Interview with Elaine Russell, author of Across the Mekong River

An author of several books, three with Indie Brag Medallions.  An author for over 20 years, Ms. Russell draws from her travels weaving both culture and fiction together.  

1. What were your goals and intentions in this book, and how well do you feel you achieved them?

After learning about the harsh plight of the Hmong refugees who fled Laos after the Vietnam War and the difficulties they endured in adapting to life in the U.S., I wanted to tell their story. So few Americans know about the history of Laos and its role in the Vietnam War. Many don’t understand why so many Southeast Asians resettled in America. There are many excellent non-fiction books on the Hmong in America, but I hoped a fictional story might reach a wider audience. I wanted to write a story that would inspire more compassion and understanding for the challenges the Hmong and other Vietnam War refugees have endured. I felt the story was best told through the different voices of the older parents and their young daughter, as each faced unique experiences, which invoked very different emotional reactions. There is also a broader, universal truth in the story that extends to all refugees and immigrants coming to our great country. I hope I have achieved my goals. It is rewarding to hear from readers who say they never knew about this episode in history and now feel great empathy for what these refugees have endured.

2. What do you think most characterizes your writing?

I find myself writing most of my stories in first person narrative. It helps me to truly put myself in the position of my characters so I can understand their emotions, motivations, and hopes. I need to feel very close to their hearts and minds. I hope the readers will as well.

3. What was the hardest part of writing this book?

It took me a very long time to complete this novel, almost ten years on and off. I had to keep pushing myself to dig deeper and fill in the missing pieces until the book was truly ready to publish. I spent over six month working with an excellent editor to finalize the story, which was great but exhausting.

4. What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

I loved doing the research, which involved reading many resources and meeting dozens of wonderful Hmong, Mien, and Lao-Americans. I am so grateful to the people who shared their families’ experiences with me, which were often quite heartbreaking. They wanted so much for their stories to be told, and I was honored to do this. While my book is fiction, it is based on the true events of many different people.

5. How did you become involved with the subject or theme of your book?

I became interested in Hmong refugees when a number of Hmong children attended my young son’s elementary school in Sacramento years ago. About the same time, the Sacramento Bee published a series of articles on their resettlement in Sacramento. This was followed by my book group reading Ann Fadiman’s The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, a nonfiction book on Hmong beliefs in conflict with the Western medical system. And as if by serendipity, a young Hmong woman came to work in my husband’s office. She shared her story with me and introduced me to many of her friends. I traveled to Laos a few years later and became interested in the problem of unexploded cluster bombs left in the ground from U.S. bombing during the war. The bombs are still killing and maiming people all these years later. I volunteered with the U.S.-based nonprofit Legacies of War, which works to get more funding for bomb clearance. Through this work I met many Hmong and Lao refugees.

Tens of thousands of Hmong, Mein, and Lao, one third of the population of Laos, were forced to flee the country after it fell to a communist government following the end of the Vietnam War. Many ended up resettling in the U.S. after years in Thai refugee camps in dreadful conditions. Although I was a young woman during the Vietnam War, I knew virtually nothing about what had happened in Laos. I wrote several academic articles on this history and the wars aftermath during my work with Legacies of War.

6. Why did you choose to write in your particular field or genre? If you write more than one, how do you balance them?

I feel this story chose me rather than the other way around. I was a history major in college and have always had a keen interest in the way the past shapes our current world. I would call Across the Mekong River historical fiction (although some of the story takes place in more recent times). I am currently writing an adult novel that is also historical fiction set in 1901, but with a much lighter story. I also have written a children’s middle grade, mystery series, a young adult novel, and a middle grade nonfiction picture book on Thailand. I follow my heart in my writing what interests me, rather than selecting a particular genre. I love incorporating the history and culture of other countries in my stories.

7. Where did your love of books/storytelling/reading/writing/etc. come from?

I always loved reading from a young age. My mother took my sister and me to the library every week to pick out books. At about ten years old, I decided I wanted to be a writer (that is when I first read Little Women and wanted to be Jo). I would write funny short stories about my dog and my family. Perhaps it came from being a very shy child and spending a lot of time alone.

8. How long have you been writing?

I’ve been writing full time for over 20 years, ever since I was able to ease out of my day job (environmental and energy analyst) a few years after I had my son. In earlier years I wrote boring reports for work and dabbled in writing fiction.

9. What inspires you?

I take inspiration from nature, being in a quiet relaxing place where I can think and create. My husband and I are very fortunate to own a condo in Kauai, where we spend part of the year. It is my writer’s retreat. I do my best writing there without interruptions. The beauty of the ocean and landscape and the warm air sets my mind free.

10. What do you like to read in your free time?

I read mainly fiction – contemporary, literary, historical, and occasionally mysteries. Some recent favorites: All the Light We Cannot See, A Gentleman in Moscow, Girl Waits with Gun, and News of the World. Novels must be well written or I can’t get through them, not even with a clever plot. I also enjoy nonfiction at times. I read Up From Slavery and All the Great Prizes: The Life of John Hay this past fall.

11. What projects are you working on at the present?

I am currently writing a historical novel set in 1901 Denver, Colorado, with the women’s suffrage movement as the backdrop. It is based in part on my great-grandmother who was one of the early women doctors in Denver. I loved doing the research and learning about the events of the era, and how people behaved and dressed, their interests, etc. In the course of my research in Denver, I got to hold and read an original letter from Susan B. Anthony!

I am in the final editing stages and hope to have the book out in the next year or so.

12. What do your plans for future projects include?

For the last year I’ve been studying French to fulfill a lifelong desire to speak the language. The speaking part is still difficult for me, but I’m able to read and write a lot better. I want to write a novel set in French Colonial Laos. In order to research this period of time, I will need to read a number of books written in French. I love a challenge!

13. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I wanted to write from the time I was young. English and writing were always my best subjects in school and writing clearly was one of my strengths in various jobs for my earlier career. I didn’t have the time, money, or dedication to really start writing until later in life. Now I wish I had been able to write earlier as I’m truly passionate about it.

14. How do you find or make time to write?

Finding time to write is always a challenge. At home I have to balance activities promoting my books and writing versus spending time with family and friends, studying French, and volunteering with several non-profit groups. Escaping to Kauai is the best guarantee that I’ll settle down and really work consistently.

15. What question do you wish that someone would ask about your book, but nobody has?

I’m not sure I have an answer for this one…

16. What book would you like to write but haven’t or can’t yet?
I have so many ideas for books, but I’m not sure how I’ll get to them all. I take it one book at a time. I have one novel in particular I’d like to write that is inspired by my husband’s family history, but I’m hesitant to write it while all the relatives are still around. We’ll see…

Click here to visit Ms. Russell's author page.

Alternatives to Spanking: A Parent's Guide to Effective Discipline by Larry Mickelson

Larry Mickelson offers some guidance on how to discipline children.  Mickelson presents a well-structured argument listing the pro’s and con’s against spanking while offering up some alternative methods of disciplining children of all ages.  He further points out the need to have a united front; one that he acknowledges is difficult to maintain at times. 

His sense of humor peppered in with solid advice is a treat to read.  This is a book that all parents should read and determine their method of discipline.  The approaches he focuses on in the book are effective and challenging.  Anyone who has tried to stay one step ahead of a teenager knows how difficult this can be most of the time.  Mickelson shares that he too has had those same difficulties.  His book is down to earth and easy to read.  No one likes to physically discipline their children and he offers multitudes of different approaches that are valuable and instructional. 

Mickelson’s writing style is smooth and flawless.  He presents his arguments and then supports them from beginning to end.  This not a dull boring instructional type of parenting book, but rather one that is lively with humor, acknowledges the difficulties of rearing children as well as supportive.

I tried one of his techniques out on my 14-year-old grandson; we were talking and I inserted, “you will clean your room tomorrow,” and then closed with the rest of my comment.  He said, “Oh, yeah, mamaw I plan to clean my room … wait, what?” The look on his face was priceless … I then just looked at him with a neutral face and he talked himself into cleaning his room -  now that was three days ago and it’s not been done yet but I am confident it will be ... eventually.  The two techniques that Mickelson suggested worked well … my grandson hates when I use them because he doesn’t see them coming – I keep one step ahead for now.

Those who are/have been “spankers” might be a bit put off at first but Mickelson is persuasive and insightful.  This is a must read for to-be-parents and current parents.  Grandparents will benefit as well! 

WordsAPlenty highly recommends this book as being well written, strongly supportive and insightful. 

To purchase, click here.

Interview with Laurel Bragstad, Author of In the Comfort of Shadows

A B.R.A.G. Medallion winner for her book, In the Comfort of Shadows, Ms. Laurel Bragstad shared some of her goals, history, and writing secrets.  A writer of contemporary and historical romance.

What were your goals and intentions in this book, and how well do you feel you achieved them?  

One of my intentions was to write a book that would interest women readers who are between 50-75 years old and present ideas related to dealing with haunting memories. My main goals were to deal with real-life issues of loss and regret, to honor my parents’ memories, and to honor my dad’s long-forgotten cousin by including some of his WW2 diaries. I feel like I achieved these very well.

What do you think most characterizes your writing?

I try to create realistic dialog and logical situations between characters. People have also told me that my book was a “quick read” – not because the writing was simple, but because they became involved with the characters.

What was the hardest part of writing this book?  

I used excerpts from the WW2 diaries of my dad’s cousin. I met my dad’s

cousin and acquired the diaries after he died. However, the diary entries were in small pocket notebooks; entries were not in chronological order, and some of the writing had faded over the years. So, first I had to use a magnifying glass to read the diaries as I typed them all out and put them in order. Next, I checked the dates and facts that were recorded in the diary pages just to be sure things like dates of certain battles and names of places were accurate for the entries I used verbatim. Since the author of the diaries is also one of the main characters (Emmett) and a family member, I also wanted to be sure I stayed true to his voice and memory.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

I liked overlapping the stories of two main characters, Ann and Emmett, together. The characters are in the same family but a generation apart, yet connected by different threads of the same sad memories. I enjoyed developing their relationship, tying ends together, and bridging the generational gap.

How did you become involved with the subject or theme of your book?

My main character, Ann, is adopted. I am not adopted but my mother died when I was four and a half. I always felt a sense of loss—even though my dad remarried a wonderful, loving woman. My dad refused my questions about my biological mother and that saddened me over the years. Years later, as my father struggled against the cancer that would eventually take his life, I fantasized about someone who could and would answer all my questions. And when I met my dad’s elderly cousin, the “black sheep of the family,” he seemed to be the perfect choice for a character who knew the family secrets that Ann wanted to exploit.

Why did you choose to write in your particular field or genre?  If you write more than one, how do you balance them?

This was my first book. Since I spend way too much time writing or revising curriculum (instructions, exams, nonfiction text-type stuff) for my college courses – writing fiction is a wonderful and welcome change of pace.

Where did your love of books/storytelling/reading/writing/etc. come from?

Two things: First, whenever I had a question about anything as a child, my dad always said, “Look it up and you won’t forget” instead of answering my question. Second, I like a good mystery – that’s probably related to the first item here regarding asking questions and finding answers. Like storytelling, I see life in general as an ongoing journey for answers, something like problem solving mixed together with wishin’ and hopin’.

How long have you been writing?

I suppose I started in my twenties even though I was only writing bits and pieces just for me. My book took ten years to finish because of life interruptions of one sort or another. That’s an example of how I don’t write constantly.

What inspires you?  

I always find inspiration in my garden, where I constantly marvel at how each plant has its own personality. Some only bloom in shade, but does that mean they have dark personalities? Some only thrive in full sun or with lots of attention, but does that mean they are needy? Some flowers are stunning, too beautiful for words. Other plants actually stink, have sharp thorns, or cause allergic reactions if touched. Some provide sustenance for birds, bees, and other critters that scatter their seeds or pollen and insure the plant’s next generation. Some flowers last a long time after being cut and put in a vase while others seem to wilt at the sight of scissors. I can go on about these garden characters. But you probably get the idea.

What do you like to read in your free time?
Historical fiction, science-based nonfiction, stories with believable characters in logical but complicated situations.

What projects are you working on at the present?
I started a second novel, but I think I’ve written myself in to a corner with it. I need to work one character into and out of a situation… somehow.

What do your plans for future projects include?

Make more time for my own writing!

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

Not sure I can put a date on that. Seems to me the thought of writing was always there.

How do you find or make time to write?

This is always a problem for me. I teach a college course, I also have an online college course, I have two grandsons I love to spend time with, a garden in summer, and usually some kind of craft project going during the winter. But I try to snatch writing time here and there.

What question do you wish that someone would ask about your book, but nobody has?

Did you make the characters in your book older because you didn’t want to write about sex?

I suppose younger readers don’t want to think about how sex works between “older people,” and older people want to keep those secrets to themselves. So in that regard, I’m glad no one has asked.

What book would you like to write but haven’t or can’t yet?

To Kill a Mockingbird.  J  A forever relevant story with timeless social impact.

Click here to purchase her book, In the Comfort of Shadows.

Across the Mekong River by Elaine Russell

Across the Mekong River is a moving story about one family’s struggle to survive and escape the deadly regime in Thailand in 1978. Ms. Lee’s father was a freedom fighter punished for his role against the regime made their life one of narrow escapes and a fear fueled life on the run.  Losing her two small brothers haunted her mother for life making her depression debilitating leaving Nou to pick up the pieces at a very early age. 

Once her entire family migrates to the U.S. she faces a different struggle.  A struggle of fitting in, finding herself and spreading her wings.  Tormented by family tradition, beliefs and values, Nou must make choices.  Those choices are heart rending and devastating for even the strongest and oldest.

Elaine Russell takes her time with this story building it carefully and fully.  The descriptions are perfect and easy to visualize.  The emotions leap off the page and encircle the reader, making the experiences and emotions very real.  It is clearly so much more than a tale of relocation and embracing old and new traditions, it is also about finding one’s self and choosing how to live. 

The journey experienced by each member of this family is moving and heart wrenching.  Their inability to move beyond “old world” traditions speaks to everyone in all cultures and all ages.

Russell grips her readers in an engaging tale that they can speak to on one level or another.  It is interesting how Russell also captures the struggle between Lee and her need to be accepted by her American friends culminating in a clash between her parent’s old world and her new one.

 This was a book that I found I could not put down, nor could I write the review immediately as there were just too many emotions that I wanted to identify and explore. 

This book is rich in culture, emotion, energy, struggle, challenges and … life.  One cannot truly know the life or plight of another until they take the time to learn. 

Well written with strong character development, this book is moving and passionate.  

WorldsAPlenty highly recommends this book and awards a five-star review. Russell’s talent for passionate story telling is unrivaled. 

Poison Heartbeats by Temple Emmet Williams

In the war plagued Afghanistan, there are two twins – a girl and a boy who must come to terms with their destiny.  One is a holy warrior or better known as a terrorist of ISIL while the other is removed and adopted into an American family. 

Ahmed Khan sets about to poison the well of America; Holly Smolkes (his sister) has some unsavory connections with a “mob boss” and a romantic link with Mac McKlane the team leader within Homeland Security as well as a sibling link to her terrorist brother.

The careful weaving of the story in and around the twins, Homeland Security and the intricate methods of ISIL to recruit American ‘infidels’ into their ranks is gripping. 

Temple Emmet Williams’ writing style is clear and masterful.  He has the ability to weave the story and history into a captivating tale in a compelling manner that is both powerful and entertaining.  While I enjoy thrillers, this was beyond that.  This brought the “war on terrorism” home in a realistic and terrifying manner. 

His plot was well developed and executed with twists.  His characters were also developed and complex but not overly confusing – rather intricate and more evolved.  I found I could not put the book down and kept reading it during my free moments and well into the night. 

I enjoy reading Williams’ books as they are refreshing.  All too often books in this genre become confusing and utilizing words that mean nothing until you look them up.  It is refreshing to have an exciting book such as this maintain its excitement and clarity because of the writing style as well as the plot.  Williams is a strong and commanding story teller.

I understand this is book two in a series; while I prefer to read books in order, this is truly written to be a stand-alone as well as one in a series. Not reading book 1 did not add any confusion to the story. 

WordsAPlenty gives this book a 5-star rating for its refreshing writing style and intriguing plot. 

Click here to purchase your copy. 

Warrior Patient: How to Beat Deadly Diseases With Laughter, Good Doctors, Love, and Guts by Temple Emmet Williams

This book received a B.R.A.G. Medallion from the Books Readers Recognition Group. WordsAPlenty received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

All too often we find ourselves or our loved ones in a medical situation that has gone from ok to deadly.  You are at a loss as to what questions to ask, what to do and if you should even be questioning someone who obviously should know more than you do.  Temple Emmet Williams has been there as well but he has laid out his three year struggle with the medical world in a clear and down-to-earth way.

His connection with the readers is two-fold – the incidents described in this book could happen to anyone and there is a shared emotional feeling of being lost and “how did I get here?” The emotional tug of this book is real and almost tangible. Each person that reads this book will recognize or relate to one or two different situations. 

When my father was hospitalized, and had been in a medical induced coma for almost three weeks.  A doctor came in and asked both me and my mom why dad was still unconscious.  I thought that was a weird comment on his part but when he started telling us to wake dad up and not let the nurses give him anything else … well, like Williams, I was at a loss.   

My mother, like many of her generation, refused to ask questions “because the doctor should know.”  But as with Williams, she too discovered to ask questions and be aggressive.  William’s experiences and struggles to survive, the emotions he felt and those of his wife – they are real.  They cannot be dismissed.  This book is invaluable to anyone who may need to see a doctor or who may have a potentially life threatening medical situation.  I wish I had had the fortitude to question the doctors over my mom’s beliefs, perhaps the outcome might have been different.

Amidst the struggle to survive, Williams shows devotion to and by his wife of many years.  This book is much more than an educational book, it is a comfort, it is a love-story, it is important.  Temple captures the reader’s attention with his writing style.  There is no angry face turning blue rant, there is no vengeful vendetta against any one person – instead he tells of his experiences with a witty sardonic yet cheerful manner.  Yes, it is mind boggling that one moment all is fine and then suddenly you are at deaths door; but it happens, it truly does. 

Well written, clear, and mesmerizing.  I found myself unable to put his book down once I started reading it.  There were so many connections and incidents I could connect with that I couldn’t put it down if I had wanted. 

WordsAPlenty awards this book with a strong 5-star rating and a recommendation to read this book now, not tomorrow or the next day but now. 

click here to purchase your copy.

The Spider and The Stone by Glen Craney

WordsAPlenty was given a copy of this book by the author with a request for an honest review. 

 

The Spider and The Stone by Glen Craney is an amazing historical novel based in the 14^th century between

two countries – England and Scotland.  In this tale we learn of Black Douglas (aka Jaime Douglas) and his tie with the future king of Scotland, Robert Bruce, as well as their valiant fight to free Scotland from the tyranny of England and its rulers.   Mesmerizing is the carefully woven betrayals and trusts that make this historical fiction exciting and riveting.

Glen Craney also brings to light the struggle between the Roman Church and the ancient Culdee Christianity which also bears heavily on the struggle.  The unsung heroes that Craney recognizes in his book are the women, the women who bear the consequences of each sacrifice and win and loss with their bodies and souls: “Men swear such oaths.  Women suffer the consequences.” A very apt quote that sums up the relationship between men and their goals and their women.

A powerful novel that shows the power of love – for their country, freedom and the women that supported them.  Woven carefully around the history of Wallace, Scotland, England Craney does an excellent job of capturing the reader’s attention and holding it.  His plot was well written and carried throughout the book.  His character development was exceptional.  Not only are his descriptions of the characters defining but he carried it throughout the book by the roles they played, the passion of which they lived, and he never once wavered making them less than he had intended.  I loved Sweenie Wee-kneed, a Culdee monk who served to give council and fight alongside Black Douglas.  I could visualize him as well as the other characters because of the richness of development.

This book is epic length and one that would dictate hours and days of reading. However, Craney’s gift for writing makes it more than difficult to put the book down once you start it.  Craney blends history, legend and fiction together masterfully and smoothly. 

This is a wonderfully written book that could be confusing if not well written given the number of characters, different plots, locations and the historical aspect.  I was impressed with the clarity and flow of the book; it was very well done!

This is a book with romance (star-crossed lovers), intrigue and action; there is never a dull moment.

WordsAPlenty gives this author and book a 5-star rating for fresh and riveting action as well as his smooth combination of history, legend and fiction.  A MUST read! 

Click here to purchase.