Showing posts with label mobsters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mobsters. Show all posts
Thursday, December 6, 2018 | By: The Write Way Cafe

Meet the Hero: Sam Finch from Madam Mom

Today at The Write Way Cafe, we would like you to meet Sam Finch, author Lynda Rees’s hero from her most recent suspense novel Madam Mom.


Thanks for joining us today, Sam. We’ve heard you are a big-shot investment attorney in New York and your boss/father dropped an unpleasant bombshell on you.

     Thanks for having me. It’s a pleasure being here. Yes, my career is going well. I manage my family’s office in New York. My brother, uncle and father continue running the corporate office in Northern Kentucky. Not only am I in Kentucky learning a new computer system. One of our most prominent clients passed away. Her daughter, the sole heir, resides in New York. Her accounts are being transferred to me.

We understand you are less than happy about it.

     (Clear’s throat and gives a small chuckle.) Of course, I will remain professional and treat this new client to the best service possible.
     (He whispers.) Off the record, between you and me, I’m dreading it. I hope I’m wrong, but have no doubt this rich bitch heiress is a spoiled, entitled brat. She comes from a less than stellar background, which could mean trouble for both of us—possibly danger.

What do you mean?

     I don’t know much about her in particular. I understand she’s related to past associates of The Cleveland Mob. Between 1920 and 1978 when the FBI stepped in, they reigned in Newport. The town prospered as a mecca for illegal gambling, prostitution and alcohol. This was before Las Vegas was established. Famous people came from around the world to entertain or be entertained. Strip clubs lined the streets. Police looked the other way in this haven for crime. Of course, that’s all changed now.

You believe her family was involved?
     I hope not, but her mother did a stint in prison, and her dad was gunned down on the street execution style. If that doesn’t speak to mob influence, I don’t know what does. I’m afraid of what I’m going to be required to handle for this young woman.

Well, let’s hope you’re wrong. So you’re born and raised a Northern Kentucky native. Don’t you miss family? We understand your sisters settled in the Greater Cincinnati Area.
     Indeed. I miss my five sisters and their spouses, my nieces and nephews, my brother and of course, Mom and Dad. But New York owns my heart. I adore the vitality and excitement of the great city and can’t imagine living anywhere else. Besides, it makes it more difficult for my sisters to continually set me up with one woman or another. They’re anxious to see me married and settled down.

You don’t want that?

     I do, but continual interference in my love life is distracting. So far it has gotten me nowhere. The right woman will come along organically. I’ll know her when I meet her.

Is that right? We understand you met a woman on the trip home. Tell us about her. 
    (His face blushes crimson.) I met a lovely, young lady. Unfortunately, I doubt I’ll be seeing her again.

Why is that? Didn’t you make a good impression?

     Don’t get me wrong. I tried. Raised with five sisters, I can’t stand seeing a woman in pain. The poor thing was distraught going through Security. Her tears broke my heart.
     I reached out to try and help. She took it wrong resenting my interference. We had harsh words. It turned out, she was on my flight. We chatted, and she apologized for being rude when I over-stepped my bounds. We parted on a positive note. I doubt I’ll see her again. I didn’t get her name and number.

Too bad you didn’t hit it off. Maybe you’ll have better luck while you’re home. Surely your sisters will rally to find you a woman.

     (Sam laughs heartily.) You’ve got that right. I’ve no doubt they’ll meddle again in no time.

Tell us about your story—the novel Madam Mom.

Madam Mom by Lynda Rees

     Attorney Sam resents having a spoiled, rich-bitch heiress dropped onto his plate. Tisha’s been betrayed before, broken-hearted and grieving her mother. The intrusive buttinski at the airport riles her, but he’s an appealing distraction. Without revealing identities, they share an intimate fling.
     Unraveling family’s sordid past proves her prim, proper mother’s involvement in shady affairs. Dad’s brutal execution remains unsolved, though she suspects a mob hit.
     Recognizing misconceptions about each other, Tisha and Sam must work together. Sam is concerned for the vulnerable female, and they form a special bond. Can she escape her perilous predicament, evade a killer targeting her, and end the vicious McClain Curse to find love?

What other books has Lynda Rees written?
     Two are suspense novels about descendants of past mobsters—God Father’s Day and Madam Mom. Her debut was a historical novel about a woman’s struggle during the savage 1890’s Alaskan Gold Rush called Gold Lust Conspiracy. She co-authored a middle-grade children’s book, Freckle Face & Blondie, with her ten-year-old granddaughter, Harley Nelson. She authored several books in The Bloodline Series, romantic suspense novels about everyday heroes and heroines facing murder and danger in a rural horse-country area of Kentucky. The books are Parsley, Sage, Rose, Mary & Wine; Blood & Studs; Hot Blooded; Blood of Champions; Bloodlines & Lies; Horseshoes & Roses; and The Bloodline Trail.

Where can the books be purchased and how can fans reach Lynda?
     You can obtain her books and reach author Lynda Rees the following ways.

Amazon        Website        Facebook         Twitter

Pinterest         Amazon          BookBub

Email: lyndareesauthor@gmail.com


Thursday, November 1, 2018 | By: The Write Way Cafe

God Father's Day with Lynda Rees

The Write Way Café welcomes Lynda Rees to talk about her recent suspense novel God Father’s Day.


Thanks for joining us today, Lynda. Congratulations on your release of God Father’s Day.

Thanks for having me. It’s a pleasure being here. Yes, release of God Father’s Day is doing well.

How did you come up with the hook for the story?
It’s interesting that frequently people know very little about their parents and heritage. They’re Mom and Dad who dedicated their lives to ensuring we had wonderful childhoods, made beautiful memories and learned to become happy, productive adults. Rarely do people dig deeper to understand the person behind the parenting façade.

I have a fascination about how history impacts lives of people today. Before you existed they led lives having nothing to do with you. That tiny bit of history can be shocking. At least it can be interesting and maybe help us understand them and ourselves better. It doesn’t necessarily need to be a huge historic event. Past everyday lives of those we love come with incredible revelations, sometimes explaining how or why our own lives played out.

Why a setting in rural Kentucky at a lakeside fishing resort?
I’m a big fishing enthusiast. Anything to do with water brings a smile to my face. I set the story at this small, family resort because I’ve found these places are almost always quiet and low drama. It is the most unexpected location for a mobster hitman to make an appearance.

Why the mob hook?
I grew up in Northern Kentucky during the 1970’s when the FBI stepped in and shut down organized crime in several major cities across the country. Until that time The Cleveland Mob ran Newport, Kentucky. It was a mecca for illegal alcohol, gambling and prostitution. Famous people came from around the globe to entertain or be entertained. The town prospered. When the FBI went after gangsters in charge, they ended Newport’s shady activities.

I thought about how the unsavory business would impact descendants of those involved. How did people turn their lives around or escape wearing concrete shoes at the bottom of the Ohio or Licking River? How did their families feel about their pasts?

Your characters Justin and Becky don’t believe in love, yet you’ve thrown them together.
Justin doesn’t believe in traditional, fairy-tale, forever-type love. Love is a figment of the imagination—a trick nature plays to enable procreation and a continuation of the species. He doesn’t want or expect to engage in such a thing. He plans to marry for the right reasons—position, money and power.

Becky, on the other hand, fears males. She’s been hurt and built a protective wall around her heart shielding her and her family. She’s afraid to risk caring for any man.

It sounds like they’ve experienced loss and been hurt.
Yes, losing his mother as a teen devastated both Justin and his dad. Witnessing his father’s agony, he swore he’d never subject himself to such pain. Justin’s an attorney and has seen enough divorce to believe love never really lasts anyway.

As the oldest, Becky’s been responsible for her other siblings since her parents died when she was young. Terrified of being subjected to a guy’s anger, she avoids a personal life focusing on family.

What’s different about Justin that makes her reach out to him?
Becky is compassionate and giving to a fault. As Richard’s nurse, she witnesses Justin’s despair and vulnerability. She sees how alone he is with no one to lean on. His vulnerability and need cuts through her armor, and she offers help.

Tell me about your story—the novel God Father’s Day.
Justin returns to their lakefront home to care for his critically ill father, Richard. Secrets are revealed, and Richard's sinister past threatens to destroy Justin’s perfect life. Richard's nurse, Becky, keeps men at bay due to a brutal history and concern for her son’s safety. Justin's despair and broken spirit penetrate Becky’s armor opening her fragile heart, but she can’t compete with his wealthy fiancé. Certain death looms in shadows of the sleepy, rural town. A vicious confrontation is imminent. Second-guessing who he is and disillusioned, Justin discovers what matters most—in perfect time to lose it.

What other books has Lynda Rees written?
Two are suspense novels about descendants of past mobsters—God Father’s Day and Madam Mom. Her debut was a historical novel about a woman’s struggle during the savage 1890’s Alaskan Gold Rush called Gold Lust Conspiracy. Linda wrote The Bloodline Series, suspense novels set in rural horse-country Kentucky. The books are Parsley, Sage, Rose, Mary & Wine; Blood & Studs; Hot Blooded; Blood of Champions; Bloodlines & Lies; The Bloodline Trail; and Horseshoes & Roses. She also co-authored a middle-grade children’s book, Freckle Face & Blondie, with her ten-year-old granddaughter, Harley Nelson.


Where can the books be purchased and how can fans reach Lynda?
Lynda Rees can be reached at the links below, and her books can be purchased at the Amazon link.


Website        Facebook         Twitter

Pinterest         Amazon          BookBub

Email: lyndareesauthor@gmail.com


Or join her VIP Group by clicking here:





Thank you for joining The Write Way Café today.