Featured Interview With Luana Ehrlich
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised in the Midwest–Missouri and Illinois–and then, when I got married, my husband and I lived in Texas, Michigan, Indiana, New Mexico and also overseas in Costa Rica and Venezuela. Today, I live in Norman, Oklahoma, along with my incredible (and funny) husband. My daughter and my two grandsons live nearby. Although I’ve always had a dog or a cat, I’m sad to say I don’t have any pets right now, but I do occasionally get visits from my Sam, my granddog.
Norman, Oklahoma plays a vital role in my new book, One Night in Tehran, as this city is home to the Airmen Flight School where many of the 9/11 hijackers trained. Titus Ray, a CIA intelligence officer and the protagonist in my new release, lived in Norman while investigating the bombing of the Murrah Building in nearby Oklahoma City, and he returns to the city while on medical leave. As for dogs, you’ll have to read the book to discover the role a dog plays in this spy thriller.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I began reading spy thrillers at the age of eleven, when I picked up a book in that genre from my father’s stack of library books. I’ve been hooked ever since! Although I’ve been a freelance writer for several years and wrote a weekly column for a newspaper, I didn’t start writing my first fiction novel until my husband retired. Now, I write every day.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Since I have been reading mystery/suspense/thriller books since I was eleven years old, and there were times in my life when I was able to read this type of fiction every two to three days, I’ve been greatly influenced by the elements of a good read in this genre. I’m sure my style of writing has been shaped by Adam Hall, Daniel Silva, Nelson DeMille, Joel Rosenberg, Vince Flynn, Michael Connelly, Lee Child, and John Sandford.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
One Night in Tehran introduces veteran CIA intelligence officer, Titus Ray, who, after being hidden away in Tehran by a group of Iranian Christians after a botched mission, returns to the States determined to explore the life of faith he saw exhibited by these dedicated believers.
(Author’s Note: I was inspired to write this novel when I heard about Christians in Iran being persecuted, arrested and tortured. I asked myself: What would happen to a veteran CIA intelligence officer if he encountered the faith and commitment of a group of Iranian Christians? What if he made a commitment of faith because of their influence? What changes might he have to make in his career and lifestyle if he tried to live a totally different life, a life of faith?)
Back in the States and forced to go on medical leave, Titus learns he’s been targeted by a Hezbollah assassin. Now, while trying to figure out what it means to be a follower of Christ, he must decide if the Iranian couple he meets in Norman, Oklahoma has ties to the man who’s trying to kill him, and if Nikki Saxon, a local detective, can be trusted with his secrets.
(Author’s Note: Since Norman, Oklahoma has been at the center of several events involving terrorism–from the bombing of the Murrah Building on Oklahoma City to the 9/11 hijackers attending the Airmen Flight School in Norman–this city seemed the logical setting for a novel involving Hezbollah terrorists, sleeper cells and a mysterious Iranian couple. Add in a beautiful detective and a murder mystery, and it’s not hard to see why Titus Ray has his hands full when he arrives here on medical leave, trying to recuperate from his failed operation in Tehran.)
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