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book reviews |
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Retired lawyer and debut author, Stewart Riley introduces us to one of his most famous cases he ever defended, “Helena Star”: The True Tale of the Motor Vessel HELENA STAR: This is the epic tale of the motor vessel Helena Star. On April 17, 1978, the U.S. Coast Guard seized the aging freighter 140 miles off Washington State’s coast with its hold loaded with 37 tons of marijuana—the west coast’s largest pot bust—worth an estimated street value of $74 million. Drug agents later seized the sleek Joli, a 61-foot sailboat, for its suspected role in the case. A past winner of the prestigious Victoria to Maui sailboat race, the Joli had been purchased from William Niemi, Jr., former president of Eddie Bauer, by champion freestyle skier Mike Lund. The attorney for the captain of the Helena Star, author Stewart Riley, provides an insider’s unvarnished account of the case from the trenches. The freighter and the conspirators involved were in the news from its seizure in 1978 to its death by sinking in 2013. This drug bust and the ensuing events comprise a true saga about the inner workings of a Colombian-American drug cartel, smuggling on a massive scale, money laundering, the capture of fugitives in Bolivia, suspicious deaths, the lives of high-profile individuals, and courtroom battles in Seattle and San Francisco.  What a great story and all true or alleged to be true. With all of the dodges and dives, faking and lies, it would be hard to make this up. It demonstrates the truism of human nature that each person is looking out for their own self-interests first. It is how we are built. This story was fun to read, it reminded me of when I saw this case in the news on TV. I was married and our first child was on the way. I recall thinking that someone had a lot of audacity to try and pull it off. Now I know the rest of the story behind the headlines, some forty years later. I am very happy to have learned the whole tale. Stewart is a good storyteller. I enjoyed his style; it is matter-of-fact prose. He doesn’t embellish a lot and doesn’t speculate a great deal beyond the obvious. Being on the inside of this case he was privy to far more than any mere mortal. He let the people involved speak for themselves whenever possible. This tale of intrigue and skullduggery doesn’t get lost in the weeds, the story moves along quite well, as all of the loose ends are eventually wrapped up. I award 5 stars to “Helena Star”.  You can buy this book:
https://rdrpublishers.com/products/helena-star-an-epic-adventure-through-the-murky-underworld-of-international-drug-smuggling https://bookshop.org/books/helena-star-an-epic-adventure-through-the-murky-underworld-of-international-drug-smuggling https://www.amazon.com/Helena-Star-by-stewart-riley-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/Helena-Star-by-stewart-riley You can follow the author: https://www.stewriley.com Tags: legal, true story, thriller, international law, supreme court, smuggling, drugs, contraband, freestyle skier, skiing Copyright © 2021 Mark L. Schultz, except for the author’s introduction
67 Comments
2/8/2021 02:26:32 pm
I feel very fortunate to be interviewed by such an authority in the world of books, Mark. Have at it!
Mark
2/8/2021 03:09:33 pm
Thanks, Stewart, very kind of you to describe me that way. However, I am just a guy who knows a little about a lot of things and am always learning more. 2/8/2021 03:31:49 pm
I'm actually a man of few words--probably not a great asset for an author. I always felt that actions speak louder than words, which perhaps is one reason why I am very competitive. This latter trait probably manifests itself in the book by the way I represented the Captain of the Helena Star. I lost the case, but never gave up.
Mark
2/8/2021 04:19:28 pm
We have been told that actions speak louder than words. But words are still important and stories are enduring. 2/8/2021 05:01:01 pm
I guess one would say I am a part-time writer. Let me explain. I never had a dream of writing a book. I was a full-time criminal defense attorney. My friends, acquaintances and associates knew that I had a fascinating career and kept asking me why I had never written a book. My canned response was that I was too lazy. After I retired, I had more time on my hands and decided to think about the possibility of writing a book. I wrote down on a sheet of paper a list of 15 cases that were particularly unusual and interesting to see if one of them might merit an entire book. Helena Star fit the bill and I had three banker's boxes filled with transcripts, newspaper articles, notes, and correspondence in my basement. Even after I started writing, I wasn't sure that I was really going to complete the project. In a nutshell, I was a reluctant writer that got lucky.
Mark
2/8/2021 06:52:34 pm
Good story. I love it. As you found out, writing a book isn't that easy. A famous author once said, a great book is not written, it is rewritten many times. 2/8/2021 07:28:37 pm
It really wasn't too hard to come up with the title, HELENA STAR. The freighter involved in the case, the Helena Star, took the case from 1978 all the way up to 2014, so it was a common thread. I think the title added a certain mystery to what the book was about. I wanted potential readers to look at the cover, see the title, and wonder about its meaning and be drawn to the back cover for a broader indication of its contents. That is one reason why the image of the Helena Star was on the back cover rather than the front. As a first time book author, I have written no other books, published or unpublished.
Mark
2/8/2021 07:45:46 pm
The aura of mystery sure drew me in. I love how the cover is dark, mysterious and a little foreboding. 2/8/2021 08:02:32 pm
I am not planning any other formats. It has, however, gone on a list of books recommended for local recording at the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library if the National Library Service doesn't record it. I have no current plans for another book. Right now, I am just enjoying the ride. We'll see where that takes me. There will be no enlarged editions of this story, as one of my goals was to make the audience for HELENA STAR the general public as a hole, rather than just lawyers.
Mark
2/8/2021 09:50:28 pm
I am glad you didn't say never. There are many other ways for a story to be produced and consumed. Audio books and graphic novels are a couple more formats. 2/9/2021 12:15:38 pm
I believe in the old adage that truth is stranger than fiction. Besides, I would not be interested in writing fiction and don't feel that my writing style would work well with writing novels. I am not creative enough. If I continued to write, it would be in the history/true crime genre, into which HELENA STAR clearly falls.
Mark
2/9/2021 01:15:06 pm
I must agree, so often truth is stranger than fiction. 2/9/2021 02:27:28 pm
I am not really sure what fans of the true crime genre have in mind. I think they would like books that have wild and crazy characters that get involved in improbably wild and crazy schemes. Like me, they are probably fascinated by those that engage in aberrant behavior-- characters that transport them to a totally different world than what they are accustomed to. I feel like I have reached readers like that in HELENA STAR, because I have been extremely gratified from the response to my book so far. I really had no idea what to expect. As for Kindle Unlimited, I think it is working out quite well.
Mark
2/9/2021 06:30:24 pm
Your book hit a great spot for fans. 2/9/2021 07:10:48 pm
I did not seek or have an agent. I did go through the query process submitting directly to publishers because I believe it is better to have a publisher rather than self publish. The main reason so many authors self publish I think is that it is so difficult for a first time author to obtain a publisher. Besides publishing, a publisher will design covers for one's book, provide editing, formatting and some marketing. My publisher, Robert D. Reed Publishers, was very helpful in this regard. When signing a contract with a publisher, it is important to retain the right to sell video, screen play, tv and stage rights. Also obviously important is to spell out the % of royalty rights, the number of books the publisher requires an author to buy (skin in the game) and the cost per book of the author's allotment. All aspects of a contract are potentially negotiable.
Mark
2/9/2021 09:25:10 pm
A lot of smaller publishers prefer to deal directly with an author. Most of the bigger publishers prefer to deal with an agent. Letting the agent separate the wheat from the chaff. Like so many business transactions, the established personal relationships are critical. 2/9/2021 11:49:56 pm
I was very fortunate. I only sent out 14 query letters before I got a hit and had one other publisher that was very interested. I was anxious to get moving and didn't want to wait for the other publisher to get off their dime. The publisher I selected was Robert D. Reed Publishers based in Oregon. The locus of HELENA STAR is primarily the Pacific Northwest, so I thought they would be more interested in a Northwest story by a Northwest author. As far as their marketing is concerned, I think marketing in the time of covid is difficult, but your question would best be asked of the publisher directly.
Mark
2/10/2021 10:26:27 am
You were fortunate, no question about that. 2/10/2021 11:55:40 am
I did not use ads on Amazon or other platforms. As a lawyer I never advertised. I have zero presence on social media. I do have an author's website. I have found that the best marketer is the author. I have approached marketing from a little different direction. Personal contact has been very fruitful. I feel like a snake oil salesman. I have been able to get HELENA STAR previewed in three Seattle neighborhood monthly newspapers, one weekly in Eastern Washington and, best of all, a great article in the Sunday edition of the Spokesman Review in Spokane, Washington. I have also used email notifications to great advantage.
Mark
2/10/2021 12:32:51 pm
I agree, personal contact is the best. I love going to book fairs and meeting the authors. So many have been canceled in the last year. It makes personal contact more difficult, though not impossible. 2/10/2021 02:03:20 pm
I do not have a newsletter that I send out to fans because, as a first time book author, I am still trying to establish a fan base. I do not subscribe to any author newsletters.
Mark
2/10/2021 03:25:07 pm
Remember "Field of Dreams"? I love that movie. If you decide that you want to continue writing and build a fan base that is the time to start a newsletter and ask people to sign up when they visit your website. There are many ways to put out a newsletter and different kinds of content to offer as an incentive for people to sign up. A lot of blogs have been written on that topic. I have links to quite a few that I think are worthwhile, put newsletter in the search box at the bottom of the page and that selection of blogs will be a good place to start. 2/10/2021 05:00:53 pm
I never contacted any big houses because I had no agent, no professional editor, no presence on social media, and was a first time author. Practically the first question publishers ask is "what is your presence on social media?" I personally think that HELENA STAR compares very favorably to most books published by major publishers. As to unethical practices in publishing, I really can't answer that question because of my lack of experience in dealing with publishers. I do think that being a lawyer gives me somewhat of an advantage in dealing with publishers.
Mark
2/10/2021 06:41:02 pm
That question about social media is very important to a lot of publishers. Perhaps the single most important factor is a mailing list of at least a couple of thousand. That presence and mailing list combined represent a percentage of guaranteed sales to the publisher. 2/10/2021 07:59:55 pm
I am not sure that I have a favorite genre. I usually read nonfiction books, but do like mysteries in the tradition of the old Raymond Chandler and Rumpole of the Old Bailey books. I also like books that have some adventure and international aspects to them. My most favorite book in the last five years was RED NOTICE by Bill Browder, which had a little of everything--true crime, business, politics, and international intrigue--and is very relevant to current times, given the poisoning of Putin's rival, Mr. Navalny. I don't recall a favorite book as a child
Mark
2/10/2021 08:20:45 pm
Mysteries are great. I really like the British mysteries ala Agatha Christie, and I like cozy mysteries with humor a good deal also. 2/11/2021 11:54:28 am
My writing experience is limited obviously, but I don't think that writing evokes any particular spiritual or healing aspect in me. At the end of a good writing session I do feel energized. I think tapping into the emotions of characters is probably more important for fiction authors. That being said, tapping into their emotions is important in fully developing characters so that the reader can form a more real visual image. Visual images are key.
Mark
2/11/2021 12:21:18 pm
Many writers report feeling energized and satisfied after a good writing session. You have lots of company. 2/11/2021 02:25:55 pm
My goal in writing HELENA STAR was to tell what I thought was a fascinating story--a real adventure. I suppose I also wanted to leave a bit of a legacy and to satisfy all my friends, associates and acquaintances who always asked why I had never written a book. I believe I have achieved those goals. My life has only changed to the extent that I never dreamed of writing a book.
Mark
2/11/2021 03:30:11 pm
I and future fans thank your friends for encouraging you to write the book and we thank you for following through. 2/11/2021 05:08:25 pm
I have never heard of that organization. I must say that 2,000 words a day sounds like quite a lot of writing in a fairly short period of time. I would say that I am an under-writer that needs to add more to a manuscript--a minimalist who needs to add more bulk and detail.
Mark
2/11/2021 06:30:25 pm
I am not saying it's an easy task to write 50k words in 30 days, but it is a useful experience and it gives many writers a boost on a new book. 2/11/2021 07:18:31 pm
I have no real set writing routine. I don't set aside a particular time of day or a particular amount of time or a goal of a set number of words. I basically write when I feel like it, frequently after doing some research which provides fruit and inspiration to keep me going. I would say I am more of a straight line writer, which is, I think, consistent with HELENA STAR being a narrative.
Mark
2/11/2021 07:35:25 pm
Many writers write like you do, from start to finish. In your book that makes a lot of sense. However, in fiction it doesn't always work, especially for the pantster author, the author that starts writing with little or no plot written down. As I have heard many say, they get stuck sometimes and wind up rewriting a portion of the book to implement a solution. One author, Rick Hall, wrote a nice guest blog, elsewhere on my website about writing a book out of order. I think it is pretty smart. 2/12/2021 12:14:37 pm
There are little things that I would like to add or change, but, by and large, there is nothing substantial that I would change. I am extremely happy with the final product and very gratified with the response that I have received from readers. Criminal defense lawyers are often maligned. Many in society think that all we do is help set violent criminals back on the streets. I hope that readers of HELENA STAR will come away with a more complimentary view of what we do in providing alleged criminals with their constitutional right to counsel. I hope readers will come away with a unique look into the mind of a criminal defense attorney--albeit, my mind.
Mark
2/12/2021 12:29:59 pm
Lawyers are the butt of many jokes. My neighbor is a public defender and has a license plate frame that says "lawyers have feelings too, allegedly". 2/12/2021 02:32:03 pm
I am not currently writing--just thinking about my next project and enjoying the exhilaration of getting my first book published. My next project would be only for readers. As to who I admire, I doubt if he would fall into your definition of a classical author, but I have read all of the books authored by Raymond Chandler and watched the movies made from his books multiple times..
Mark
2/12/2021 03:29:53 pm
RC is probably not in the group of classical authors, though he certainly is a contemporary author. 2/12/2021 05:22:58 pm
I havn't decided for sure what it will be about. I am thinking that it might be a book about two of my own cases that have parallel and international aspects (Paris and Baghdad) to them.
Mark
2/12/2021 06:42:02 pm
Personally, I was hoping for more true crime stories. While I have never visited Baghdad, I have spent time in Paris. So, I look forward to that. 2/12/2021 08:07:05 pm
If I met a favorite author, I would ask what would be the best piece of advice you could give me as a first time author.
Mark
2/12/2021 10:08:16 pm
If you met Chandler, I bet he would say something like, keep writing and if you want to be a good writer, write every day. 2/13/2021 12:33:36 pm
I use Microsoft Word, probably because I never used anything else during my years of practicing law. It's all I know. I'm not sure how I kept track of all the characters and events in HELENA STAR. It was difficult, almost like putting a jigsaw puzzle together. You may have noticed that I had an extensive Cast of Characters section at the front of the book to help readers keep track of the various characters. I asked one of my friends how far she was into my book. She jokingly said that she hadn't gotten through the Cast of Characters section yet.
Mark
2/13/2021 01:02:11 pm
Microsoft word is used by a lot of authors. It has a very widely installed user base and most people first learned to use it in business. 2/13/2021 04:03:24 pm
I never actually used an outline, in part because of the narrative nature of HELENA STAR. I did start by selecting a number of chapter headings and, as I went along, filled in other chapter headings, but only using my computer for the actual writing of the book.
Mark
2/13/2021 04:19:01 pm
I suspect it is that you did not have to do any large amount of outlining. The nature of trials creates a certain amount of natural flow, providing a basic outline. Your job as the writer was to take these different threads from different trials and weave them into a coherent narrative. 2/13/2021 07:03:03 pm
I do like jazz, but, for the most part, I don't have anything playing in the background when writing.
Mark
2/13/2021 07:29:15 pm
Some jazz is very mellow and enjoyable, I have also heard some that is quite jarring and discordant. Not a pleasant experience. 2/13/2021 08:22:37 pm
I wanted to title the book after the freighter, HELENA STAR, because it was the common thread that held the book together. Most of the characters in the book were in some way tied to the ship or tied to conspirators, who were tied to the ship. I wanted to end the story with the sinking of the ship in the waterway in Tacoma in 2013 and its eventual scrapping the following year. All of this allowed me to start the story in 1978 and keep it going all the way to 2014 with the Epilogue ending with me searching for my client in 2015 in Cartagena, Colombia, where the story began,
Mark
2/13/2021 09:48:34 pm
I enjoyed how you tied it all together. You demonstrated over and over that choices have consequences. 2/14/2021 12:04:58 pm
Even though I had a large role in the story, I did quite a bit of additional research, primarily in connection with the prosecution and trial of Robert Moran, the money laundering lawyer. I spent the best part of four days at the regional National Archives in Seattle going through documents in court files and transcripts--a real treasure trove.
Mark
2/14/2021 12:50:43 pm
The archives sound like a fabulous resource. Lawyer Moran was a slippery fellow alright. Following the money leads you to the perps. 2/14/2021 02:35:30 pm
It took me all of 2019 to write. I didn't really have a number of drafts. I made a decision early on that I wasn't going to let an editor or anyone else talk me into making substantial changes in the manuscript. I did not want to compromise how I put it together. As I wrote, I continued to make revisions and small additions. That continued after I finished the main body of the manuscript. The first half of 2020 was taken up with adding a little bulk, editing, trying to find a publisher, and always fine tuning up until the end .Fortunately, I got lucky finding a publisher fairly quickly.
Mark
2/14/2021 03:32:07 pm
There are many writers like you, they write their book and keep making changes as they go along. In the case of fiction, that can necessitate a considerable amount of rewriting at times, but not always. 2/14/2021 06:06:54 pm
I was writing my book in secret. There had been rumors all these years that someone was going to or wanted to make a movie out of this case. I was concerned that, if someone found out I was writing this book, they might write their own book and undercut me before I had a chance to finish and publish my book. Aside from family members, I did have a former prosecutor friend of mine who writes legal textbooks give my manuscript a look after I was over half done. He was very helpful.
Mark
2/14/2021 06:58:30 pm
I am a little surprised that movie hasn't been made. I am not surprised that you wanted to keep it a secret. There are quite a few scenes that would translate quite well onto the screen, big or little. It might be easier to pitch it to a streaming service, rather than a big movie company. I honestly don't know. 2/14/2021 08:05:28 pm
As to my beta readers, I did not ask them to read the book more than once. I was satisfied with it and that was all that counted. I wanted it to be my book and my book only and not heavily influenced by others.
Mark
2/14/2021 08:58:43 pm
I am glad the beta readers were helpful. Getting fresh eyes on a book at different stages is important. Our brains trick us, sometimes, they try to solve problems before the material is in our consciousness. It's one of the reasons that so many books have spelling errors; these are frequently common words that are in the wrong context, homophones or typographical errors. I have blogged quite a bit about those elsewhere on my website. My blog is called Words For Thought. 2/15/2021 11:50:08 am
I gave my beta readers either an e-version or a hard copy depending on their preference and let them provide feedback without particular questions.
Mark
2/15/2021 11:56:47 am
Quite a few authors do exactly that. Others ask general questions about flow or inconsistencies, among other things. 2/15/2021 01:31:13 pm
I gave each of my alpha/beta readers one of my books at the very least.
Mark
2/15/2021 02:45:13 pm
Many authors do the same. Some of my proofreading clients have sent me copies of their book also. 2/15/2021 05:17:20 pm
I had an English teacher in high school that first got me thinking about it. She was a real inspiration. In spite of that, I actually went to law school because I wasn't sure what else to do with my life when I graduated from college. Though I disdained law school, I realized that I had a real interest in both criminal law and international law and during that time made my decision to become a lawyer.
Mark
2/15/2021 05:31:47 pm
Quite a few people credit high school teachers with inspiration of one kind or another. 2/15/2021 06:04:42 pm
To be honest, I really can't think of anything that I wish I knew before writing HELENA STAR. When I began I had no idea what I was doing. I have no regrets. I don't look back. I ended up having fun writing the book, which I didn't expect.
Mark
2/15/2021 06:23:10 pm
I am glad you had fun writing this book. It must be fun or there would be far fewer authors. 2/15/2021 07:28:17 pm
Thanks for being such a knowledgeable and incisive interviewer, Mark. It's been a blast--very informative. I think you have found your calling. I loved every cogent response to my comments. You are nonpareil in what you do. Keep refining--Stew Leave a Reply. |
Who am I?An avid reader, typobuster, and the Hyper-Speller. I am a husband, father, and grandfather. Archives
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