Official Interview: Fred Baker on Lena's Secret War

This forum features interviews with authors.

Hosted by kandscreeley.

Moderator: Special Discussion Leaders

Post Reply
User avatar
kandscreeley
Special Discussion Leader
Posts: 11684
Joined: 31 Dec 2016, 20:31
Currently Reading: Believarexic
Bookshelf Size: 486
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-kandscreeley.html
Latest Review: The Elf Revelation by Jordan David

Official Interview: Fred Baker on Lena's Secret War

Post by kandscreeley »

Image

Today's Chat with Sarah features Fred Baker author of Lena's Secret War.

To view the official review, click here.

To view the book on Amazon, click here.

**********************************************************************************************************************************************************
1. Tell us about the place that you do your writing.

I like to write drafts in cafes where there are lots of muffled conversations, murmuring white noise. I also write at home with my computer on the patio or in my little study that resembles a hobbit’s lair.

2. You've written quite a few books. What's the hardest part of writing?

I find the rewriting and editing process more difficult than creating a first draft. When I’m in the right headspace the words flow well, but editing is real work.

3. What would you say makes your writing unique?

I almost always write about a setting that I have actually been in and about actions that I have done or which are similar to others I have done. It makes my writing more authentic since I can immerse myself in the scene and action. I also don’t feel confined to a single genre.

4. Let's discuss your book Lena's Secret War. For someone new to the book, can you give us a quick overview?

Lena’s Secret War is about espionage during the Cold War. It is about a young woman economist named Lena Kristoff who wants to change Russia to be free of the oppressive communist government. She is a spy for the CIA and leaks important economic information to the Americans. In doing so she meets an American courier who smuggles documents out of Russia for the same agency. They become involved and soon their secret, dangerous lives are destroyed when Eric’s cover is blown. They are both shot as Eric escapes across the border, leaving Lena alone to carry on with her secret war to change her homeland.

It is a story about courage and love and the harsh realities of life behind the Iron Curtain. It is also an analog of the life and desperation of many peoples who live under totalitarian rule in today’s world.

If you enjoy stories about strong female protagonists and hope, this is for you.

5. It looks like it takes place in the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War. What kind of research did you do to make the book authentic?

I lived in Sweden in the 1970s and traveled throughout the areas described in the story, including eastern Europe at that time. I had to do research on conditions in Russia during the same period. I worked with computer models then and am familiar with the state of the art of computing that I describe in the book. So, as I mentioned above, I write about things that I have some experience with. It allows me to be authentic and realistic.

6. How did you come up with the idea for the book?

I had the idea of a small-time smuggler being turned to work for the CIA to move documents out of the USSR. When I lived in Sweden in the 1970s, there was a lot of illicit traffic between Scandinavian countries and the USSR. The characters for Lena and the others are a composite of people whom I have met or worked with over the years.

7. The Amazon description says, "Lena’s Secret War illustrates how one brave individual can profoundly alter the trajectory of her gray, spirit-crushing world." Is there a central message that you want to convey to your readers?

We can all do something to change the world around us and make it a better place, even if we make a small contribution. Some people take greater risks and achieve greater results.

8. Is there another book in the works? What's next for you?

I am finishing a techno-thriller, The Final Wave, about what could happen to our country, in the not-so-distant future if the pandemic takes a turn for the worse. We could face more virulent viruses, dystopian cities, global upheaval. Again, a few people take great risks to try to save the world.

I like to end with some fun questions.

9. What was the one vegetable you hated to eat as a kid? Do you enjoy it any more now as an adult?


Brussel sprouts. No. Does anyone really like these bizarre veggies?

10. What three words would you use to describe yourself?

Brilliant, good-looking, humble. (Ha-ha.)

11. How do you relax at the end of a long day?

I enjoy a glass of wine with my wife and an entertaining movie.

12. What's in the trunk of your car right now?

Hiking poles, a tow rope, and a case of wine.
A book is a dream you hold in your hands.
—Neil Gaiman
Jamina Alonto
Posts: 12
Joined: 02 Nov 2021, 10:58
Bookshelf Size: 0

Post by Jamina Alonto »

The book is amazing! Thankyou for the interview. 🥰
User avatar
Chandelier Eden
Posts: 242
Joined: 17 Aug 2022, 11:40
Currently Reading: Adam
Bookshelf Size: 172
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-chandelier-eden.html
Latest Review: Terms of Service by Craig W. Stanfill

Post by Chandelier Eden »

Causing change can be very difficult. Reading about people who took the risk, is just amazing.
Nice interview.
Post Reply

Return to “Author Interviews”