Blog Archives
Turned Out To Be Pretty Amazing
Time Intertwined follows a mother and daughter separated during the Vietnam War who have reunited decades later thanks to a DNA test. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
In 2019, my family had our DNA tested and we unexpectedly found a relative–his story turned out to be pretty amazing and I thought it should be written down. My relative didn’t have any interest in writing it, but gave me permission to write a novel that used elements of what happened to him.
Why did you choose this place and time for the setting of the story?
The relative we found unexpectedly learned he was part Vietnamese. He found us because my ex-husband is Vietnamese. The two are first cousins and both were born during the war in Vietnam. Thus, much of my novel is set during the war, but intertwined with events occurring in the present.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Initially, the plan was to focus on the civilians and how the war impacted them. I just wanted to tell a simple story of a child who had been adopted after Operation Babylift as well as the story of the woman who lost her. I wanted the history to be accurate as much as possible and did quite a bit of online research. However, as I read more and began to write the story of a lost child, I realized I had an opportunity to showcase some of the positive, non-military acts of many of the Western soldiers (eg, providing food and medical assistance to the orphanages). Too many negative stories have been written about our soldiers and I wasn’t going to contribute to that. Lastly, I couldn’t write a book about the war and not weave in the story of Agent Orange. Agent Orange was an herbicide used extensively in South Vietnam to destroy enemy food crops and the dense jungle which gave them cover for ambushes. It was supposed to be harmless to humans, but it wasn’t. The effects of this chemical combination can still be seen today.
Can you tell us a little about where the story goes in book two and when the novel will be available?
The original plan was to write one book, not a trilogy. But after the first book was published, I felt I hadn’t said enough about Agent Orange–so that is when the tirlogy was born. Lives Intertwined (Book 2) was published late in 2021 while Darkness and Light Intertwined (Book 3) was published late in 2022. Although both books keep the underlying theme of the long-term effects of Agent Orange, it is a bit more prominent in Lives Intertwined. The second book also takes a completely differnet look at the war compared to the first. In it, we follow two soldiers, one American and one Vietnamese, through the war. They become friends and conduct many missions together. Interwoven with their story is a modern day who-done-it murder mystery. There’s also a love story.
Book 3 tells the story of an orphan who grew up in Vietnam during the war and the struggles she faced just trying to survive. One of my favorite aspects of the third book is how it tells the same love story as in book 2, but from the woman’s perspective instead of her soldier/lover. Like book 1, books 2 and 3 are genealogical mysteries that reveal how our DNA connects us to our genetic family.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website
Anh was only ten when American Green Berets first set foot in Vietnam. Within two years, she would be orphaned and sickened by the deadly herbicide known as Agent Orange. After nearly two decades of war, Anh and her newborn daughter were desperate to escape. But in the chaos and confusion of the fall of Saigon, mother and child were separated. Would she ever see her baby again?
Anh’s daughter Mikayla grew up in the U.S. with no memory of her mother. When a DNA test unexpectedly reveals that she was adopted, Mikayla is left angry and confused—and she is determined to discover her true identity.
As Anh struggles to rebuild her life, Mikayla uncovers long-kept secrets that threaten to rip her family apart. Can either woman find happiness again?
Just as Anh and Mikayla begin to adjust to the changes forced upon them, the toxic legacy of Agent Orange begins to be revealed. The war may be over, but another battle rages on. Is it possible to defeat an invisible enemy capable of harming generations yet to come?
Life Overnight Turned Upside Down
Topanga Canyon: Fire Season follows a teenage boy from Chicago who is sent to live on his grandfather’s horse ranch in Topanga, CA. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I’ve never been disciplined enough to keep a daily journal, but I do enjoy chronicling moments and thoughts by writing short stories when time allows. And when the Coronavirus countywide “Stay at Home Order” took effect in Los Angeles, turning my life, and everyone else’s, instantly upside down, I found I had a lot of it.
Overnight everything came to a halt. A few designated businesses were allowed to remain open if deemed “essential”: as long as the employees followed a strict regimen of cleaning, mask-wearing, and intensified hygiene.
Our small café was one of them. Granted, we had the option of closing, but we were desperate to have some sense of normalcy in our lives and the lives of our customers, neighbors, and friends despite the constantly terrifying, changing world of Covid. And that the simple act of brewing coffee and baking muffins would signal our trust that that world would, one day, return to normal.
Santa Monica had become a ghost town. Hours would go by before anyone entered the café. And the unknown deadly threat of Covid and the sudden lack of control over our future began to get to me. I began to write a short story about Matt, a teenager whose life overnight turned upside down, and how he dealt with the frightening new circumstances
Around the same time, I came across an old interview from 2014 on NPR about Tennessee Walking Horses.
Now, Walking Horses are an American breed started by Albert Derment in the late 1800s in Tennessee. Albert bred horses, and late in his life, he purchased a rather plain-looking small black stallion named Allan, who had this uncanny ability to walk at different speeds. Now that might sound like a simple thing to do, but other horses cannot do that. And because Allan could walk at different speeds riding him was like sitting in a rocking chair. So Albert Derment began breeding the stallion with this genetic quirk to see if his offspring would also carry that trait. And some of them did. This selective breeding resulted in what is known as the Tennessee Walking Horse. They are beautiful to watch with their heads held high, their front legs fully extended, and their long flowing tails as they fast walk around a show ring.
Unfortunately, to ensure show horses raised their legs higher, some unscrupulous trainers invented the practice of soring, which is applying a caustic material on the horses’ legs so that the pain would make them raise their legs higher. Granted, legislation through Congress has been passed to eliminate this decades-long abomination, but the laws were basically toothless. The most recent bill H.R. 5441 117th Congress, reintroduced as the PAST Act of 2021, is still pending. I hoped that by highlighting this ongoing practice, people would once again become aware and get involved in ending soring once and for all. And I was convinced that my main character Matt would be able to do that.
Why choose this place and time for the setting of the story?
Located in the Santa Monica Mountains, Topanga Canyon is next to 16,000 acres of Topanga State Park. With its deep canyons and slopes dotted with oak trees, this pristine park allows one to envision what California looked like a hundred years ago when the indigenous people, the Tongva, thrived in the Los Angeles Basin. Topanga Canyon is a magical place where one can be transported to another place and time. And I did not know how to write about the Canyon without bringing in a character of Tongva heritage. I thought Topanga Canyon was the perfect place for a horse ranch where Matt could be introduced to that reality and Los Angeles today with its vibrant and evolving indigenous community.
What were some challenges you felt were important to defining your characters in this story?
As my little short story grew into a much longer project, I found that the more time I spent with my main characters, the more solid they became. It took a while to ensure that each one had their own voice and did not blend into one another. I had to be careful to avoid every character saying the same thing in trying to get a point across. It was important that each one had their own point of view and were true to their age and gender. This was easier said than done.
Will there be a follow-up novel to this story? If so, what aspects of the story will the next book cover?
I enjoyed my time at the High Stepping Ranch. And Matt keeps leaving articles on my desk about Horse Therapy, also known as hippotherapy, and how it is used with people with PTSD, Autism, and physical disabilities. Silas’s boots banging down the hallway as he complains about the proposed Convention Center slated for the pristine Canyon reverberates in my head. And Esmerelda keeps whispering about researching the Tongva language. So I would enjoy doing a follow-up novel.
Author Links: Amazon | GoodReads
As Matt’s new life unfolds and his love for horses grows, he realizes that his grandfather is in danger of losing his beloved ranch due to outstanding debts. Desperate to keep the ranch, his grandfather leases out one of the barns to an unscrupulous horse trainer named Robert Sinclair.
Matt soon witnesses the antiquated and brutal methods of training Sinclair uses on his Tennessee Walking Horses. Confronted by an unwillingness by everyone at the ranch to oppose Sinclair and his use of horse soring, Matt searches for a way to make the outside world aware of the horse’s needless torture. With the help of his friend Ariel, they devise a plan to expose Sinclair and his brutal methods. But will the fury of the yearly Santa Ana winds ignite a devastating fire and give Sinclair his chance for revenge?
Topanga Canyon: Fire Season by Barbara Bryan weaves a tale that reignites the essential truth that we all intrinsically possess the courage to face the myriad of challenges in today’s world and restores the knowledge that, through us, change is possible.
Time Intertwined
Time Intertwined by Kaylon Bruner Tran is Book 1 in the Agent Orange Trilogy. This is a fictional novel with a twist of adventure, history, loss, and family secrets. Kaylon Bruner Tran beautifully portrays tension, family trauma, the effects of war, and self-discovery in an enthralling work of literature, sure to captivate the reader from start to finish. Well-written and surprising, this book details a saga of survival, relationships, and how life is impacted during and after the war. Kaylon Bruner Tran, though well-known in the medical research community, branches out into writing, and does a great job of remaining loyal to historical research, crafts a fascinating original story, and leaves readers wanting more.
The story of Time Intertwined follows Anh and Mikayla, a mom and daughter separated in the fall of Saigon and the end of two decades of the Vietnam War. The book chronicles the story of Mikayla discovering who she is after growing up in the U.S. and unexpectedly finding out she was adopted. Anh, on the other hand, works towards rebuilding her life, with the looming threat of destruction to a legacy, the resulting complications of sickness, and the revelation of dark family secrets uncovered.
Touching, beautiful, and heart-wrenching, Time Intertwined, Book 1 of the Agent Orange Trilogy is a must-read. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in the Vietnam War, historical fiction, cross-cultural settings, or family trauma. This book is complex and relays the lasting effects of war on humanity. This book has excellent character development, historical details, heartwarming moments, and an intensely intricate plot. This book is perfect for people who are looking for a story that is suspenseful and touching all at once.
Pages: 232 | ASIN : B094PP2HXH
How Difficult It Is To Break Free
Secrets in the Mirror follow mirror twin brothers who grow up in an abusive environment and their effort to survive the life they are handed. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
I know someone who has two daughters, close in age, who were always inseparable when they were young. But in their early 20s, the older daughter began demeaning & belittling her sister’s choices & life decisions, manipulating, and ultimately gaslighting to the point that the younger daughter had to break off relations in order to save her own well-being. This was very traumatic for her as well as for their parent, whose therapist concluded from communications that the older daughter had become narcissistic. And then there is a well-known political leader whose behavior and communications provide overwhelming evidence of narcissism, inflicting trauma and stress on the nation. I began to wonder how difficult it is to break free of a narcissist, and mused how much more difficult it would be for identical twins.
What were some of the trials that you felt were important to highlight the character’s development?
“Trials”? Do you mean what were the challenges & difficulties the main characters faced, which exemplified the central theme of the novel? Well, their father was raised in a tough macho mob-connected culture, and decided that his twins had to be tough. He anointed Devon to be the Best, the Winner, but gave no guidance or example of what that entailed, just to claim it & fake it. So Devon became a hollow narcissist. The father also decided that Gavin (the Main Character) was a “loser”, and that it was his job to take care of Devon, the ‘winner’. So Gavin grew up abused and uncertain of his own worth and Devon grew up in a charade, and used drink, drugs and risk-taking (mob) to fill the empty spot in him, while Gavin felt compelled to “save” his brother from his own worst instincts.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
- The expectations & demands of parents can be damaging to their children, especially in dysfunctional families.
- Dysfunction in families can be proliferated into multiple generations unless someone finally breaks the chain – which is difficult.
- At some point, you must make a choice between the imperative to save others versus the struggle to save yourself. You can’t save anyone until you save yourself.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I’m working on Gavin’s sequel. I didn’t think there would be a sequel, but he had other ideas, and came to me in a half-dream state, laying out the entire plot. So now he’s nagging me to write it. In it, he will have to return to Boston to “tie up loose ends” and be exposed to all the things that nearly destroyed him, things he thought he’d left behind. He will discover more secrets, he will be in danger, he will be triggered & react dysfunctionally. He will exhibit symptoms & behavior of CPTSD. His wife Katie — along with his old counselor Dr Pedersen and best friend Tray — will have to pull him back from the edge. Its themes will include how dysfunctional families can cause crippling CPTSD in their offspring, and how close friends can rally around and help save the damaged person.
I believe it will not likely be published until early 2024.
However, the audio version of ‘Secrets In The Mirror’ should be available this summer (2023).
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website | Instagram
When Gavin looks in the mirror he sees his twin Devon ― literally. Yet like the mirror, inside they are the reverse of each other. Devon is the chosen one, anointed by their tough Mob-connected father, who demeans Gavin as a loser but expects him to save his brother from his worst instincts. Gavin struggles to believe in himself and make his own decisions in the face of Dad’s bullying and Devon’s narcissistic gaslighting. When Devon gets into drugs and crime, people start dying. Gavin flees far away to protect his hard-won selfhood and his new family. But he can’t escape his sociopathic brother, or the Mob. Yet inextricable bonds tie him to Devon, and Gavin vows to break the lethal chain of family dysfunction and rescue his twin from his self-destructive path. Can he save his brother before Devon destroys them both?
A dysfunctional family saga with psychological suspense, Secrets In The Mirror is the story of one family’s struggle to rise above the toxicity of multigenerational domestic abuse and crime. But Gavin is the one who must finally break the shackles of multigenerational and narcissistic abuse, despite inextricable bonds with a twin who’s headed for self-destruction. It is a tale that grapples with the imperative to save others versus the struggle to save oneself.
You Must Make A Choice
Secrets in the Mirror follow mirror twin brothers who grow up in an abusive environment and their effort to survive the life they are handed. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
I know someone who has two daughters, close in age, who were always inseparable when they were young. But in their early 20s, the older daughter began demeaning & belittling her sister’s choices & life decisions, manipulating, and ultimately gaslighting to the point that the younger daughter had to break off relations in order to save her own well-being. This was very traumatic for her as well as for their parent, whose therapist concluded from communications that the older daughter had become narcissistic. And then there is a well-known political leader whose behavior and communications provide overwhelming evidence of narcissism, inflicting trauma and stress on the nation. I began to wonder how difficult it is to break free of a narcissist, and mused how much more difficult it would be for identical twins.
What were some of the trials that you felt were important to highlight the character’s development?
“Trials”? Do you mean what were the challenges & difficulties the main characters faced, which exemplified the central theme of the novel? Well, their father was raised in a tough macho mob-connected culture, and decided that his twins had to be tough. He anointed Devon to be the Best, the Winner, but gave no guidance or example of what that entailed, just to claim it & fake it. So Devon became a hollow narcissist. The father also decided that Gavin (the Main Character) was a “loser”, and that it was his job to take care of Devon, the ‘winner’. So Gavin grew up abused and uncertain of his own worth and Devon grew up in a charade, and used drink, drugs and risk-taking (mob) to fill the empty spot in him, while Gavin felt compelled to “save” his brother from his own worst instincts.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
- The expectations & demands of parents can be damaging to their children, especially in dysfunctional families.
- Dysfunction in families can be proliferated into multiple generations unless someone finally breaks the chain – which is difficult.
- At some point, you must make a choice between the imperative to save others versus the struggle to save yourself.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I’m working on Gavin’s sequel. I didn’t think there would be a sequel, but he had other ideas, and came to me in a half-dream state, laying out the entire plot. So now he’s nagging me to write it. In it, he will have to return to Boston to “tie up loose ends” and be exposed to all the things that nearly destroyed him, things he thought he’d left behind. He will discover more secrets, he will be in danger, he will be triggered & react dysfunctionally. He will exhibit symptoms & behavior of CPTSD. His wife Katie — along with his old counselor Dr Pedersen and best friend Tray — will have to pull him back from the edge. Its themes will include how dysfunctional families can cause crippling CPTSD in their offspring, and how close friends can rally around and help save the damaged person.
I believe it will not likely be published until early 2024.
However, the audio version of ‘Secrets In The Mirror’ should be available this summer (2023).
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website | Instagram
When Gavin looks in the mirror he sees his twin Devon ― literally. Yet like the mirror, inside they are the reverse of each other. Devon is the chosen one, anointed by their tough Mob-connected father, who demeans Gavin as a loser but expects him to save his brother from his worst instincts. Gavin struggles to believe in himself and make his own decisions in the face of Dad’s bullying and Devon’s narcissistic gaslighting. When Devon gets into drugs and crime, people start dying. Gavin flees far away to protect his hard-won selfhood and his new family. But he can’t escape his sociopathic brother, or the Mob. Yet inextricable bonds tie him to Devon, and Gavin vows to break the lethal chain of family dysfunction and rescue his twin from his self-destructive path. Can he save his brother before Devon destroys them both?
A dysfunctional family saga with psychological suspense, Secrets In The Mirror is the story of one family’s struggle to rise above the toxicity of multigenerational domestic abuse and crime. But Gavin is the one who must finally break the shackles of multigenerational and narcissistic abuse, despite inextricable bonds with a twin who’s headed for self-destruction. It is a tale that grapples with the imperative to save others versus the struggle to save oneself.
Began As A Simple Revenge Book
It’s For The Best follows three generations of one family and slowly uncovers the dark secrets that they try to keep hidden. What was the initial idea behind this story, and how did that transform as you were writing the novel?
It’s for the Best began as a simple revenge book, but evolved to include the history behind Blessan. The story of Gean and Bo was not in the original manuscript. A good friend and one of my Beta Readers said it needed more so their story was added.
How did you come up with the idea for the antagonist in this story and how did it change as you wrote?
Billie has been and was always going to be the main antagonist even above Gean’s father. This novella was written because of Billie, all the other characters evolved around her.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Family, friendship, and love will be the first you see in the story, followed by greed, envy, deception, and plagiarism. The final is my very favorite Justice and Karma.
What is the next book that you are working on and when can your fans expect it to be out?
I have a new Thriller/Suspense which will be out December 2023, published by Black Rose Writing called A CHANGE IN DESTINY, DARK CHOICES.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Website
Leroy Grinder, owner of the Circle G. Ranch, and his good friend, Jackson Hellman, work with the one person who can stop Billie. Blessan Hackney, his ranch foreman. The trio must step forward to correct an injustice and save Glenmore before it’s too late.
The Mother Gene
An intergenerational story, simply yet strikingly woven, The Mother Gene by Lynne Bryant tells the story of three generations of Stewart women and how they’ve lived their lives, the choices they’ve made, and the ways in which they’ve become mothers. The story is set in a span of five days in the summer of 2010, from gynecologist Dr. Miriam Stewart’s last day of work to the evening of her being awarded a five-million-dollar grant. The five days see Miriam’s different selves that she works to keep separate come clashing together—doctor, mother, daughter, friend, and lover.
The series of incidents that are effortlessly strung together without seeming contrived remind the reader that life is characterized by an all-togetherness; rarely, if ever, do events happen sequentially; instead, they happen all at once. Miriam and her daughter Olivia discover more about their mother and grandmother, Lillian, a strong, quiet woman who lives in the mountains of Virginia by herself. The story is told via flashbacks and memories, neatly compiled, and the segues in time are easy to follow. Hints of a dark past are so subtle as to have the reader second-guessing what they think the story is about. Bryant’s drawing of a family is not necessarily blood relations, but as ever-present persons, in whatever shape or size, although an overt theme, is done with skill. The book’s strongest point is the quiet acceptance of different choices, lives, and loves without judgment.
The Mother Gene by Lynne is a well-written, gripping, and intense story with well-developed characters and a strong storyline. The narrative is well-researched and well-told, and most importantly, the narration makes it impossible for the reader to not empathize with the characters and their lifestyles.
Pages: 330 | ISBN : 1639886834
Season of the Dragon
Season of the Dragon by Natalie Wright, Book 1 of the fantasy series Dragos Primeri, follows Quen, a young woman plagued by a curse that makes her a pariah in her homeland and the world of Menauld. After a mysterious woman visits Quen’s small desert town claiming Quen to be part of a dark cult, Quen’s life is forever changed. In hopes of discovering the origin and meaning of her curse, Quen joins a vigilante group of warriors to travel throughout the country, searching for answers. While on her journey Quen is faced with those who fear her, those who wish to control her fate, and those who might just know the origin of her powers.
A book for fantasy lovers! With dragons, magical creatures, magic, corrupt kingdoms, and forbidden love, Natalie Wright has created an enthralling world. The reader journeys with Quen as she searches for answers to a dark secret she holds inside herself – her second soul. Quen, unsure of the meaning of her second soul, seeks to understand its origin for fear that she might belong to the shadow of Vay’Nada rather than the calming waters of Val’Enara.
Wright spends much of the book world-building and familiarizing the reader with the world of Menauld, and there is much to learn. Despite this, Wright successfully educates the reader without overwhelming them as she continues the introduction of the world throughout the entire book. Wright excels in immersive world-building, while her second act moves at a slower pace as readers follow along on Quen’s journey.
Quen is an amazing female protagonist. She is bold and strong yet kind, loving, and intuitive. What may seem to be naivete in some situations shows her earnestness and comes off as genuine and relatable. The secondary characters are also well-written. I recommend Season of the Dragon by Natalie Wright to fantasy readers who enjoy a gripping coming-of-age story that takes them on an exciting adventure. I am already looking forward to the sequels.
Pages: 444 | ASIN : B0BRNW6715
LITERARY TITAN 