Author: Michael

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What is it about Jack Reacher?

Latest Reacher CoverWhy is Reacher so popular? After all, the man is a human wrecking ball. As Malcolm Gladwell pointed out in the New Yorker in 2015, Reacher has killed over two hundred people since making his first appearance in Killing Floor. His readers don’t seem to mind the death toll he leaves in his wake. Reacher would say the victims deserved it. He certainly doesn’t agonize about it, a strategy he suggests to whoever happens to be around and might be squeamish.

Ever since first discovering Reacher six years ago, I’ve wondered about my own fascination with him. Like most humans, I carry an idea of myself. I think I know who I am. And that idea is entirely different from Reacher. Sure, I’m a bit of a loner, but that’s where any similarity stops. Continue reading “What is it about Jack Reacher?”

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Time and Space in Just Fall: An Interview with Nina Sadowsky

Nina Sadowsky

After my book blast for Just Fall, I followed up with Nina Sadowsky about the unique setting and chapter sequences she used in the book. Here are her answers.

Michael Niemann: The story opens with a sensuous description of a beach and a hotel. Tell me about the setting. Did you go to St. Lucia to research the setting?

Nina Sadowsky: The opening of the book came out of a personal experience. My husband and I were newly married and trying to blend a family of four teenagers (two mine and two his). It wasn’t going well. In particular, my stepson was very angry and acting out in hurtful ways. He wouldn’t speak to me or eat anything I cooked, he refused to be at our house when my children were there, he was beastly to my husband and awful all around. The situation was stressful for everyone. I needed my husband to back me up about his son’s bad behavior, but he was terrified by the anger and resentment flowing from his son and afraid of driving him further away. My husband and I went away to Laguna Beach for what was supposed to be a weekend of re-connection and repair: cocktails on the beach, romantic dinners, and also a relaxed place in which to parse our problems. But even the weather didn’t cooperate. Our sunny weekend getaway was socked in by fog, the beach was out of the question, we even ended up going to the movies just to stay warm. But even worse, we weren’t talking about the problems our blended family was causing, I suspect because we both were afraid that bringing it up might prove too explosive for our relationship to withstand.
Continue reading “Time and Space in Just Fall: An Interview with Nina Sadowsky”

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Blog Tour: Just Fall by Nina Sadowsky

Just Fall coverWhat’s It About?

Ellie Larrabee’s life is perfect. She’s thriving at work, living in a fabulous apartment, and engaged to the man of her dreams. To all appearances, Ellie and Rob Beauman are a golden couple—blessed with good looks, success, and romantic chemistry that’s off the charts. Surely their future together promises nothing but happiness.

But on what should be the most wonderful day of her life, moments after saying “I do,” a shocking secret threatens to shatter Ellie’s happily-ever-after. She learns that the man she just married and loves with all her heart hides a dark past beneath his charismatic exterior. The more of harrowing truth she uncovers, the deeper Ellie is swept into a vortex of betrayal and uncertainty from which she may never escape.

On the island paradise of St. Lucia, Ellie isn’t basking in honeymoon splendor—she’s grappling with the chilling realities of her violently derailed life: Rob has blood on his hands and some very dangerous people on his trail, and only Ellie stands between him and the lethal destiny he’s facing. Rob never dreamed that Ellie would be dragged into the deadly world he’s trapped in—or used as a pawn against him. And Ellie could never have imagined how far she’d be forced to go to save the man she loves.

Perfect for fans of Patricia Highsmith and Gillian Flynn.

Continue reading “Blog Tour: Just Fall by Nina Sadowsky”

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Literary Ashland with Carole T. Beers

Carol BeersFor our second anniversary show—yes, we’ve been on the air two years now—Ed and I interviewed Carole Beers. Carol is the author of Saddle Tramps, a mystery that offers a gripping look behind the scenes of competitive Western horse shows. Prior to venturing into the mystery genre, Carole was a dance critic and journalist at the Seattle Times.

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Literary Ashland with Dennis Powers

Our June guest was Dennis Powers, Professor Emeritus at SOU and author of numerous books both fiction and non-fiction. We talked about his maritime series of non-fiction books which began with The Raging Sea, an account of the worst Tsunami on the US West Coast, and includes the volumes The Treasure Ship, Sentinel of the Seas, Taking the Sea and Tales of the Seven Seas. Each book explores a fascinating topic along the West Coast of the United States.