ℚ The Venturi Effect - Sage Webb

Today we have the pleasure of meeting up with author Sage Webb to talk about The Venturi Effect (15 November 2020, Stoneman House Press, LLC, 300 pages), a Legal Thriller.

Midwest Book Review’s Senior Reviewer D. Donovan calls The Venturi Effect “a compelling story that is simply hard to put down. It’s unexpected right up to the end, making it a highly recommended pick for legal thriller, romance, and women’s fiction readers alike.”

|| Synopsis || Author Q&A || About the Author || Giveaway & Tour Stops ||

---

A very warm welcome to Sage Webb; thank you for joining us on BooksChatter!

What was the inspiration for The Venturi Effect?

"Most of what I write springs from life experiences, and that foundation is reflected in The Venturi Effect.  I come from a criminal-defense background, and while I didn’t break down and punch a client or anything like that (!!!), in 2015, I went looking for a change in circumstances.  At the time, I was working as a public defender in the USA’s Midwest.  I gave my notice, packed up the car, and headed south with my cat. 

Like Devlin in the book, we (the cat and I) ended up in Texas, south of Houston, living on a boat in a marina off Galveston Bay.  (I still live on a boat with my husband.)  Like Nils, I’ve brokered boats, and like Xavier, I’m a sucker for Greek heroes, cats, and judging!  I grew up sailing, so Devlin’s and Nils’s junior-sailing background is familiar. 

The fraud scenario presented in the book springs from popular fraud schemes, and St. Kitts has been a place that fraudsters have used for their schemes."

How much of yourself is reflected in this book, and how?

"A lot!  Besides the background I’ve already touched on, I’d say there’s a little of me in many of the characters.  Like Devlin, Nils, and Viggo, I’ve sailed and raced in Chicago, and like Xavier, I’m pretty opinionated, like old westerns, and adore cats. 

Like Devlin, I have mixed feelings about kids but would want to give a kid entrusted to me a warmer childhood than I had. . . .  That kind of thing. 

Like Devlin, too, I grew up hyper-competitive, and like her, I want nothing to do with that level of competition now."

The first thing that draws me to a book is its cover. Can you tell us about your cover for The Venturi Effect - why you chose that concept and who the artist is.

"The cover aims at capturing the sailing adventure of the book, with a sort of “still-water” mystique beneath it . . . implying the human drama underlying and driving the action that unfolds in the story."

Why should we read The Venturi Effect and what sets it apart from the rest?  What makes your book unique?

"Ugh!  I feel awkward and self-aggrandizing trying to answer here, but I’ll give it a go.

First, I try to offer a literary flair, so for people who like to read for the pure joy of the words, I try to offer something: fun metaphors and moments, if you will.  Second, I offer authenticity.  From the legal details to the boat banter, I keep it true-to-life.

Third, I want to offer real people for characters . . . personalities with depth, people the reader can relate to, chuckle at, cry with, or ponder.  I’ve gone to school with, worked with, shared drinks with . . . heck, even am, these characters."

Can you tell us something quirky about The Venturi Effect, its story and characters?

"I think the quirkiest thing I can say is that I envy Xavier his cats.  I’m a sucker for large felines."

Who would you recommend The Venturi Effect to and what should readers be aware of (any warnings or disclaimers)?

"D. Donovan, a Senior Reviewer at Midwest Book Review, recommended the book for legal-thriller, romance, and women’s-fiction readers.  I hadn’t thought to toss the novel into the women’s-fiction arena, but now I can see that aspect of it.  So I’d say it’s a good fit for people who like detailed, twisty courtroom thrillers; light romance; women’s-fiction with themes of breakdown and redemption; and adventure travel. 

It’s got some bad language in a few places.  Devlin’s a little rough here and there and doesn’t hold back when she’s worked up.

There’s passing discussion of a suicide attempt.  There are some sad circumstances with children and parents making bad choices (on multiple levels and in multiple ways—Devlin’s parents weren’t there for her; it’s not just Viggo).

Disclaimer: don’t try this fraud scheme at home! ;)"

If you could / wished to turn The Venturi Effect into a movie, who would be your dream team?

"Oh, I’m terrible with movie stuff.  Yikes! 

I guess I’d suggest filming it on location in Kemah, Texas, Grand Rapids, Michigan, and St. Kitts.  If the crew filmed in Texas, I guess I’d also suggest a younger Matthew McConaughey for Nils (rumor has it Mr. McConaughey has a place near Kemah!). 

Beyond that, I don’t know!  How sad is that?!?!  Yeah, I’m uber-lame on the moving-picture front."

Not sad at all!  :-)

What do you like to write and read about?  Do you stick to a particular genre or do you like to explore different ones?

"I’ll write about almost anything (just no heavy violence or sex).  While I prefer more true-to-life stuff, I’m pretty game to try anything.  I’ve written activist fiction, a host of odd short stories, flash fiction. . . . 

For genres, I do legal thrillers because of my background, but I also like travel narratives, literary fiction, historical fiction, and adventure stories. 

I read in all these areas, too.  Maybe I just like to jump around!"

What is your writing process?

"I get an idea (it can come from anywhere: a stray conversation I might overhear in a coffee shop; some remark my husband makes; something I see or experience; some fact from history) and then I’m just off to the races. 

I don’t outline on paper, though my head will quickly develop an outline. I let the characters tell the story themselves, and then I just read, re-read, and re-read again (and again and again), trimming, moving, removing to polish things up.  I read aloud to myself and to my husband to feel the rhythm of the prose."

What is in store next?

"Three major projects in the works:

The sequel to The Venturi Effect will bring Devlin, the Bryson brothers, and Xavier back.  The book is The Cult of Mammon and will be out in 2021.  It will take readers to Hawaii and California, expose some pretty interesting lesser-known American Civil War history, and present a darker web of fraud.

Then I’m also working on a personal travel narrative about running around Texas in a 15’ travel trailer, and I’ve got a short-story collection I need to finish.  This past summer, I was honored to be an artist in residence for Michigan’s Mackinac State Historic Parks.  As such, I spent three weeks on Michigan’s Mackinac Island, a beautiful slice of Victorian America snuggled on eight miles of island in Lake Huron.  As part of the residency, I outlined a short-story collection.  The final manuscript is due August 2021.  It will include some light-hearted pieces, some flash fiction, some stories of healing, some historical pieces—basically, it will be a collection celebrating an island that prohibits cars, celebrates bikes and horses, and gives visitors a chance to step back into 1890 every summer."

And as a final quirky thing, to get to know you a little bit better... do you have a pet or something that is special to you that you could share with us?

"So here I am with the old wooden trawler we had before our current boat (it’s basically Devlin’s boat) and my lovable boat dog Jackson and the ship’s cat Ines (better known as the Dredd Pirate Captain Ms. Jingles)."

Oh, wow!  I love it!  I am most astonished by the cat - I would be terrified of losing her.  (I am an animal nut who has quite a few cats and who would love to move by the coast and get a boat...) 

Thank you so much for sharing them with us and lots of head-scratches to both of them!

---

The Venturi Effect
Available to pre-order now;
out on 15 Nov 2020

back to top