Tag: interview

Interview with Eva Nevarez St. John, author of When Tough Cookies Crumble

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My guest today is Eva Nevarez St. John whose memoir, When Tough Cookies Crumble: A True Story of Friendship, Murder and Healing was published on 30th July 2024. Read on as I chat with Eva about her book and the story behind it.

About the Book

When Tough Cookies Crumble

Two tough cookies. Breaking barriers in careers and love. Until one is murdered…

Janice Starr and Eva Booker became best friends when they met as soldiers in the Women’s Army Corp in Korea in 1978. In a time of rapid social change, they tested the limits of women’s liberation and the sexual revolution.

After they moved to Washington D.C. together, Janice and Eva supported each other as they faced the challenges of continuing their military careers in the Army Reserves, navigating jobs, going to school, and dating. Their friendship went through ups and downs, but their bond was never broken.

In the summer of 1981, Janice moved to southern Virginia on her own. Three months later she disappeared without a trace. Eva knew who was responsible for Janice’s disappearance, but the only one who believed her was Detective Kay Lewis. Another tough cookie, Detective Lewis overcame the obstacles put in her way by her colleagues and superiors to pursue Janice’s killer and find Janice.

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Interview with Eva Nevarez St. John, author of When Tough Cookies Crumble

When Tough Cookies Crumble is based on your own personal experiences. What inspired you to turn them into a book?

The book is about the murder of one of my best friends in 1981. The lead detective in the case contacted me in 2019 about writing a book. Initially, we worked on it together, but later she decided to have a man write it. I didn’t want the book to just be about Janice’s murder and I didn’t trust a man to write her story. That’s why I had to write my own book about our friendship, our experiences as female soldiers, what led to her murder, and the process of healing from the trauma through the writing of the book.

Tell us a bit about your friend Janice. How did you first meet? What drew you to each other? What did you admire about her?

Janice and I were roommates in Seoul, Korea, where we were among a small minority of female soldiers in the military. We bonded over our common experiences and interests. Janice was 19 and I was 21 when we met. She looked up to me like a big sister. We felt comfortable sharing everything with each other, which we continued to do in letters after my tour ended in Korea, until we reunited a year later. We moved to the Washington D.C. area together, where we supported each other in facing the challenges of school, work, continuing our military careers, and dating.

What challenges did you face when writing about something so personal?

This was an extremely hard book to write. It was challenging to relive the experiences I wrote about from this time in my life. Also, I learned disturbing details while researching the book that I didn’t know at the time. Writing about the roles that others played in the story was difficult, as well. I had a lot of fear about exposing the personal details in the book. The personal and professional support and feedback I received helped me get through it. In the end, I believe everything I wrote about in the book was necessary to tell the story.

You describe the period in which the book is set as ‘a time of rapid social change’ in America. How did this manifest itself for you personally?

Janice and I joined the Army in 1976. The Vietnam War had just ended. Women were beginning to explore careers in non-traditional fields, such as the military. The sexual revolution was redefining the roles women could play beyond marriage and motherhood. Civil rights and race relations were challenging the status quo. Janice and I had to deal with sexism and racism, both of which impacted the investigation into her disappearance.

The book is subtitled ‘A True Story of Friendship, Murder, and Healing’. Can you say more about the healing aspect?

I don’t think I truly began the healing process until I started writing the book. I had buried Janice and that time in my life deep in my subconscious. I numbed my feelings with drugs, alcohol and sex for most of my life. I tried to get clean several times, but I couldn’t be successful in the long-term because I wasn’t dealing with the underlying trauma. When the detective contacted me about writing the book, I had a reason to face my demons.

First, I went to counseling through the VA (Veterans Administration), so I could begin processing the traumatic experiences that I had to write about. Then I went to Narcotics Anonymous meetings with a willingness to commit to the program 100%. The next step was to learn about the craft of writing, in general, and memoir, in particular. I found inspiration and courage by reading many memoirs. I pursued spiritual practices, such as meditation and following spiritual teachers. I started taking better care of myself by exercising and eating better. Healing is an ongoing process for me.

What message would you like readers to take away from the book?

The biggest takeaway I would like readers to get from the book is to be careful about trusting someone too quickly. Take your time to get to know them. Look out for red flags, like they want to get serious too fast, they isolate you from your friends and family, and they make you question your own instincts. Talk to people you trust about the relationship and take their feedback seriously. Follow your gut and your intuition. There are bad people out there looking for someone to take advantage of. They can be very convincing and manipulative.

Another message is don’t be afraid to face trauma from your past. It is probably having a negative impact on your life in ways you don’t even realize. Find support to help you work through it. Writing about it can be very therapeutic, even if you don’t plan to share it with anyone.

Is this the end of your writing journey – or just the beginning?

I hope it is the beginning. I have always wanted to be a writer. I did have a couple of articles published in genealogy journals. I want to write more of those. I’m also considering writing another book about my family history.

Thank you, Eva, for sharing your writing journey with us.

About the Author

Author Eva Nevarez St. John

Eva Nevarez St. John was an Army brat, soldier, lawyer, and nonprofit manager. She continues to be a nonprofit consultant, social activist, writer, and genealogist. Eva currently lives in southern New Mexico.

Eva fell in love with books at a young age. She particularly loves to read about the wide range of life experiences and perspectives in memoir. The process of writing When Tough Cookies Crumble: A True Story of Friendship, Murder, and Healing helped her heal from the traumas she wrote about and to grow as a person. Visit Eva’s website for recommendations of other memoirs and resources for writing memoir.

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A publication day interview with Jolie Tunnell, author of Shadows in Chinatown

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I’m delighted that author Jolie Tunnell is joining me to celebrate the publication today of her latest historical novel, Shadows in Chinatown. Shadows in Chinatown is the first in the ‘Mrs Kelly Mystery’ series and is available to purchase as an ebook from Amazon. Better still, visit Jolie’s Book Boutique where you can purchase all her books, either singly or as a bundle. Read on as I chat with Jolie about Shadows in Chinatown and her love of writing historical fiction.

About the Book

Karine Kelly’s dream of a fresh start as a mail-order bride in booming 1882 San Francisco becomes a nightmare when her charming Irish husband is murdered on their wedding night. Waking to destitute widowhood and fiercely angry in-laws, she discovers a series of shocking secrets that her husband left behind.

Why did he tell no one about their wedding? Why was a Chinese assailant hunting him and now stalking her? Why do residents in the city shadows seem to know more about her husband than she does? And why does the irritating Detective Max Fisher keep turning up like a bad penny?

Faced with appalling apathy and growing suspicion from the police, Karine’s determined to follow the trail of lies to find justice in a lawless city.

Warily working around each other as the killer strikes again, Karine and Detective Fisher uncover a sinister web of corruption, bigotry, and betrayals that circles ever closer to the jade pendant she wears over her heart—all that’s left of her husband’s pledge—and a ticking bomb that threatens to destroy Chinatown.

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Q & A with Jolie Tunnell, author of Shadows in Chinatown

Shadows in Chinatown is the first in a new series of historical mysteries. What do you enjoy about this genre?

I love to write historical mystery! I am the keeper of my family tree, related flotsam, and memorabilia. Although I was an avid reader as a child, eavesdropping on my parents or grandparents or aunts as they gossiped about a distant relative over coffee was a real treat. These relatives had secrets. Rumors. Scandals. Ambitions. Quirks. There seemed to be only enough information to be tantalizing, so it came with built-in mysteries.

Determined to fill in the blanks like a Mad Lib, I continue to find myself pulling ancestors out of the closet to shape into new characters for my next mystery. I enjoy giving the past a voice and telling their stories with my own twist and it’s satisfying to finally have answers, fictional or otherwise. Research is half the fun.

Tell us about your main character, Karine Kelly. Did she change much during the course of writing the book?

Mrs. Kelly is a character created from one of my paternal great-grandparents. As a first-generation American of pure Norwegian heritage, she was to my way of thinking, above all, a Viking in the sense of a hard-working visionary who valued family but was comfortable considering new horizons. She leaves her dairy in Minnesota to pursue a marriage and new life in 1882 San Francisco.

Faced with circumstances beyond her control and thrown into a murder investigation, she has the grit to face what she must. She is a farm girl determined to be a lady, and this flash of Viking greed informs her decisions as much as the voice of her dearly departed Aunt Mary, who keeps Mrs. Kelly’s roots firmly in her family values.

Mrs. Kelly refuses to go back to Minnesota, but she can’t decide how to move forward in this unpredictable and lawless city. In this book, she gets her bearings, makes her decisions, and learns the hard way to not judge a book by its cover. And that not all that glitters is gold.

The book is set in late 19th century San Francisco. Why did you choose that time and place? How did you approach your research for the book and did you discover anything that surprised you?

I was already researching for my first historical mystery series, set in the San Jacinto mountains in 1912, California. Expanding the timeline led to some terrific ideas for other mysteries, all of which went into a truly spectacular spreadsheet for “later” in a vain attempt to remain focused.

There are many novels set during the Gold Rush and many more set in the great quake of 1906, but precious few immerse readers in the fascinating times between. After the quake hit, San Francisco was never the same again. Even the maps changed as rubble was dumped into the water and redrew the coastline. My series preserves a piece of something extinct.

In 1882, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, prohibiting the immigration of workers from China and immediately impacting San Francisco. The Felton Act originated with Police Chief Crowley, both of which went into my book. It lent some great overall tension to the plot.

Were there any scenes that were particularly difficult to get right? If so, why?

The challenge baked into the Mrs. Kelly series is portraying the diverse neighborhoods authentically while adding historically accurate layers, from menus to prejudices. The international city flavors have to remain beneath the plot without taking it over. I also spent a lot of time with old maps to get movement correct. The hills of San Francisco are still in place, but the buildings and coastline can’t be walked today to find 1882 accuracy.

You’re an experienced author but are there still parts of the writing process you find tough?

I continue to struggle with distractions as a writer working from home. I don’t believe in writer’s block, but a well-timed break to do laundry usually helps me organize the next scene in my head. The trick is to sit back down at the desk and finish it. With a large family, a belligerent cat, and several work obligations pulling me at once, it takes intention (and usually a nice bribe) to finish the day’s work properly.

There’s a second (and a third) Mrs Kelly book on the way soon and your Idyllwild series is made up of ten books. What do you like about creating a series?

I love to read series, so I write them! There is both comfort and an eager expectation when we come back again and again for the next installment of our favorite book, television show, or movie sequel. The best part of an ongoing series is reuniting with characters we love, so I have plenty of space to make sure each of my characters gets a turn at being in the thick of the next plot.

The more time we spend in a series, the more we learn about the secret lives of the characters, the world they live in, and, in turn, ourselves.

How will you be celebrating the publication of Shadows in Chinatown?

My online Zoom Launch Party for Shadows in Chinatown is Friday, June 13th at 2pm PST to include friends and family from all over the planet. Short and sweet, we’ll raise a cuppa to the new series, have a reading, Q&A, and giveaways. Please join us!

Watch for the second book, Death at the Wharf, on July 16th and the third, Murder at the Palace Hotel, on September 8th.

About the Author

Award-winning author Jolie Tunnell brings the past to life in suspenseful historical mysteries. Bringing the flavor of the turn-of-the-century Wild West to the isolated mountain town of Idyllwild and the writhing underbelly of Old San Francisco, her books gallop to the last page.

A Southern California native, she loves on her sprawling family, forces her freeloading tomcat to cuddle, and can drink her weight in Yorkshire Gold tea. Sign up for her extraordinary newsletter, get a free book, and settle in for a visit.

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