Today's Chat with Sarah features Dan E. Hendrickson author of The Cartel Crusher.
To view the first official review, click here.
To view the second official review, click here.
To view the book on Amazon, click here.
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1. Who has been most inspirational in your journey to becoming an author?
That’s easy, my father, Carl Hendrickson. He was an English professor who dabbled in writing poetry and plays. He also was the most prolific reader I have ever known. My brother and I used to tease him about having a unique book in every room of the house that he would be simultaneously reading. He could literally read 2 to 4 books a week. Whenever one of us kids would bring home a book from school, library, or the bookstore, he would wait till we left it somewhere and read the whole thing in a day or two then become very anxious with us to finish it wanting to talk about it.
2. What's the most difficult part of the writing process for you?
The entire process of edits and revisions. I have gotten a lot better about it the last five years, but it is still the most daunting.
3. To you, what are the most important elements of a good book?
Characters have to pop out at you and demand your attention. Relationships have to be well thought through and have a meaning behind them. The plot has to be heading in a colorful and interesting direction that makes me want to see more. The most important for me is that the story has to have a powerful and satisfying conclusion, something that makes me glad I finished reading it.
4. Let's discuss your book The Cartel Crusher. Can you give us a short synopsis?
The Cartel Crusher is about the oldest daughter of one of Mexico’s most popular presidents. She is from a wealthy family and has known nothing but what that lifestyle and status afford her. On her 18th birthday, she goes on a cruise with her friends. The boat is hijacked by pirates and several of her friends are raped and killed. The head pirate is a notorious Jamaican by the name of Dominique Thrace and is a famed underground MMA Cage fighter that has killed hundreds of men in the ring. No one thinks that any single man can defeat him, and he chooses Marnia as his next victim. The United States sends a Coast Guard Hamilton Class Cutter to the cruise ship to deal with the pirates. This ship is captained by Commander Jacob Edwards. Commander Edwards boards the cruise ship and stops Dominique from raping Marnia. Jacob is known for his monstrous temper directed at those who will abuse and hurt women and children. When he confronts Dominique, he sees the man has already killed and is about to do the same. He single-handedly destroys the pirate in a fight and then throws him off the cruise ship, thus killing him. Marnia sees the whole thing and, in that moment, changes the course of her life and goes into the military and becomes like the one who rescued her. She graduates from the Mexican Military Academy and becomes an officer in the Mexican Military Anti-Cartel Task Force. She soon becomes the most successful squad leader in that unit and earns the ire of all the Cartels. They retaliate by killing some of her family. She gains an ally in the son of one of the biggest Cartel leaders and takes down Mexico’s most powerful Cartel. Once she and her team accomplish that, the media labels her, The Cartel Crusher.
5. How did you come up with the idea for this book?
The Cartel Crusher is Book #2 in my series: The Last Enemy. I originally only intended to write two books in that series: The Good Fight and The Last Enemy. Both books center on Commander Jacob Edwards’ family, and book one specifically on his daughter Danielle. While writing the second book, The Last Enemy, it became important to me to delve into Marnia’s character more. She has prominent roles in both books, but I never really had the time to show who and what she is. That is when I saw that her whole story basically parallels and enhances The Last Enemy series enough that she deserves a book dedicated to her. So that is how The Cartel Crusher comes about. It is interesting to note that because of the way this story came about both book one, The Good Fight, and book two, The Cartel Crusher, can be read first because their timelines are parallel.
6. Several of your books include prominent female protagonists. Why is this important to you? Are these characters difficult to write?
Well, my first response to that question is that I have two fantastic daughters, and it is easy for me to see a girl as a strong lead and the hero of a story. More than that, it is easy for me to imagine a girl handling and prevailing in difficult situations because I have seen it in my daughters' lives. Females have a sensitivity and ferocious instinct to want to protect anyone weaker than themselves. Men can have this quality as well, but in women, it just seems more natural and easier to write about. Meaning that a female protagonist can generate emotions like that of a protective tigress around her young when they are threatened, which can be very palpable and dynamic. This lends to some good drama being produced and received on the written page.
7. This book deals with serious, and important, topics like child trafficking. Was there a message that you wanted to convey to your readers?
These are all real-world issues that should never be ignored. More than that, they should be dealt with by those brave enough to stop or prevent it from happening. Anyone who stands against and actively prevents child abuse and human trafficking is a real-world hero.
8. The Cartel Crusher is part of The Last Enemy series. How many books are there? Are they all published?
There are three books in the series and two prequels that are published. There is one more prequel that is almost ready to publish and will be out at the beginning of 2022.
9. What are you currently working on?
I am currently writing a historical fiction novel about the Magi in the Gospels that visited the baby Jesus after he was born. Some refer to them as “the three kings”, but they were a religious sect in the Parthian Empire that studied the astronomical signs of the Zodiac intending to understand the Creator’s messages in them referring to man’s long-awaited redeemer. The book will be titled Magi Apprentice.
A few more fun questions.
10. Have you ever googled yourself? If so, what did you find?
Yes, I have googled myself occasionally and I have found stuff on my books, but what disturbs me the most is there is always an obituary or two on there with my name on it.
11. If you could have a meal with any one living person, who would you choose to meet?
Denzel Washington. I am a big fan and the more I hear and read about him, the more I admire him.
12. What's your favorite color?
Sky Blue, like you see out west from the top of the Rocky Mountains on a cloudless summer day.
