Author: Marissa DeCuir

Los Angeles, CA – Step into this spellbinding paranormal thriller as 40-something Jack Kelly travels into his 13-year-old self with the sudden ability to interact with the dead and battles demons. The first half of a duology, The Book of Souls (March 8, 2022, Books Fluent) is based on true events in Kevin Moore’s life and his ability to use lucid dreaming to speak with his passed loved ones. Foreword Clarion Review says, “An eerie tone permeates the entire story, with even mundane events feeling off-kilter. The whole cast seems to have multiple personas, all tinged with darkness.”

Jack Kelly remembers everything about his wife and children; the wonderful smell of his wife’s hair, the way she whispers to him at night, his three children running through the house, the sound of their laughter.

But that was his life before the accident. His near-death experience left him in the in-between space, somewhere between this world and whatever comes next.

When he awakens, he finds that he’s his thirteen-year-old self replacing his brother’s life-altering incident with his own and also with the ability to read people’s minds, recall their pasts, smell their feelings and fears, and see and hear dead people, demons, ghosts, and shadowy creatures. Thus begins Jack’s journey to help one soul cross over and, in result, resolves to find his way back to his true existence; with his family. The Book of Demons concludes the story and will be published on October 11, 2022.

“The Book of Souls”
Kevin Moore
March 8, 2022 | Books Fluent
Paperback | 978-1-953865-40-3 | $13.99
Ebook | 978-1-953865-41-0 | $6.99
Paranormal/Urban Fantasy/Horror

More about KEVIN MOORE

Kevin Moore is the author of “Christmas Stories 7 Original Short Stories”. He also had his first Children’s picture book released in May 2021. His play “Conversations From The Sports Arena” was performed at the HBO Theater in Hollywood.

“The Book of Souls” is his first novel. Based on a true event, Moore considers this a “self help book, which just happens to be a paranormal thriller. The sequel “The Book of Demons” will be released October 11, 2022.

Moore practices Lucid Dreaming and Bardo Dreaming which has helped him with his writing. He is a Yogi and an Advanced Reiki Practitioner — most importantly, he is Matthew and Madison’s father. You can find out more about Kevin at his website: ​​https://kevinmoorepublishing.com/

In an interview, Kevin can discuss:

• His connection with spirituality and reiki/yoga, and its incorporation into the story
• The practice of lucid dreaming
• How his upbringing in Manhattan, going to Catholic school, and living in tenement apartments helped shape young Jack
• How we handle fear and the “monsters/demons” we all have conquered
• The true events that inspired the novel
• The differences between religion and spirituality and how they both play a role in the novel
• The duality played within his characters
• How art plays into the story through one of the main characters

An Interview with Kevin Moore

1. Your book can fit into a few different genres (horror, paranormal, fantasy), but it also can fit into a spirituality genre. How do you feel this book is spiritual?

Well, first for me it is and should be in the spiritual genre – that is how I wrote it. I believe that we are all spiritual beings at our core. One of – if not the most important relationship is with God, a higher power, the Universe, our higher self, nature – however you define it. Even in science – there is the thought that we are all stardust. Jack’s relationship to his family, himself – the world around him is spiritual. It takes on supernatural elements – near death experience, ghost, demons, but they all represent something – something in him. Central to Jack is his love – his love of God and not necessarily the way he has been taught – that is religion to me – not spirituality. Jack faces his fears and allows the best part of himself – the light if you will – to help his friends, but also to try and free the indomitable ghost in apartment 3C at his own peril.

2. Have you ever had a supernatural experience? Do you believe in ghosts?

Yes and yes, I believe in God and have since I was a child and if I believe in God that in itself is supernatural. Don’t you think? The shadows in the story came to me in several dreams years ago – in the dream they kept trying to take my son. I felt it was a notice from the Holy Spirit or my deeper self that wanted to prepare me for something that was coming – something I needed to be fully present for, fully ready to fight or give to my son that would take all my energy and faith. A few weeks later my son got very sick and ended up in the ICU. He was in the hospital for 3 weeks and almost died. I stayed with him every night; my wife was with him every day. I had a nurse like the one in the book tell me the room we were in had a ghost in it! And not a friendly one! However, for me I felt the room had very good energy and it was the best sleep my son and I had the entire time we were in the hospital. I use all that in the book. I have had many unique experiences – including one with a tea pot after my sister died. As far as ghosts are concerned I see them more as the dust from a person’s energy that lingers longer than the body.

3. While Jack Kelly is the main character, Kasper Greenstreet is also an important character in the book. What inspired you to write Kasper?

Yes, I love Kasper! He really took on a life of his own. He was not supposed to be as large a character as he became. I wanted his back story as an artist to include his insecurity about his work and abilities, which is why he felt the need to use his blood to create magic. Any one who has ever started something creative, painting, music or written a word probably has those emotions; I’m having one with these two books! Also, as important or more important, he grew up in a time when being gay was considered a mental illness by the American Psychiatric Association and his mother hated him for it, so he is carrying quite a heavy load. Not to mention that he was abused as a child by the very people who are supposed to protect him. Kasper uses all of that to create this amazing, mystical art. I also love that Kasper and Jack for different reasons are outcasts at times for who they are.

4. What was the “true event” that inspired this novel?

The Shadows coming to me in a dream and my son ending up in ICU was just like Jack’s son, Stevie, in the book. Only you have to read the second book The Book Of Demons to see if Stevie and Jack’s family are like the doctors say – a dream, a false memory caused by his fall, or if they are home.

5. Aside from helping inspire this novel, how has lucid dreaming helped you?

There are many scenes, characters, and words in the book that came from lucid dreams and conversations in those dreams I had with people who are on the other side. One of Jack’s spiritual guides in the book uses words that came from a classmate from Epiphany School whom I had not seen in 40 years. He passed away several years ago, but he came to me in a dream several times – totally unexpected. One of the dreams he came to me in was at my high school reunion. I said to him “you are at the wrong school reunion – this is my high school reunion.” He said, “I know” and we had a deep conversation about the living and the dead and some of the nun’s guidance came from what he told me in the dreams. It also helps me in my life. I’ve also had lucid dreams where a deceased relative had a message for another family member, or a friend. But those are very delicate and I am very careful about passing on messages. There was a time when I got a message from the Holy Spirit “to be still” and I wasn’t sure exactly what that meant. I also had a lucid dream where I was the student and the teacher and was given a complete dream on how to do that and what that meant for me in my daily life.

6. There is a lot of play with dualities throughout the novel. Why was it important for you to discuss dualities not only within the characters, but also with Kasper’s artwork?

Yes, the artwork was so much fun – doing research on the art and then just letting the imagination run wild! I wanted the art to represent the complexities of life, opposing forces, love vs hate, up and down, spirituality, good vs evil. The only way to truly know ourselves is to put a light on our shadows. Kasper does that in his art. The way Kasper viewed the people he painted as two lights; one portrait is a reflection of how they present themselves to the world, the second was their shadow that Kasper could see. I think all of the characters have their own duality – especially spiritual duality. I wanted Jack and Kasper’s journey to tap into our own feelings on all that – on death, God, dreams, and love. I also think Jack and Kasper share a certain symmetry – he is alienated due to his sexuality, Jack is alienated due to his ability to see the dead. They are both either scorned or feared and sometimes both.

Marissa DeCuir

A former award-winning journalist with national exposure, Marissa now oversees the day-to-day operation of the Books Forward author branding and book marketing firm, along with our indie publishing support sister company Books Fluent.

Born and bred in Louisiana, currently living in New Orleans, she has lived and developed a strong base for our company and authors in Chicago and Nashville. Her journalism work has appeared in USA Today, National Geographic and other major publications. She is now interviewed by media on best practices for book marketing.

booksforward.com/about-us/marissa-decuir/

Non-linear, character driven story about resilience is perfect for Nicole Krauss fans

New York, NY – Both a family history and an exploration of the complications of women attempting to tell their stories, We are the Kings follows the book’s anchor, Marcella, as she grieves the death of her grandmother, unearths family secrets, and refuses to settle for a predictable life or a boring man.

A tribute to family history, We are the Kings (Bold Story Press, March 1, 2022) shows the difference in women’s struggles across three generations of women. While Marcella is sifting through her family’s conflicting and fading memories, she puts into words what no one else will say out loud, revealing not only what may or may not have happened, but what is truly at stake when a woman tells her story.

“​​He responded by shrugging back at me with the kind of male indifference that is indicative of someone who needs to be punched in the temple and not someone who’s complicated and interesting.”

The strength and resilience of women shines in this author’s debut novel. With themes of feminism, domestic space, and women’s invisibility, this story delivers headstrong, driven characters that carry readers through the bonds between women. It shows how women rely on each other through trauma, grief, joy, and the journey to find themselves from childhood to adulthood.

“We Are The Kings”
Ariane Torres | March 1, 2022 | Bold Story Press
Literary Fiction | 1954805136
Paperback | $16.95

“An intimate and remarkable family saga…The novel’s nuanced treatment of complex themes, including death, divorce, illness, sexism, racism, and even the supernatural, make this a very impressive debut, indeed.”
– Kirkus, starred review

More about Ariane Torres

Torres attended Mount Holyoke College, majoring in Russian Studies and English Literature. Her graduate work at the Corcoran College of Art & Design and Columbia University focused on prison architecture and aging in prison, respectively. Torres has worked in interior design and prison advocacy. She lives with her family in Somerville, MA. This is her first novel.

Follow Ariane around!
Facebook: @arianetorres
Instagram: @ariane__torres
Goodreads: @arianetorres
https://www.arianetorres.com/

In an interview, Ariane can discuss:

• The need to write about themes of feminism and domestic space
• The relationship between architecture and violence
• How women are made to feel invisible
• The research that went into writing a nonlinear, character driven novel
• The meaning behind the title, We are the Kings
• The complex history of a specific kind American female identity

An Interview with Ariane Torres

1. There is an interesting cross between architecture and violence. Can you explain the relationship between the two?

I have always loved architecture and interior design, which is, in many ways, central to my understanding of the world around me and the people who’s spaces I’m lucky enough to occupy. I’m fascinated by all of it–from the big stuff like furniture and color and fancy kitchens, to how people arrange their cleaning products or towels. The things we build and live with represent some of who we are, and much of it will remain after we’re gone.

Having studied architecture and design, and knowing just how much thought goes into even the tiniest design decisions, it’s pretty startling to wrap your head around the idea that the intention behind a lot of our built spaces is violent or punitive. Many sets of ideas go into building prisons, just as many sets of decisions were involved in the building of concentration camps (both of which feature in my book). Entire communities in our country at this moment have been designed to contain people, and to deprive them of both certain luxuries, and some pretty basic human needs–clean air, access to food and unpolluted water, healthcare and education. I think what I’m trying to get at in my book is that this sort of architecture and design is so normalized in our society that we don’t stop to question it. We aren’t fully present with things like the legacy of red-lining, the creation of public housing, and the industries behind the development of solitary confinement units and restraining devices.

Right now we have a shocking number of elderly people in prisons–the population that poses the lowest risk to society and who are the most expensive to contain. Our prisons are designed to warehouse, not rehabilitate. They are not spaces in which one can grow old safely and they do not take into account the dignity of the humans they contain. Imagine trying to navigate a prison when you’re experiencing cognitive and physical age-related impairments. And that’s on top of the already monumental stress of being imprisoned.

I could go on and on! I guess as depressing as it is, it is also a part of our world. Maybe understanding it better will help us build things in the future that promote peace and love and ecological viability.

2. How has your own family history affected the writing of We are the Kings?

I was lucky enough to have 4 grandmothers–my mother’s mother, my father’s mother and stepmother, and my stepfather’s mother. And I had two amazing grandfathers. As a kid I found all of their stories and quirks and spaces really thrilling. I just loved being around them, and I learned a ton from all of them. As I grew up, particularly with my grandmothers, I saw the limitations that were imposed on them by sexism and ridiculous social conventions. I had always seen them as larger than life, and in many ways they were, but they were also victims of their circumstances. That juxtaposition–between being incredibly powerful in some ways, and truly powerless in others–was a big part of how I came up with the storyline for my book.

3. What aspects of women’s lives do you feel are invisible to the world, and why is it important that we acknowledge it?

I think in abusive, patriarchal systems, populations that are deemed less valuable to society are pushed to the margins. We don’t consider their interior lives, and we don’t think to preserve their experiences in our stories or museums or histories. This is true for non-white, female/LGBTQ, immigrant, and poor populations (to name a few), and it’s certainly true for people who are imprisoned. I believe that it is morally wrong to silence these populations, but my main issue with that silencing is that it robs us all of some of the most beautiful and brilliant personalities and stories.

I have a lot of regrets about not seeking out the thoughts and opinions and stories of my grandmothers more than I did. Because my grandfathers loomed so much larger, and they took up so much room, it was kind of just the way it was that my grandmothers’ experiences during something like WWII just weren’t as much a part of the conversation. And it wasn’t that my grandfathers were unkind. They were absolutely wonderful. It’s just the way it was. I think that’s partly what compelled me to write. I want my grandmothers’ stories–and any story that gets pushed to the margins– to take up more room.

4. You mention you’ve always been interested in women’s stories. What do you find interesting about how women’s stories are formed, told, and what isn’t said?

I just don’t think women have been given the space in our culture to be really free. I think that’s true for a lot of men as well, and for all sorts of people who don’t fit within specific gendered or societal conventions. But my book is really about womens’ stories and what we feel safe talking about, not only to each other, but to ourselves. Particularly recently, there’s been a really amazing rethinking of feminism throughout the world, and I’m so excited about it. But I think we still have a ways to go. There are things that are still really hard to disentangle–like women who uphold the patriarchy, for example, and womens’ misogyny. I think it’s internalized abuse, or the playing out of hierarchies of power, and it’s understandable in a lot of ways. It’s also ugly and mean and awkward, and maybe people who like to write are drawn to that sort of stuff.

5. What sort of research went into preparing for this novel?

Honestly, there was very little direct research. The work I did in graduate school just became a part of who I am, and I think that’s why it’s so present in my book. And many characters are loosely based on women in my family or women that I’ve known throughout my life. But a lot of it just sort of came to me. Reading a lot of biographies probably helped too. For a while that was my favorite genre, though I generally like reading everything.

6. Can you explain your character’s realization of the complicated criminal justice system, and why you feel people should recognize this?

Marcella and her sisters all somehow find themselves considering aspects of the criminal justice system–and they all approach it from a pretty privileged place. They are white, educated, and financially secure, so they all had to seek out a connection to mass incarceration, whereas most people who are contained within the criminal justice system, were sought out by it. They didn’t have a choice about whether or not they’d like it to be a part of their lives, and studying it recreationally or for a living, would look very different for them. I think that’s something a lot of white people are reckoning with right now. Here’s this huge, intractable, evil thing that white people have been able to avoid, and yet it’s been here all along, right in front of us all, wreaking havoc on the people who have the least defences against it.

7. Can you talk about the meaning behind the title, We are the Kings?

The title has to do with a realization Marcella has while working on her graduate thesis on Virginia Woolf. She comes to see that the lives of the men in her novels that are talked about with such adoration, are themselves not all that impressive. It’s that the women talk about them, therefore elevating them, making them appear heroic or brave even though they weren’t. Marcella is saying maybe it’s the women who are actually powerful given that they’re the ones reinforcing certain narratives. She’s arguing that Woolf was discreetly showing women readers that it is women who are the real heroes, the kings, the brave ones.

Marissa DeCuir

A former award-winning journalist with national exposure, Marissa now oversees the day-to-day operation of the Books Forward author branding and book marketing firm, along with our indie publishing support sister company Books Fluent.

Born and bred in Louisiana, currently living in New Orleans, she has lived and developed a strong base for our company and authors in Chicago and Nashville. Her journalism work has appeared in USA Today, National Geographic and other major publications. She is now interviewed by media on best practices for book marketing.

booksforward.com/about-us/marissa-decuir/

Defy the smallness of the stage with the greatness of your daring

VICTORIA, Canada – Do you truly know how to take a risk?

Theatre expert Edwin Wong continues exploring risk, chance and the unexpected in his newest book, When Life Gives You Risk, Make Risk Theatre (Friesen Press, June 7, 2022).

Wong’s first book upended our understanding of theatre by arguing that risk is the dramatic fulcrum of the action. It also launched a major international playwriting competition, now in its fourth year. In his second book, Wong argues that chance is a powerful and misunderstood force that directs the action, both on and off the stage. Inside readers will find three risk theatre tragedies by acclaimed playwrights Gabriel Jason Dean, Nicholas Dunn and Emily McClain.

From the poppy fields of Afghanistan to the motel rooms and doctors’ offices lining interstate expressways, these plays, by simulating risk, will show how theatre is a dress rehearsal for life. Six risk theatre essays round off the volume. In a dazzling display from Aeschylus to Shakespeare, Thomas Hardy, and Arthur Miller, Wong reinterprets theatre through chance and probability theory. After risk theatre, you will never look at literature in the same way.

When Life Gives You Risk, Make Risk Theatre
Edwin Wong | June 7, 2022 | Friesen Press | Performing Arts, Theater
Hardcover | 978-1-03-913510-9 | $20.99
Paperback | 978-1-03-913509-3 | $14.99
Ebook | 978-1-03-913511-6| $6.99

EDWIN WONG is a classicist and theatre researcher specializing in the impact of the highly improbable. He has been invited to talk at venues from the Kennedy Center and the University of Coimbra in Portugal to international conferences held by the National New Play Network, the Canadian Association of Theatre Research, the Society of Classical Studies, and the Classical Association of the Middle West and South. His first book, The Risk Theatre Model of Tragedy (2019) is igniting an international arts movement. He was educated at Brown University and lives in Victoria, Canada. Find out more about him at risktheatre.com.

Follow Edwin Wong on social media:
Facebook: @EdwinCharlesWong | Twitter: @TheoryOfTragedy | Instagram: @EdwinCLWong

In an interview, Edwin Wong can discuss:

• The new idea of Risk Theatre and the search for the next great tragedy
• What we can learn about playwriting from tragic literary theory
• The major international playwriting competition this book has launched
• What we can learn about not only theatre but also real life by studying risk
• The impact of unexpected low-probability, high-consequence events in theatre and life
• How risk works in popular modern plays as well as ancient Greek tragedies
• How Shakespeare’s plays are still relevant today because of risk theater
• How chance can be understood within a play
• Three prize winning tragedies including in the book that illustrate risk
• How probability theory plays out on a stage
• Why we have always written stories that involve risk and why we should continue to do so

An interview with Edwin Wong

1. Can you explain what risk theater is in layman’s terms?

In risk theatre, risk takers drive the action. By laying everything on the line, risk takers trigger devastating and dramatic low-probability, high-consequence events. Risk is the dramatic fulcrum of the action. By wagering everything, anything can happen. Risk is inherently dramatic.

2. Can you give an example of how risk works in a popular play?

In Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” Macbeth wagers all-in on the crown. With Lady Macbeth, he comes up with the perfect plan. Nothing can go wrong. But then, the unexpected happens: Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane Hill. All is lost. One super exciting thing about my second book is that it includes three risk theatre plays by award-winning contemporary playwrights. It’s fascinating to see how they treat the theme of risk in today’s world.

3. How does this book expound on principles you touched on in your first book?

The new book extends the concept of risk to comedy: Comedy dramatizes upside risk while tragedy dramatizes downside risk. This will be the first time, since Aristotle’s second book of the “Poetics” was lost where he discusses comedy, that we have a unified theory of drama that explains both tragedy and comedy. Incidentally, Aristotle’s lost book on comedy was the subject of Umberto Eco’s popular “The Name of the Rose.”

4. What differentiates your theory of tragedy with other theories of tragedy?

Other theories of tragedy are based on pity and fear (Aristotle), ethical collisions (Hegel), and subconscious drives (Nietzsche). Risk theatre is based on risk because risk is a contemporary topic. As technological, scientific, and political change quickens, the new paradigm is risk. We see risk theatre because we live in a risk age.

5. How does risk theatre tie into risk in real life?

If you look at theatre as a theatre of risk, theatre becomes a dress rehearsal for life. By watching low-probability, high-consequence risk events happen on the stage, we are better prepared for real-life risks and their consequences. The things that are life changing are not the expected events but the unexpected ones.

6. Can you tell us more about the Risk Theatre Modern Tragedy Competition?

The competition is in its fourth year and going strong. It’s attracting international interest, with playwrights from 15 countries — including former Soviet republics — entering. Each year, we workshop and produce a staged reading of the winning play. It’s been a great opportunity to work with talented actors, playwrights, directors and dramaturgs to bring risk to life. A lot of academic theories about drama remain academic. Risk theatre is different: It brings together theory and practice. Risk theatre is launching an international arts movement that is changing how we write, produce and understand theatre.

Download press kit and photos

Marissa DeCuir

A former award-winning journalist with national exposure, Marissa now oversees the day-to-day operation of the Books Forward author branding and book marketing firm, along with our indie publishing support sister company Books Fluent.

Born and bred in Louisiana, currently living in New Orleans, she has lived and developed a strong base for our company and authors in Chicago and Nashville. Her journalism work has appeared in USA Today, National Geographic and other major publications. She is now interviewed by media on best practices for book marketing.

booksforward.com/about-us/marissa-decuir/

How organic farming, local politics, and romantic entanglement crop up in compelling dual detective mystery

Bern, Switzerland – Lose yourself in the haunting Swiss city of Bern in this engaging police procedural by debut author, Kim Hays. Pesticide (Apr 19, 2022, Seventh Street Books) follows detectives Guiliana Linder and Renzo Donatelli as they work together to solve two mysterious deaths in the first Linder and Donatelli book.

Bern is known for its narrow cobblestone streets, decorative fountains, and striking towers. Yet dark currents run through this charming medieval city and beyond, to the idyllic farmlands that surround it.

When a rave on a hot summer night erupts into violent riots, a young man is found the next morning bludgeoned to death with a policeman’s club. Seasoned detective Giuliana Linder is assigned to the case. That same day, an elderly organic farmer turns up dead and drenched with pesticide. Enter Giuliana’s younger colleague Renzo Donatelli to investigate the second murder. Giuliana’s disappointment that they’re on two different cases is tinged with relief—her home life is complicated enough without having to deal with the distractingly attractive Renzo.

But when an unexpected discovery ties the two victims into a single case, Giuliana and Renzo are thrown closer together than ever before. Dangerously close. Will Giuliana be able to handle the threats to her marriage and to her assumptions about the police? If she wants to prevent another murder, she’ll have to put her life on the line—and her principles.

Shortlisted for a 2020 Debut Dagger Award by the Crime Writers’ Association, “Kim Hays brings a sparkling new voice to police procedurals, giving us engaging and realistically drawn detectives who struggle to balance their personal lives with the demands of a gripping investigation.” – Deborah Crombie, New York Times-bestselling author of the award-winning Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James novels

“Pesticide”
Kim Hays | April 19, 2022 | Seventh Street Books | Crime fiction
Paperback | 9781645060468 | $17.95
Ebook | $9.99

More about Kim Hays: Kim Hays lives in Bern with her Swiss husband and is a dual citizen of Switzerland and the US. She grew up in San Juan, Vancouver, and Stockholm, and has lived all over the States. Since her teens, Hays has worked in a variety of jobs, from forewoman in a truck-engine factory to lecturer in sociology to cross-cultural coach for multinational firms. Writing remained in the background until her son left for college, when she decided to try to write a novel. Pesticide, the first mystery in her Polizei Bern series, is the result. It was shortlisted for the 2020 Debut Dagger award by the Crime Writers’ Association. Hays has a BA from Harvard and a PhD from the University of California-Berkeley. Find out more about her at www.kimhaysbern.com

In an interview, Kim Hays can discuss:

• Starting a new career at sixty
• Writing a love letter to her adopted city
• How the book breaks stereotypes about Swiss people and culture
• Recent Swiss votes in favor of continuing the use of dangerous pesticides
• What it means to be a “good person” in crime fiction
• Her long relationship with crime fiction, especially police procedurals

Praise for Pesticide

“Kim Hays brings a sparkling new voice to police procedurals, giving us engaging and realistically drawn detectives who struggle to balance their personal lives with the demands of a gripping investigation. Set against the fascinating backdrop of modern Switzerland, Pesticide will delight crime fiction fans–a standout debut for 2022!” —Deborah Crombie, New York Times-bestselling author of the award-winning Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James novels

“Kim Hays hits it out of the park with her debut novel, Pesticide, giving this twisty police procedural lots of heart by creating characters that the reader truly cares about. It is a must read for mystery lovers, especially those who prefer their intrigue with an international edge.” —Allen Eskens, bestselling and award-winning author of The Stolen Hours and six Max Rupert and Joe Talbot mysteries

“A highly original police procedural, set in Switzerland, with a charming cop heroine who is also a mum, and blending drug deals and organic farming to produce a first-rate yarn.” – Martin Walker, editor-in-chief emeritus of United Press International and author of the Bruno, Chief of Police series

“Giuliana Linder and Renzo Donatelli make for one of the sharpest, most compelling police duos you’ll ever read. Their conflicted attraction bristles with true emotional depth and poignancy as they lead a rich ensemble cast through the surprisingly nefarious world of organic politics. A remarkable procedural set in Bern, Kim Hays’s Pesticide is Switzerland’s answer to Scandinavian noir. Fresh and oh so readable, you won’t want to put it down.” – James W. Ziskin, author of the award-winning Ellie Stone mysteries

“Kim Hays delivers a superbly written mystery set in Switzerland. Two murders, one in the old town of Bern, the other on a nearby organic farm, test the wits of veteran police detective Giuliana Linder and her handsome junior colleague, Renzo Donatelli. The setting is fresh, the characters richly developed, and the plot as intricate as the inside of a Swiss watch. Enjoy!” – Betsy Draine and Michael Hinden, co-authors of the Nora Barnes and Toby Sandler mysteries

“A convincing and compelling page-turner in a unique and authentic setting, Pesticide is a cleverly-plotted mystery that manages to be well-researched, intriguing, and entertaining. Kim Hays writes complex characters and suspense equally well, and her investigating duo, Giuliana and Renzo, are sure to win the hearts of readers everywhere.” – Clare O’Dea, author of Voting Day

An Interview with Kim Hays

1. What do you think sets your detectives, Giuliana and Renzo, apart from other detectives?

One way they’re set apart is by having spouses and young children, like most people their age. After all, who can imagine Reacher, Spenser, Kinsey Milhone, or Mary Russell with a conventional family life? I think that, for readers, watching Giuliana and Renzo interact with their kids gives the characters depth, and it also gives me a chance to show the book’s concerns infiltrating the detectives’ homes. A problem like bullying, for example, can cause a child to cry—or it can cause a murder.

I’m certainly not the only writer to give cops families. Deborah Crombie’s police detectives, for example, are married to each other and have a patchwork family; their children are part of every book she writes.

2. How have real world Swiss political issues shaped Pesticide?

For a start, the rave-turned-riot that begins the book is based on something that really happened in Bern in 2013. Afterward, Swiss journalists argued in the press about whether or not the police had overreacted.

Two other topics that shaped Pesticide’s plot are drug-dealing and organic farming. While Switzerland may have a reputation for being clean and orderly, that doesn’t keep it from having the same problems with illegal narcotics that most wealthy countries do. It was fascinating to talk to two of Bern’s public prosecutors about which drugs in the city give them the most headaches. As for organic farmers, they’re a politically active part of both Bern’s and Switzerland’s agricultural scenes.

3. What do you think makes a “good person” in crime fiction?

I’ve thought quite a lot about this, because I wanted my two detectives to be unmistakably ‘good guys’, but without getting on my readers’ nerves. I also didn’t want most of my criminals to be complete ‘bad guys’, because, well, most people aren’t that simple. I believe some people are truly evil, though, and I’ve got some of them in my books, as well. I’m very interested in what makes someone consider themselves a good person, because it clearly depends on all kinds of factors, like nationality, gender, profession, religion, and much more. I wrote my doctoral dissertation about adolescents trying to figure out how to be ‘good’, and that was long before I started to write murder mysteries, so you can see this is a long-term interest of mine.

4. How have the places you’ve lived affected your writing?

I wouldn’t have felt comfortable setting a novel in Bern and making all the characters Swiss if I hadn’t lived in the city for thirty-three years. I lived in San Juan, Vancouver, Stockholm (and six US states) before I moved to Bern, but I don’t think that has influenced Pesticide in a direct way. I do think growing up in different cultures has made me aware of how differently we react to everything from babies to alcohol, from a kiss on the cheek to a death in the family. That’s one of the reasons I gave Renzo Donatelli, one of my two detectives, Italian parents, so that he could roll his eyes every now and then at Swiss behavior.

5. What advice or resources helped you when you were working towards becoming a full-time author?

Few people can afford to write full time. There’s the huge problem of money, since writing doesn’t pay well, and also the distraction of all the other responsibilities most adults deal with every day. I didn’t switch to full time writing until my son left for college, and even then I eased out of my job, cutting down on my hours bit by bit. I was extremely fortunate that my husband could earn enough alone to support us. Another, completely different kind of resource I was lucky to have was a group of friends and family members who were willing to read what I wrote and give me useful feedback. Believe me, a writer can’t take that for granted—it’s a huge help.

6. What kind of research went into Pesticide?

Pesticide is the first novel in the Polizei Bern series, so the most important research I’ve done is on how Bern’s police force works. Luckily, I have a wonderful neighbor who’s a high-ranking police officer. I’ve also walked organic farms with their farmers and interviewed farm inspectors. I’ve learned how illegal (non-medicinal) marijuana is grown and sold in Bern, and I’ve spent time in the city’s alternative culture center, the Riding School, which plays an interesting role in the book. It’s always important to remember, though, that mysteries are fiction, which means the people who write them don’t have to be accurate all the time. Sometimes, for example, buildings appear where they never stood, and jobs get created that don’t exist–all in service to the plot!

7. How did you approach blending romantic elements into a mystery?

That’s a good question, because I was surprised by how hard I found it to write realistically about two adults—not crazy-in-love teenagers—trying to manage their romantic feelings for each other while working together. And, on top of that, they’re two married adults with kids. Romance is particularly difficult when you’re writing a series since you know that anything that happens between your characters in Book One will have repercussions in Book Two. So how did I approach romance? With extreme caution. I guess it’ll be up to my readers to decide if what I wrote worked.

Download press kit and photos

Marissa DeCuir

A former award-winning journalist with national exposure, Marissa now oversees the day-to-day operation of the Books Forward author branding and book marketing firm, along with our indie publishing support sister company Books Fluent.

Born and bred in Louisiana, currently living in New Orleans, she has lived and developed a strong base for our company and authors in Chicago and Nashville. Her journalism work has appeared in USA Today, National Geographic and other major publications. She is now interviewed by media on best practices for book marketing.

booksforward.com/about-us/marissa-decuir/

Named BEST INDIE BOOK OF 2021 by Kirkus Reviews

Los Angeles – Joshua Senter was born and raised in the Missouri Ozarks on his family’s farm. After two decades in LA working on Emmy-nominated shows like Desperate Housewives and The L Word, Senter has returned to the setting of his childhood to explore timely topics. In his sophomore novel, Still the Night Call (Jan. 14, 2022, Roubidoux Press) Senter delves into the mind of introverted dairy farmer, Calem Dewayne Honeycutt, and the deep-seeded depression he struggles with. Tackling intense themes such as suicide rates in men (particularily farmers) and political radicalization, this thought-provoking novel will leave readers grappling with the concepts of social and economic divides in America.

Still the Night Call is about Calem Dewayne Honeycutt, a thirty-two-year-old Missouri dairy farmer of few words. But just because he’s quiet doesn’t mean he’s simple. In fact, Calem’s internal voice eloquently leads us through his wondrous yet tortured past, his fears for the future of his beleaguered rural world, and his carefully laid plans to remedy the vicious Night Call that haunts his present. All he has to do is get through one last day on the farm, then he can free himself of being a straight, white, middle-aged man with nothing in his possession but a gun and a prayer.

Through the eyes of Calem, Still the Night Call delves into the quickly diminishing world of Midwestern farmers whose livelihoods have become fodder for politicians and trade wars while their traditional values have become the subject of scorn and culture wars. The result is a struggling working class whose worth has been reduced to mirthless caricatures and economic dust, and who are desperately looking for hope anywhere they might find it.

“Still the Night Call”
Joshua Senter | Jan. 14, 2022 | Roubidoux Press
Hardcover | 978-1-7375856-0-2 | $21.99
eBook | 978-1-7375856-1-9 | $7.99
Audiobook | B09L5765JL | $14.99
Literary Fiction

More about JOSHUA SENTER

Joshua Senter was raised in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri where he was homeschooled along with his four sisters on a five hundred acre cattle farm. Josh moved to Los Angeles in 1997 and three years later, received a bachelor’s degree in filmmaking from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, along with Ninth Term Honors.

In 2002 he began writing for the hit Showtime series The L Word. A year after that, he joined the international phenomenon, Desperate Housewives, where he was nominated for a Writer’s Guild of America award for his episode, “Don’t Look at Me.” In 2013 Joshua began writing and co-producing a new show for ABC Family, Chasing Life. During that time his debut novel, Daisies, was published by Diversion Books. In 2014 Joshua moved over to MTV where he began working as a writer/producer for the hit series Finding Carter.

In 2015 Joshua was placed on the Tracking Board’s Young and Hungry List as one of the top 100 writer’s working in Hollywood. In 2016, 2017, and 2018 Josh wrote pilots for ABC, FOX, and NBC respectively. A Valentine’s Day movie he co-wrote for Freeform, called The Thing About Harry, aired in February of 2020 and was nominated for a 2021 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding TV Movie. Still the Night Call is his sophomore novel.

Follow Joshua on social media
Goodreads | Instagram

In an interview, Joshua Senter can discuss topics like:

• His upbringing on a working farm in the Ozarks, and basing his main character off of first hand experiences working in dairy farms
• Becoming a screenwriter after moving to Los Angeles
• Setting novels primarily in the Midwest, and telling stories about a people from that area he feels are mostly overlooked
• The statistic that men are four times more likely to commit suicide than women
• The high suicide rate among farmers, and the increase in the rate of these deaths
• Citizens choosing radicalization, authoritarian leaders, and fascist governments when they believe there’s no other way out

Praise for Joshua Senter and Still the Night Call

“Senter’s impressive novel is a truthful, honestly told story…A candid tale that triumphantly understands the Midwestern psyche, delivering moments of beauty and tragedy.”
-KIRKUS REVIEWS

“In this chilling novel, readers follow a young dairy farmer staring down his last day on his family’s southern Missouri farm. This book’s power lies in its relevance and its authenticity…”
-THE US REVIEW OF BOOKS

“Senter’s story resonates on levels that wouldn’t have been possible even several years ago…In many ways, STILL THE NIGHT CALL is a call to action. The first step is reading this book. The second lies in recommending it for discussions about free will, choice, civil war, and social change.”
-MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW

With STILL THE NIGHT CALL, Joshua Senter delivers a profound and beautifully written exploration of loneliness and isolation. This book bravely shines a light on the darkness within us, and in doing so it reminds us of the importance of empathy, connection, and of the resilience of the human spirit.”
ABDI NAZEMIAN, author of Stonewall Honor Book LIKE A LOVE STORY

An Interview with Joshua Senter

1. Suicide is a main topic in ‘Still the Night Call’. Why did you think it was important to write a novel based around the mental health of male farmers in rural areas? How did your relationship with depression help inform your writing of Calem’s character?

Men are four times as likely as women to commit suicide and farmers in particular have the highest suicide rate of any occupation (even more than that of our vets). Growing up in the midwest on a farm and having dealt with tremendous setbacks throughout my life which have left me at times feeling completely hopeless and wildly alone, I understand the enormous despair that can consume a person’s existence. There have been so many nights in my life where I have lain twisted in my sheets fighting off the “night call,” and when I began reading newspaper articles about small dairy operations all over America struggling to make ends meet and many dairy farmers committing suicide because they could no longer bare the weight of that struggle, I felt an obligation to use my talent to tell their story, to create awareness about a mental health disaster in middle of America that few people are talking about.

2. What made you want to explore the dichotomy of the radical sides to each political party in America?

I’m in the unique position to have lived half my life in the heart of middle America and half of it on the west coast. From my experience in both worlds, I’ve come to believe that the majority of Americans find themselves squarely in the middle of the radical left and right in this country. And many of us over the last few years have begun to seriously question both extremes in order to find the truth of ourselves. We are a great people, and we stand shoulder to shoulder on many of the major issues under the spotlight in our society. However, an opposite narrative has taken hold, that we are a divided country. This is because of the relentless focus on the political extremes. In Still the Night Call, I wanted to take a step back from that portrayal and write about a character who is an everyman, who isn’t polarized yet, but who feels backed into a corner, that he must pick a side in order to survive, which is unfortunately becoming a common theme throughout our nation.

3. What parts of your childhood on a Missouri cattle farm did you weave into Calem’s character and the life he shares with his family?

For a story as dark as Still the Night Call can be, I knew I had to balance that bleakness with beauty and poetry and create a sense of light. In truth, that is the reality of living on a farm. I remember the moments all throughout my childhood where we didn’t know how we were going to pay the bills, but I would go out into the woods and look up at the stars and the devastation I felt would slip away into this awesome state of wonder that only nature can provide. When Calem talks about his dairy cattle and how he has them named and how he knows their well-being by the brightness in their eyes, that was directly taken from my own experience with our cattle. We loved them. They were pets as much as they were working farm animals. When I write about Calem driving his four wheeler up to the back hundred, that was me channeling the very experiences I had growing up on my family’s farm, from sledding down the massive hills in the wintertime to burning brush piles in the summer. As healing as it was to share my inner turmoil with depression, it was equally therapeutic for me to relive some of my fondest memories of farm life as a child.

4. Were there challenges writing a character who is swayed by pillars of toxic masculinity and who have conservative political leanings?

Absolutely! Addressing a white, straight man’s true, inner voice was a major challenge. I think the phrase “toxic masculinity” has become a divisive label that is used to trigger panic and hostility amongst differing political pundits, but the awful reality is that men often don’t feel the freedom to express their emotions in our culture. Though, I believe this is a survival mechanism more than a culture war issue. And as a man who was gay and bottled that up for twenty years of my life, I understand the inhumane pressure especially straight men are under to maintain a sort of rigid, virile persona that fulfills an archetype of strength and power. So, it was indeed one of the most important challenges for me in writing Still the Night Call to get that piece of Calem’s struggle correct. As for Calem’s political leanings, for most of the book, he’s in the middle trying to find his place, and the very difficult challenge in that was to see the political spectrum of America through his eyes in a way that was authentic and would read truthfully to a reader of any political persuasion.

5. There seems to be a parallel with the isolation we all have experienced through the Covid-19 pandemic and the isolation Calem experiences through the educated flight out of rural areas. Did the lockdown at the beginning of 2020 give you inspiration to write this story?

Yes, Covid has exacerbated an isolation we were all feeling. More importantly, that isolation forced a lot of us to reflect on our lives and ask: Who are we? What are we doing? Where are we headed? Why are we living the way we are? I was certainly reflecting over my life in a profound way during that time. And so much of Calem’s journey in Still the Night Call is him reflecting on everything that has brought him to this point in his life. So, for most people reading this book, they will automatically relate to him taking stock and addressing the reality of his situation, because like so many people who flipped their worlds upside down after Covid held a mirror up to their lives, Calem is preparing to do the same.

Download press kit and photos

Marissa DeCuir

A former award-winning journalist with national exposure, Marissa now oversees the day-to-day operation of the Books Forward author branding and book marketing firm, along with our indie publishing support sister company Books Fluent.

Born and bred in Louisiana, currently living in New Orleans, she has lived and developed a strong base for our company and authors in Chicago and Nashville. Her journalism work has appeared in USA Today, National Geographic and other major publications. She is now interviewed by media on best practices for book marketing.

booksforward.com/about-us/marissa-decuir/

Sex and the City meets Eat Pray Love in secret-spilling, soul-searching novel

Amelia Island, Florida –What does it take to confess your deepest secrets? Annie, Sondra, and Jo were the best of childhood friends—but they haven’t seen each other in far too long. In Kristine Ochu’s debut novel “Campfire Confessions” (BooksFluent, March 8, 2022) the women are reunited as they embark on an adventure that is equal parts hilarious, dangerous, and enlightening.

Married to a minister in a small town, Annie’s devoted her life to raising four sons and volunteering wherever she’s needed. Most people consider her a saint—but they don’t know she’s hiding a big secret. Sondra’s married to one of the richest men in L.A. and she appears to have it all—a glitzy lifestyle, beauty, brains, and a successful career. But when a real estate deal blooms into an affair, she quickly realizes she’s in over her head. Jo is four years sober and struggling through a divorce. After a one-night stand, she’s forced to reckon with a lifetime of bad choices.

When Annie’s secret finally catches up with her, Jo and Sondra rush to her side. Determined to find answers, they pry Annie away from her daily grind, escaping on a canoeing trip that turns into a soul-searching, death-defying adventure. Lost in the woods as one thing goes wrong after another, they find themselves sharing their deepest secrets around the campfire. But as each new revelation unfolds, one thing becomes clear: it will take more than a night of true confessions for the three of them to find their way back home.

“Ochu captivates from the first page of this sharply written, highly engaging tale of three childhood friends and their troubled—and ultimately triumphant—adult lives” –BookLife, by Publishers Weekly

“Campfire Confessions”
Kristine Ochu | March 8, 2022 | BooksFluent | Women’s Fiction
Paperback | ISBN: 978-1-953865-43-4 | $15.99

About the author…

KRISTINE OCHU is founder of “The Night of a Woman’s Soul – Creating Your Amazing Life” workshops and is a former Human Resource Executive with a MAIR from the University of Minnesota. She is a member of the Global Women’s Club, Women in Film and Video New England, Harvard Square Script Writers, and community groups. A former log-rolling champion, she still log-rolls along with being an avid hiker, kayaker and explorer. Having previously written screenplays and a children’s book, Kristine incorporates her love of nature and adventure into all her stories. She lives with her husband and their rescue golden retrievers, and splits her time between Hayward, Wisconsin and Amelia Island, Florida. For more information, visit www.KristineOchu.com

Follow Kristine Ochu on social media:
Facebook: @KristineOchu | Twitter: @KristineOchu | Instagram: @KristineOchu
LinkedIn: @KristineOchu

In an interview, Kristine Ochu can discuss:

1. What inspired her to write “Campfire Confessions”
2. How her experiences as a log-rolling champion, international human resource executive, and motivational speaker influenced her writing
3. What sisterhood means to her, and the importance of female friendship
4. Why adventure is often the best catalyst for self-discovery
5. What she hopes readers will take away from “Campfire Confessions”
6. What’s next for her on her journey

An Interview with Kristine Ochu

1. What inspired you to write “Campfire Confessions”?

Personally, I was hungry for a book that was upbeat, full of humor and witty banter, including a little “swizzle of sex” while capturing more serious, real-life issues that women are going through. I felt by having three relatable characters who were best friends, and putting them in situations where they each had to face their fears through a soul-searching, death-defying adventure would make it unique and engaging for women.

I also wanted to bring women together in laughter and camaraderie as they share their own adventures and at the same time, to create dialogue around topics that they tend to struggle with alone—their own secrets. My hope was by bringing light to these inner struggles, that we can empower ourselves and each other to overcome our obstacles and live the lives we desire.

2. You have such an intriguing background as a log-rolling champion, international human resource executive, motivational speaker– and now, author! How did your eclectic background influence your writing?

The diversity of my experiences has given me the ability to write from a variety of character’s perspectives in a genuine way. I’ve seen the incredible power of the human spirit in so many different situations and find people and their journeys fascinating. As a log-roller, after a day of competition, I got to hang out with Lumberjacks and Jills around the campfire, telling stories and singing songs. As a Human Resource executive, there were great times dealing with growth, mergers, and acquisitions, and sad times dealing with lay-offs or plant closings. I was in the heart of it all—the human experience. When I left to pursue my dream of writing, I took courses in all kinds of fields, including personal growth and ended up creating and leading empowering workshops for women. Hearing their stories broadened my perspective and inspired me to write about things women cared about. The challenge was to create a fun, upbeat story with meaningful messages in an adventurous setting to show how powerful we can be!

3. What does sisterhood mean to you, and how did you incorporate that into this book?

I’ve been blessed to have three sisters and some very close friends. When we get together, we fall back into patterns filled with laughter, banter, antics and sharing memories. Just being together, skyrockets our moods–our energy, and suddenly our problems are solvable–no longer insurmountable. In minutes, we are sharing the good, the bad and the ugly and are able to laugh at ourselves. To me, sisterhood is about trust, unconditional love and support that empowers us to be our authentic selves which is the essence of the book. The deep bond of friendship that the characters have allows them to open up, be vulnerable and confess their secrets. And in the events that follow they need to rely on each other to survive the soul searching, death-defying adventure that occurs!

4. Why is adventure such a powerful catalyst for self-discovery? Have you ever experienced a soul-searching adventure like the canoe trip in “Campfire Confessions”?

It’s easy to get stuck in our daily environment where it’s safe and repetitive and we no longer grow as individuals. But an adventure? It’s a whole new world! There isn’t the same answer or reaction to revert back to, so we get to learn about ourselves. It feeds our souls, stretches our knowledge, and challenges our belief systems and abilities. It allows us to grow, change and become even better!

I’ve had a number of soul-searching adventures! I once flipped my kayak and became trapped between a fallen tree and the bottom of the river with my face smashed against rocks. When I tried to kick loose, the knee brace I was wearing caught on the seat. I thought I was going to die. It was a surreal moment but somehow the current swept me out. I also had a frightening moment on top of a mountain in Sedona, Arizona when a storm suddenly moved in and the wind was so strong that I couldn’t stand up. I had to crawl down, clinging to any tree root, branch or bush within my reach! Both of these situations caused a lot of self-reflection and lessons that I brought into my life.

5. What do you hope readers will take away from the book? Are there any empowering messages you’ve hidden in these pages?

First of all, I hope the reader has the wonderful experience of losing themselves in the character’s journey: the highs and lows; and to love the ending!

My goal was to embed numerous empowering messages throughout the book. One message is that we all make mistakes and have obstacles at some point in our lives–but we’re not alone! We can reach out and use the power of friendship, laughter and love to give us the inner strength to never give up. Also, as human beings, we can be very critical of ourselves, so by learning to embrace self-love, forgiveness and letting go of the past, we can empower ourselves to create the authentic and amazing lives we all deserve! In addition, we can take charge and use the abundance of free empowering
tools like creative visualization, tapping, using “I am” statements, etc. to keep our bodies, mind and souls positive and healthy!

Marissa DeCuir

A former award-winning journalist with national exposure, Marissa now oversees the day-to-day operation of the Books Forward author branding and book marketing firm, along with our indie publishing support sister company Books Fluent.

Born and bred in Louisiana, currently living in New Orleans, she has lived and developed a strong base for our company and authors in Chicago and Nashville. Her journalism work has appeared in USA Today, National Geographic and other major publications. She is now interviewed by media on best practices for book marketing.

booksforward.com/about-us/marissa-decuir/

Author pulls from experience with law, blindness in propulsive new literary thriller

NEW YORK – Passion meets perplexity in the gripping new novel, “Caroline” (Feb. 15, 2022, Books Fluent), Adrian Spratt explores the past with a deft hand in his new book, pulling from the best of literary and historical fiction, with a touch of mystery.

In 1980s New York City, young lawyer Nick Coleman meets free spirit Caroline Sedlak in an evening fiction writing course. A vivacious fixture at a Greenwich Village bar, she remains mysterious about her life until their teacher reads her story submission to the class, and Nick realizes that a darker past lurks beneath her happy-go-lucky exterior. This doesn’t trouble Nick, who struggles with demons of his own: as a blind lawyer launching his career prior to the Americans with Disabilities Act, he struggles to prove himself at a law office that handles appeals for indigent convicted felons.

Nick’s practical, goal-driven approach to life balances Caroline’s quixotic nature, and their friendship soon deepens into something more. For some time, they’re happy together. But as the two become closer, Nick’s reluctance to commit collides head-on with Caroline’s need to be loved and belong. Soon, they realize that Caroline hasn’t left her past far behind after all … and the behavior that Nick once found charming first frustrates, then terrifies him. As the two spiral toward an inevitable clash, Nick must choose between the life he thought he wanted, and the woman he can’t bring himself to admit he loves.

“Caroline”
Adrian Spratt | Feb. 15, 2022 | Books Fluent
paperback | 978-1-953865-45-8 | $15.99
ebook | 978-1-953865-46-5 | $7.99
Audiobook | 978-1-953865-48-9 | $11.99
Literary fiction

More about ADRIAN SPRATT

Adrian Spratt practiced law for twenty years, mainly in consumer protection, before returning to his first love, fiction writing. He graduated from Amherst College and earned his law degree from Harvard. Retinal detachment led to his loss of vision when he was thirteen. Today, he lives in Brooklyn with his wife, the artist and photographer Laura Rosen. His website, where he maintains a blog and showcases selected stories, essays and memoir excerpts, is www.adrianspratt.com.

In an interview, Adrian can discuss:

• How his experience as a lawyer affected his writing
• How his main character, Nick, is and isn’t like him
• The genres he pulled from to make a unique book
• His writing process from childhood to present-day
• His ‘novel within a novel’
• The book’s extended flashback to the 80s

An Interview with Adrian Spratt

Was writing always on the table for you? Did law school push you toward or away from this goal?

When I was nine, I wrote a poem that the school’s principal published in a newsletter to parents. It told me I might actually have a talent, and one way or the other I kept working at it. Even law school couldn’t beat the creative writer out of me. I kept writing poems and wrote the first draft of a memoir. Two years into my first full-time law job, like Nick, I took a writing course, only it was in poetry at the apartment of a husband-and-wife poetry team. I later abandoned poetry for fiction.

How did your experience as a lawyer come into play in the book?

Like Nick, I worked for a public defender’s office my first two years out of law school, and also like him, I learned that victory is a rarity — that most often the objective is to seek fairness even if it doesn’t change the result.
I also encountered the kinds of frustrations Nick does with superiors who made assumptions about disability, and like him, I couldn’t figure out how to ease the tension. It was different with my colleagues there, more like Nick’s honesty with his friend Jack and Jack’s common-sense reactions. When Nick moves to the EPA, he encounters the level of sensitivity I did at other offices, although there was always one battle or another to fight.

What parts of Nick are based in real-life?

I hope the whole of Nick reflects real life. Now, is that my life? Bits and pieces of Nick are me, but he’s also bits and pieces of other people I’ve encountered along the way. The story dictated who Nick starts out as and who he becomes.

How did reading and writing help you through tough times as a child?

In another parallel with Nick, I lost my vision when I was a teenager. Once I learned braille and how to type, I cranked out poem after poem. Writing became an outlet, even though the poems were rarely explicit about feelings. It was my version of acting out. Expression is sufficient for a teenager even if the form it takes bears little resemblance to what’s going on inside. It’s a byproduct, a symptom, a release.
During that time, reading was an escape into lives other than my own. I’ve come around to believing that denial is a critical stage in the response to trauma, and reading gave me that time.

Why did you decide to pull from different genres to make ‘Caroline’?

There has been no satisfactory fiction with leading blind characters written by blind authors. If any fiction has influenced me, it’s by opposition. Take Anthony Doerr’s justly admired 2014 novel All the Light We Cannot See, where the blind woman character is so idealistically portrayed that, for me and other disabled readers, it detracts from an otherwise beautiful novel. I read mysteries, comedies, literary fiction, legal thrillers, psychological drama, suspense, memoirs, social satire. They all came together for me as the novel evolved. Even fantasy, a genre I usually avoid, contributed a kind of mystical atmosphere I find in fiction by Jon Fowles, Michael Chabin and, yes, Anthony Doerr.

Did you have to do any extra research for the part of the book set in the 80s?

This novel required little new research. I drew on my knowledge of New York criminal law for Nick’s cases. Also, I traveled quite a bit in those years; hence the details of Brooklyn Heights, Manhattan, Connecticut, Paris and Provence. Politics doesn’t play a role in this novel other than a metaphorical allusion to Ronald Reagan’s avowed optimism, ironic in light of my later consumer protection work where much of our energy was directed at making up for his administration’s lax enforcement of food labeling, car safety and other standards. I did need to research environmental law, which I’ve never practiced. I also needed to do a little research into Catholic, Protestant and Jewish theology, as well as some psychology. None of that was specific to the 80s, but it did help ground the novel and its characters.

Is Caroline, the character, based on real life?

I drew on a host of experiences, my own and those of friends, in creating the character, Caroline. But no, this isn’t biography. Biography is about a single life, our curiosity about that life and perhaps the inspiration or lessons we can take away from it. Even if a woman existed whose life was faithfully recounted in this novel, Caroline the character would still be a product of the imagination. Fiction goes beyond fact. The shroud of mystery around Caroline is akin to the mystery that’s in each of us.

Marissa DeCuir

A former award-winning journalist with national exposure, Marissa now oversees the day-to-day operation of the Books Forward author branding and book marketing firm, along with our indie publishing support sister company Books Fluent.

Born and bred in Louisiana, currently living in New Orleans, she has lived and developed a strong base for our company and authors in Chicago and Nashville. Her journalism work has appeared in USA Today, National Geographic and other major publications. She is now interviewed by media on best practices for book marketing.

booksforward.com/about-us/marissa-decuir/

“Jamie Gehring’s book might well be the best attempt yet to understand the strange life and mind of my brother, Theodore J. Kaczynski.” —David Kaczynski, brother of Unabomber Ted Kaczynski

DENVER, Colorado – In her new memoir – which has been praised by FBI agents, documentarians and even family members of the infamous Unabomber – author Jamie Gehring provides a haunting account of the 16 years she and her family lived closer than anyone to Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber, sharing their Montana land, their home, and their dinner table with a hermit who had a penchant for murder. “Madman in the Woods” (April 19, 2022, Diversion Books) is Gehring’s investigative quest 25 years later to reclaim a piece of her childhood by answering the questions: why, how?

As a child in Lincoln, Montana, in the 1980s and ’90s, Jamie Gehring had no idea that Ted Kaczynski—the self-sustaining hermit in the adjacent cabin—was anything more than the neighbor who brought her painted rocks as a gift. Ted was simply Ted, and erratic behavior, surprise visits, and chilling events while she was riding horses or helping her dad at his sawmill were dismissed because he was “just the odd hermit.” He was, in fact, the Unabomber, for 17 years mailing explosives to strangers, the longest-running domestic terrorist in American history.

As an adult with this knowledge, the innocence of her youth robbed, Gehring needed to reconcile her lived experience with the evil that hid in plain sight. In this book, through years of research probing Ted’s personal history, his writings, his secret coded crime journals, her own correspondence with him in his Supermax prison cell, plus interviews with others close to Kaczynski, Gehring unearths the complexity, mystery, and tragedy of her childhood with the madman in the woods. And she discovers a shocking revelation—she and her family were in Kaczynski’s crosshairs.

A work of intricately braided research, journalism, and personal memories, this book is a chilling response to the question: Do you really know your neighbor?

“Madman in the Woods: Life Next Door to the Unabomber”
Jamie Gehring | April 19, 2022 | Diversion Books | True Crime Memoir
Hardcover | ISBN: 9781635768169 | $27.99
Ebook | ISBN: 9781635768183 | $14.99

Early Praise for Jamie Gehring’s

“Madman in the Woods: Life Next Door to the Unabomber”

“I imagine that at every dinner party, when the subject of strange neighbors comes up, Jamie Gehring wins every single time. That’s a good thing for readers. Not only does Ms. Gehring have a story to tell—in this case about growing up within a stone’s throw of Unabomber Ted Kaczynski—she finds a way to use his reign of terror as a pathway to her own self-discovery. No easy task. Madman in the Woods is the kind of book I live for . . . one that drives me through the drama of a story but gives me the unvarnished heart and soul of the storyteller. This one is a winner.” —Gregg  Olsen,  best-selling author of  If You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood

“Combining the observations of a one-time close neighbor with extensive research and empathy for the many lives affected, Jamie Gehring’s book might well be the best attempt yet to understand the strange life and mind of my brother, Theodore J. Kaczynski.” —David Kaczynski,  author of  Every Last Tie: The Story of the Unabomber and His Family

“Jamie Gehring has written a fascinating account of unknowingly growing up in an isolated rural area near the nation’s most wanted serial bomber and domestic terrorist. Her exhaustive research and numerous interviews of Kaczynski’s neighbors and Lincoln, Montana, townspeople give her account a unique perspective. I believe Madman in the Woods is a must-read for true crime aficionados.” —Max Noel,  retired UNABOM investigative supervisor and arresting agent, and  coauthor of  Capturing the Unabomber: The FBI Insiders’ Story

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jamie Gehring is a Montana native who grew up sharing a backyard with Ted Kaczynski, the man widely known as the Unabomber. She was featured in Netflix’s Unabomber—In His Own Words where she discussed her family’s role in Ted’s capture. She earned her BA in visual communications and has worked in financial advising and graphic design. She currently lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband and three children. You can find out more about Jamie on her website: www.jamiegehring.com

Follow Jamie Gehring on social media:
Facebook: @jamiegehringauthor | Instagram: @jamiegehringauthor

In an interview, Jamie Gehring can discuss:

• A view of a serial killer through the eyes of a child and her personal encounters with Unabomber Ted Kaczynski as her neighbor, who gifted her with painted rocks and shared meals with her family
• Exploring the literal and figurative common ground she shared with Kaczynski, the longest-running domestic terrorist in the United States
• Reconciling her childhood understanding of and relationship to her neighbor, after he was identified as the infamous Unabomber
• Her father’s integral role in the FBI investigation and capture of Kaczynski
• Her memories of Kaczynski, his arrest and the impact it had on her childhood and community
• How her book contemplates questions such as, “How could someone with an IQ of 167 take the leap from playing the trombone in high school, majoring in mathematics at Harvard, earning a masters and doctorate in mathematics from the University of Michigan, and then teaching at Berkeley—to calculated murder and maiming? How does a beloved little boy from a working-class family grow into a man who chooses to live alone and carry out his new life’s work as a violent attack on society?”
• What happened when she wrote to Kaczynski in prison

An Interview with Jamie Gehring

The question everyone will want to know: what was Ted Kaczynski like? Were you afraid of him as a child? In retrospect, was there anything that seemed to indicate he might be capable of the crimes he committed?

We thought of Ted as an odd hermit, especially in the early 80s. He was dirty, his clothes were tattered, and he smelled like he lived in the wilds of Montana. But it wasn’t unheard of to live an off-grid lifestyle in rural Montana. He seemed shy and kind in those early years when he was still coming to our house for dinner, playing cards with my parents, and bringing me handcrafted gifts. I wasn’t afraid of him as a young child, only as I got older did I start to fear him and his visits.

In retrospect, there are many red flags when it comes to Ted Kaczynski. There were the (then) unsolved mysteries, such as my father’s sawmill sabotage or our dog’s lethal poisoning. There were strange noises at night or ominous meetings in the woods. Additionally, there was his overall change in demeanor as the years progressed. But, still there isn’t one thing that happened that would have made me take the leap from “strange hermit to the Unabomber.”

We hear a lot of talk about nature vs. nurture. It’s fascinating that the same place you grew up – the environment that shaped and inspired you – was also home to Ted Kaczynski, the longest-running domestic terrorist. Did your home feel different after you learned about his crimes? Similarly, how did it make you feel to share both literal and figurative common ground with a serial killer?

I definitely felt different after I learned of Ted’s crimes. That change in perspective fueled me while writing this book. I needed to reclaim those parts of my childhood that felt changed after discovering the truth. But the way I felt about my home never changed. The woods may have provided Ted with the perfect place to build and test bombs. But for me, those woods were where I built forts, rode my horse, and learned about life. They are still beautiful to me. Only that 1.4 acre parcel that Ted lived on feels different, the rest remains the same.

Sharing common ground with a serial killer is definitely cause for deeper exploration. While writing this book I felt connected to other books, such as “The Stranger Beside Me” or “The Babysitter.” It’s a difficult thing to pinpoint exactly, the feeling of sharing anything with a serial killer. Whether that is a history, land, or a meal. It makes you look at the world through a different lens.

Why did you write this memoir? We know there are several books and documentaries about the Unabomber – what does your perspective add to the conversation?

I wrote this memoir as I was searching for answers, not only about my former neighbor but also about myself.

Before I started writing I had read many books about Ted’s crimes and the UNABOM investigation. But the answers I was searching for, such as, “What made this man—a man that could deliver a handmade gift to a little girl one moment and then plot a murder the next?” hadn’t been made clear to me. We are all messy and complicated, but the question remained, “How could someone extinguish that part of their humanity in order to kill?” I needed to try to understand the mind of the murderer, what motivated him, and what shaped him. This delivered through the eyes of a child that saw Ted through a softer light is a completely different look at this story.

What role did your father play in the investigation and the capture of Ted Kaczynski? Were you aware of it at the time? Or did you learn over time, as you got older? Do you think there are still pieces he left out?

My father was referred to by FBI agent Max Noel as, “the eyes and ears of the investigation.” At the time of the investigation the FBI knew that the only person that wouldn’t look out of place around Ted’s cabin was my father. He was tasked with regularly reporting back to Max Noel about any footprints he may have seen close to Ted’s cabin or if smoke was coming out of the chimney. Directly before the arrest, my father was asked to videotape the terrain surrounding Kaczsynski’s home and the cabin itself. My dad agreed, but it wasn’t without some trepidation. At this point, he knew that Ted could be the Unabomber. I was able to obtain this footage from the case files and it was a very proud moment to witness my own father contributing in such a monumental (and dangerous) way.

Dad didn’t talk much about the investigation. He did share a few stories with me before his passing, but most of the information I gathered for the book (even about my late father’s part in the investigation and the Unabomber’s arrest) was shared with me by Max Noel. I feel this is another really interesting component of the book: my fact-finding mission years after my father had passed.

What impact did his arrest (and ultimately, the discovery that he was the Unabomber) have on your childhood and your community in Lincoln, Montana?

I was only 16 when Ted was arrested. It definitely was shocking at the time. The small community of Lincoln was taken over by reporters. There were people showing up at our home constantly, looking for a story or for a tour of Ted’s land. I joke in my book that everyone except Oprah called us for an interview. But my dad was very private and only agreed to a couple interviews. At one point there was even a helicopter that landed in our front yard!

The community with a population of around 1,000 residents was also completely shaken by the news of Ted’s true identity. There wasn’t one person (that I have heard of at least) that suspected Ted of being a criminal. He was known in the town as the odd hermit. But, criminal? The Unabomber? Never.

Does Ted Kaczynski know that you wrote this book?

I did tell Ted in one of my letters that I was writing a book. I am still waiting to hear about how he feels about that. For a behind the scenes on that you can view here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CWWcXp2FXDc/

Additional Praise for Jamie Gehring’s “Madman in the Woods: Life Next Door to the Unabomber”

“Every time a madman commits a ghastly crime, TV reporters find that dumbfounded neighbor who swears, ‘He was such a nice boy.’ It only proves that we cannot see through the darkest windows, no matter how close we get. But Jamie Gehring’s compelling, smartly-written memoir peers through the smoky glass of memory to glimpse a complex lunatic—and her own reflection. This is a worthy addition to our canon of intimate crime stories.” —Ron  Franscell,  USA Today-bestselling author of  The Darkest Night  and  Shadow Man

“I was captivated by Gehring’s memoir of a rural Montana childhood abruptly divided into before and after by the arrest of the hermit next door—Ted Kaczynski. Her search for the truth about her family, Kaczynksi, and the evil within that familiar cabin in the woods is riveting.” —Liza Rodman, author of The Babysitter: My Summers with a Serial Killer

“Jamie  Gehring  sets off on an epic quest across the Big Sky landscape of Montana into the heart of a murderer and her own soul. In doing so she gives voice to those who live behind the headlines. And what an extraordinary voice it is—compassionate, challenging, unerringly honest, and always poetic. Both universal and deeply personal, this is not just true crime, it’s true life. It will linger in the imagination long after the final page has been turned.” —Mick Grogan, writer & director for the Netflix documentary Unabomber: In His Own Words

“Gehring’s  Madman in the Woods  is a captivating look at Ted Kaczynski—the Unabomber—from a perspective that no one else on the planet has. It is insightful, unique, and fascinating!  A must read for all true crime fans and anyone who loves to know the real story behind the story.” —Jim Clemente, retired FBI supervisory special agent/profiler and writer/producer of the Audible Original Series Where the Devil Belongs 

Download press kit and photos

Marissa DeCuir

A former award-winning journalist with national exposure, Marissa now oversees the day-to-day operation of the Books Forward author branding and book marketing firm, along with our indie publishing support sister company Books Fluent.

Born and bred in Louisiana, currently living in New Orleans, she has lived and developed a strong base for our company and authors in Chicago and Nashville. Her journalism work has appeared in USA Today, National Geographic and other major publications. She is now interviewed by media on best practices for book marketing.

booksforward.com/about-us/marissa-decuir/

NASHVILLE, TN – Debut author Cathy A. Lewis hits the scene with a historical fiction novel that looks into Hitler’s deadly plans nine years before the start of World War II and the Holocaust.

Lewis came up with the idea in 2018, after rediscovering a small, tattered suitcase belonging to her deceased father featuring his daily journal and mementos from his six-week trek in 1933 through Europe with his Boy Scout Troop on their way to the 4th World Scout Jamboree held in Godollo, Hungary.

Inspired by her father’s historical recount and stories shared with her during her youth, The Road We Took: Four Days in Germany 1933 is the epic tale of an American Boy Scout who discovers by coincidence four desperate Jewish citizens attempting to escape Nazi Germany.

Fascinating characters come together in a narrative of extreme courage, budding adolescent love, and their fight for survival in this gripping novel.

Life in Germany would never be the same as Hitler and the Nazis advanced their propaganda campaign to systematically murder the Jewish population and anyone that does not fit the Aryan ideals. And this was only the beginning.

“The Road We Took”
Cathy A. Lewis | February 15, 2022| Independently Published | Historical Fiction Paperback | 978-1-7370267-0-9 | $18.99 | Ebook | B09G5FL33J | $9.99

More about Cathy A. Lewis

Cathy has spent over 40 years as a professional chef after graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in New York. She was the first female Executive Chef for the Servico Corporation, where she served The Philadelphia Eagles, The Philadelphia Flyers and The Philadelphia 76’ers. Over the course of her career, Cathy capitalized her creative talents as a restaurant owner and partner, conceptualizing and creating brands for three successful startup businesses, Food Works, in Pittsford, New York, The Bagel Bin in Penfield, New York, and The Nick of Thyme in Brentwood, Tennessee. It was at the Nick of Thyme that Cathy developed long standing relationships within the music industry. Her clients included Donna Summer Sudano, Naomi Judd, Wynonna Judd, numerous Christian and country music artists, world-renowned wine collectors Billy Ray Hearn and Tom Black. After the sale of her business, Cathy cooked for and traveled extensively to movie locations with actress and activist Ashley Judd and her husband, three-time Indy 500 champion Dario Franchitti. She continues to cook privately for exclusive clients and friends.

When she is not working as a professional chef, she enjoys writing, reading, cooking for her family and special friends, taking photos of nature and food, gardening, watching open wheel racing, watching movie classics from the golden age of cinema on TCM, and chasing her two cats, Princess Poopie Peanut Head and Tout Suite. The Road We Took is Cathy’s first novel and partially conceived from her father’s journal of daily writings and documentations along with the narratives and tales he told Cathy as a young girl.

Follow Cathy on Instagram: @cathyalewis
And find her website at: https://www.cathyalewis.com.

In an interview, Cathy can discuss:

• How it felt finding her father’s journal containing his observations of what was taking place in Germany prior to Hitler’s rise to power, knowing what we do now about his intentions and actions.
• How the characters in the book relate to what she read in her dad’s journals and stories recounted to her as a young girl.
• Standout passages from her dad’s journals.
• What was the motivation for her to write about this time in history.
• The discovery of her family lineage through ancestry, and that role that this played in her desire to preserve history.
• Her thoughts on the discrimination her mother dealt with as a Jewish immigrant coming to the United States in 1944.
• Her standout moments from being a chef, as well as starting a new career after an established one.

An Interview with Cathy A. Lewis

Has writing always been a hobby of yours, or did finding your dad’s journals spark something for you?

I’ve always loved to write; I wrote poetry in my teen years and early 20’s. Then Chef-life took over, and my writing became limited to mostly menu creation and recipe writing. I would still write occasionally, primarily journals, and a few attempts at a book unrelated to this subject matter. My dad’s journal sparked something in me when I read one entry that chilled me to the bone.

What was your first thought when you realized what lay inside your dad’s journals?

My first thought was: I need a magnifying glass to read this fountain-penned cursive writing- the lines on the page were so narrow! Keep in mind at this time in 2018 this journal is 85 years old, and the ink became so embedded in the paper I had to buy a considerable light-enhanced magnifier when I first read it. Outside of the readability issue, my first thought was astonishment; I remembered the journal and my dad sharing his writing with me as a young girl; however, the stories he told me were what I remembered more than the journal. After re-discovering the suitcase and its contents, I felt it was only suitable to preserve this history for posterity sake, future generations, and another aspect of our family history which is quite rich. The journal records a 16 almost 17-year-old boy’s point of view, recording what he saw during his four days in Germany. The trucks, armaments, troops, weapons, parades with massive numbers of soldiers, the 40k gathering of Hitler Youth for a rally-all direct violations of the Treaty of Versailles. The world was situationally unaware that the Treaty of Versailles had already been violated.

Do you remember connecting with learning about the WWII era in school?

My childhood was traumatic for several reasons, and I don’t have a lot of recollection about those school years. However, a childhood friend of mine recently reminded me that all the Jewish kids were put in the back of the room in the last row of chairs whenever films were shown in school about WWII. That was 5th grade, and at that time, I was not aware I was Jewish. My love of history and passion for this era came later for me, my parents and my late brother being my biggest influences. My brother used to listen to lp records of speeches made by FDR during WWII, and my mom and dad would watch all the movies about WWII. My dad was a veteran who served during the war-my parents incidentally met on the army base in the Canal Zone of Colòn, Panama, where dad was stationed.

How did working as a chef prepare you to write this book?

There is a process I go through when designing a menu. I create a menu, do the research on recipes and sourcing ingredients, write the prep list, and then execute the dishes. I found when writing; I use the same process. I do the research, write the outline, and write the chapter. I discovered this fascinating application of the same skill set used between the two distinctly different professions.

How does it feel to take on this new project after establishing yourself as a chef the last 40 years?

This project came as a result of needing something highly creative to work on while recovering from major ankle surgery, where I couldn’t walk for six months-the book was born out of a need to keep from going bonkers while I recovered. Writing opens up an entire world of creative opportunity for me, in ways cooking could not. I can completely lose myself in writing, with no sense of time. It’s like shopping in a mall, with no windows, you walk outside astonished it’s become night. In a kitchen, time is always a major preoccupation. I find writing to be the creative outlet my brain yearned for, for many years. Writing seems to connect the deep chasm between my head and my heart.

Marissa DeCuir

A former award-winning journalist with national exposure, Marissa now oversees the day-to-day operation of the Books Forward author branding and book marketing firm, along with our indie publishing support sister company Books Fluent.

Born and bred in Louisiana, currently living in New Orleans, she has lived and developed a strong base for our company and authors in Chicago and Nashville. Her journalism work has appeared in USA Today, National Geographic and other major publications. She is now interviewed by media on best practices for book marketing.

booksforward.com/about-us/marissa-decuir/