BooksChatter: ✉ Strong Female Protagonists in Inside Passage and Danger in Plain Sight by Burt Weissbourd

Today returning author Burt Weissbourd takes over our blog to tell us about "Strong Female Protagonists in Inside Passage and Danger in Plain Sight".

Burt Weissbourd's latest release is Inside Passage (first published 15 January 2013; this edition 14 October 2020, Blue City Press, 289 pages), a Crime Thriller, book one in the Corey Logan Trilogy.

“I was quite taken with the characters: the story, the craft and the wisdom of the book … On every level your characters surprise me and I particularly like the way they relate to each other.” – David Field, screenwriter, former studio executive, United Artists and 20th Century Fox

"A narrative that is relentlessly taut and exciting." – Foreword Reviews

|| Synopsis || Teaser: KCR Preview || The Series || Author Guest Post || About the Author || Giveaway & Tour Stops ||

Strong Female Protagonists in Inside Passage and Danger in Plain Sight

by Burt Weissbourd

I write character-driven thrillers. I particularly enjoy thinking and writing about complex, unexpected characters and how they change as they become more self-aware. I recently spoke with Jade Genga, my Executive Director of Social Media and Marketing about her experience with two strong female protagonists in my books: Callie James, the heroine in my last book, Danger in Plain Sight and Corey Logan, the heroine in all three books of the Corey Logan Trilogy. Both of these very capable women are functioning far below their capacities. These women have to make hard decisions that lead them/enable them to become more insightful, take charge of their lives, then move in purposeful directions that were unthinkable for them when the books begin. I hoped to learn about her experience reading these two unexpected women.

Jade had a unique experience with both Callie James and with Corey Logan. She read Danger in Plain Sight and Inside Passage, then she passed them along to her mother and her grandmother to read.

Three generations of women: Jade, her mother and her grandmother.

What she found was that not only did all three women in this family enjoy the books, but they particularly enjoyed the strong female protagonists. She quickly began to realize that she, her grandmother, and her mother were not isolated cases. We started receiving reviews of Inside Passage from our first round of mailings to influencers, friends, family, and a vast a varied selection of other female readers.

“Author Burt Weissbourd has crafted a highly compelling and originally narrated work that uncovers the complexities of politics, social structures, and the human mind as it delivers its exciting and twisting plot. An explosive introduction to what promises to be a thrilling trilogy of novels, I was really impressed with the development of Corey as a capable central hero with much to balance and consider despite her ferocity for justice and the truth… I would recommend Inside Passage as a truly immersive and accomplished work of thriller fiction that will suit those who appreciate intelligent and deeply involved drama.” – K. C. Finn, Reader’s Favorite

“Pick it up and dive in… Get inside the head of each fascinating character and work out the intricacies yourself, following the swell of action page after page.” – The (not always) Lazy W… Marie

“I got completely hooked on Inside Passage! I wanted to keep turning the page. Corey is an interesting and scrappy chick who I relate to.” – Nancy Guppy, host, Art Zone, Seattle Channel

“Inside Passage hit all the hallmarks of a great read for me, writing, characterization, narrative and a titillating ending. A riveting story from the first paragraph.” – Nightly Reading

"Burt Weissbourd is such a great writer, and the characters are phenomenal and real … He paints realistic pictures of people with all their foibles and imperfections as well as showing their strength and intelligence” – Terra Kelly, So I Am a Reader!

"Weissbourd’s stellar writing, memorable characters, especially Corey Logan, and an extremely well-crafted narrative never disappoint.” – Melinda, The Discerning Reader, All Things Books

And those are only a fraction of the influx of reviews we received from these incredible women.

Here’s how Jade explained this phenomenon:

“It occurred to me then why three generations of women enjoyed these books: a daughter who reads non-fiction and fantasy, a mom who reads classics and fiction, and a grandmother who reads thrillers and romance. What were we all drawn to? The characters.

Callie, Cash, Corey and Abe came to life for us. They became people about whose lives we knew intimate details. We knew their history. We knew them. When simply examining content and plot, Burt’s writing includes variety that will draw in readers from all walks of life. But the aspect of Burt’s writing that locks us in until the very last page is his character development. I know how rare it is to grab a book by a new author, because you never know what you’ll get between beneath the cover. These books are worth it. All three of us were pleasantly surprised when reading our first Burt Weissbourd novel, and I know you will be too.”

Corey Logan was set up. Coming out of prison all she wants is to be with her son. As the dogs of war are unleashed, Corey and her son take her boat up the remote Inside Passage. But the worst is yet to come.