Kent and Katcha: Espionage, Spycraft, Romance by Larry and Rosemary Mild

Publisher:  Magic Island Literary Works (March 28, 2024)
Category: Spy, Thriller, and Romance
Tour Dates May 13-June 21, 2024
ISBN: 979-8986386409
Available in Print and ebook, 248 pages

Description Kent and Katcha by Larry and Rosemary Mild

Larry and Rosemary breach deep cover to bring you a novel of high intrigue drawn from Larry’s former association with secret operatives and their spook agencies.

The year is 1992. The Soviet Union has collapsed, but danger persists. Young Kent Brukner, a freshly trained American spy, arrives in Moscow for a high-risk mission: to infiltrate and compromise a Russian Federation Army facility. Under an alias, in a military uniform, he plies his skills—unprepared for the brutal confrontations and irrational consequences.

Kent meets the innocent and passionate Katcha, daughter of a British expatriate and a Russian dissident. Together the lovers embark on a nearly impossible journey, beginning in the foothills of the Ural Mountains. Stalked by the evil Major Dmitri Federov, they must escape from St. Petersburg to Helsinki, Finland, or face life in a Russian prison.

Praise for Larry and Rosemary Mild

Cr ‘Ohana: Winner of the Readers Favorite, 2011 Award

“I was hooked from the very first page. The chapters are short but there is plenty of suspense, intrigue, blackmail and betrayal. The characters are very easy to connect with. The descriptions of Hawaii are excellent. Adventure and suspense make this a book you won’t want to miss.”-Readers Favorite, for Cry ‘Ohana

“The beautiful setting, engaging characters, and lively plot combine to bring readers a story that is literally difficult to put down. The novel deftly moves between the characters and their stories concluding with a satisfying finish. It is an engaging story of tragedy, hope, and unconditional love.”- Mystery Books Site, Reviewed by Edie Dykeman, BellaOnline’s Mystery Books Editor, for Cry ‘Ohana

“Shame can tear families apart, and murder can obliterate them. Cry Ohana: Adventure and Suspense in Hawaii tells the story of a Hawaiian family who through a string of tragedies finds their family torn apart. But when they need to find justice, the family struggles to reunite. A story of family and reunion for the betterment of it all, and dedicated to Hawaiian culture, Cry Ohana is a choice pick, highly recommended.”- Midwest Book Review

Reviews for On the Rails

“I enjoyed this story and felt like it was well researched in regard to the Depression, the different government work programs, and what it was like to live in the mid-30s. Life was very different then compared to today. The story does not gloss over the dangers of her adventures. She did encounter some men who wanted only one thing. Others tried to rob her of what little she had in her possession.”-Leslie, Storeybook Reviews

“This book has everything you could ask for, non-stop adventure, some history lessons, villains and most importantly, highly likeable characters, who have to overcome every imaginable obstacle.”-Denise, Amazon

“Excellent character development. I adored Bertie. She had such an amazing personality. She was a fighter for sure. She wasn’t afraid to go for what she wanted, even if it meant… pretending to be a man. And fight, she did. She had to fight her way through every situation she came to.
Don’t let the sweet and fun of this book fool you. There is plenty of action.
Having taken place in 1936, this book has lots of great historical aspect to it, which I love!
I highly recommend this for anybody who would like something a little bit different. I would definitely read more by this great writing duo!”-Wendy, Wall To Wall Books

“I enjoyed reading On the Rails by the talented co-authors, Larry and Rosemary Mild. I liked going back in time to the Great Depression era and meeting Bertie. I loved her character and getting to know her. She was intriguing and I was fascinated by her story. I would love to read more like this from the writing team Larry and Rosemary Mild in the future.”-Amy, Locks, Hooks, and Books

“A book that not only brings some laughter, but packs an emotional punch. I was pleasantly surprised by the high caliber of the writing in this novel! The writers did a lot of research, and it was employed well throughout the book. This is a great read and one that I highly recommend!”-Bee, BookPleasures.com

Guest Post Larry and Rosemary Mild

Writing Together Can Be Murder, But That’s Not a Bad Thing

 LARRY:

     We’re often asked how we write together. First, where do we write together? Eleven years ago, we moved from Maryland to Honolulu, Hawaii. In our two-bedroom condo, we’re squished but cozy. Our apartment overlooks the Pacific Ocean and Ala Moana Beach Park—with Magic Island, a small, lush peninsula jutting out from the park. We call ourselves Magic Island Literary Works. Our second bedroom is our office, where all the magic (and mayhem!) take place, and we sit back-to-back at our dueling computers.

      Some coauthors write alternating chapters. We don’t. We divide our creative tasks between us—to the one best suited to perform it. Rosemary insists that I’m the conniving wizard, and she’s right. I conjure up all our plots. But where do I get my ideas? In addition to newspaper articles and books, I’m always observing our surroundings—and eavesdropping, one of my favorite occupations, to help me write realistic dialogue. We’ve been world travelers, so some of our stories are set in countries like Japan, Italy, and Cambodia. We draw from our own experience. For instance, our novel On the Rails: The Adventures of Boxcar Bertie is set in the Great Depression. I included many of my personal recollections of that era. 

     We take our characters from real life. Many are composites of people we’ve known. Our trusty basic rule: We stay out of trouble by keeping our characters in trouble.   

     So how do I begin a new novel? I write a statement of work, a paragraph for a short story or five pages for a whole novel. Then I write the entire first draft: plotting, counterplotting, twisting, turning, and employing the black art of the red herring. After all, where would any story be without ample doses of conflict, misdirection, and controversy? Boring!

 ROSEMARY:

     Now it’s my turn. But, first, I have to admit that Larry has a much longer attention span than I do. My desk overlooks the ocean and provides me with constant entertainment that interrupts my writing. He bought me binoculars and I love watching the container ships, barges, and cruise ships entering and leaving Honolulu harbor. 

     Finally, I buckle down to Larry’s manuscript. I flesh out the characters. To give them unique physical descriptions, I might flip through People or the daily paper. Or during a meeting I might scribble a few words about an unusual-looking person sitting across from me.

     I also beef up the narrative. I often find a gem of a scene but it’s told second-hand. For instance, in Death Steals a Holy Book, our third Dan & Rivka Sherman mystery, bookstore clerk Ivy has a disastrous date in a popular restaurant and tells Rivka about it the next morning. I turned the scene into real time, making it dramatic and funny, where Ivy is confronted by a nasty woman. They argue, shout, slug each other—and get thrown out by the maitre d’.

     I also streamline Larry’s narrative, cutting to pick up the pace by “judicious pruning,” a term I learned as an assistant editor at Harper’s Magazine. Larry calls it “Slash and burn. I spent an hour on those two paragraphs.” Eventually, we negotiate and soothe each other’s egos.

LARRY:    

     We’re Independent publishers, so all the publishing work is our responsibility. I’m a retired electronics engineer, so all the technical stuff falls on me. I transfer the text from Word to an Adobe InDesign format. After multiple proofreadings’ and our final step—reading the whole book aloud to each other— we send the formatted book to our printer.

      Getting back to the business of our writing in the same small room. (Rosemary jokes that she’s practically sitting on my lap.) Can there be a downside to our arrangement? If you’ll excuse my Latin, there’s this co-writus interruptus thing. It’s too easy to stop one another and ask, “Does adrenaline have an e?” rather than look it up. Or I’ll ask her, “Can this character wear jeans to the opera?” rather than decide for myself. Of course, I also succumb to the magnetic tendency of looking out the window at passing ships, parasailers, and helicopters. And daydream.      

     I’m 91. Rosemary is 88. We consider ourselves fortunate to be able to get up each day and know what we have to do, what we want to do, and what we’ll go on doing as long as God gives us the strength to keep it up.

© Larry and Rosemary Mild

About Larry and Rosemary Mild

Award winning authors Larry and Rosemary coauthor mystery, suspense, and fantasy novels and short stories: The Paco and Molly Mysteries; The Dan and Rivka Sherman Mysteries; 2 Hawaii suspense/thrillers; a sci-fi novella; a historical novel (new); and four collections of short stories.

They are members of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, the National League of American Pen Women, and Hawaii Fiction Writers.

Making their home in Honolulu, Hawaii, in a condo overlooking the Pacific Ocean, they relish time with their daughter and grandchildren. Rosemary’s popular personal essays include her new book IN MY NEXT LIFE I’LL GET IT RIGHT. She is a former assistant editor of Harper’s Magazine..

Website:  https://www.magicile.com

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Giveaway Kent and Katcha by Larry and Rosemary Mild

This giveaway is for 3 print or ebook copies. Print is open to the U.S. only. ebook is open worldwide. This giveaway ends on June 27, 2024 midnight, pacific time. Entries accepted via Rafflecopter only.

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Follow Kent and Katcha by Larry and Rosemary Mild

Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus May 13 GP

Linda L. Goodreads May 15 Review

Leslie. Storeybook Reviews May 17 Guest Review-Nora & Excerpt

Gracie S. Goodreads May 20 Review

Carole Rae’s Random Ramblings May 21 Review

Mike M. Goodreads May 22 Review

Kathleen Celticlady’s Reviews May 23 Guest review-Laura & Interview

Denise Amazon & Goodreads May 31 Review

Tammy TTC Books& More June 3 Guest Review-Sal & Excerpt

DT Amazon & Goodreads June 5 Review

Suzie  My Tangled Skeins Book Reviews June 7 Review & Interview

Ellen Goodreads June 10 Review

Amy Locks, Hooks and Books June 12 Review & Excerpt

Marion Amazon & Goodreads June 25 Review

Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus June 26 Review

Bee Book Pleasures June 27 Review & Guest Post