Q & A with author Cym Lowell

What inspired your transition to become an author?

I have an active imagination and love to take an event then imagine how it could play out. My sweetheart read some early stories, which I put on a shelf, and suggested that I see what can be done with them.

Jaspar’s War was definitely a fascinating book to read. Give us some insight into what inspired the plot. How did you come up with the title?

I glad you enjoyed Jaspar’s story. The plot came from my feeling at the time that the bail-outs were going to the bad guys (those who created the problem to start with). Nulandi and Chief Bearstrike were characters in an earlier story, being finalized for publication now (actually a prequel to JW). The story simply grew from there. As noted, I have an active imagination.

When you read other books in this genre, usually the strong characters we rave about are men. Defying the stereotype, Jaspar was such a strong female protagonist. What or who inspired her character?  

My mother was a strong woman who inspired my success in life. She was a Ph.D. professor at a major university in the 1950s and 1960s. The men did not have Ph.D.’s and they were the full professors promoted. I was always outraged when I heard her explanations. I think her voice came naturally to me. In addition, I love to explore the emotions of my characters. It is far more real to me to do this in a woman’s voice than a man’s.

I was very impressed with the level of details in the book involving the location, government and business. How much research did you do for the book?

It is all written from my experience. I travelled the world throughout my life. The characters come from people I have known (or composites). The backgrounds also come from subjects that catch my imagination. The sequel to JW could relate to what I believe is likely to occur in Europe in due course – Germany could be driven to join with Russia (as three previous “Reichs” had in mind but failed). The bad guys may be about ready for a Fourth Reich.   

You leave us hanging at the end of the book wondering if there is a HEA. If this book is part of a series, can you tell us what we can look forward to?

I do envision a series. Perhaps, the background is as noted above, with the bad guys seeking to drive Germany and Russia together. Bearstrike sees what is going on, profits from it once again and suspects a skunk in the woodpile.  He engages Nulandi and Jaspar. Perhaps Jaspar’s husband Trevor is . . .?  And . . . we’re off to the races.

What is the hardest thing you have learned from writing your book?

To speak with my own voice. As I read best-selling authors, each has her or his own style. I want to explore emotions of people in crisis. To be successful, I know that I must do so in my own voice, drawn from my experience in life. I am 68 and have spent a lifetime in all sorts of undertakings, so have a store of experiences to draw from.
     
Are you currently working on anything you can share?

As noted above, there is a prequel being finalized for publication and a sequel that is well along.

Besides being an author, you founded the initiative, Operation: Next Chapter, which supports our men and women soldiers. Can you share with us what inspired you to put this together and how we can get involved?

I was honored to serve in Vietnam. I wanted to find some way to pay back for what was given to me. All proceeds go to provide voice-activated computers for veterans who cannot use their hands. When these presentations are made, it is almost impossible not to cry watching the gratitude of these heroic men and women and their joy at being able to communicate with the world.

Now that you have published your novel, do you have any advice for those who want to become a writer? 

As Dr. Martin Luther King said, “Follow your dream!”

About the Book

Greenwich, Connecticut socialite Jaspar Moran has it all-a magnificent estate, two beautiful children and a loving husband, Trevor, serving as the Secretary of the Treasury. Protected, admired and living in the lap of luxury, Jaspar is reeling from the news that his government jet has crashed just as her children vanish without a trace. 

An ominous message warns her to keep silent about her husband's role in the President's economic plan. Or else. 

Determined to save her children, she'll go to hell and back, form alliances with assassins, traitors and Mafioso, and commit unspeakable acts-if that's what it takes. With alarms sounding around the world, hunted from all sides, and unsure of who to trust, she finds herself depending on a mysterious figure without an identity. 

Jaspar journeys from the Australian outback to the palazzos of Rome, the Monte Carlo Grand Prix, and to the magnificence of the Vatican, in her quest. Can she rescue her children before the plot to crash the global economy is unleashed?

Pages: 352 pages
Publisher: Rosemary Beach Press (March 5, 2014)