Q&A: Greg Messel, author of 'Fog City Strangler'

Greg Messel grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and now lives in Edmonds, Washington on the Puget Sound with his wife, Carol.  Fog City Strangler is his seventh novel and is the fourth in a new series of Sam Slater mystery novels. Greg has lived in Oregon, Washington, California, Wyoming and Utah and has always loved writing, including stints as a reporter, columnist and news editor for a daily newspaper.

Follow news about Messel’s writings and books at www.gregmessel.com.

Thanks for coming to the book club today, Greg!  Before we begin the interview, I have to ask.  Who made that beautiful cover?

Greg:I'm very proud of the covers of my books and "Fog City Strangler" is one of the best. My publisher has a team of designers and I am always excited to see what they will come up with. I'm never disappointed. I've been in book stores, book fairs and book signings from Costco to the Los Angeles Festival of Books. I believe the cover is the first reason someone picks up your book. You have just seconds to get someone's attention and a good cover really does it.

How did you get into the mystery/romance genre and what is it you like about it the most?

Greg: It's the genre I most like to read. I always wanted to write a mystery but was not sure I could do it.  I also wanted to write a series. Thankfully, one day when I was walking around San Francisco, Sam Slater and Amelia Ryan were born in my imagination. I also love the 1950s. Very interesting time and it's a different planet than where we now live. I have some memories of San Francisco in the 1950s and I have built on those. I love San Francisco in all decades but I think it's a wonderful canvas for my stories.

A mystery evolves as you write it. "Fog City Strangler" definitely changed as I wrote it. I'm very happy with the story and plot but it's very different from what I first imagined.  That's the fun of writing a mystery. You have to create a mystery and solve it yourself before you start writing. Then you slowly reveal it in an interesting and hopefully suspenseful way to the reader. 

Who is your main character and would you like to tell us more about him/her?

Greg: I really like Sam Slater. I've been asked in interviews how much of Sam is really me. Sam is tall, handsome, athletic, irresistible to women, brave, tough--it's practically autobiographical!  Just kidding. I wish. Sam is a really good person who tries to help people but is very capable of handling himself when the bad guys threaten him and especially when the love of his life--Amelia--is in peril. And that's fairly often. Sam is a good guy to go have a beer with or accompany to a football game. He does both things in "Fog City Strangler."

What about secondary characters?  Would you like to introduce them?

Greg: Amelia Ryan, who in the third book became Amelia Slater, is hardly a secondary character. In many ways she's the main character in "Fog City Strangler." Amelia is feisty, very curious and funny. There are two parts to Amelia. She's the beautiful TWA stewardess who lives an exciting life. Airline stewardesses were very glamorous figures in the 1950s. They were also the victims of discrimination and harassment as objects of desire for the affluent mostly male passengers on airliners. Amelia lives in this world but when she is on the ground in San Francisco, she morphs into a hard nosed private eye herself, who will stop at nothing to get at the truth. Amelia is very brave and gets herself in some real jams in "Fog City Strangler."

Every book of fiction has a pivotal point for the reader that they can’t forget.  What do you think is one of the pivotal points in your book?

Greg: Amelia Ryan becomes part of a nationwide advertising campaign for TWA and her face is suddenly on billboards all over San Francisco. The timing is bad considering that the Fog City Strangler is stalking young blonde women. At the end of Chapter 9, Sam Slater begins to realize that the billboards may cause a problem. Here is that excerpt: 

Sam stared off into space contemplating the meaning of the tumultuous day when Amelia became a public figure. 

Things would never really be the same after today. Amelia and Sam had crossed the Rubicon. Her face was all over the city and even on Times Square in New York. 

Now everyone would know Amelia. She was out there for public consumption like Prell Shampoo or Pepsi-Cola. Tonight all over San Francisco, men were gazing up at billboards looking at Amelia's smiling face. 

One of those men was undoubtedly the Fog City Strangler. 

Is there anything else you’d like to tell your readers?

Greg: Even though "Fog City Strangler" is part of a series, it is a stand alone novel. I hope readers will give the whole series a try. Keep up on the latest news about my books at www.gregmessel.com

Interview with Annu Subramanian, author of 'Another Heaven' & Giveaway!

Annu Subramanian is the director of the Writing Center at Brown School, Schenectady, New York. She co-founded Albany Women Connection, a support group in Albany, New York. She was chosen as one of four national finalists by the Norman Mailer Center and National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) in 2011 for her short story, SO FAIR AND VERY LOVELY. She was chosen as Educator of Excellence in 2011 by the New York State English Council.

Her latest book is the factu-fiction, Another Heaven.

Visit her website at www.annusubramanian.com.

About the Book:

Annu Subramanian's new novel, ANOTHER HEAVEN, exposes with unflinching honesty and deep psychological insight the twisted relationship between terrorism and human trafficking. ANOTHER HEAVEN may be difficult to digest in part, but its frankness and refusal to turn away from the unsparing horror of its terrible premise make the book an essential addition to the literature of terrorism and its links to international human trafficking.

Subramanian, a self-described “writer of conscience,” employs her considerable literary skills in the service of shining a bright light on human rights abuses and terrorism. In her previous novel, WAITING FOR THE PERFECT DAWN, Subramanian focused on bringing awareness about the suppression of women and domestic violence.

Purchase your copy:

AMAZON

It’s a pleasure to have you at the book club, Annu!  You describe your book, Another Heaven, as a factu-fiction.  Can you explain to us what that is and how it applies to your book?

Annu:  ANOTHER HEAVEN is fiction that is based on current events of terrorism and human trafficking. I chose to address these global issues through fiction instead of presenting facts through non-fiction—by using life-like characters and day-to-day episodes—to help my readers relate better to human trafficking and terrorism. While teaching a high school course titled Eastern Literature, my research invariably led to two global issues; human trafficking and terrorism. Compelled by the more recent events involving acts of terrorism, I decided to write this research-based novel. An incident that occurred close to my home in India, an explosion that was triggered at the end of a dispute between two religious groups, cemented the purpose in my mind to expose the atrocities associated with human trafficking and terrorism, and I began to write the first chapter of ANOTHER HEAVEN. This is a story I had to tell.

Even though this book is fiction, it focuses on human trafficking where thousands of children, women and men fall into the hands of controlling and manipulative people who exploit them in ways that are incomprehensible.  You wrote your book to bring everything to light. What kind of research did you do in order to write this?

Annu: I read news articles, journal abstracts, books on psychological manipulation, and spoke to professionals and listened to talks. My research showed me how human trafficking operates as an organized criminal activity. It is a horrific violation of human rights where thousands of children, women, and men fall into the hands of traffickers, either in their own countries or somewhere abroad. The victims are controlled, terrorized, exploited, and forced into prostitution and indentured labor. ANOTHER HEAVEN, my novel, sheds light on a different reason for human trafficking; how the victims are manipulated and shaped into missionaries of terrorism. My novel focuses on three elements: human rights abuse, extreme religious beliefs, and psychological deception of terrorism, and the three elements feed each other.

Can you give us a brief description of the main characters in your book?

Annu: Main character: Tina Matthew- an American doctoral student in the field of psychology from Pennsylvania. She goes to India for an internship in counter-terrorism, and her visit changes her life forever.

Main/Supporting characters: 

Dr. Neil Shaker - An American psychoanalyst who is on a temporary assignment in Chennai, India (Tina’s mentor). In some ways, he becomes Tina’s ally.  
Usman- antagonist (a master terrorist who recruits and trains missionaries for terrorism-some of the missions are terminal). His single-minded goal of attaining salvation and reaching heaven at any cost, even at the loss of several lives, is the reason for the title of the novel.  

Maya- the key victim of human trafficking. Her horrific and tragic experiences change the course of the novel. While completing her thesis in India, Tina unknowingly is thrown into a terrorist’s plot based on religious fanaticism. With the help of her mentor, Dr. Shaker, she learns how Usman executes his crazed religious righteousness through psychological manipulation of trafficked victims. After encountering real-life trauma faced by the victims, Tina’s resolution to address terrorism turns into a passion and becomes her calling.

In your native land of India, was human trafficking more or less a problem than in the U.S.?  Can you give us an example of what you saw in India?

Annu: I see (through news articles and my conversations with like-minded individuals) that human trafficking is a growing problem, not only in India but everywhere. It has become a global issue.

http://www.prajwalaindia.com/

http://apneaap.org/

Many incidents occur in the USA which are consequences of human trafficking. Here is the link to an incident that occurred in the suburb of Albany, NY. Young women are unwittingly drawn into horrific situations, and it is very hard for them to get back to normal lives.

http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2014/feb/04/0203_pros/

When ANOTHER HEAVEN was launched in Albany, New York, during a panel discussion on human rights, I dedicated the event’s proceeds to Aapne Aap, a grassroots movement in India that is struggling to end sex trafficking. In fact, my novel is dedicated to victims of human trafficking, and the proceeds benefit organizations helping victims of human trafficking.

What can we do as citizens to help in the fight to stop human trafficking or is that the million dollar question?

Annu: We have to approach human trafficking as a universal concern. It is an organized criminal activity, a billion-dollar industry ( http://www.prajwalaindia.com/).

It is very hard to break through the many-layered organizations which thrive on human trafficking. Nevertheless, we must work as a community to address this epidemic. We can discuss this issue regularly through news media, magazine articles, and videos. I welcome opportunities to talk about human trafficking at local libraries and support groups to raise awareness about this global issue.

What have been some of the responses from those who have read your book?

Annu: The readers are shocked but glad to see that a book is available that covers two global issues, human trafficking and terrorism, under one project.

Here are some of their comments:

“The basic message of the novel seems to me to be one of hope.”

“Another Heaven by Annu Subramanian is a vital book for our time.”

“...a fascinating story with a suspenseful plot and rich with characters you care about and root for until the end.”

“I was hooked to the novel right from the prologue!”

“Another Heaven is a dauntless effort to protect mankind from the snares of the universally abhorred demon called Terrorism.”

“The book adds to our communal knowledge about why terrorism takes hold and perpetuates in our world.”

“This novel exposes the readers to the psychology behind terrorism.”

“A story that will remain in your mind forever!”

“This book is soaked with emotion and wrenches your heart strings.”

What would say was one of the most pivotal parts of your book?

Annu: This is the scene where the key victim of human trafficking is going through the last stages of brainwashing while she is being prepared by her ‘Master’ (the primary member of the terrorist organization) for a terminal mission:

 

“I’m all you have, Maya,” Usman whispered softly, intoxicatingly, gently pulling the sheet to reveal her bare body. He opened a tube of ointment and methodically applied the balm on her gaping wounds. He covered her body with the sheet again and rested his hand on her shoulder. “I’m all you have, Maya. Your father sold you. Your fiancé abandoned you. Your society discarded you. You’ve nothing to live for. Will you do anything I ask you to do? Will you promise me to do anything I ask you to do?”

“Yes.” Maya’s breathing became strenuous while the drug raced through her veins. “I promise. I promise to do anything you ask me,” assured Maya, again and again, and drifted into a dream-filled sleep. As she started to run, Gods, demons, men, and women began to chase her, pushing her towards the bottom of a bottomless ocean.There was no way out. Her father sold her. Her love abandoned her. Her society discarded her. Yes, she would destroy the world.

In this scene, Dr. Shaker (a psychoanalyst) and Tina Matthew (the doctoral student who is working on her research in counter-terrorism) are questioning Usman, the terrorist, in his prison cell. After several interviews over a few weeks, the prisoner’s unbending conviction that he would go to heaven, despite the atrocious crimes he has committed, shows how far he has himself been brainwashed during the course of his career.

“You can call me anything you want, but my means have no end. They’ll never have an end.”

“Why?” asked Shaker, disconcerted by Usman’s cool, collected tone. 
 

“The end of all means is the beginning.”

“What do you mean by that?” Tina asked boldly. All the maddening emotions she had suffered in the past converged and made her heart miserably heavy.

“That means, Miss Matthew, I might go now, not exist anymore, but my mission will never end. So you see, there is really no death for me. My mission is my life, my every breath, my heart and soul. And when I stop existing in your world, my heaven will accept me with open arms. My end will result in a new beginning. My mission will thrive in another hand.”

Is there anything else you’d like tell your readers or the public in general?

Annu: Human trafficking is not an isolated incident that is happening in a remote part of our world. It is a rising universal issue that is affecting our global community. I have tried to use ANOTHER HEAVEN as a bold campaign against human trafficking and terrorism. I hope my novel reaches my readers as a movement against human rights abuse.

Enter to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card & one of four copies of her book!

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PUYB Virtual Book Club: Q&A with Historical Fiction Author Freddie Owens

A poet and fiction writer, my work has been published in Poet Lore, Crystal Clear and Cloudy, and Flying Colors Anthology. I am a past attendee of Pikes Peak Writer’s Conferences and the Association of Writers and Writing Programs, and a member of Lighthouse Writer’s Workshop in Denver, Colorado. In addition, I am/was a licensed professional counselor and psychotherapist, who for many years counseled perpetrators of domestic violence and sex offenders, and provided psychotherapy for individuals, groups and families. I hold a master’s degree in contemplative psychotherapy from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado.

I was born in Kentucky but soon after my parents moved to Detroit. Detroit was where I grew up. As a kid I visited relatives in Kentucky, once for a six-week period, which included a stay with my grandparents. In the novel’s acknowledgements I did assert the usual disclaimers having to do with the fact that Then Like The Blind Man was and is a work of fiction, i.e., a made up story whose characters and situations are fictional in nature (and used fictionally) no matter how reminiscent of characters and situations in real life. That’s a matter for legal departments, however, and has little to do with subterranean processes giving kaleidoscopic-like rise to hints and semblances from memory’s storehouse, some of which I selected and disguised for fiction. That is to say, yes, certain aspects of my history did manifest knowingly at times, at times spontaneously and distantly, as ghostly north-south structures, as composite personae, as moles and stains and tears and glistening rain and dark bottles of beer, rooms of cigarette smoke, hay lofts and pigs. Here’s a quote from the acknowledgements that may serve to illustrate this point.

“Two memories served as starting points for a short story I wrote that eventually became this novel. One was of my Kentucky grandmother as she emerged from a shed with a white chicken held upside down in one of her strong bony hands. I, a boy of nine and a “city slicker” from Detroit, looked on in wonderment and horror as she summarily wrung the poor creature’s neck. It ran about the yard frantically, yes incredibly, as if trying to locate something it had misplaced as if the known world could be set right again, recreated, if only that one thing was found. And then of course it died. The second memory was of lantern light reflected off stones that lay on either side of a path to a storm cellar me and my grandparents were headed for one stormy night beneath a tornado’s approaching din. There was wonderment there too, along with a vast and looming sense of impending doom.”
I read the usual assigned stuff growing up, short stories by Poe, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, The Scarlet Letter, The Cherry Orchard, Hedda Gabler, a little of Hemingway, etc. I also read a lot of Super Hero comic books (also Archie and Dennis the Menace) and Mad Magazine was a favorite too. I was also in love with my beautiful third grade teacher and to impress her pretended to read Gulliver’s Travels for which I received many delicious hugs.

It wasn’t until much later that I read Huckleberry Finn. I did read To Kill A Mockingbird too. I read Bastard Out of Carolina and The Secret Life of Bees. I saw the stage play of Hamlet and read The Story of Edgar Sawtelle too. However, thematic similarities to these works occurred to me only after I was already well into the writing of Then Like The Blind Man. Cormac McCarthy, Pete Dexter, Carson McCullers, Raymond Carver, Flannery O’Conner and Joyce Carol Oates, to name but a few, are among my literary heroes and heroines. Tone and style of these writers have influenced me in ways I’d be hard pressed to name, though I think the discerning reader might feel such influences as I make one word follow another and attempt to “stab the heart with…force” (a la Isaac Babel) by placing my periods (hopefully, sometimes desperately) ‘… just at the right place’.

Freddie Owens’ latest book is Then Like the Blind Man: Orbie’s Story.

Visit his website at www.FreddieOwens.com.

Thanks for coming to the book club, Freddie!  It's great to have you with us.  I love coming of age books especially the kind you have written.  Can we start out by having you tell us where you got the idea for Then Like the Blind Man?

Freddie: Well, two memories served as starting points for a short story I wrote that eventually became the novel, Then Like the Blind Man / Orbie's Story. One was of my Kentucky grandmother as she emerged from a shed with a white chicken held upside down in one of her strong bony hands. I, a boy of nine and a "city slicker" from Detroit, looked on in wonderment and horror as she summarily wrung the poor creature's neck. I watched as it ran about the yard frantically, yes incredibly, as if trying to locate something it had misplaced as if the known world could be set aright, recreated, if only that one thing could be found. And then of course it died. The second memory was of lantern light reflected off stones that lay on either side of a path to a storm cellar me and my grandparents were headed for one stormy night beneath a tornado's approaching din. There was wonderment there too, along with a vast and looming sense of impending doom.

I especially love Orbie.  Can you tell everyone a little about him?

Freddie Owens: A funny thing happened on the way to the completion of my first novel. On a daily basis I found myself entering or trying to enter the skin of a nine-year-old boy, trying to see the world of the novel entirely from his point of view. I suppose I should thank the 'Novel Muse' for giving me such an opportunity. I mean it was fascinating. And your question gets to the heart of this one thing I was trying to do, i.e., show how dependent the world is on one's point of view and how one's point of view in turn is dependent on the world. I mean Blind Man is told from Orbie's point of view, right? The reader sees Victor through Orbie's eyes. Victor therefore is a function of how Orbie sees him, and how Orbie sees Victor is in turn a function of Victor's influence. He deceives and threatens Orbie's point of view, challenges it, at times violently, but in the end Orbie's view prevails, though profoundly transformed - as does his world.

Now, Victor Denalsky is not your typical villain. He is extremely complex, confusedly so, yet he seems somewhat cardboard-like in the beginning, almost stereotypical (intentionally so). I think this is because Orbie's viewpoint is still rudimentary; he sees things in black and white nine-year-old terms, a parallel I suppose to the racist attitudes he displays early on. Victor is seen by Orbie to have some good qualities, he's a war hero, he's been in battles, he's very good looking and has what seems to be a very friendly relationship with Orbie's father, Jessie, and his mother, Ruby. An ominous quality enters all this however after Orbie's father is killed in an accident at the steel mill and Victor moves in on his family and vulnerable mother, bringing with him the smell of toilet shit and beer and dead cigars.

Victor becomes the bad guy; the hated stepfather in Orbie's eyes and everything enters hell from there on in until Orbie's sensibilities are awakened in Kentucky. He has certain experiences there with his maverick grandparents, with the black community of Pentecostal snake handlers and with the Choctaw shaman, Moses Mashbone. He finds he can’t maintain his prejudices in an environment of humor and vibrant fellow feeling. Even his tightly nursed hatred of Victor begins to unravel. As his world (in spite of everything) becomes sweeter, happier, it becomes also more and more perplexing, posing questions worthy perhaps only of the nine-year-old wunderkind, paradoxical questions like, "How can you save what you want to destroy?" As Victor becomes increasingly monstrous, increasingly alcoholic, increasingly violent, we see also that he becomes oddly repentant, has himself been spiritually wounded, becoming worthy of a deep though uninvited sympathy. This all takes place in Orbie's point of view, of course, which in turn is subject to the influence of the world of Kentucky and Harlan's Crossroads, which again is subject to Orbie's point of view. Like I said, fascinating.

Kentucky is one of my favorite states - love the back country.  Can you tell us if you had to go there for research, have you been there before and why did you choose Kentucky as your setting?

Freddie: Actually, I was born in Kentucky but grew up around Detroit. I would sometimes spend a week or two, once I spent six weeks, in Kentucky, staying with cousins or with my grandparents. And yes, it was an entirely different world for me, providing some of the best and worst times of my growing up years. I had a great time on a dairy farm with several of my cousins, milking cows, hoeing tobacco, running over the hills and up and down a creek that surrounded the big farm. I remember too, periods of abject boredom, sitting around my grandparent's place with nothing to do but wander about the red clay yard or kill flies on my grandmother's screened in back porch. Some of this did come out in the novel – in that character you love, Orbie.

What is the most favorable thing people have said about your book?

Freddie: Well, Kirkus Review gave the book their highest rating. They gave it a starred review, which is how they designate a book of exceptional merit. It got great reviews also from Publisher's Weekly, The San Francisco Book Review, Midwest Book Review, ForeWord First and several others.

The most favorable thing came not from any of these big reviewers however; but from a reader who wrote to say how she was so saddened when the book came to an end because she wouldn't get to hang out with the book's characters any longer. She said she hoped I'd be writing more about these characters in the future, that I'd find a way to continue the story. Which, of course, was very gratifying to hear.

How neat that this is your debut book.  Do you have more books on the horizon?

Freddie: Well, I'm currently thinking of doing a screenplay for Then Like The Blind Man. I've actually started the work, which is a challenge since I know nothing about screenplay writing – but I'm learning. I'm reading and I'm learning. I also have begun jotting a few ideas down for a sequel and hope someday to be able to say to the lady saddened by my book's having come to an end, Hey gal, look here! There's more!

Is there anything you'd like to say to your readers and fans?

Freddie: Writing – especially great writing – is the mind's gift to itself.  Reading is the mind's way of opening the gift. If in it one finds emptiness filled to the brim, then I say, so much the better, dear reader. Read on.

Interview with Kevin Bohacz, author of techno-thriller 'Immortality'

I am Kevin Bohacz the bestselling novelist of Immortality and a lucid dreamer… Welcome to my dreams. I am also a writer for national computer magazines, founder and president of two high technology corporations, a scientist and engineer for over 35 years, and the inventor of an advanced electric car system – the ESE Engine System (circa 1978). I was also a short order cook for I-Hop, flipped burgers at McDonalds, and delivered Chicken Delight. All of those careers and more are behind me now that I am a full time storyteller, a catcher of dreams. Thank you for reading my stories and making this all possible.

His latest books are Immortality and Ghost of the Gods.

Visit Kevin’s website at www.kbohacz.com.

Thanks for coming to the book club, Kevin! I absolutely love thrillers. Why did you decide to write that genre?

Kevin: I love hard science fiction and I love thrillers but more than anything I love the type of hard science fiction that is theoretically possible and set in

present day, which is pretty close to the definition of one kind of techno-thriller. This is the brand of techno-thriller that I write. I often get compared to Michael Crichton since he is arguably the inventor of this type of techno-thriller. I actually bend the techno-thriller genre a bit to my own liking. Thrillers typically are supposed to be action and suspense first and foremost but I take the time to do enough character development to create fully realized three dimensional people. My characters are not perfect. They are flawed like all real people. For me the stories are all about the characters. If the characters are not 100% real and true to whomever they may be then the story stumbles. If a reader has strong emotions for the characters whether it is hate or love then the story soars.

The other thing I enjoy about my slightly bent genre is that I make everything scientifically possible. Making everything possible leads to greater levels of suspension of disbelief in the reader. I feel this makes the stories more compelling. When I am reading a story nothing can cause me to stumble quicker then reading something portrayed as fact that I know is not possible. Whether it’s something simple like a real street described incorrectly or a technical device that is highly unlikely, it all equals the collapse of my suspension of disbelief. The same is true for the characters. I stumble reading a story if a smart character does something slightly foolish just to move the plot along or vice versa. So the bottom line is that I write the kinds of stories than I love to read and my slightly bent techno-thriller genre allows me to do this.

I love it that your theme in your first book, Immortality, revolves around evolution. Can you tell us more about this?
 
Kevin: Well actually Immortality is not my first published novel, Dream Dancers got that award back in 1993…

The epic tale of my bestseller Immortality and the sequel Ghost of the Gods has five different interwoven themes and is about many different things: physical immortality, love, the end of the world, and revenge… but as you’ve pointed out what is arguably the biggest underlying theme is the idea of self-directed human evolution and the notion that through this mechanism at some point in our history we will vanquish death from natural causes. This concept has been given many names but transhumanism is probably the most widely known.

Here is what one of the critics had to say about evolution in the two-part tale of Immortality: Publisher’s Weekly STARRED review: “Bohacz’s vision of a humanity that faces the need to evolve profoundly or face certain destruction is as timely as today’s news and as chilling a doomsday scenario as any ecological catastrophe can suggest...”

So how do we extend our lifespan to the point where death becomes the exception instead of the rule and save ourselves from destruction? I think we have been doing just that for our entire history as a species. It is what all self-aware life forms do. Once you know you are going to die, once you have taken that bite of the apple, there is no alternative other than to wage war on death. Survival is hardwired into our psyche.

As far back as we can trace our ancestry we've extended our lifespan by enhancing our bodies so that we could better protect ourselves from the environment and predators of both the two and four legged varieties. Unlike non-self-aware creatures that function heavily on instinct, we have been very busy using our analytical brains to alter our bodies. In the hundred generations of recorded history and millions of years before, we have been self-evolving by augmenting our bodies with technology. We started with stone tools then worked our way up to fire, then wheels, then suits of armor, then gunpowder, then the atom.

This self-directed evolution radically changed in the last century. Today life extension is coming through sweeping scientific breakthroughs. We are embedding electronics into our bodies, networking our thoughts, and engineering our genes. We have moved from physical prostheses to mental prostheses in the form of computers. Our self-evolution is accelerating at a breathtaking rate in lockstep with the geometric advancements in technology. It seems inevitable that we'll continue to enhance ourselves with machines, chemicals, and genetic manipulations. What will healthcare be like a hundred years from now? The environment? Love? Wars? No one knows if we're careening toward paradise or a nightmare, but I think nothing short of a global catastrophe will keep us from opening this particular Pandora's Box.

Can you give us a description of your characters in Immortality?

Kevin: Since the tale is epic there are a lot of pivotal characters so I will limit the descriptions to the very most important characters.

Mark Freedman: Professor Mark Freedman is in his late 40’s. He is a Nobel Prize winning research microbiologist and bioengineer. He is a full tenured professor at UCLA where he conducts advanced research into genetic engineering of bacteria. The university gives their Nobel Laureate everything he wants. A seemingly endless supply of federal and private grants provides even more. He has achieved his dreams, but paid a price. He is divorced from a wife that still loves him. He is an absentee father from a daughter he adores. He is nearing fifty and counting all the mistakes he has made. A diabetic from childhood, he has started drinking and knows the damage it is causing. He lives in a million dollar condo in Venice Beach, California with one of his graduate students who is half his age. It was affairs with young women like this one that cost him his marriage.  A decade ago he was a pioneer in the field of micropaleontology. It was his discovery a bacterium named COBIC-3.7 that won him his Nobel Prize. COBOC is 3.7 billion years old and oldest known form of motile life on Earth. This bacterium is the first cousin to protoanimals and the very nexus of the great kingdoms of plant and animal. It is literally the origin of an evolutionary branch that would eventually lead to all animals, including humans and it is still swimming and living among us. With this glory ten years behind him, he is now hunting a new theory to win a second Nobel Prize. He is seeking to prove a connection between this ancient bacterium and the great extinction events from hundreds of millions of years ago. He believes COBIC is the canary in the coal mine that predicted those great extinctions.

Kathy Morrison: Doctor Kathy Morrison is in her late 30’s. She is a hugely respected doctor at the CDC in Atlanta. She has worked for the CDC since graduation from Harvard Medical. She began as an EIS field agent and for many years took some of the most dangerous assignments. She has seen firsthand the suffering and death wrought by the most terrible diseases on the planet. She is a workaholic who is only in her element when she is trying to solve medical mysteries. She is attractive but thinks she is not. During her college years, she dated a long procession of would be doctors and then married a surgeon. She is unlucky in love and still getting over a hurtful divorce. She has a bad knee from a skiing accident and sometimes needs a cane. She lives in a very desirable condo in the trendiest neighborhood of Atlanta, which she can barely afford on her government paycheck.

Sarah Mayfair: Sarah Mayfair is in her early 20’s. She is a newly minted Morristown, New Jersey police officer. She is going to college part-time working her way to a psych degree with a good though not perfect grade point average. She wants to get into federal law enforcement. A bit of a tomboy, she likes sports, camping, and even hunting.  She is an expert on the pistol range. She shoots all-pro at the situation contests and took third place last year in the state finals. She has emerald green eyes, dark blonde hair, and is extremely attractive. She is part Middle-Eastern, part English, part Indian, part Moroccan, part Italian and the list goes on. Her mixed-ethnicity is often mistaken by the eyes of the beholder: Italians think she is Italian, Middle-Easterners think she is Middle-Eastern, Indians think she is Indian, and Brits think she is British. In this way she is almost a chameleon. She had an emotional breakdown not long ago but has recovered for now. She lives with her boyfriend Kenny and a huge Rottweiler named Ralph who she adores.

Artie Hartman: Artie is in his late 20’s. He is an assistant D.A. for New York City. He is half Japanese and half English. Artie grew up in a very bad NYC neighborhood and joined a gang, the Dragons, the same year his parents were killed. He got into trouble and was sent to juvenile detention for possession of a firearm. He accidently killed a boy in a gang fight but was never arrested or under suspicion for the crime. When he was released from detention his record was expunged and he was later taken in by his uncle who became a second father to him. Guilt over all he did while he was running with his gang is something that plagues him in his adult life especially now that he is prosecuting teenagers and young men who were just like him.

General McKafferty: McKafferty is in his 50’s. He is a true patriot who believes in God, Honor, and Country. McKafferty is career Army, West Point, and commander of BARDCOM, which stands for Biological Armaments Research and Development Command. BARDCOM is a top secret command and in some ways the military’s analog to the CDC. Biological weapons are illegal by international treaty and BARDCOM only develops weapons in order to devise and test ways to counter them. McKafferty is a bull of a man and truly ugly in appearance. He knows he is menacing in appearance and uses the power it gives him. He likes the sideways glances and fear. His face is large and quarter moon shaped on profile. A pair of jug ears stick out rudely from below a peach fuzz of gray hair. His skin has a ruddy leather complexion from too much booze and fistfights in his younger years. He is a soldier who clawed his way up the commissioned ranks and earned every bit of success the hard way. He is greatly respected by his peers. He loves his wife and family. He is an idealist in that he sees his role as a warrior who has sworn an oath to protect and there is nothing he will not do to protect his country including breaking the law or disregarding orders.

Every book has that on the edge of your seat drama. What part of your book will have us glued to the pages?

Kevin: The short answer to your question is the drama builds from the first page and keeps on building to the very last word of the sequel. I think the point at which I consider the action becomes intense is around the 25% point into the first book Immortality. You do not have to take my word that Immortality and Ghost of the Gods will keep you glued to the pages and reading until the sun comes up. The critics agree about the drama or adrenaline rush. Here is just one example: Publisher’s Weekly STARRED review: “Bohacz provides mind-bending portrayals of factions vying for power and reflections on the essence and fragility of humanity. But philosophical concerns never obtrude on the fast-paced plot. The question of who can be trusted impels the reader to keep turning the pages of this highly satisfying and dynamic techno-thriller.”

Is there anything you’d like to tell your readers and fans?

Kevin: To all my readers, thank you for making my dream come true and to everyone else please take Immortality and Ghost of the Gods for a test drive! I promise it will be a wild and winding road that will keep you guessing until you reach the very last word on the very last page.

PUYB Virtual Book Club: Q&A with Gulten Dye, author of 'Semi-Coma'

Gulten Dye was born and raised in a small town in Turkey and moved with her family to Istanbul as a small child.  It was there that she earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing, and worked as a nurse at a local hospital before moving to the Philippines with her boyfriend.

After being there a little over a year, they got married and a short while after that moved to Shreveport, Louisiana where she immediately began her studies to be able to work as a Registered Nurse. While studying for her boards, she was allowed to work as a scrub technician in an operating room at a nearby surgery center. She passed her boards and worked in an operating room for many years before moving to Las Vegas, Nevada there she worked at a busy University Medical Trauma Center as a staff nurse for several years until she earned the position of Charge Nurse.

By 2001, she was divorced and living with her two young sons.  Her desire to make more money became her impetus to start her own business, which soon became her sole source of income as her success grew.  She has never looked back.

Gulten found her talent and passion in creating one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces and sold them to well-known people, such as Celine Dion, Rachel Ray and Mary Higgins Clark.  She became an international success when her work showed on Entertainment Tonight and Insider and was for sale in the high-end casinos in Las Vegas and on high-end cruise liners. She then created a jewelry line called Metamorphosis, a line of interchangeable jewelry that brought her even greater success.

Gulten is also an author and self- published her first book Semi Coma – Evolution of my Intermittent Consciousness in 2011, currently selling on all digital media as well as in hard copy.  Her second book “The Missing Link” is awaiting publication in 2013.

In 2013, she opened her new concept store where she not only sells her own designs, but includes many local artists of different medium, including a local authors section.  In turn for being able to sell their artwork in her store, all artists have agreed to teach others their medium for the future generation free thinkers.

Gulten lives and creates in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Visit her website at www.gultendye.com.

PUYB: Thanks for coming to the book club, Gulten.  What a pleasure it is to have you here.  What is the first step people should take to self-discover themselves?

Gulten: Self-discovery takes courage and total honesty on our part, and to be courageous takes self-acceptance.  Yet for one to truly accept who he or she is we have to know who we really are underneath of all those layers of what we thought to be true. Sadly for most of us, since we were never allowed to be our true self for the most part, we became this person we no longer recognize from when we first began our journey of self-discovery.  All we discover is layer after layer of our self that we have come to know.

To go back and undo all that training to become our true self can be a scary place and that’s where the courage comes in because most of us since early childhood have created this unrealistic perfect picture of our self, and to be anything less makes us feel as though we have failed. Along the way to self-discovery, we come upon things like shame, anger, worthlessness and many more negative emotions that we don't want to deal with.  So instead of owning them, we turn away because true self-discovery can become very difficult and painful for the majority of us.  For me, I believe that the first step anyone should take is to be courageous.

PUYB: Why does it feel sometimes that the road isn't always easy?  How can we make it easier or can we?

Gulten: The road isn't always easy but it’s not impossible. I think at times because we can’t see the end of the road we turn away thinking the task is impossible.  But if we learn to take one step at a time toward any of our goals, and keep going in the same direction and be willing and courageous to change direction when it becomes necessary, then everything not only becomes easy, but it also becomes possible. What we most struggle with is our perception of things, not the things themselves, and if our perception is negative so will be the outcome of any of our endeavors including self-discovery. So take one step at a time toward any goal, and soon you would find that the ending is nearer than you think.

PUYB: What will people take away from your book once they read it?

Gulten: Hopefully it would be that anyone of us are truly equipped to be ourselves and are entitled to feel safe, secure, loved and happy.

PUYB: Is there another book in you in the near future?

Gulten: There are two books I have completed and am about to self-publish.  The first one is called Let the Magic Unfold, about my business which I came to embrace after my nursing career. Although it’s about my jewelry-making and designing, and selling it through long-established businesses, like Costco, and the Bellagio Hotel and Casino, and high-end cruise liners like Crystal, and Reagent, and selling to celebrities like Celine Dion, and Rachael Ray, it’s also about overcoming many hurtles, such as bankruptcy, and self-doubt which made me stronger.  But, above all, it’s about my noticing how by living life from the point of finding the good in any situation and focusing on the positive side of everything, how it  helped me  become an establish business owner, more humble than ever before. It forcefully cracked open my heart to others and helped me discover that true triumph is never about the conventional success, but instead it is about the journey that it had me take.  I can easily say that through my jewelry creating, I found spirituality and my true connection to others.

The other one is a book of my poems which seem to flow out of me on an ongoing stream. I just wish I had more time to sit with myself to be able to write more of it. The poems are about life, love and light.

PUYB: Is there anything you'd like to tell your fans and readers?

Gulten: Yes, look out your window to this thing we call life and know that there are many wonders out there.  Go out and discover anything your heart desires and who knows? During your travels you may even come upon yourself, and if that happens, embrace your true self no matter what the first perception of yourself may be.

Interview with Emilia Rutigliano, author of 'Napoleon'

Emilia I. Rutigliano scored fiftieth percentile on her SATs… and on her LSATs… and on her BAR…Sigh…

But she nevertheless survived, and seems to be doing OK. She practices Law read lore) in Brooklyn, New York (read Nu Yawk). She was born in the former Soviet Union, and emigrated in 1979. She is happily married to the same crazy Italian she’s been with since college, who suffers from a severe addition to travel (still in acute form). Together they are doing a somewhat passable job with their three precious darlings (who are now teenagers, thus elaboration is not necessary).

Which is why Emilia writes about Veronica. Veronica, though… is interesting. And Emilia knows interesting.

So she weaved the tale about the interesting characters, places and events from her own life. It is remarkable how if you choose to view a subject objectively, it becomes downright artistically gorgeous. So Emilia views and shows Brooklyn Russians as gorgeous, and the Barese intricacies as gorgeous, and she even tolerates Paris, Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia for the reader’s interests.
Thank you, dear reader, for tolerating these scenes….

LAYERS OF VERONICA IS ON FACEBOOK…LIKE US.

Her first book in the Layers of Veronica series is Napoleon.

Visit Emilia Rutigliano’s website at www.layersofveronica.com.

Thanks for coming to the book club, Emilia!  You could say your Layers of Veronica series has more than genre and it’s hard to peg it into one hole. Can you tell us about that?

Emilia:  It is hard to put into a hole.  In fact, I got into a snafu because people kept trying to put it into the Erotica genre.  It isn't.  The closest fit would be Women's Contemporary.  The story is about a 35-year-old divorcee who doesn't have one designation in life.  She is (like very many of us) a mother, a daughter, a friend, and a career woman.  Each definition is important.  So although it is a romance (with many adult situations), it is also philosophical, allegorical and funny.  

So who would be your target audience?

 

Emilia:   Great question!  I thought it would be a NYC immigrant woman in her mid thirties.  I was wrong.  (So happy to be wrong!  :-).)  Veronica appeals to very many people around the world... of many age groups.  The only 'common' factor between the readers that I could find is the willingness to accept that the same lifestyle is not right for everyone... and that neither makes it wrong or repulsive.

Can you tell us about Veronica?

 

Emilia:  To quote one of my dear friends (a 36-year old man):  'Veronica is hell on heels'.  Veronica is fantastic. She is flawed, scarred and 'screwed up.'  And nevertheless, she is ambitious, goal oriented and never shirks a responsibility.  She takes care of her own.  She is loyal and devout to her friends and family.  She is the kind of friend that you want to have.  And her adventures are 100% plausible and real.

Do you see a little of yourself in her?

 

Emilia: LOL.  Uhm... let's go with yes.  Veronica has my biography up until I was 32, which means I know her quirks and screw-ups like no one else.  

This is a three book series but I hear there’s a fourth in the making.  Can you tell us about that?

Emilia:  It's a five-book series.  All five are written, and all will be out come March.  The fifth one is just getting some TLC at the copy editor's.  It is addictive, and people really do love the characters.

Is there anything you’d like to tell your readers?

 

Emilia: I LOVE it when people discover V for themselves and then write me to tell me they made a new friend, or that they can't wait for the next book.  It's an incredible feeling.  And I appreciate every one of my reader's comments.  THANK YOU ALL!!!! 

Interview with Gwen Knight, author of 'A Hunter's Passion'

www.gwenknight.ca,  facebook page https://www.facebook.com/GwenKnightx, or twitter https://twitter.com/GwenKnightx.

Canadian girl Gwen Knight first began to delve into the realm of the paranormal at the age of ten, when she wrote her first horror starring a clawed monster that hid beneath her bed. Since then, her tastes have expanded into many genres. Though addicted to reading and writing, she managed to achieve a degree in archaeology, geography, and mapping. Currently, she lives in the Great White North with her husband, two collies, and black cat. She loves meeting new people and you can visit her website at

Her latest book is the paranormal romance, A Hunter’s Passion.

Thanks for coming to the book club, Gwen!  I have to admit – I love paranormal romance.  What made you decide to write that genre?

Gwen: I’ve always loved the paranormal. Magic, danger, excitement…but add in a little romance, and this genre can take your breath away.

The big question of the day is how did you get a book deal with Harlequin?  Can you take us through the steps?

Gwen: The most important step is reading. You have to know what the publisher is interested in and what they're looking for. I did the appropriate research and found out what they were looking for in their novels. Afterward, it's a lot of polishing, and a lot of hoping.

In A Hunter’s Passion, there is a love interest.  Can you tell us about that?

Gwen: Sure! Jenna Sinclair and Ryker Bennett are the main characters and the love interest. These two have quite the romantic history with one another, but once Jenna learns of her paranormal heritage, she leaves him as a means of protecting not only herself but Ryker as well. Jenna’s and Ryker’s relationship was rather fun to write about. They are the epitome of forbidden love.

Wow, this book sounds hot.  How did you come up with the storyline?

Gwen: When I start plotting stories, it always begins as one particular scene—something about the main character that I envision to establish a feel for them. For A Hunter’s Passion, it began with the image of Ryker in bed, and his phone rings. When he checks the screen, he’s upset to see Jenna’s name scroll across it—his next target. That was all I had to go on. In the story, it doesn’t happen as such, but that little imaginary image started it all.

Every book has that on the edge of your seat drama.  What part of your book would have me glued to the pages?

Gwen: There are a couple scenes that come to mind. Without giving too much away, the final conflict had me on the edge of my seat. Not only is their drama, but a great deal of character development for Jenna. However, one other scene jumps out at me and that’s the moment when Ryker has to decide whether or not to kill Jenna. His internal struggle gets me every time.

Is there anything you’d like to tell your fans?

Gwen: Thank you so much for reading A Hunter’s Passion! I sincerely hope you enjoyed it. I’m hoping to expand on the universe by giving each of the brother’s their own stories. Hope to see you for the next one.

PUYB Virtual Book Club Q&A with 'The Black Song Inside' Carlyle Clark

Carlyle Clark is here at the book club today to talk about his new historical fiction/coming of age, The Black Song Inside!

Carlyle Clark was raised in Poway, a city just north of San Diego, but is now a proud Chicagolander working in the field of Corporate Security and writing crime and fantasy fiction. He has flailed ineffectually at performing the writer’s requisite myriad of random jobs: pizza deliverer, curb address painter, sweatshop laborer, day laborer, night laborer, security guard, campus police, Gallup pollster, medical courier, vehicle procurer, and signature-for-petitions-getter.

He is a married man with two cats and a dog. He is also a martial arts enthusiast and a CrossFit endurer who enjoys fishing, sports, movies, TV series with continuing storylines, and of course, reading. Most inconsequentially, he holds the unrecognized distinction of being one of the few people in the world who have been paid to watch concrete dry in the dark. Tragically, that is a true statement.

Visit his website at http://carlyleclark.wordpress.com/.

Thanks for joining us at the book club today, Carlyle!  THE BLACK SONG INSIDE is sooo incredible.  This book can be described as dark humor, can it not?  Why did you decide to write dark humor?

Carlyle: That's the funny thing. I didn't set out to write dark humor. It's just that my world view bleeds into the work. In general when I try to explain how I see things, people often burst into laughter and shake their heads, but they don't deny the "validity" of my point of view. It makes for a lot of awkward moments in real life, but for some really humorous things to read. The fact that people do find my work funny gave me the confidence to tackle dark subjects knowing the comic relief would give the reader a welcome break.

Can you tell everyone a little about the characters inside?  Were they based on your imagination or real life?

Carlyle: My characters are never based on real life people. I've tried that, thinking it would be a nifty shortcut to creating 3D characters, but I just can't pull it off. That said, though all of my characters are obviously influenced by my own life experiences, they are more influenced by characters in film or fiction where I thought, "Man that character would be great if you just changed X,Y, & Z about them." Of course, you then end up with a totally different character.

How hard was it for you to write THE BLACK SONG INSIDE?

Carlyle: Immensely difficult. It took multiple rewrites with major character additions and subtractions and a change from 1st person POV to 3rd person. The good part about that was I weeded out the clichés and focused on writing twists that were logical but surprised even me in hopes that would surprise the reader.

Did your own background have any influence on the writing of this book?

Carlyle: Yes, because the novel is set in my hometown of San Diego, and the setting played a major part. In San Diego, there are constantly positive and negative issues with the border right there and Tijuana on the other side. It's a very strange thing growing up in a land of plenty and then taking frequent trips just a few miles south into a place where it’s a struggle just to survive and you bribe the police on nearly every trip because that's just how things are done.

Without giving anything away, what would you say was the most pivotal point of the whole book?

Carlyle: That would have to be when The Priest does something so diabolical it means the heroes, Atticus and Rosemary, seem to have no way out but prison or the grave. Thrusting them into that crucible really exposes their character in a way that allows the reader to see what they're made of.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell your readers?

Carlyle: I would like to let them know that there is a free short story prequel to THE BLACK SONG INSIDE they can try called HE'S FASTER.