GAIL: Welcome, Elizabeth, and thank you for visiting
today for this interview. Rather than the 140 characters we’ve grown accustomed
to on Twitter, can you share with us a more detailed account of the novel and
your research for Cera's Place.
ELIZABETH: Thank you so much for inviting me, Gail!
I hope you got to see Donald Driver win Dancing with the Stars. Wisconsin is so
proud of our Packers - they are all such gentlemen. Anyway, Cera’s Place
is set in San Francisco 1869. Cera runs a saloon but, unlike other such
businesses of the times, she doesn’t allow prostitution. Over the years, she
has helped women escape their terrible lives and become “respectable.” Jake is
an ex-soldier haunted by his Civil War experiences. He’s on a mission to find
the daughter of a friend who died in battle. Cera and Jake meet when he tracks
the daughter to Cera's saloon. One of the subplots of the novel is based on
actual events. During this time period, since the majority of the Chinese
population in California was male, Asian women were kidnapped and forced into
prostitution in America. The Anti-Prostitution Act of 1870 made it illegal to
import women for criminal or demoralizing purposes. Cera and Jake team up to
fight a gang that is kidnapping Chinese girls for the local brothels. Of
course, in the process they fall in love.
My research was quite extensive for the novel. I
wanted everything to be as accurate and believable as possible. I truly admire
historical authors that wrote before the internet. I can't imagine the hours
they must have had to put in to build the settings and plots of their stories.
From the comfort of my office, I found old newspapers, maps, histories of
cities, court cases - even pictures of the ships that would have brought the
Chinese girls to America.
GAIL:
While reading Cera’s Place, I wasn’t so sure about Cera and Jake falling in
love. Is “the job” the most important part of your protagonist’s life?
ELIZABETH: It is in that it has allowed Cera to help
other women get better lives. Before she owned her own saloon, Cera was a
"working girl" in a saloon by the wharf. It was a miserable business
and she vowed never to make another woman do the things she had to do. She uses
her power as a successful business owner to help her friends move on to better
things. Even though Cera is young, she's like a mother to her serving girls.
Her decisions aren't always the smartest or safest, but she'll do anything to
help and protect her girls.
GAIL:
The Mystery/Suspense genre is the focus of Fast Five interviews, but what
unique twist makes your novel stand out?
ELIZABETH: I'm not sure how to answer this - maybe
because my hero looks like Viggo Mortensen in Lord of the Rings? I have a
confession to make. Cera's Place is billed as a historical romance, but I
haven't read many historical romances. When I decided to finally write a book,
I chose this sub-genre because I love research and history, but I'm a big fan
of Nora Roberts. I knew I wanted the story to have an exciting plot along with
the main romance, but according to several reviews, I have written a unique
historical romance with the elements of a modern thriller. Since I'm not that
familiar with the sub-genre, I can't tell you why they say Cera's Place is different - I'm just glad it is. And yes, I realize
not being familiar with the sub-genre I'm writing in is a big no-no, but I read
what I like and I write what I like. Hopefully, the readers also like my stories.
GAIL:
What a perfect example for writing what you love, not what others dictate! Historical
romance or modern thriller, how does your main character’s profession draw her
into suspenseful situations, (murder, for instance?)
ELIZABETH:
One of Cera's workers witnesses the
beating death of a Chinese man by a gang. In the chaos, she grabs the man's
daughter and brings her to Cera for protection. When Cera hears the daughter's
tale of murder, kidnapping and prostitution, she vows to set things right. Over
the years, she's had to become good with a gun, so she feels she can handle the
situation herself. Unfortunately, she finds out the leader of the gang has
bribed both the police and the city politicians, so she's going to need strong
proof of his crimes - and the help of a certain ex-soldier.
GAIL:
I’ve read Cera’s Place so I ask this next question with hopeful fingers
crossed. Is this book part of a series, and are you working on a sequel?
ELIZABETH: I didn't plan Cera's Place originally as
a series, but I would like to revisit the characters (I miss them). When I was
writing it, I found a lot of interesting information on the Chinese Tongs that
I didn't use. I have kicked around the idea of a story with Sonya (one of Cera's
serving girls) as the main character. In Cera's Place, I hint at Sonya's dark
past and I think she would make another excellent and strong heroine. Because
of where Sonya ends up in the final chapter, I think I could spin out another
believable tale.
GAIL:
I won’t be the only reader watching for Sonya. This next isn’t a Fast Five
question, more an “if/then” scenario: If Paris is not an option, then where
would you most like to spend your time writing and why.
ELIZABETH: A long time ago, I toured Italy with
my husband and fell in love with Venice. He didn't think I would like the city
because of my OCD/perfectionist personality and Venice is literally crumbling
before your eyes, but I loved it. It is so full of romance and history, I would
give anything to be able to live there even for a short while. My next novel is
set in Venice and I hope I do the city justice.
Thank you so much for
letting me share Cera's Place with your readers. It's always great to make new
friends.
Links to my sites include:
My website: http://elizabethmckenna.com/
My Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethMcKennaAuthor
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ceras-place-elizabeth-mckenna/1105957860?ean=2940013430365&itm=5
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/ElizaMcKenna @ElizaMcKenna
Cera’s Place sounds like a wonderful read. I love the setting and the characters sound intriguing.
ReplyDeleteLynda, the setting is one of the things I especially enjoyed about this novel.
ReplyDelete