The Chris Voss Show - The Chris Voss Show Podcast – Grace Under Fire by Julie Garwood

Episode Date: July 19, 2022

Grace Under Fire by Julie Garwood Michael Buchanan will need every bit of his extensive skill set when he appoints himself as bodyguard to a woman determined not to need one in this thrilling new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Julie Garwood. Grace Isabel MacKenna has a hundred things to do today. Killing someone isn't one of them. It is supposed to be a quick visit to Boston for the Buchanan anniversary party, then on to Scotland to collect an inheritance. She checks into her hotel and then decides to go for a brisk walk. But after getting lost, she ends up with a wounded man stumbling into her arms—and his shooter coming after them both. When she fires back in self-defense, she doesn’t expect him to drop dead. After Isabel endures an interrogation by police, she is free to go, thanks to the Buchanans dispatching former Navy SEAL and now lawyer Michael Buchanan to assist her. Isabel knows she should be grateful for Michael’s help, but since she’s harbored an extreme dislike for him for years, gratitude is difficult to muster. Michael has appointed himself her de facto guardian, and she’s stuck with him despite their constant bickering and sizzling attraction. Even when Isabel goes to Scotland to claim her inheritance, Michael follows her—but he isn’t the only thing she can’t shake. Mysterious threats against Isabel surface, and before they can deal with their growing feelings for each other, Michael and Isabel must first survive.

You wanted the best. You've got the best podcast, the hottest podcast in the world. The Chris Voss Show, the preeminent podcast with guests so smart you may experience serious brain bleed. Get ready, get ready, strap yourself in, keep your hands, arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times. Because you're about to go on a monster education roller coaster with your brain now here's your host chris voss i'm mrs voss here from the chris voss show.com the chris voss show.com we certainly appreciate you guys tuning in thanks for being here we really appreciate it hey folks it's a quick break in from the show. Hey, be sure to check out my new courses at chrisvossleadershipinstitute.com. That's chrisvossleadershipinstitute.com forward slash courses, or you can just click the courses

tab. You can see we've got new courses up for how to start a podcast and video training that can get you up to date on everything we're doing. Of course, my speaking, my coaching and everything else. But be sure to check out the new course that we have up for starting your own podcast after 13 years, kind of sharing some of the secrets of what I know. So be sure to check that out at chrisfossleadership.com forward slash courses. Today, we have an amazing guest on the show as we're going to be sharing with and talking to. She's the author of the new book, Grace Under Fire, that just came out today, July 19th, 2022 by Julie Garwood. It's book 14 of 14

of her Buchanan, Renard McKenna series. And she's going to be talking to us about her new book and everything that goes into it. She is the author of numerous New York Times bestsellers. The most recent, Wired, landed at number two with over 36 million copies in print. Her novels take you from the rugged clans of the medieval Scotland to the mind of a modern-day computer hacker, all with her signature humor blended with good helpings of romance and success. Welcome to the show, Julie. How are you? I'm fine, thank you. And thanks for inviting me.

And thanks for coming. It's an honor to have you on the show.ie how are you i'm fine thank you and thanks for inviting me and thanks for coming it's an honor to have you on the show congratulations on the new book give us a dot com or wherever you want people to find you on the interwebs my website is just julie garwood.com but facebook it would be facebook.com julie garwood. Real simple. There you go. There you go. So this is a book in a series. Is that correct? It is. But it's a standalone, too.

You don't need to know the others. You could just start with this one. And if you want to read the others after you've finished it, then the main character is Michael Buchanan. He has a lot of brothers and two sisters. So if they're interested, they could just pick another brother and read that story. Oh!

I was asked a couple of times, how do you keep them all straight? Well, I'm from a large family and I can't imagine not knowing who they are, you know? I like writing about big families. Uh-huh. And I like having everybody have an opinion.

Oh. I imagine with large families, there are a lot of people with a lot of opinions, aren't there? Oh, yeah. But when I was growing up, we sat around the dining room table to do homework, and there was a lot of chaos. And I learned early to block all that out when I work, which is good because now there's always something going on, and I can, the louder the better. I don't ever want to learn to write in silence because, you know, you can't control that. And when I am alone, I turn the television on and plastic, and then I go to work.

Wow. So you can listen to TV and work at the same time, huh? I block it out. I don't know what's really going on on the television. It's just, no way. That's really interesting. That's an interesting writing sort of thing. So what motivated you to want to add this to the series and write this book? Well, I had come up with the idea for the first one. And I had been writing historical romance with the suspense. But this one story, I couldn't get it to work in a historical setting.

I had gone to London with my older sister, Cookie, that's what we called her. And she couldn't wait. Neither could I. It was our first trip. But she made me promise that we would go to Mass every day. She's a Catholic. Anyway, I promised. And by the time we got to London, we didn't sleep at all on the plane. We were kind of punchy.

But there was a church nearby, and there was a service. So we went and the sermon that the priest gave was really kind of, I shouldn't say this, but it was kind of funny. He got to the, it was the lesson of the prodigal son. When he got to what I would call the punch line, he just stopped. And then he said, but I know you know. And the congregations, they are all nodding. So then he started another story like the prodigal son. And when he got to the lesson he had learned, he stopped again. And he said, but I know you know, I know I know you know well I couldn't resist I leaped

over to Cookie and said I don't know and that made her laugh and so then she got up and moved because I was maybe you know not paying attention and I'm sitting there by myself, and I notice the confessional against the wall with this red velvet curtain. And I thought, I wonder if you don't sense that this priest was here. And that led to a scene where somebody confessed that it was a sin they were going to commit. And that was the beginning of the book Heartbreaker. Wow. And it was, as you can, the first one. So I seem to know from what I've seen what the whole book is.

And that's what I do for some reason, you know, which is great that I see that. But I don't know. That's how the mind works, I guess. That's pretty awesome. So you can confess to pre-sin? I didn't know that. I should just go pre-sin. Oh, yeah.

Bless me, Father, for I sin. But what if it's for I will sin? Well, of course, you're not going to get absolution. But then I made it more complicated, and that was fun to do, too. That sounds very interesting as a premise. So tell us about the new book. Give us at least some teasing insight to what happens in this new book and what course it takes. Well, Grace Isabel McKenna goes to Watson for a reunion and then on to Scotland to get her signed papers for her inheritance. And the opening line is, Grace Isabel McKenna had a hundred things to do today, killing someone who wasn't one of them.

And that's what this story is about and how that trauma follows her. And Michael, who was a former Navy SEAL, he's a B-canon, by the way, he is an attorney. He goes with her. And there's a lot of humor in this book but and you know I don't want to write stories about serial killers or psychopaths because I think

especially today it's more fun and wild and I will always do a happy ending no matter what I have made a vow'm made of that. I only kill bad people. And I guess that you feel bad. But anyway, that's how I look at life right now.

You only kill bad people. It's all fun character. It really is and she seems and that's the she becomes what they say is an overnight sensation but that story is fun too that's the end at the end they end up together and that's good well that's good so it kind of has a happy wrap-up at the end. Yeah. Were there some of the – do you usually write thinking maybe of some characters from Hollywood and different things? I'm sorry, what? I just can't get that. Do you sometimes imagine your characters being played by Hollywood actors, maybe if this gets converted to movies or something of that sort of nature?

Well, For the Roses, which is a historical that I wrote, became a Hallmark Hall of Fame. Oh, wow. And it's nice to say it was the highest rated movie of the season. They were very pleased with it. But I don't know. I write the book. I don't picture. I didn't write a screenplay.

I've just never given it to anyone. And I've written a couple of what I call kids' books, but they're actually YA, young adults. When I started writing, Chris, I didn't have a notion of what these categories were. I had gone back to school. I had three children, and I worked. So I worked in my husband's office. And my routine, I would get up at 4.15 every day and write until 7.

Then I would get the kids up for school, and I'd get dressed and take them to school, come home and get stuff and then go to work in an office. So the only time I could write was then. And then also took two days a week to finish at Avila College. I was a history major starting out. And so I wrote historical. Wow. wow anyway kind of gotten off track do

i picture hollywood people no i don't i just you know whatever they do they're the ones doing that whoever the screenplay writer is well it's uh it's it's kind of interesting. Some people, I don't think many people, authors in an interview, think of that, but some people kind of set up for the screen writing or set up for the sort of amazing different things get bought. But that was cool that one got bought

by Hallmark. That's pretty awesome. Do you know who the main star was? Jennifer Gardner. Oh, really? Wow. She's amazing. Yeah. Are there any characters in your book that you took from maybe people that you know?

In each book. And trust me, I'll never run out of them. In this one, she is a horrible driver. And she just never gets better. And when my daughter was learning to drive, and I thought, oh, my God, she could never get a license. Well, you know, she's a great driver, but it was that first starting out that was kind of funny, And that's in the book.

I also, I hate to drive. But starting out, I just couldn't do the parallel parking. I couldn't do a lot of things when you're 16. So, I don't know. That's one. I'm trying to think what other flaws right now in the book. But, yeah. us right now is what but yeah and people i know who eventually people who think that they're superior to other people i know people like that 92 and it's bad thing and they go in

yeah they're one up too you know what know what I mean? Which is fun. Yeah. I mean, people just don't get it. Is there any stories or scenarios you want to tease out that's in the new book that you think readers might like? I think they're going to like Goblin. Because I always end up going back there, at least as an historical and in a couple of the contemporary. And you learn a lot about the area they're in, which is up at the Highlands. I went there, and it's just the most beautiful place.

I can't even describe. It's like utopia for me. And so they'll learn a lot about that and the people there who are very interesting and colorful. They're like the Irish. So, and the competition between them is fun. There's a character in the book, Xavier, who is a famous singer. And he goes by the initials XO, which he doesn't like, but it caught on. And he's a mega star. And he sees a video of Isabel and asks her to perform with him. And then you learn about where they are in Boston, this happens, that going out on stage. And he's really caring that can, I think he's going to be the next book after this one, because he's from Ireland started singing when he was a teenager.

I don't know. He kind of reminds me of Bono, you know, I guess are a lot of comparisons to people that I admire. That's interesting. That's interesting. It reminds me of Bono, the singer from U2. Because it's kind of, he's from Ireland, too, and all that stuff. He is.

And it's all the good that he does with the band, too, you know, with their earnings and the people they have helped and all. I don't know. He's someone to be admired. I don't want a hero you wouldn't admire. And I, like I said, I want a villain to be someone who needs to come up, so to speak. That definitely makes all the difference. Anything more you want to tease out on the book? Let me think. Well, I don't know.

I was going to write more about Navy SEALs and decided those books have been done. And so, no, I didn't. It was fun just learning about Scotland. I hope that people come away smiling. You know, I get letters or not letters, e-mails back, too many, in fact, from women who are going to chemo, which breaks my heart. Oh, wow. But say things like, you got me through it.

I've read the same book over and over. If you think, wow, you know, that's the whole point. You want to make an impact no matter what you do in life. And I think as an author, that's pretty cool. That definitely is cool. I mean, it makes all the difference. It's interesting how we make an impact in other people's lives, isn't it?

It is. You know, I didn't learn to read until I was almost 11. I toppled that when I came back. My kids, because I was out a long time, my kids in my class were already in group. They were first back

then. You had the Blue Jays, then you had the Robins, et cetera. And I didn't catch up. And it wasn't until I was 11 that my mom told me that I didn't have a clue. And they sent me to St. Teresa's Academy and grabbed a sister there who was there for the summer, Sister Elizabeth. And she taught me to read. She made quite an impact. I named my daughter after her. But once I learned to read, I was never without a book.

And I think I've always been a writer. You know what really did it? Steinbeck wrote a book, and it's about the whole and the depression. And there's a scene in it that I was reading about. They get in a wagon, and they're making their way to California. And it's hot, you know, very descriptive. When I finished that scene, I had to get a glass of water. And I thought, this author, they'd be thirsty from the scene.

Wow. And I, that just kind of overwhelmed me. And I thought, I want to be able to do that, you know. So that's kind of my goal. Wow. To get you accepted as a reader, I guess. There you go. Well, I think people are going to be excited to see your book and read it

and order it up wherever the fine books are sold. Anything more you want to touch on or tease out before we go? I love hearing from people, and I really hope they like this book. It's kind of like once it comes out, you wring your hand. I don't read reviews. You can have 20 awesome reviews and one negative, and guess what you focus on? You focus on the negative. So I just don't't i like hearing from people

yeah and if they tell me something was wrong i appreciate it but yeah i don't know well you know oh yeah people are people are fickle and funny like i think the only bad review that i have on my book is someone who thought I was someone else. And they're like, I thought this was a different person. And you're like, well, why would you write a bad review if you, just because you, you know, there's someone who has a similar name to me. Like, why write a bad review? Because you're stupid and you don't know who the hell's book you're reading.

Yeah. I've had it on my podcast, too, where people, I've had, there's only one. And it's one person who wrote a bad review. They didn't write a bad review in podcast. They actually liked it. They said it was hilarious. They only gave it two stars, though. And they said, I thought this podcast was hosted by someone else with a similar name. And I was like, seriously?

That's not clear. That's like me ordering, I don't know, vitamins on Amazon. And instead of vitamins, it's like, I don't know, let's throw something out. Magnesium. And then I'm angry at the magnesium order because I'm stupid enough to not order the right product. And I go write a bad review on that and stuff. So I think I still got like two stars on Amazon. I don't remember,

but it was just really funny. It's like, I thought this book was written by somebody else, but you know, I, I'm going to give it a subpar review because even though it was, you know, good or hilarious,

whatever, you know, but it's, you can't win sometimes really with and that's whenever the reviews are anonymous, you know? Yeah. And there's a lot of people that they just want to take you down a peg because they, they're sometimes competitors, right? I, yeah. I, when I, when I was lucky enough to hit number one on the time, and there were some people who just were angry.

It wasn't, so I took it from them, which makes absolutely no sense. Oh, they thought that it was their story? Your name wasn't the same, and they expected that. Crazy. Yeah, there's 7 billion people in the world like anybody could be living the same scenario just randomly by accident you know this pot that's in your book or sub sub parts of the book you're like you use my name bob clearly you wrote about me i fear yeah you can't win sometimes you know i've been on you we've been on youtube for 12 years

uh there's some people they just have nothing but hate to spew and ugliness and nothing positive to say and i don't know i just imagine they're all angry people who live in their mother's basement and don't have a life that's that's how i just imagine the beautiful part about like our shows or like youtube though is we still get paid if you watch it so if you want to write an angry hateful comment that actually gives the the show more juice and stuff so you know it's if you want to pay me you know we i don't even make a penny or two off a comment or review if you want to pay me to throw hate at me well i still got paid so it's in my bank account. That's how I look at it.

Hey, I'm going to write a great review. Sam and I have discovered you. Thank you. Thank you. We've been doing this show for 12 years, so thank you if you get a chance. 12 years? Wow. I think it'll be 13 in August.

It's been wonderful to have you on the show. Thank you for coming by. Give us your.com so people can find you on the interweb, please. Okay, and JulieGarwood.com. And Facebook.com slash Julie Garwood.

There you go. And thank you very much for coming on the show, Julie. We certainly appreciate it. It was a pleasure to meet your acquaintance. I enjoyed this. Thank you so much. Thank you so much, Julie. And everyone, go out and order her new book. It's available on Amazon or wherever fine books are sold. Remember, just go into those fine bookstores. Don't go in the alleyway bookstores because you might need a tetanus shot if you go in there. Grace Under

Fire. It's available today, July 19th, 2022. Order it up so you can be the first one on your book club or block to take and get it. Julie Garwood. Thanks for tuning in. Be good to each other, stay safe, and we'll see you guys next time.