Author Interviews - No Apology Book Reviews

Interview with Melinda Curtis (A Cowboy’s Fourth of July)

October 6, 2023

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper A Cowboy’s Fourth of July by Melinda Curtis is the second in the series. What makes the plot interesting is how the dynamics between the characters have changed over the years. The hero and heroine were high school friends with her having the upper hand but as they grew to adulthood the roles reversed. Allison Burns has many responsibilities. She gave up her dream of becoming a singer after becoming pregnant. Now a single …

Interview with Linda Shantz (Horse of the Year)

September 29, 2023

Interview by Elise Cooper Liv’s never wanted any part of the spotlight, but the success of Just Jay has thrust her into it whether she likes it or not. Campaigning Triple Stripe’s “big horse” for Horse of the Year means every decision she makes as a trainer is scrutinized — on the backstretch, the internet, and by the Kentucky group interested in syndicating Jay as a stallion. Now her unconventional views on training racehorses are under fire, when all she …

Interview with Ronie Kendig (Havoc)

September 25, 2023

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Havoc by Ronie Kendig allows readers to get a three for one: a great plot, great characters, and a heroic dog named Havoc. This book is very appropriate since the 9/11 remembrance just passed. The story opens when former Special Forces operator Sergeant Crew Gatlin had his career ended after his leg was blown up from an IED. Returning to the States he was separated from his working dog Havoc K027. Putting his life …

Interview with Allison Ashley (Would You Rather and The Roommate Pact)

September 25, 2023

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Allison Ashley’s two books, Would You Rather and The Roommate Pact, show how friends can be supportive and love each other in different ways. These books show that as love grows so does the intimacy as well as finding a soul mate. Would You Rather has the heroine, Mia, given an opportunity to pursue her education and find her dream job. The problem is that she needs her job because she needs health insurance. …

Interview with Lori Foster (Indiana Summers series)

September 9, 2023

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Each of Foster’s Indiana Summers books—The Honeymoon Cottage, The Little Flower Shop, and The Love Shack (out June 2024)—has two romances in it. The lead characters, and the secondary characters. There’s also a close friendship and a deepening of other relationships, such as Yardley (The Honeymoon Cottage) with Betty, who is the town matriarch; Emily (The Little Flower Shop) with her aunt and uncle. Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the …

Interview with Patricia Johns (A Single Dad in Amish Country and Their Amish Secret)

September 2, 2023

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Patricia Johns’s books, A Single Dad in Amish Country and Their Amish Secret are both endearing stories. Readers will go through the emotions with the characters from pain and sadness to hopefulness and love. As with all her books people are drawn to each character and their feelings. The plot of A Single Dad in Amish Country has an emphasis on single parenting. Hazel Dobbs and Joe Carter both raised daughters without a spouse. …

Interview with Rhys Bowen (The Paris Assignment)

August 25, 2023

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Paris Assignment by Rhys Bowen is a story of love and war, bitterness and brutality, bravery, and forgiveness. The setting moves from England to France to Australia. The heroine Madeline Grant is sent to study overseas at the Sorbonne in Paris. There she meets charismatic French journalist Giles Martin. After the Christmas holiday, she defies her stepmother and returns to Paris to live with Giles. After finding out she is pregnant Giles eventually …

Interview with Joanna Schaffhausen (Dead and Gone)

August 17, 2023

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Dead and Gone by Joanna Schaffhausen brings back popular police detective Annalisa Vega. In this latest installment there are not one but five crimes to solve. Because she is such an excellent author, readers do not get confused at all as to what is happening, and which crime is being focused on in a particular chapter. The plot has Annalisa Vega being pulled in by her boss, Commander Zimmer, to investigate the death of …

Interview with Cari Lynn Webb (Three Springs, Texas series)

August 17, 2023

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The first four books in the Three Springs, Texas series by Cari Lynn Webb will draw on reader’s emotions. They will smile, cry, and take a journey with the characters. The Texas SEAL’s Surprise has Abby James coming to visit her cousin, Tess, in the small town of Three Springs Texas. She is a single pregnant woman whose fiancé cheated on her. She initially meets Wes, the hero, after her car has a flat …

Interview with Ashley Weaver (the Electra McDonnell series)

July 21, 2023

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Electra McDonnell series by Ashley Weaver blends a mystery within a spy thriller. There are spies, murders, a tinge of romance, and some historical tidbits to entice readers. A Peculiar Combination is the first in the Electra McDonnell series. She was raised by her Uncle Mick and has become part of the family business, pickpocketing, opening locks and safes, to steal valuables. Unfortunately for them they were set up and caught stealing. Because …