “epi-letic”, or that he ended the call with a request: “Please hurry.”

Later that morning, five miles to the south, an extremely hungover failed politician, failed husband, and marginally failing lawyer, rises. Too down and broken to even drive to Athens to see his beloved University of Georgia Bulldogs play, and seeking something for his blinding headache, he drives slowly into town.

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Author Bio

McCracken King Poston Jr, is a criminal defense attorney and former state legislator in the Georgia House of Representatives. He gained national attention for his handling of several notable cases that were featured on CNN Presents, Dateline NBC, A&E’s American Justice and Forensic Files.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.mccrackenpostonjr.com/

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

Twitter: https://x.com/RealZenithMan

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mccrackenpostonjr/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mccracken_poston_jr

Purchase Links

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3MR4iaL

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/157995299-zenith-man