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Love Can Conquer Any Strain
Fan Mail follows a family of adopted brothers who are threatened and their father nearly dies, they must figure out a way to hold the family together and survive the threat. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
This was a logical step in the family dynamics, especially after the last book, Blaze In, Blaze Out. I wanted to show that love can conquer any strain and stress, if you are willing to trust in yourself and each other. These characters have appeared in each of my books. This story, a coming-of-age story embedded in a thriller tells the story about the makeup of the Evans Family. Their struggles, their joys, there love for each other, and their individual paths they walk on.
Did you create an outline for the characters in the story before you started writing or did the characters’ personalities grow organically as you were writing?
Because these characters are in my previous books, my readers and I know what to expect from them. I don’t outline. I had a vague idea how the book was to end, but as I wrote it, the ending appeared to me. As much as anything, besides the story of the Evans Family, this is Brian’s story, his struggles with past demons, his struggle with who he is and his seeking acceptance of it.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Love and relationships within the family. Each boy is adopted, but there are sibling groupings: George and Michael (Two) are step-brothers; Brett and Bobby are biological brothers- sons of Vicky (mom); Randy and Billy are twins, but were adopted separately. The only one without a true sibling is Brian. In many respects, this shows throughout this book and the others. His struggle with who he is and accepting who he is. That’s a struggle and an exploration all adolescents go through, and to some extent, adults.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I am currently working on At Any Cost which is a true thriller in every sense of the word. Twin storylines converge. And of course, the backdrop is the cops trying to solve two cases that closely align with each other, and the Evans Family saga within it. It is almost a sequel to my book, Caught in a Web.
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Randy and Bobby, along with fellow band member and best friend, Danny, receive fan mail that turns menacing. They ignore it, but to their detriment. The sender turns up the heat. Violence upends their world. It rocks the relationship between the boys and ripples through their family, nearly killing their dad.
As these boys turn on each other, adopted brother Brian flashes back to that event in Arizona where he nearly lost his life saving his brothers. The scars on his face and arms healed, but not his heart. Would he once again have to put himself in harm’s way to save them? And, if faced with that choice, will he?
Fan Mail
The family of Jeremy, his wife, and his 7 sons is threatened to break apart when fan mail drops in the mailbox. Two of the brothers are a part of a band called ‘bits and pieces.’ They receive threats through fan mail asking them to leave the band. The web of secrets is unraveled when Jeremy discovers perilous truths about his 5 adopted sons. Brian, one of the adopted sons, revisits the time the boys experienced an explosion before, linking it to the crisis faced by the family now. Is someone on a quest to destroy the family, a family bonded not only by blood but also by love?
Fan Mail by Joseph Lewis is a story of modern-age love, revenge, and everything in between. The author takes you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions throughout the book. Though packed with details and subsequent events, the distinct, descriptive writing style kept me interested. The technical aspect of writing was well-researched and accurate. Short-length chapters and simple language helped in the readability of the novel. The suspense drama keeps building up while providing some space for comfort scenes. It made the storyline candid and meaningful.
The involvement of a wide age range of the main characters in a situation adds to the realism of the setting. Enumerable characters added diversity in characterization but also complicated the central thread of the plotline. The focus on multiple characters takes away the attention from the actual events on the timeline.
Fan Mail is a thrilling and suspenseful family mystery novel. The themes of sexuality, adoption, and parenthood are well-woven with the edgy nature of the narration. The author successfully manages to make fiction feel real. The ending will fill you with the sweet and sour taste of walking with an extraordinary family throughout their journey. It is a page-turning mystery touching different parts of your heart at each turn.
Pages: 391 | ASIN : B0BLNTBTMG
When Loyalty Is Betrayed
Blaze In, Blaze Out follows two detectives that after putting away a crime lord are now in danger along with their families. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
Up until Blaze, my books featured adolescent boys with cops as side characters. I wanted to change that up a bit and feature two/three cops that my readers enjoy. Pat O’Connor, Paul Eiselmann, and Jamie Graff. There is quite the back story on all three, and I wanted to explore that with the reader. I also wanted to give a shout out to law enforcement for their commitment, for sometimes putting the lives of others above their own. There were two spots in particular where that came out: Eiselmann’s inner dialogue about his family and the danger he and his family were in, and with O’Connor’s conversation late at night with Brian.
In previous books, there were mentions of hunting and fishing with the boys going on trips with those three cops. I used hunting and fishing as the backdrop for Blaze for several reasons, both subtle and not so subtle.
There were a lot of strong and dynamic characters in Blaze In, Blaze Out. What was your favorite character to write for and why?
Wow, great question! Trying to pick a favorite character is much like trying to determine who my favorite child is. Each is unique and special in their own way, much like my characters. However, if you had a gun to my head and asked that question, I would Brian because of the depth of the character. Having been a teacher, coach, counselor and administrator for 46 years and counting, I’ve come to know many, many kids struggling like Brian. Trying to find who they are and to be accepted for who they are. His strength, not so apparent to himself but to others, stands out.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
I think the themes of loyalty, perseverance, family, love, and acceptance are important. They are themes all of us deal with daily. More importantly, to explore the reactions when loyalty is betrayed, when family and love are in conflict, and when acceptance is withheld. Those are themes near and dear to me, because I’ve witnessed these in my roles in education.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I am in the middle of a book tentatively titled, Fan Mail about a fan who takes it to the extreme. It explores some of the same themes in my other books, but as with my other books, there is a crime/thriller/mystery in it. I hope to have it available sometime in 2022.
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The two detectives thought it was over.
Eiselmann planned for a quiet weekend with his family at home. O’Connor planned on attending a high school soccer game and then head to Northern Wisconsin for a fishing trip with another cop, Detective Jamie Graff and four teenage, adopted brothers: George Tokay, Brian Evans, Brett McGovern, and Michael Two Feathers.
But Andruko is ruthless and vindictive. From his prison cell, he hires two contract killers to kill both O’Connor and Eiselmann and anyone else in the way. The killers can be anyone. The killers could be anywhere, and the killers could strike at any time.
The quiet weekend and the short vacation turn into a deadly nightmare as O’Connor’s and Eiselmann’s lives and the lives of the four boys are in peril.
Blaze In, Blaze Out
Blaze in, Blaze out by Joseph Lewis is an action-filled mystery crime novel. Two members of a law enforcement task force are the lynchpins to putting away the crime boss Dmitry Andruko. In retaliation Dmitry puts out a hit out on the two officers with the instructions, kill anyone that gets in the way. Following the trial, Eiselmann spends the weekend with his family, and O’Connor heads out on a fishing trip with a friend and his four adopted teenage sons. What should have been a relaxing weekend for both men, turns into a nightmare and a fight for their lives and those they love. Detective O’Connor’s story and attempted murder interlaces itself with Brian and Bobby’s troubled relationship in a world filled with crimes, betrayal and homophobia.
Lewis’s comprehensive writing style makes sure the reader never gets lost in this complex and fast-moving plot. The point of view alternates with the chapters so readers can experience the story through the eyes of all the characters providing them with the full picture of what is occurring and sharing the characters insights and emotions. Care is taken by the author to provide descriptions of every place visited and every clothing item worn by the characters. Readers will become fully immersed into the world created by Lewis.
Besides being a crime thriller, this novel tackles the challenging subject of coming out. Brian struggles with his identity and his relationship with his adopted father due to his sexual orientation. The perspective of a teenage boy coming out to family adds a level of drama to this thriller novel.
Blaze in, Blaze out with its engaging plot and deep themes is a riveting novel and fast read that will keep readers in suspense and hooked till the last page. I recommend this action packed book to any teenager going through a difficult time with their parents and to any reader who loves suspenseful thrillers, and crime novel.
Pages: 321 | ASIN : B09B576BPJ
Blaze In, Blaze Out – Book Trailer
Working with a joint multi-law enforcement task force, Detective Pat O’Connor infiltrated a Ukrainian crime family. Headed by Dmitry Andruko. O’Connor and his control, Detective Paul Eiselmann were the lynchpins in the guilty verdict.
The two detectives thought it was over.
Eiselmann planned for a quiet weekend with his family at home. O’Connor planned on attending a high school soccer game and then head to Northern Wisconsin for a fishing trip with another cop, Detective Jamie Graff and four teenage, adopted brothers: George Tokay, Brian Evans, Brett McGovern, and Michael Two Feathers.
But Andruko is ruthless and vindictive. From his prison cell, he hires two contract killers to kill both O’Connor and Eiselmann and anyone else in the way. The killers can be anyone. The killers could be anywhere, and the killers could strike at any time.
The quiet weekend and the short vacation turn into a deadly nightmare as O’Connor’s and Eiselmann’s lives and the lives of the four boys are in peril.
Heartbreaking and Tragic
Stolen Lives follows a team of FBI agents on a kidnapping case that has been hard to crack, and Kelliher realizes that someone on his team may be in on it. What were some sources that informed this novel’s development?
I spent a great deal of time on research, including the FBI website, the Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and various law enforcement sites. I interviewed several individuals who were critical to this novel’s success: Police Chief Jamie Graff (one of my characters in my book, though in my books he is a detective), and James Dahlke, a Forensic Scientist. I interviewed and received help from Jay Cooke and Dave Mirra, who are (Dave has since retired) working in IT and Technology.
Mostly, this book is based upon my work as an adjunct educator with the Wetterling Foundation, who works with missing and exploited families, and educates the public on keeping children safe. I also based it upon my work as a counselor, and though this book is fiction, it is heavily based upon fact: stories I heard from kids and parents in my counseling office and the work with the families of missing children. Heartbreaking and tragic. Still angers and saddens me.
Did you plan the mystery at the heart of this story, or did it develop organically while writing?
I am a “pantser.” I don’t plan ahead. I knew the story I wanted to tell, but I let it unfold in its own way. Typically, it isn’t until I am nearing the end of any book when the actual ending “comes” to me.
What scene in the book did you have the most fun writing?
This is a dark book, but I enjoyed the kids’ interaction with each other. I enjoyed the kids standing up to the adults and their willingness to speak their mind to them. Specifically, I enjoyed it when the ones needing to be held accountable were held accountable. I believe in justice, even if life doesn’t always have a Disney ending.
This is book one in your Lives Trilogy. What can readers expect in book two?
There were several loose ends in Stolen Lives. Several of the “bad guys” got away. But a sizeable portion of the next two books, besides catching the “bad guys” is how these missing kids, some of whom were missing and abused for more than a year, reintegrate back into their families. How do they get along without their informal “kid” network? What happens within the family? I answer those questions.
Lastly, George, Brett, Tim, and the Twins (Randy and Billy) play huge roles in Stolen. So, what happens to them? What are their lives like now?
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Three fourteen-year-old boys are inextricably linked by abduction and murder.
Two of them were just abducted off a safe suburban street. Kelliher and his team of FBI agents have 24 hours to find them or they’ll end up like all the others… dead! They have no leads, no clues, and nothing to go on. And the possibility exists that one of his team members might be involved. A fourth boy, George Tokay, a Navajo, holds a key piece to this puzzle and doesn’t realize it.
Kelliher and his team have been on this case for two years. There isn’t much to go on, and each time he gets a break, potential witnesses are found dead. The stories of these boys are like loose threads on a sweater: pull the wrong one and it unravels completely. Slowly, Kelliher realizes that there may be one or more members of his team behind it all.
Stolen Lives
![Stolen Lives (Lives Trilogy Book 1) by [Joseph Lewis]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41Evcoa773S.jpg)
Stolen Lives, by Joseph Lewis is a fast paced crime novel in the how-catch-‘em mystery genre. It’s the story of Officers Pete Kelliher and Summer Storm who have been trying to track down a group of pedophiles. Finally, a break comes when Native American teenager George Tokay witnesses the murder of a teenage boy in the desert, and reports it to the authorities. For years, Kelliher and Storm have unsuccessfully hunted the pedophiles who kidnapped, raped, tortured and killed young boys. Through years of stumbling blocks and dead ends, the officers now have a solid lead to pursue. With the knowledge Tokay shared, Kelliher and Storm must act aggressively to capture the perpetrators.
Author Joseph Lewis clear writing keeps the focus on the story among a highly detailed world and riveting mystery. His descriptions are sharp and focused, and he creates authentic heart-tugging sympathy for the victims. We get to know the offenders, but Lewis doesn’t focus his writing on the “bad guys.” Instead, he pulls the reader into the lives of the frightened teen-age boys, and what they must endure to survive. Lewis also creates a strong bond among the boys, with Brett being somewhat of a protector of them.
This story reminds me of the popular and much-loved author, Tony Hillerman. Set in the desert of Albuquerque, New Mexico, like Hillerman, the Native American aspect, and imagery, is significant throughout the novel. However, Lewis thrives as an author by not only dealing with the emotions of these surviving boys, but also dealing with the flood of questions and emotions of the parents of the surviving boys.
Stolen Lives is a riveting murder mystery that slowly unravels a puzzling crime that will have readers furiously flipping pages. With realistic characters a reader can relate to and sympathize with, and a fast-paced and action filled plot, Lewis has created an engaging story that is a fantastic start to his Lives Trilogy.
Pages: 259 | ASIN: B094RJ49XD
LITERARY TITAN 