L.E. HARVEY Stops by on her VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR

For Her New Book

UNBREAKABLE HOSTAGE

An Ode to Women 

     I remember the first time I had ever seen a picture of Rosie the Riveter.  She was sassy and strong.  She was beautiful and bold.  She told me, “We can do it!”  I believed her.  I was a rather unusual child in that I loved history, and for whatever reason, I was instantly drawn to Rosie.

     I carried the image of Rosie the Riveter with me throughout my life.  Strong and determined, she would sometimes inspire me to keep going.  Between Rosie, movies like “A League of Their Own” and my grandmother telling me stories of working for Boeing Airplanes during the war, I had women from history showing me that anything and everything was possible.

     As a child, my main passion, aside from history, was writing.  I loved to read and write.  I was always captivated by books and stories.  Going to school was fun for me.  I was surrounded by books that offered limitless possibilities.  Words were all around me, and I loved it.  I loved to write just as much.  Give me an essay or a book report to do, and I was a happy kid.  Writing was my way of playing.  Though they were simplistic, the “novels” that I wrote as a child were more fun than putting a puzzle together or hitting a home run.  I hate to sound like an ego maniac, but writing just came naturally to me.  I was naturally drawn to it.  Words, books, writing: they were my world.

     So, what do Rosie the Riveter and writing have in common?  Me.  LOL.  Seriously though, if it weren’t for the inspiration of an icon such as Rosie, I would not be writing today.  If I hadn’t taken “We can do it!” to heart, I probably would not have pursued my childhood dream of becoming a writer.  She, and women throughout history like Clara Barton, Marie Curie, Molly Pitcher, Molly Brown, Amelia Earhart, and so many more inspired me to write stories with strong heroines.

     All of my books have strong leading females.  Sorry guys.  I’m a woman, so it’s a tad easier for me to write from a woman’s perspective!  LOL.  My women all have the strength and determination of Rosie the Riveter, but they are also human.  They are flawed, they are quirky; they even doubt themselves.  Why?  Because that’s the human experience.  I’ll bet that beneath that tough exterior, even Rosie had some moments of doubt.

 

     In my first work of fiction, Loving Her, you are introduced to a group of friends and lovers in Philadelphia who battle everything from a monotonous daily life to hate crimes.  Each woman has her own strengths and weaknesses.  Each one has her moment where she really shines, but she also has her moment where she is afraid or ashamed or hurt.  Despite their insecurities and flaws, these women love and support each other through life’s trials.  They show their individual strengths, as well as strength as a group.

 

     Unbreakable Hostage is my first attempt at a suspense novel.  You have my publisher to thank for this one!  LOL.  I never imagined I could write a suspense novel, but both my publisher and Rosie the Riveter told me I could do it, so I did.  The main character is a Latin beauty named Lareina Oliveira.  She’s a Ph. D. student in algebra.  A classmate of hers is captivated by her beauty.  She turns him down repeatedly, and he cannot take no for an answer.  In an act of desperation and control, he kidnaps her and holds her hostage for 15 days.  Lareina uses her wit, her physical strength and her knowledge of algebra to help lead her family, her roommate and the LAPD to her location.  As time ticks away, she begins to doubt her own resiliency, and she wonders if she will be rescued in time.

 

     Due for release in July, Imperfect is my next novel.  It is a full-length novel that is both tragic and touching.  I have already had readers tell me that they have laughed and cried with this story.  “Rich” was an adjective that I heard a few times in regards to the story.  Imperfect is the story of a woman named Carol Mathers.  Carol was born prematurely and had health issues as a result.  Her childhood was full of doctor visits and hospitalizations.  In the early 1980s, she receives a blood transfusion to save her life.  Carol’s life is like anyone else’s: full of triumph and tragedy, love and loss.  Throughout her life she battles guilt, racism, sexism, prejudice and ignorance.  Her health issues also come back to haunt her when she discovers that she has acquired AIDS as a result of that early childhood blood transfusion.  Now, she and her partner of twelve years, Alexandria, are forced to battle serious medical issues and more ignorance as a result of their condition. An unexpected hostage event creates even more pain and tragedy in Carol's life, and causes her to wonder about the meaning of and purpose of her own life.  Like all of my other heroines, she is strong, yet vulnerable.

     We live in a society that has pretty much all but forgotten Rosie the Riveter.  Women work in various jobs, and that is the norm.  Yet, we would not be able to have such a social standing if not for Rosie.  She told us, “We can do it!”  I believed that as a child, and I still believe it today.  She inspired me to write and to pursue my dreams.  She encouraged me to write about women who are strong, but still approachable.  I am where I am today, thanks in great part to this amazing American icon.  If nothing else, think of Rosie the Riveter as you read my books. 

Thank you, and happy reading!  

L.E. Harvey

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I was lucky enough to read UNBREAKABLE HOSTAGE last week and what that women went though very few humans would have survived. 

The only problem I had with the story was the Detective Raymer from the LAPD.  He would follow a lead that took him 5 hours north of Los Angeles, he knew Lareina was somewhere in that area, but he would return to Los Angeles and his home or office each night.  Why didn't he stay in a hotel and use his cell phone to keep in touch?  Yes it added to the suspense, but I wanted to jump into the story and kick his butt!!

This book was suspenseful, and I am sure as Ms. Harvey writes more suspenseful novels her writing will get better and better and issues like the one I had above will be non-existent. The whole algebra angle was genius, it out a whole new spin and a class most people hated.  

I can wait to read IMPERFECT, Ms. Harvey has a very unique writing style and her women characters are extremely strong. With the inspiration of some most famous women in history I am sure anything she writes will keep us "riveted" to our seats.