Article and Interview by Elise Cooper
Seeing Red by Sandra Brown is an intriguing story about redemption and second chances intertwined within a “who done it” mystery. The complexity of the plot originates with the lies and deceit. Twenty-five years ago a bombing at the Dallas Hotel, the Pegasus, leaves 98 dead and 197 wounded. An iconic photo was taken of Major Franklin Trapper rescuing a little five-year-old girl from the building’s ruins. Although he was never the reluctant hero and has played off his fame, the last few years he has gone into seclusion. Fast-forward to twenty-five years later, where that girl, Kerra Bailey, now a Dallas reporter, is trying to get an interview with the Major. She is hoping to gain national fame during that interview as she tells the world that she is the girl in the photo.
About the Author Sandra Brown
Sandra Brown is the author of more than sixty New York Times bestsellers, including STING (2016), FRICTION (2015), MEAN STREAK (2014), DEADLINE (2013), LOW PRESSURE (2012), LETHAL (2011), and the critically acclaimed RAINWATER (2010).
Brown began her writing career in 1981 and since then has published over seventy novels, bringing the number of copies of her books in print worldwide to upwards of eighty million. Her work has been translated into thirty-three languages.
Brown recently was given an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Texas Christian University. She was named Thriller Master for 2008, the top award given by the International Thriller Writer’s Association. Other awards and commendations include the 2007 Texas Medal of Arts Award for Literature and the Romance Writers of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the story?
Sandra Brown: I never know specifically where my ideas come from. For this story I went back to the Oklahoma City bombing. My children were students at Oklahoma University when the Murrah Building was bombed. My daughter, taking classes at the Medical Arts Building, was about six blocks away that morning, so she felt the blast. Her graduation three weeks later was a very somber event, and it, along with the bombing, became very meaningful to me.
EC: Did the iconic photo of the fireman carrying the child out embed in your subconscious?
SB: Yes. It was blazed into my mind. That iconic photo made an impact on everyone in the world who saw it. It was horrible and heartbreaking. It really resonated with me. And I got to thinking about other iconic photos of history. There was the raising-of-the-flag at Iwo Jima, the sailor kissing the nurse in Times Square on V-E Day, the Vietnamese girl running naked down the road, covered in napalm. Each of these photographs tells a story that affect people in a profound way. I thought about how the photos impact the people who are actually in the photographs? In the Major’s case, he has made a whole career out of that photo and the fame that ensued. It defines him for the remainder of his life. What must that be like? And what must it be like for someone to live in his shadow, such as his son Trapper?
EC: You talk about how Trapper lost his father on that day?
SB: It had a profound effect on him regarding his personality and development. He still remembers that his father and he missed his Little League Baseball Game for a photo shoot. Trapper also has tension with Kerra who is trying to resurrect the image, while he is trying to keep it buried.
EC: How would you describe the characters?
SB: The Major was ego-driven with his family becoming secondary. He stepped into the hero role easily and embraced it. Being former military he became a Patriot to admire and a champion that society needed. He had the courage to take the time to go back and get Kerra instead of just running out of the building.
Kerra is a character I admire. She didn’t let her profession overcome her humanity. She knew where the line should not be crossed. I describe the media in the book, but it does not apply to her: They act ‘like vultures circling a wounded animal, waiting for it to die.’ She is ambitious, goal-driven, and a hard worker.
Trapper is a flawed hero. His life was one long game of catch-up. A game he could not possibly win, since the expectations for him were so high and unrealistic. He did have a defining moment even if it was the worst thing he could fear. He self-sacrificed.
EC: What genre would you associate yourself with?
SB: If you had to tag a genre on me it would be romantic suspense. There is a strong relationship element to all of my books and they also have a mystery and thriller element. What I am impressed with is that the thriller genre has so many categories. I am proud to be a part of The International Thriller Writer’s Organization because they wanted authors who write different types of sub-genres, including military, suspense, espionage, and cozy mysteries. I am thrilled that it is a blanket of diversity that embraces and appreciates all the genres.
EC: What do you want the readers to get out of the book?
SB: I hope they see me as a really good storyteller. A good plot can take place on a spaceship or wagon train and it should not matter. As a reader and a writer, I find the best books are where people can identify with a character that must overcome incredible odds. We want to see a protagonist overcoming a problem. What is really important to me is that the readers get caught up in the story.
EC: THANK YOU!!
