DAM NATION

Bonnie and Clyde #2

by

CLARK HAYS AND KATHLEEN McFALL

Genre: Historical / Alternative History / Romance

Publisher:  Pumpjack Press on Facebook

Date of Publication: March 24, 2018

Number of Pages: 266

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Bonnie and Clyde: Defending the working class from a river of greed.

The year is 1935 and the Great Depression has America in a death grip of poverty, unemployment and starvation. But the New Deal is rekindling hope, with federally funded infrastructure projects, like Hoover Dam, putting people back to work.  Set to harness the mighty Colorado River for electricity and irrigation, the dam is an engineering marvel and symbol of American can-do spirit.

So, why is someone trying to blow it up?

When an informant on the construction site is murdered, Bonnie and Clyde—spared from their gruesome deaths and forced into a covert life working for the government—are given their second assignment: stop the bomb and protect the thousands of laborers and families in the company town. It’s their most dangerous mission yet: working for a living.

Can the notorious lovers put aside their criminal ways long enough to find out who wants to extinguish the American dream, and hopefully reclaim a shred of redemption along the way?

The thrilling story cuts back and forth between the modern era where a reporter interviews the now-elderly Bonnie Parker, and the dangerous 1930s undercover exploits of Bonnie and Clyde, as they are thrust into a fight to defend the working class against corporate greed.

Dam Nation, a historical thriller with unsettling contemporary parallels, continues the explosive “what-if” series, started in Resurrection Road, about two unlikely heroes fighting to defend the working class during America’s Great Depression.

PRAISE

Crisply written, well-researched, thoroughly entertaining. As in Resurrection Road, Hays and McFall evoke time and place well in this sequel. The story’s politics are fresh and timely. Readers will find Bonnie and Clyde to be great company, and the novel’s framing story (the widowed Bonnie’s 1984 recollections) gives their relationship an extra layer of poignancy.  — Kirkus Reviews

“Dam Nation” highlights the real-life turmoil of the 1930s as only Hays and McFall can — shadowy intrigue, plenty of suspects and enough behind-the-scenes and under-the-covers action to keep the narrative sizzling along to the final page.  — East Oregonian

A rollicking good read. The real history of the rise of unions and worker rights against the backdrop of a nation recovering from the Great Depression contributes an engrossing, realistic scenario; a vivid read that blends fiction with nonfiction elements in a way that makes the book hard to put down. — Midwest Book Review

CHECK OUT THE TRAILER FOR RESURRECTION ROAD, BOOK ONE IN THE BONNIE AND CLYDE SERIES

INTERVIEW WITH AUTHORS CLARK HAYS AND KATHLEEN MCFALL

Why did you write this series? First and foremost, we wanted to spin a gripping, entertaining story with broad appeal. What could be more fun than imagining a different life for two of the most notorious lovers in American history, infamous outlaws able to use their “skills” for good? There’s a long tradition of rooting for outlaws who atone and ‘break good.’

What’s compelling about Bonnie and Clyde? The endurance of their appeal is likely about bucking a system that seemed designed to crush them. They were dirt poor yet boldly (and at times cruelly and selfishly) rejected a life of what likely would have been grueling, low-wage jobs with little chance of getting ahead. Don’t we all sometimes dream about throwing it all away and going on the run? The groundbreaking 1967 Beatty-Dunaway film cemented the myth.

In your research, what did you learn about Bonnie and Clyde that surprised you? We were surprised at their youth: twenty-four and twenty-five when they were killed. We were surprised that Bonnie wanted to be a movie star and also to learn about the brutal slave labor and abuse Clyde endured when he was in prison—events that likely shaped his worldview and future decisions—years before the Bonnie and Clyde saga began. We were surprised to learn that they were not very skillful criminals, and that they botched a fair number of jobs.

Are the plots of your series grounded in history? Yes, absolutely. In Book 1, we leverage a real-life but little-known assassination attempt on FDR when he was president-elect by Giuseppe Zangara, a man with presumed anarchist leanings. In Book 2, suspicious aspects of the construction of Hoover Dam are the focus which, in reality, ended up taking decades to fix behind the scenes after it opened in 1935.

What’s it like writing with your spouse? We fight a lot and often about ridiculous things, like the alleged overuse of commas or the hair color of a villain. But we keep each other on our toes, and it’s a lot of fun. The first book we wrote together was a test for marriage. We figured if we could write a novel together we could stay married. So far, we’ve passed, but it’s touch and go when we get into the final editing phase.

Bonnie and Clyde were notorious criminals. Is the book letting them off the hook for their crimes? It is a fictional account of their lives, but we are sensitive to this point. In the books, Bonnie and Clyde evolve and repent and actively try to compensate for the suffering caused by their actions. We want the stories to indirectly explore the topic of atonement.

Who do you like better: Bonnie or Clyde? Impossible to choose! They each have strong and weak points. What’s interesting to consider is individually neither likely would have become legends. The love that connected them so fiercely was—and still is—a core part of their appeal.

Tell us about your indie publishing label Pumpjack Press. As we learn more about the publishing industry, we want to share that knowledge to help other aspiring authors publish their stories. Check out the website for more information about how to submit.

Where can our readers find the Bonnie and Clyde series? Everywhere! Online retailers, bookstores and libraries. If you don’t see it at your favorite spot, ask for the books to be ordered.

 

Clark and Kathleen wrote their first book together in 1999 as a test for marriage. They passed. Dam Nation is their sixth co-authored book.

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