Jenue’s Journal is pleased to talk with Erik Tomblin about his book Riverside Blues.  The description reads as follows:

Fifty years ago, Gordon’s wife disappeared without a trace. He still mourns her. In an attempt to keep himself occupied, Gordon decides to clean up their special place along the river running behind his home. It’s there he finds something from his wildest dreams and his darkest nightmares that will reveal the lies surrounding his wife’s disappearance, lies he has believed for the last half century….

Erik, without giving away the story, tell us a little bit more about Gordon and his situation.

Gordon lost the love of his life not long after their wedding day. He settled into a joyless existence, just going through the motions of life. He works, he watches television, he sleeps, never quite able to find the enthusiasm for living he once shared with his new bride. But one morning, after a brief experience of a past he’s tried to forget, his life takes a dramatic turn and Gordon decides he needs to do something, anything to change the way he’s been living.

Gordon still mourns his missing wife after 50 years. Don’t you believe that time heal all wounds? (more…)

Jenue’s Journal has the pleasure of interviewing Anirban Ray.  I’d like to begin this interview by saying that it’s so refreshing to see a great piece of fiction that also has a spiritual meaning behind it.  The book is titled God behind the Firewall.

Is this book for all faiths and religions?

Yes. God Behind the Firewall is not about faith, religion, or beliefs. On the contrary, it is about opening our minds to new possibilities, ideas, concepts, and understanding. It is about understanding and accepting the truth, as opposed to creating a veil of delusion in our minds that we commonly refer to as ‘belief.’

 How did you make a connection between technology and spirituality?

Science and technology helps us understand the world around us. However, our perception of the world is limited by our senses and the capabilities of technical equipments that we have built as an extension of our senses. In other words, we do not fully understand the world we live in … yet. Spirituality helps us take a peek beyond such limitations. Effectively, it is about understanding oneself completely and realizing the limitations of human experience. However, it is important to note that what was spirituality yesterday is scientific knowledge today (although partially), and what is spirituality today could well be scientific knowledge tomorrow.

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Jean, welcome to Jenue’s Journal.  Ace of Hearts is defined as a romantic thriller, how is the book divided between the two?

One of the hardest things for me is to try to put a genre label on Ace of Hearts. The consensus is from erotic thriller (that’s a hint as to how steamy ;o) to romantic suspense. The sensual romance between my heroine, Detective Shevaughn Robinson, the first Black female detective in fictitious Portsborough, NY (it’s set in 1981) and Tony O’Brien, a White reporter, who is a thorn in the police department’s side, is a relationship I hope all will enjoy.

Now, the thrill comes from following the serial murderer and being involved in his descent into madness.  I try to let the reader in on his thought process and the emotions behind his hideous crimes.

How steamy is the romance in Ace of Hearts?

Pretty steamy, but tastefully (no pun intended) done, I hope. Let’s say I have two sons who bought Ace, but confessed they can’t read it! You know how sons are when it comes to Mom. LOL! I’ve found I have a vivid imagination and being married to the same man for 36 years has its perks!!

But it isn’t all about the heat, it’s about the turmoil people go through when they realize their love will put them through trials that most haven’t dealt with. I hope the reader falls in love along with Shevaughn and understands her reasons and her doubts. I try to share their intimate knowledge that when a relationship is right, it’s worth the cost.

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Filip, welcome to Jenue’s Journal.  Tell us a little about your background.

When I was 17 years old, I had to decide what university courses to take. My parents wanted me to study law, which horrified me. Although they insisted that it was a good career choice, I never studied it.  In retrospect, that was really strange because law is now one of my passions.  I wanted to study philosophy, and so I did. Early in my academic career, I was attracted to political and legal philosophy; probably because my best teachers taught these subjects.

I finished with a master thesis on totalitarian government (Arendt and such). My special interest in human rights and democracy only matured after the end of my master studies. I then decided to take my doctorate degree on these subjects and had the luck of having my thesis published.

What inspired you to write a book on human rights?

It’s books in plural by now. When thinking and reading about politics, it seemed that I always ended up with human rights and democracy. Much of our lives revolve around these concepts, even if we don’t make it explicit to ourselves. The idea of human rights is very beautiful. It shows the best, and the worst, of humanity. There’s also the idea of progress; moral progress, which appeals to me a lot.

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Intelligence Failure

Two words now joined at the hip. Remember when our alphabet agencies -CIA, DIA, NSA, FBI – were actually competent? Are you sure? Maybe they were just better at burying their mistakes. . . .

Our spooks have been playing games with other governments for half a century. Allies and enemies alike have gotten tired of our grubby fingerprints all over their national interests. Gearheardt’s answer? Be sure to wear gloves!

Gearheardt – apparently back from the dead, or maybe Laos – wants to play for all the Mexican marbles, and he insists he needs Jack’s help to do it. Just like the last time in Vietnam, he claims to be working for “the Company.”

Jack really is in the CIA now, temporarily running the Mexico City station at the embassy, and ought to know better, but Gearheardt’s sexy assistant with the disdain for clothes is so darn cute and Gearheardt’s insane resolve is just so darn convincing. (Even though it’s true that the last time around they failed spectacularly in their attempt to get Ho Chi Minh to retire to Hawaii, and then they didn’t even shoot him either.) But does the Agency really want the Cubans to take over Mexico?

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Jayne Sterne, author of Destroyed, talks about her book and domestic abuse during a very sensitive interview with Jenue’s Journal.

Destroyed is an emotional true story of your life.  It must have been difficult for you to relive the abusive memories.  How did you get through that?

It was very difficult to relive the abuse. However, I lost two very special people in my life through horrific and very brutal circumstances. Media also became a part of my life for a while, not by choice but by the nature of my loss, which is enclosed in my book Destroyed.  I didn’t know how to deal with grief and could not understand the pain that ripped through every part of my body mentally and physically.  It was like no other pain I had felt in my life. I learned very quickly that grief brings memories, some of which I had closed doors on a long time ago.  The memories of the abuse came to the surface as though it was happening all over again.  Feeling powerless and afraid of my feelings and memories, I decided to write my thoughts down as it happened. Writing a book was the last thing on my mind. If I’m honest, it was simply a way to keep me sane from the terrible thoughts that entered my mind.

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