Rodger’s Two Cents: Developing Book Covers

If you’ve visited my website, you know that I love finding snippets of history or politics that just don’t add up and then researching, sometimes for years, to understand what might have really taken place. Often the answers aren’t available in the USA, where, like most countries, the powerful dictate written history.

In decades of foreign travel, I found that many countries, especially those who have had their differences with America, keep their own version of history in their museums, archives, and libraries. They aren’t necessarily accurate but offer a different take on incidents and disputes.

With more than one perspective, it’s fascinating to craft a thriller that might just be more accurate than the official version. The covers of my books all begin with flags of the nations that are at the heart of conflict. For example, in The Eel and the Angel, the thriller is based on the technological competition between the US and China. Both nations' flags adorn the cover.

Enemy Patriots is set during WW-II in the North Pacific. The research for the book took me all over the US and into archives left behind in Karafuto which at the time of the story was the most northern of the Japanese provinces. Technology allowed me to actually look at Japanese documents that were seven decades old and get them translated. The cover of the book displays both the American flag and the maritime flag flown by the Japanese navy during the war.

The Opposite of Trust displays the flags of the US and the flag of the former Soviet Union. My research in the Soviet Union and later, after the collapse, Russia, was fascinating. The Russians kept everything, but often the documents told a tale curated by the government. Most, however, left clues on where to find more accurate answers. While in Russia, my constant companion was a French woman who was my translator. Her extraordinary language skills often led to conversations going on in four or five languages simultaneously. She passed away a couple of years ago, a real loss.

Figuring out the cover for Two Civil Wars was a task. The belligerents in the Mexican civil war included the US, The Confederacy, and both Royalist and Juarista factions. Simultaneously, in America's Civil War, Americans were killing each other by the thousands. The flags chosen for the cover were the current Mexican flag and the battle flag of the Confederate States of America. I selected them because the American Civil War was fought over political and policy differences and resulted in a United States; while in Mexico both sides had remarkably similar dreams yet at the war’s end, could not come together.

The cover of my upcoming book, The Shadow Game, includes the flags of the United States and Iran. The late Shah of Iran was propped up by the American CIA who saw the nation falling under Soviet influence. His secret police were hated. But his efforts to drag a feudal nation into the modern world were deeply appreciated by many Iranians. The revolution that created the Islamic State, drove thousands out of the country. Thousands more were killed. The seizure of the American embassy in 1979 locked in place animosity that survives today. It also laid the groundwork for manipulation of the crisis by many parties, assuring it continues.

Rodger Recommends: Famous Quotations

With The Shadow Game coming out in November, I took a couple of hours to do a little research on what some of history’s best-known politicians and activists might say about the book. These five quotations from people as diverse as Mahatma Gandhi and Bruce Lee offer a glimpse into how their comments on other issues might describe The Shadow Game.

“First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you and then you win.” - Mahatma Gandhi

“Hope never abandons you, you abandon it.” - George Weinberg

“You will never reach your destination if you stop to throw stones at every dog that barks.” - Winston Churchill

“It is better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war.” - Bruce Lee

“Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.” - Mark Twain

Top-5: Future Book Ideas - Self Inflicted Wounds

The small conflicts I write about are part of larger clashes and too often, disasters. Leaders have a propensity for arrogance and often do not understand cultural differences. Here are five disasters, some suggested by my readers. In each of them are events covered up by the powerful when things went all to hell and are a potential plot theme for a great future book.

As the War of 1812 opened, the US sent an expeditionary force into Canada, thinking it was the soft underbelly of the United Kingdom’s military in North America. The powers believed the force would be welcomed by Canadians. (That assessment was wrong.) An American Revolutionary war hero who wanted nothing to do with the invasion was given command. The Canadians threw the force out of Canada and then invaded American Territory, leading to The Battle of Detroit, where the American commander surrendered after the loss of only seven men. The misguided belief that Canadians wanted to be Americans opened a second front, and a war that should have ended in months stretched into years.

In the same conflict, British General Sir Edward Packham decided that the former French region of the US known as Louisiana, would embrace European rule. He fully expected the local Native Americans to support him, just as they had along the Canadian border. He launched an attack to capture New Orleans. On the Calmette battlefield he attacked a cobbled together army of locals, Native Americans and pirates led by Andrew Jackson. In a single day the British lost 6,034 soldiers in a rout where Jackson lost only 62. The locals, especially the local indigenous people had supplied the American forces with intelligence on every move the British made.

In the Battle of Little BigHorn, Custer knew he was attacking a superior force made up of four different indigenous tribes, believing that the coalition would splinter with the first shots. He was so convinced of the inferiority of his enemy that he did no reconnaissance and ignored his intelligence. The tribes not only stuck together but wiped out five of the seven companies under Custer in a few hours.

General MacArthur was so obsessed after his early victories in Korea that he ordered his troops north to the Chinese border. China sent warning after warning that they would intervene if the allies reached their border. MacArthur saw the Chinese as a paper tiger until a million Chinese troops drove his forces back to the original border between North and South Korea. That extended the war for years, and there is still no peace treaty. Even worse, it soured relations with China. Both North Korea and China remain opponents of the US today.

My last example came after a victorious American effort. As the US Army rolled into Baghdad to end the Iraq War, only a few of the Iraqi army units opposed them. That army was largely a Suni in a mixed Suni/Shiite nation, formerly commanded by Saddam Hussein. The American occupation government led by Paul Bremer believed the Iraqi people saw them as oppressors. He ordered the army to be disbanded. But the Suni and Shiites saw their army as the power that had given them independence from the British. The vacuum created by their demise was filled with a dozen militias and terrorist groups, leading to decades of conflict.

All good starting points for stories. But the best current example is Putin in Ukraine.

Rodger Recommends: Fresh Salmon

How’s this for a recommendation from Alaska: how do you prepare an extraordinary salmon dinner? Let’s start with the basics. First, it is best if you only prepare fresh wild salmon. Most Atlantic salmon available in stores is farmed. Wild salmon only feed on protein, krill, plankton or other fish, never on grain pellets. Farmed salmon is pasty, softer and frankly tastes a lot like processed food.

Second, you catch it yourself. In order of preference, I prefer sockeye or red salmon, chinook or king salmon, and coho or silver salmon. Pink or humpback salmon is okay if it is very fresh and fried. Chum or dog salmon is more like farmed salmon, and best left in the water or on the seafood counter.

Over the next few months, I am to offer fish and game recipes, and here is one of my favorites for extremely fresh sockeye salmon.

Filet the salmon and heat a grill to medium heat. Flesh side up, rub the fish with a tiny bit of canola oil, fresh lemon juice, and a little salt and pepper. Rub the skin side with a little oil. Place the salmon on the grill, flesh side down for about three minutes, or until the flesh turns from red to more of a burnt orange. Flip the fish and sprinkle the flesh with a little more salt and freshly chopped dill, then squeeze more lemon juice on the fish. Continue cooking for three to four minutes, until you notice the tiny white bubbles of fat all along the edges of the filet. (DO NOT OVERCOOK.)

Remove the fish and serve with either rice, or grilled vegetables and a salad. In the pictures, the salmon is served with grilled zucchini (just oil and salt and pepper on each side…cut into ¼ inch strips it cooks at about the same speed as the fish.) A Chablis. or light Pinot Grigio goes well, but I prefer a very cold IPA beer.

Salmon is best when served in a place as beautiful as in the pictures; the screened porch of our cabin on the Iliamna River where the fish swam only an hour before. Sockeye is available in fish markets, or you can catch them in freshwater, but they are almost impossible to sportfish for in the ocean. I’m sure you have your own favorite getaway, but fresh sockeye is still as good served at home.

Rodger’s Top 5: Advice From American Philosophers

As I wrap up work on the latest Team Walker novel, I am turning my focus to rewrite an unpublished novel from the Gritt series, one that takes a hard look at America. We’ve had some extraordinary presidents and a few turkeys. Keeping the best humble and the worst somewhat harmless, has been the task of two centuries of American philosophers. They come from many walks of life, with words that still resonate today. Below, I note five of my favorite everyday philosophers whose words continue to be protected by one of our most cherished freedoms, the freedom of speech.

Robert Frost advised, “People need to think, that’s not to agree or disagree, that’s voting.”

Mark Twain gave us thought provoking advice, including, “It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world, and moral courage so rare.”

Eleanor Roosevelt gave the nation a real understanding of power behind the throne. Her value system and access to the media allowed her to set a tone for the people with advice like, “Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, and small minds discuss people.”

Harriet Tubman offered advice for those escaping slavery, and that advice is every bit as important today. For example, her narrative, “If you hear the dogs, keep going. If you see the torches in the woods keep going. If you want a taste of freedom, keep going.” For a successful life, keep going.

Colin Powell reached the zenith of military leadership and international politics with common language and level head. For example, he advised, “Don’t be buffaloed by experts and elites, experts often possess more data than judgment.”

We are fortunate to live in a country where everyday people rise to the levels where their words are published, and the philosophies that made them successful become advice to us all.

Rodger’s Two Cents: There Are Two Types Of Voters

I write this column with a bit of trepidation. In an era of cancel culture, taking on the subject of why Donald Trump remains popular with a large segment of the population risks alienating some potential readers. But those same people are the ones I hope to reach with this short essay.

There are two types of voters. One type votes almost exclusively on issues and policy. The second type of voter makes decisions on character and personality. Most policy voters will overlook flaws in a candidate who promotes their views and promotes policies that further those views. Personality voters will choose a candidate who they like and who they believe will do good things.

Trump is acutely tuned into the views of economic and socially conservative voters and has been willing to champion those views with policy decisions. They see the flaws in the man. They recognize his propensity for bombastic rhetoric. Most of them don’t like that, but they appreciate a candidate who is open and unafraid to take the slings and arrows of those with very different values. They know that they aren’t racist or prejudiced just because of their beliefs. Trump has become a bit of a folk hero for taking heat over the same things they believe.

Most conservatives truly believe that we are one people. They reject identity politics. They accept that none of us start on the same level but believe that we are all created equal and with that we are all challenged to make the most of what we are given. They ascribe to the belief I wrote about in my book Still Common Sense, that YOU OWN YOU, and that each of us has the ability to chart our own success. They reject the idea that somehow equality is superior to liberty.

Even evangelical voters continue to support Trump, perhaps because they believe that we are all flawed with sin, and believe that each of us can be forgiven.

I am not promoting Trump’s values, although I personally am closer to those than I am to a political philosophy that invests enormous amounts of energy in telling any citizen that the deck is loaded against them. I’ve never seen the value in telling anyone that it will be difficult to succeed. Personally, I’d like to see Donald Trump retire and take on the role of statesman for his beliefs. But until another candidate documents their commitment to the policies he promotes, perhaps with a more likeable persona, Trump’s following will be secure.

Those with differing views on policy are clear evidence of the value of liberty, the cornerstone of the constitution. Our disagreements as a people are a great strength. Anthony Bourdain said it very well, “I don’t have to agree with you to respect you.”

To the creators of vitriol-based social media, the nation is clamoring for solutions and that has always taken both sides to listen and negotiate. Ghandi once offered, “Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress.”

Rodger That: We Are Blessed

Before I met Carmen, I was content. That is different from being happy. It is different from fulfilled. I made a good living and was proud of building several successful companies. My kids would make any man proud. Among my passionate sidelines were flying, fly fishing and writing. I had written mostly political work, often for political campaign managers.

After our marriage, including an agreement that finding real joy in life would be important to our future, she looked at me and offered, “you write for politicians, you write a lot of fiction, so why not write your own?” Boom, out of a suit and into a career change.

From that moment, Carmen has been a full partner in my writing. Her daily encouragement keeps me focused. Her criticism sharpens the finished story line. Her fellowship in creative writing and education master’s degree gave her license to be my primary editor. She also helped my appreciation of faith and acceptance that as much as we would like, often we are not in charge.

Away from my office, she has become the navigator for our travels, including in our own plane. Her skills with a fly rod now challenge my own. Her engagement with our extended family helps overcome my reclusive tendencies. In short, contentment has been replaced with joy.

With that background I want you to imagine what ran through my head when she came home from a doctor’s appointment with the message, “they found two large tumors, and they cannot reach them for a biopsy.” As a cancer survivor, I wasn’t terrified, but I was aware of how similar findings disrupted my life for several years. The question, Why? ran through my mind more than once, even though I intellectually know that there is no answer to that.

On June 20, only three weeks after diagnosis, they operated, removing both tumors. One week later, in a meeting with the surgeon we got the word, both were benign. Now her only task is to recover from the surgery. And my only task is to be there and to remember that often our troubles, just like for characters in a book, help us realize how blessed we are.

Rodger Recommends: Authors Who Understand Empathy

Why do some books creep into your thoughts months or years after you read them? Most thrillers bring us great fun for the hours it takes to read them. Great ones often are finished way too soon. But only a handful stick with us.

I find myself drawn to authors who create not only strong and decisive protagonists, but even more to those who tell me who they are. What makes the antagonists tick; why do they do really bad things. My friend Bob Dugoni is a master, especially in books like his Charles Jenkins trilogy. Another friend, Terrence McCauley’s westerns take a reader into a real town full of real people, not caricatures. I remember characters from Steve Berry stories I read long ago. Incidents, including the characters, from the master John Le Carré try to slip into my books.

Thinking of what makes these stories memorable, I arrive at one thought: these writers understand EMPATHY as do the characters they create. Plato offered, “The highest form of knowledge is empathy, for it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another’s world.”

One of the most interesting characters in the sequel to The Eel And The Angel, (due out in October) is a young man that I, as the author, have empathy for even as he facilitates attacks on America that kill hundreds. When the book comes out, please share with me your thoughts on Farid.

My recommendation: go back to some of those books that really stick with you and read them again. We live in a world where we have substituted Sympathy for EMPATHY. Sympathy, “feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else’s misfortune.” Empathy, “the ability to understand and share the feelings of another,” leads us to share in and personally try to help others in need, while sympathy is all about making our own sorrow go away. Awakening the empathy in each of us is a duty of an author, at least in some books.

Rodger’s Two Cents: Being Right

In my newest book, due out Fall, 2023, I explore the damage that can happen when a person or group knows they are right; that what they believe, is the absolute truth. Those who disagree are stupid, ignorant or worse, irrelevant. Conflict becomes inevitable. The story, set in France, England, The Republic of Georgia, Iran and across the USA, is driven by the need to right a wrong.

Whether you call it a feud, a vendetta, historical correction, or something else, the practice and the beliefs behind it are among the most destructive in history. Hitler was right, he was righting the wrongs that ended WWI. Putin justifies his actions in Ukraine by explaining that Ukraine should never have become independent. (That independence was granted by a failed Russian government, directed by the West.) In the Middle East the Suni-Shite split is centuries old, both sides still arguing over who rightfully was the religious heir to Mohamed. For centuries, the Catholic-Protestant schism over who is the rightful leader of Christianity divided Europe and is still playing out in Ireland.

In the USA, the divides have become chasms. Watching the negotiations over the debt-ceiling issue was an illuminating example of that. On one side are people who truly believe that the seven articles of the Constitution as amended twenty-seven times is a blueprint for a successful America. On the other side are people who believe that inequity, injustice, and financial disparity prove that old white men, (many of them slaveholders) created a foundational document that is out of date. The argument is technically over debt, but the basis of the argument is that about 20% of the nation demands we abandon the old ways while 20% on the other end of the political spectrum are so sensitized by change that they would invade the capital to halt what they see as the erosion of the society.

In my next book, a tiny group of people who are “right,” work to create conflict hostilities between the US and Iran; a nuclear war; a conflict to right injustices of both sides against that group. Today in the US, we are allowing our grievances to create political war, where any give and take is perceived as weakness. I’m a strong constitutionalist, and truly believe that the problems in our nation are not driven by the articles of the Constitution, but rather by the fact that we have drifted from the model it gave us. Within that document, we pay too little attention to two amendments. Amendment I guarantees free speech. Amendment IX is just as important. It reads, “The enumeration of the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.” Again, we need to embrace all of the rights of the people, not just those called out, and learn to discuss them rather than debate them.

One thing about the Constitution, above all others that needs to be remembered. The document’s underlying principle is that Liberty is our most important right. Free and independent people are not necessarily all the same, but we are free to strive for any status. Liberty virtually guarantees that we will not end up the same. People in prison are technically all equal, and almost everyone would give up that equality for Liberty. The political parties need to move away from entrenched means tests for membership and again embrace Liberty, including the Liberty of those who believe differently.

Rodger That: Being Alaskan

On June 1, Carmen, Weatherby, and I flew down to our cabin on Alaska’s largest lake. Illiamna is just slightly larger than the State of Rhode Island. Even more than in Anchorage, summer was missing. The trees were without leaves. Snow patches were the only distraction from the after-winter brown and grey land. Nighttime temperatures were in the 30’s and daytime barely reached forty. We had some airplane problems and I found myself working on the engine in a driving sleet storm the second morning. Weather like that after one of the most brutal winters in decades can wear you down; depress you into wondering if summer will arrive at all. One wonders why people stay in that environment.

We flew home two days early figuring that at least we could prepare our yard for the possibility of summer. The next day, a cold wind and showers made it necessary to break every couple of hours and warm up. Conversation shifted to an upcoming trip to visit friends on their houseboat on Kentucky’s Lake Cumberland where temperatures are in the mid 80’s. The last eight months make Robert W. Service’s story, The Cremation of Sam McGee make sense. When you’ve been cold for months, even your funeral pyre might feel good.

But in the Far North, things can change in a moment. The next morning dawned sunny and by noon, the temperature reached 60 and was still climbing. By three in the afternoon it was warm enough to enjoy a cold beer on the deck overlooking our yard and do a little research on final titles for the new book. We looked up just as a black boar and sow wandered across the yard headed toward our neighbors. Both were fat, totally out of place for bears just out of hibernation.

Minutes later, the bears were lounging between our houses, each so focused on devouring some treat that Weatherby’s barking didn’t even phase them. A moment later the neighbor roared from his back door, pellet gun in hand, pestering the bears with pellets and shouting at the top of his lungs. Apparently, this was the second time the Biggest Black Bear I’ve Ever Seen, and his companion found his garage and raided his freezer. Discretion being the better part of valor, the bears tore up his yard leaving. That was probably a good idea because the neighbor could just as easily reached for his 30-06 rifle loaded with 180 grain noslers.

OKAY, I thought, this is a summer in Alaska thing. Carmen just smiled. “Sunshine, bears, we just need a couple more signs and maybe we can believe that summer is coming.”

Which gets us to this morning when before nine, a cow moose crossed our road followed by a newborn calf on wobbly, spindly legs. Only minutes later Carmen saw two roly-poly fat coyotes only a couple of hundred yards from the house. It reminded me of rolling my Chevy Camaro off from an Alaska ferry years ago and stepping out to stare at the mountains, forest, and crystal clear ocean. I said the same thing then that I just thought. I am in the right place and no matter what, I’m staying.