S. Khubiar's Blog - Posts Tagged "faye-kellerman"

AUTHOR INTERVIEW WITH S. KHUBIAR OF ‘THE EAGLE & THE CHILD: THE CHILD’
Ellen | April 12, 2017
Author Interview with S. Khubiar
http://itswritenow.com/68349/author-i...


In the first book of the Eagle and Child trilogy, Shahla functions as two women: the American who works as a Research Specialist at a Federal prison, and the Israeli asset whose clandestine work is concealed by her American job. She tries to disengage from two governments that are ripping holes in her soul, but the unfinished business of her hidden life comes between her and the man she’d hoped could heal the wounds of her past. A mixed marriage is only the beginning of their problems as Persian Jewish and American Protestant cultures clash. A Passover celebration turns deadly when three nations’ intelligence services and one man’s dream of personal revenge draw Shahla into a war begun in a previous generation.

Deadly celebrations, intelligence services and personal revenge merge together in the novel ‘The Eagle & The Child: The Child’, and the author of this novel, S. Khubiar has kindly joined me to chat the collision of these forces. Let’s get straight down to business, how did the seeds of thoughts behind this novel grow?

It came from experience in law enforcement as well as personal questions about the Persian Jewish immigrant experience in America.

Where did your knowledge of these areas come from?

I am retired from law enforcement and self defense. It provided the basic story pieces. So, work in law enforcement, personal religious experience, and academic research were combined. It is an allegory of living in two worlds, or maybe more.

Were the characters in the novel taken directly from these worlds, or were they birthed from your imagination?

Some are real people, and some are pure fiction. Most are an amalgamation of reality and fiction.

As most of them are amalgamations, can you see them clearly in your mind? Have you associated any actors with the characters? Do you have any ideas for casting ideas?

It would be difficult to cast Shahla and Samuel. We’d have to search Tehrangeles. Phillip could be played by newscaster Doug McElway. Lior Ashkenazi could play Uzi.

Would you have a cast party with the characters in your book if they could come to life?

Absolutely…check all weapons at the door, though.

Well of course, parties are not the places for weapons. Did you find working with the tale and characters rewarding? What reward was the most prominent for you?

It was cheaper than going to a psychologist. It helped work out so many ugly things I’d encountered in my career and religious life.

Writing is definitely cheaper than therapy. And some authors say, more effective. When you had this opportunity to work through your demons, did you find a single message that hope that readers can take away from this tale?

We all have potential for personal redemption no matter how far we may fall; we all have two people struggling inside us.

Have you continued to work through this struggle in your next writing projects?

I’ve started publishing prequels to the Eagle & Child trilogy. Vital Statistics: the Die is Fair was the first one, and it is set in Oxford during the Jewish holiday of Purim. The next one is War and Trees: a Matter of Time, which is set in Aruba during Tu B’Shvat.

What keeps you coming back to extend on your trilogy through prequels? What draws you back to writing?

It just happens. I’ve always had an overactive quiet side, but it’s just quiet on the outside. My brain is scary.

I hope that you don’t scare yourself too much when writing. Do you find that you plan to help reduce the scariness, or do you let the tales unfold as they happen?

Both. There is usually a general storyline in mind.

Do you plot your storylines down and then sit down diligently to document them?

If I have inspiration, I write. If not, I work on academic type projects.

So you don’t try and force yourself through lulls?

It’s not a living, so I live a little longer and write when my brain wants to.

That works. Does do you find that any music helps get you in the mood?

Gad Elbaz’ music…you can tell in the novel that Ana BeKoach is my favorite.

Do you find yourself doing a large amount of the editing yourself to make sure that the influences from Gad Elbaz aren’t too blatant?

Lots of self-editing, but a few trusted editors for outside eyes and criticism.

What top tips can you give to other authors looking to get the best out of the writing process from either your own or outside eyes?

It’s a part-time job for very low pay. If you don’t have a degree in English, hire a proofreader/editor.

There’s some solid advice there. Now before I let you go I hope that we can have a quick play in our quick fire question round to give our readers a peak at another side of your personality. Let’s start with: What is your favourite quote?

Never attribute to malice what is more properly attributed to stupidity.

That one is so true. Do you have any philosophies that you live by?

Do it scared.

Are you a valuable asset on a quiz team?

Always

What is your favourite ocean?

Caribbean

I hope you’ve seen some pirates there. If you invented a monster what would it look like and what would you call it?

A Clown. Kreep.

Sounds somewhat sinister. Are you an introvert or extrovert?

Introvert

Have you ever danced in the rain?

Nope

Are you left or right handed?

I don’t disclose things that can be used against me tactically.

How are the colours in rainbows made?

Bending light through water.

If you could breed two animals together to defy the laws of nature what new animal would you create?

Pegasus

You gotta love a flying horse. What is your favourite flavor of ice-cream?

Toffee crunch

What is your best tip for authors?

Have fun with your characters. It’s the closest we come to Pygmalion.

What is your favourite word?

Kind

What’s the most unusual name you’ve ever come across?

Orangello

That is a very different name. Finally, what is your favourite line from your novel that you use to entice readers further?

If God never gave me one more thing in my life, then you, right now, would be enough. You are my Dayeinu.

And we have found enough in today’s chat to let you continue with your day. Thanks for joining me, and I wish you the best of luck introducing new readers to ‘The Eagle & the Child: the Child’.

Our review......

Smart, fast paced and soundly executed, The Eagle and the Child: The Child, sees Khubiar taking a rivetingly plausible central theme, and delivering a power packed romantic thriller. With far too many novels in the genre centring on clichéd protagonists it’s refreshing to see an author break the mould with an intelligent lead who has genuine depth, and Shahla certainly fits the bill with faith and her Mossad training proving equally powerful drivers in her life. From the opening chapter with Phillip Sherrod, her persona always feels authentic whilst Khubiar gets the pitch and momentum of Shahla's narrative just right. On this level, it certainly makes for pure entertainment but dig a little deeper and it’s also a poignant reflection of the times we live in, evoking a strong sense of place, moral choices, immoral certainties, human nature and the power of faith to pull us through the darkest of times. It’s on this level that Khubiar ultimately ensnares our attention and leaves us with something to think about beyond what proves to be a cracking ending.

A high octane start to an exciting new series, The Eagle and the Child: The Child, is strongly recommended.

http://www.bookviral.com/the-eagle-an...The Eagle and the Child: The Child

Reviewed By Arya Fomonyuy for Readers’ Favorite

The Eagle and the Child is the first book in The Child trilogy by S. Khubiar; well-imagined and flawlessly executed, a book with strong religious and political themes — religious extremism, espionage, anti-Semitism, domestic violence, and loyalty. Meet Shahla, a woman torn between two worlds. She is an American working as a Research Specialist in a Federal prison, but she is also disguised as a spy for the Israeli government. She wants nothing more than to be free of the two governments, and a mixed marriage with a man she'd hoped would help bring light to her world becomes the source of a new nightmare. During a Passover celebration, she finds herself compelled to face a past she’d have loved to bury, with intelligence agents from three different countries and someone who is out to settle scores. Can her skills save her and protect her marriage?

This is a great read, a story that explores mixed cultures and I enjoyed the way the author talks about the complexities of a marriage between a Jewish and a Gentile. S. Khubiar has a unique gift for the storytelling craft, witty and intelligent dialogues, and character development. I started enjoying the beauty of the language and the depth of the dialogues from the very first page. There are expressions that are just so insightful and lovely. The conflict is multilayered and beautifully developed to move the story forward. The characters have depth and readers will enjoy Phillip and Shahla, the tension between them, and the incredible journey they take through the entire story. The Eagle and the Child features stellar writing, a gripping story, and memorable characters. It opens a whole new world for readers to navigate. A delightful read, indeed!

After giving The Child a 5-star review, IndieReader sent a written interview in which I was asked to give the "pitch" for The Child. After writing a few paragraphs, I cut out what I knew they didn't want to know. Sorry, those introspective paragraphs just don't sell books within the six-second window a writer has to capture a reader's attention. Anyway, for the one or two curious readers willing to invest a full minute, here is the full response:

IndieReader: What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”. 


A retired American-Israeli assassin, Shahla, quit wet work because she struggled with her conscience. Her back story unfolds throughout the trilogy, but as in life, sometimes one choice made in bitterness has lifetime repercussions. After a work injury, she finds love outside of her Jewish faith, which creates problems. Shahla was born to Persian Jewish parents, so the culture clash with her husband is as sharp as the religious one. A callback tips things over the edge, and she disappears for a while into the spook universe. Her husband is worried that she’s re-connected with someone whom she cares about, and she has. She surfaces to reunite with her husband after another bad injury, but a hit squad ruins their family Passover. Although the Iranian-backed squad is eliminated, it’s not over, which Shahla finds out after giving birth to her first, and only child.

It’s the people closest to Shahla who did her the greatest harm. It’s a psychological study into the minds of those who work clandestinely, which sometimes requires violence. Most thrillers leave the reader with a sense of the protagonist’s invincibility, but Shahla is very human, sometimes a hunter and sometimes a frightened child. She’s more afraid of herself than any enemy. The male-dominant nature of certain agencies creates a climate where women are frequently manipulated or coerced into behavior that is not their natural inclination. Such self-betrayal isn’t healthy.

In law enforcement and related fields, you see things that prevent you from being “normal.” In that respect, it was easy to give voice to Shahla’s thoughts and predict her actions that seem improbable to a civilian. Some things you can’t unsee or undo, and you feel as though you don’t deserve to be with normal people. Shahla meets us there with that fear, which I suspect is not isolated to those in the military, law enforcement, or clandestine services. In that sense, The Child The Eagle and the Child: The Child gives the reader much more than a formulaic thriller. You know that Shahla is real because she is you.

So what did the IndieReader reviewer write about The Child?

"Rating: 5
A reluctant Israeli assassin put back into harness, Kubiar makes cultural and religious differences contained in the marriage of a practicing Jew and a wealthy Protestant as perilous as machine-gun sprays and choke-holds."

So who will buy this book, the romance reader, the thriller reader, the Jewish or Christian religious reader, or the literary fiction reader? Maybe all those if they can be grabbed in six seconds.

http://www.bookdaily.com/authorresour...

Thanks to the RED HEADED BOOK LOVER BLOG FOR A FIVE STAR REVIEW:

https://redheadedbookloverblog.com/20...

"The story of The Child is the type of story I love to read as it combines and weaves themes that I adore in literature. Themes of romance, action, espionage and of course religion are all explored throughout the book and although this combination seems that it would not work or ‘gel’ together, it does, and this is thanks to the exceptionally talented author S. Khubiar. Khubiar is a newly discovered author of mine, however, I wish I had found her work sooner because never before have I been so entertained with a story. The story entertained me so much because it was unlike anything I have read before, how often is it that readers will discover a book like this one, a book that weaves themes which should not work but they do and a book written by somebody who has experience in the field..."