Category: Interview/Q&A

Author Interview – Those Who Fear Us by Anthony Estrada

whatcathyreadnext

I’m delighted to be celebrating publication day of Those Who Fear Us with its author, Anthony Estrada. You can read an extract from the book below followed by Anthony’s fascinating answers to my questions about his book and his writing journey. Find out about the inspiration for the story, its protagonist, his research for the book, his writing heroes and why he may be doing a happy dance on publication day.

But first let me tell you some more about it – and how you can get your hands on a copy!

About the Book

Book cover of Those Who Fear Us by Anthony Estrada

Sergeant Carlos Lopez patrols the streets of the isolated, sleepy California farming community of San Eugenio. Searching for meaning, purpose, and dignity, Sgt. Lopez finds it at the expense of the town’s Latino migrant population.

“I knew I was going to die. And somehow, I knew it’s exactly what I needed most.”

A prisoner of his circumstances, Sgt. Lopez believes the only possible escape is putting his department-issued Beretta 9mm to his head. In the midst of a case that has divided the nation, a call from headquarters to hold a high-profile murder suspect for the evening threatens to upend every story Carlos has created in his life and forces him to confront the demons of his past, his family, career legacy, and racial identity.

A tale of family, identity, redemption, and the meaning of truth, Those Who Fear Us asks the question, “Are the ones we’re afraid of most, the ones staring back at us in the mirror?”

Praise for Those Who Fear Us
“In the pages of Those Who Fear Us you’ll find a most sympathetic and memorable protagonist who does the best he can to find peace in a world that can be so resistant to those who are different. Anthony Estrada’s writing is lyrical and all-consuming. Get a copy of this lovely novel.” – De’Shawn Winslow, author of In West Mills and Decent People, Center for Fiction First Prize Novel Winner, LA Times Book Award Winner, and American Book Award Recipient

Find Those Who Fear Us on Goodreads

Purchase Those Who Fear Us from Amazon [link provided for convenience not as part of an affiliate programme]

Extract from Those Who Fear Us by Anthony Estrada

The high beams of the gangbanger’s bullet-riddled, dirt-covered white 1994 Grand Caravan made the shooter a shadowy figure, from which he unleashed death at 600 rounds a minute.

All we could do was launch a volley of what might as well have been David slinging pebbles at Goliath.

David had God. We didn’t. He wouldn’t have survived at the intersection of Cesar Chavez and Kern that night, or any night for that matter. God wasn’t coming to save us. Grocery store candles on street corners with Jesus and Mary on the front of them lit the way for some poor soul’s journey home.

East LA made us all doubt the very existence of God.

Us? We were the beacon of hope.

To think this is what Cesar Chavez fought for—these tattoo-ladened, wife beater-wearing, dope-slingin’, sorry excuses for Latinos. They’re not like us. Those of us who worked hard to gain respect in society. These are the ones who gave us bad names. They tried to bring Mexico to America. They’re the reason why all these activists still think we get no respect in society. We all know the truth of the world. Some just make more excuses than others. I worked to get everything I wanted.

I earned my beautiful lawn and the Craftsman mower I mowed it with. I earned the right to take my kid to Little League.

They had bottles of Olde English in their hands and their kids were smoking weed at age six. I saw it every time I walked into one of those houses to serve a warrant—the kids sleeping on the floor—God, it pissed me off. They had to. It was sleep on the floor or risk not waking up from a stray bullet through their window. No decency. How could you let your family live like that?

Muzzle flashes created a yellowish-white light and gave me a glimpse of what lay beyond. The cracks were reverberating through the night air, sending any clear thoughts out the window.

I could only fall back on my training. “Drop behind the engine block, throw down covering fire, and pray!” I shouted to Jimmy.

Jimmy took one to the thigh. Garcia couldn’t move out of his car fast enough. The 7.62 ripped through his door and then his carotid artery. I wished I had been the one who was taken. Garcia’s family actually loved him.

Q&A with Anthony Estrada, author of Those Who Fear Us

Q. What attracted you to writing a thriller?
A. The idea came from wanting to tell a Latino father/son story about the two of them having to survive their way through Latino gang infested neighborhood. I have a love for genre movies. This book originally started as a first draft of a script I had written a few years ago. By chance, I rewatched Assault on Precinct 13 (1976), and a lightbulb went off and finally the story started to take shape. Not too long after, I happened to re-watch First Blood and Shawshank Redemption. All three of these movies had a big inspiration on what I believed the story should be. All of which are hard action/thrillers or have elements of it.

In my perspective, genre provides a magnificent inlet into a story that audiences feel comfortable with. In those genre conventions, I was then able to play with characters and “say something” without it feeling like audiences are being talked down to or preached at. It’s the “peanut butter with the pill” idea that I love – providing great entertainment, with a pathway toward helping myself, and hopefully, audiences/readers, reflect on some way on their own lives to provide a path to greater understanding of themselves and others. Genre serves as a great framework to help build deeper connection with one another.

Q. How did you go about creating your main character, Sergeant Carlos Lopez?
A. Sergeant Carlos Lopez is an amalgamation of so many different things and people. The two primary people that come to mind are my dad and myself.

My dad was an L.A. County Sheriff for over 20 years and he worked at the East LA station. He saw so many things that human beings shouldn’t experience on a regular basis. A few of the stories in the book are experiences that he lived through (the AK-47 opening is based on a real event that happened to him). Additionally, some of the emotions and feelings that Carlos shares about policing are reflective of the many interviews I did with my dad, asking him about his experiences, what he was thinking at certain moments, and emotions that he had to come to terms with after he retired. I am so appreciative with how open he was to share.

I am so lucky to have a father who was/is an incredible father. In my time creating the character, I then asked myself the questions, “If my dad was an asshole, not a good father, a bad husband, and acted like a victim all the time what was one way that he could have turned out and why?” As I answered the question, it opened up so many other questions for me, that I wanted to explore about how I viewed father/son relationships, my parents’ incredible and long marriage, and perhaps, the biggest question, “What is one of the core reasons I believe we’ve become so divided about so many things in this country?” Answering those questions, laid the foundation for Carlos.

The primary emotional turmoil and heart of Carlos’ arc came from the personal struggles I was having. My obsession with my work, and my view of its importance began to take over my personal life. One day my sister said to me, “If you had not come to see who you were becoming, I was going to tell you to take some time away from seeing your nieces. I don’t want them around people like that.” For someone who thought he was doing everything right, this shook me to my very core, and led me on a journey of finding true peace for myself. So much of it came from feeling like I was a prisoner to my own circumstances, and not seeing a way out. Part of my path to forgiving myself for how I had pushed people away was in owning up to the truth around my life, and to take full ownership of my life and every mistake, success, and way of thinking that I had. As I looked for a path in my own life to “redemption” and “inner peace,” that’s when I finally figured out who Carlos Lopez really was.

Q. How important to the story is the book’s setting? 
A. Absolutely vital. For this concept to exist the police station had to be isolated. One of the initial triggers that started the process of this story was traveling up to Santa Barbara from LA to visit family. In between, I passed rows of strawberry fields in the predominantly Latino populated city of Oxnard, where my grandpa was born and raised. I would look at these Latino field workers in the blazing hot sun and think about the incredibly difficult work they were doing. Alongside that, there’s also been known White Nationalist pockets around these communities. To me, I started to think, “Where can we be isolated? And what can serve as a metaphor for the tension of the US surrounding immigration and racial relationships? As I have a passion for telling stories about all aspects of the Latino community, I couldn’t think of a better place than these migrant farming communities throughout Central California. These places are the backbone of America’s agriculture industry, and it is catalyzed by the work these migrant farmworkers do, as they look for the opportunity at a better life.

Q. Were there any scenes that were particularly challenging to write? If so, why?
A. Lupe’s chapter was the hardest one to write. It was probably the quickest one I wrote. I felt just awful for a day or two after. It was hard as I had to tell a brutal story of a survivor of domestic violence, and recount horrific stories to share that I had heard during my research.

Since I have no experience with domestic violence in any way, I went to Long Beach Women’s Shelter and spent the day hearing stories from these incredible women who were working with survivors and who were survivors themselves. It fundamentally changed me as a man, and most of all as a person. Telling this particular story so it was not exploitative of these women, yet did not turn away from the brutality of both the emotional and physical aspects, was difficult. As the story continued, Lupe very quickly became my favorite character because of who she becomes, and how reflective she is of the incredible strength of these women that were able to get out of these situations and find a path back to themselves.

Q. What has been your favourite and least favourite part of the writing process?
A. It’s all so beautiful to me. I love digging deep and confronting old beliefs of mine or trying to understand my own personal growth. I love observing people around me and the events of the world, and trying to understand them from a thirty and fifty thousand foot view. If I had to say I had a “least favorite part,” it might be proofreading, but at the same time re-reading and editing so many times triggered new ideas and more depth to the story many times.

Q. Who are your writing heroes?
A. Most of them come from the film/script writing world, as that’s where I’m more of an expert. Billy Wilder is hands down, top of the list. I love Eric Roth’s writing as well. Philosophically: Macus Aurelius and Brené Brown. Fiction: Cormac McCarthy’s writing, and Stephen King’s Rita Hayworth and The Shawshank Redemption was a big influence on this book.

Q. How will you be celebrating publication day?
A. I’ll likely call my family to give a verbal high fives/hugs, and then maybe go eat a favorite meal of mine – spaghetti, tacos or a steak and potato. Maybe, I’ll get crazy and do them all. Honestly, I hadn’t really thought about it, until this question. Perhaps, it’s time to take a step back and do a little happy dance.

Q. What are you working on next?
A. I’m really excited to switch to some lighter fare. I’m a naturally, very happy, light hearted person so living in the intensity of the themes and actual writing of Those Who Fear Us over the last few years, I’m ready for a slight reprieve. On the writing front, I have a stage musical that is currently deep in development and will be ready to shop in April, called Labor of Love. I’m also working on a set of children’s/young adult graphic novels, called The Revolutionary Kids, based on an anti-bullying short film I made a few years ago. I’m producing a film that will be shooting in April, and am currently in the midst of preparing Those Who Fear Us for active pre-production for a film fund, along with three other films.

As far as next novels, I have a few ideas percolating in three different genres – epic romance, thriller, and a Don Quixote adventure that I’m still digging through to get to the core of. Whatever it is, you can believe that it’s going to have lots of heart, some belly laughs, probably have a little something to say, and as always be rooted in genre.

    About the Author

    Anthony Estrada is a Los Angeles-based producer and writer. A native of Southern California, and a third generation Latino, he has been working in the entertainment industry for the past ten years. Currently, Estrada is developing the stage musical, Labor of Love, and a series of YA graphic novels called The Revolutionary Kids as a multi-series set of young adult graphic novels. In his spare time, Estrada enjoys time with his family and friends, going to the movies, hiking, traveling, rooting for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Michigan Wolverines, and practicing martial arts, yoga, and ballet.

    Connect with Anthony
    Instagram | Facebook | TikTok

    #BookExtract #AuthorInterview In the Shadows of Castles by G.K. Holloway

    whatcathyreadnext6 Comments

    Today’s guest on What Cathy Read Next is Glynn Holloway, author of In the Shadows of Castles.  In the Shadows of Castles is the sequel to 1066: What Fates Impose which I read and reviewed back in 2018. You can read an extract from In the Shadows of Castles later in this post.

    Question MarkI’m pleased to say Glynn bravely agreed to take part in my ‘Lucky Dip Q&A’ which involves picking five numbers between 1 and 30 and seeing what questions that produces. (Full disclosure: On this occasion I chose Glynn’s numbers for him.)

    Q. If your book was set in space what would have to change?
    A. The first thing is the technology. My book is set in the mid-eleventh century, so transport is earthbound and dependant on air for horses to breath. Weaponry would be next; the pen is mightier than the sword and so is a phaser. A space suit would be more appropriate than chainmail if you want to survive in space and a spaceship would be a good idea. Once all these changes have been made the plot and characters could remain more or less unchanged. The human condition, (and probably alien’s, too) remains the same. My story would be the same. It would have a beginning a middle and an end and would still be about who gets what, where, when and why.

    Q. If you had to experiment with a completely different genre, what would it be?
    A. I’ve thought about this a few times. Sci-Fi and thrillers are at the top of the list. Although I write historical fiction, I find the idea of writing Sci-Fi attractive because there’s no limit to what you can do, other than the limits of your imagination. Stories like, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, Soylent Green and Minority Report spring to mind. It’s more the moral and political issues that attract me in Sci-Fi rather than the technical stuff. Turning my hand to thrillers has appeal but it’s quite a trick to produce a story with a labyrinthine plot and interesting characters to which readers can relate. I’m thinking Scandi Noir and The Killing in particular.

    Q. What scene in a book was the most challenging to write?
    A. Battles are particularly difficult, at least for me, especially if there are several in a book. It’s trying to make each one different. It gets harder every time. I change the setting from battlefield, to town, to tunnels, to a hillside, in a valley, in the dark, the rain, snow, fog, blazing sun, using spears, swords, axes, cavalry, infantry and bowmen.  And I must make them different from other writers, too.  It’s too easy to fall into a ‘he bashed him and then he bashed him back,’ scenario.

    Q. What is your most productive time – and place – for writing.
    A. This will sound odd, but it depends on what you call writing. If you mean sitting at a keyboard, then the answer is at home in the dining room where I have a computer on a desk right by the French windows that look out into our south facing garden. The afternoon is best for this. On the other hand, the mornings are best for ideas, and they can pop up anywhere but particularly if I’m walking or riding my bike around Durdam Downs, which are close to where I live. Some of my best ideas just seem to jump into my head out of nowhere. It’s like owning a faulty radio with a free roaming tuner that, every once in a while, picks up exactly the right station for what I want. Finally, there is what I call horizontal writing. These are ideas the occur to me when I’m in bed sleeping. I wake up and jot down ideas in a note pad, which I keep by my bedside.

    Q. Past tense, present tense of both?
    A. I suppose because I write historical fiction something about the past tense seems natural to me and so that’s what I write. It fits in with what I do. However, I’m aware of some writers of historical fiction who write in the present tense and that has a lot going for it. The outstanding quality of present tense is its ability to draw a reader in, bringing them closer to the action, making for a more intimate connection with the characters portrayed on the page. Writing in the past tense is a decision I made intuitively rather than as a result of an intellectual process. It just doesn’t feel right for me to write in the present tense, at least in historical fiction.

    Well done to Glynn for tackling that first question. I also love the idea of ‘horizontal writing’.

    In the Shadows of Castles CoverAbout the Book

    It’s the 1060s, and William of Normandy is establishing a new and brutal regime in England, but there are those who would defy him. As Norman soldiers spread like a plague across the land, resistance builds, but will it be enough to topple William and restore the rightful king to his throne? The English have the courage to fight, but the Normans, already victorious at Hastings, now build castles seeking to secure their tenuous foothold in these lands.

    And what of the people caught up in these catastrophic events? Dispossessed but not defeated, their lives ripped apart, the English struggle for freedom from tyranny; amongst them, caught up in the turmoil, are a soldier, a thane and two sisters. As events unfold, their destinies become intertwined, bringing drastic changes that alter their lives forever.

    Firmly embedded in the history of the Conquest, In the Shadows of Castles is ultimately a story of love, hope and survival in a time of war.

    Format: ebook (434 pages)           Publisher: Silverwood Books
    Publication date: 17th June 2022 Genre: Historical Fiction

    Find In the Shadows of Castles on Goodreads

    Purchase link
    Amazon UK
    Link provided for convenience only, not as part of an affiliate programme

    Extract from In the Shadows of Castles by G.K. Holloway

    Whitgar’s problem now would be to make it safely through the snow to Durham, some fifty miles away. He would have to move fast. With enemy troops all around and the terrible cold, he was in danger of dying if the Normans apprehended him or he found no shelter. Hunched up against the cold, Whitgar pushed his horse on to Thirsk. There was a Dane there called Thor, a horse trader he had done business with many times. They had always got on well and even enjoyed the occasional half day hunting. Perhaps he would help.

    In ordinary conditions it was a two-hour ride to Thirsk, but with so much snow, it would take longer. Whitgar dreaded the journey but pushed on through the bleached and hoary land, always concerned about freezing to death. His fingers and toes were soon numb, and his legs were stiffening up, but he was soon to discover the cold was not his only worry. As he headed towards the Vale of York, he crossed the tacks of a wolf pack heading north. He judged them to be a pack of at least a dozen. The paw prints were fresh.

    ‘Come on, Liegitu, we’d better make haste,’ Whitgar said to his horse.

    Liegitu responded and increased his pace, he too wanted to get off the high ground and out of the bitter wind. Even if it were only a breeze, it still cut deep into man and beast and the shelter of the valley would be most welcome. They had gone less than a mile when a fearsome howl pieced the white silence of the moors. Whitgar had heard too many stories of people and their encounters with wolves to imagine it would be alone. Where there was one there would be others. Whitgar felt a surge of energy rush through his body and kicked his horse on. Not that he needed any encouragement. He, too, had heard the wolf.

    It was a relief, when ten minutes later he made his way off the moors and down into the relative shelter of the Vale of York, which offered some protection against the gusting breeze. He would only have to travel another five miles to safety from here. The thought lifted his spirits but not for long when a wolf howled again, this time much closer. Whitgar turned to see he had company, a wolf. It was big, dark but had a grey muzzle, his breath forming clouds in the air. Whitgar wondered if he was the leader introducing his pack to the next meal. His horse must have picked up the scent because he, too, became unsettled and jittery.

    Whitgar began exercising his fingers in anticipation of having to use his bow; they were so cold he thought he would be lucky if he could even string it. He had just begun rubbing his fingers together to get them warm when he noticed something moving in the woods to his right, another wolf and then another, fifty yards further on. He reached for his bow and strung it, no easy matter on horseback, especially with a skittish horse tugging on the reins.

    Whitgar felt Liegitu’s distress as their predators began to close in and wondered how desperate his situation was. Liegitu, fast as he was, would never manage a five-mile gallop to Thirsk and in any event, he doubted if he could outrun a pack of wolves. He would have to rely on his bow to save him.

    I wonder how many wolves there are, and if I have enough arrows? he asked himself. It was then he remembered something Thor had told him a long time before about the animals, which were a common sight around Thirsk. ‘They hardly ever attack humans, but if you suspect they might go for you, don’t run. Hold your ground. Make yourself look bigger than you really are, make a lot of noise and throw things at them. That should scare them away,’

    ‘What if it doesn’t?’ Whitgar had asked.

    ‘You’d better hope it’s all over with quickly,’ Thor said, before bursting into laughter.

    The wolf Whitgar had first seen moving up behind him now broke into loping run, not fast but closing the distance between them. At the same time, another one, a little way further up the valley appeared and ran to intercept him. Liegitu panicked and became harder to control. Three more wolves joined the pack and closed the gap between them.

    Whitgar did his best to keep Liegitu calm and at a walking pace, and he sent and arrow the way of the closest wolf to see if it would scare it off. The distance between them was now twelve to fifteen yards, an easy enough shot if Liegitu remained steady. Whitgar released the reins, took aim, and released the arrow just as Liegitu jumped forward, making him miss the target by several feet and appearing not to unsettle it.

    Retaking hold of the reins, Whitgar tried to settle his horse, but Liegitu was on the verge of panic and the wolves closed in all around them. He tried losing off another arrow but had the same result as the first. Liegitu began bucking and neighing, wildly shaking his head, as fear got the better of him.

    Whitgar decided on a change of tactic and slipping his bow over his shoulder drew his sword. He tried waving it around and shouting but he seemed to frighten Liegitu more than the wolves. With Thirsk still more than three miles away, Whitgar was wondering how he would complete the journey when Liegitu bolted. The wolves had achieved their aim and they raced after the horse and rider like demons, closing the gap until they were close enough to make leaps towards Liegitu’s throat. In a blind panic he ran straight into Balk Beck, a small river Whitgar had crossed a few times on his visits to Thirsk. The horse ran straight into the middle while the wolves stayed baying on the bank. Sensing safety, Liegitu came to a halt and he and Whitgar faced their pursuers. This was an excellent opportunity, he realised, and so he sheathed his sword, put an arrow in his bow and shot the closest wolf, which let out a sickening yelp and made off limping and howling with the rest of the pack. Whitgar and Liegitu watched them go as Whitgar patted his horse’s side.

    ‘You’re a clever fellow, Liegitu,’ Whitgar said to his horse as he patted his neck. ‘Fancy thinking of that. I’ll remember that lesson next time I’m chased by wolves. I’ll just go and stand in the middle of a river.’

    Glynn HollowayAbout the Author

    G. K. Holloway did several jobs after leaving school before taking A Levels at his local college and later a degree in History and Politics at Coventry University.

    Once he had graduated, he spent the next twenty years working in education in and around Bristol. After reading a biography about Harold Godwinson, he studied the late Anglo-Saxon era in detail and discovered a time of papal plots, court intrigues, family feuds, loyalties, betrayals, assassinations and a few battles. When he had enough material to weave together fact and fiction, he produced his award-winning novel, 1066: What Fates Impose, the first in a series about the Norman Conquest.

    G. K. Holloway lives in Bristol with his wife and two children. (Photo: Author website)

    Connect with Glynn
    Website | Twitter | Facebook