Hello everyone and welcome to my stop on the Escapist Book Co. virtual book tour for Pat Luther’s Urban Fantasy, Suspense Thriller novel Yellow Tape and Coffee! Today, I am excited to help kickoff the tour by sharing an interview with the main characters of the book, Veer, Michael, Carl, and Gordon!
You can find our interview below, along with all of the info about the book, the author, links to purchase a copy of Yellow Tape and Coffee for yourself, and a chance to win a copy in our giveaway! Also, be sure to take a look at the schedule here or at the top of the post and follow along to see the stops from our other awesome hosts!
Book Information:
Yellow Tape and Coffee by Pat Luther
Series: N/A, Standalone
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Suspense Thriller
Intended Age Group: Adult
Pages: 723
Published: June 18, 2021
Publisher: Self Published
Blurb:
Four intertwining stories. Four points of view of a single large event. Four people from different backgrounds with different ideals.
And a secret society of werewolves is unveiled in Portland, Oregon.
For four hundred years, they have kept their secret. Some will do anything to reveal it. Others will sacrifice everything to keep it.
Alliances will be forged and shattered. Friendships will be made and betrayed. Conspiracies within conspiracies will unravel as conflicting agendas clash across the city.
And by the end, nothing will be the same.
See Also:
He Sees You When You’re Sleeping • Nobody Ever Asks the Monsters How They Feel • It Can’t Be Against the Law if Nobody Knows it Exists
Book Links:
Author Website: https://pluther.us/about-yellow-tape-and-coffee/
Universal Link: https://geni.us/YellowTapeAndCoffee
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Yellow-Tape-Coffee-Pat-Luther/dp/1736751514/
Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/Yellow-Tape-and-Coffee-Audiobook/B09NYVQTWM
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/yellow-tape-and-coffee-pat-luther/1138999188
Powells: https://www.powells.com/book/yellow-tape-and-coffee-9781736751510
Character Q&A
Could you please introduce yourself to our readers?
Veer, it’s short for Vera, because my parents were, well, let’s say a little old fashioned. I’m a journalist, with a degree from UCLA. I’ve been in Portland for five years working freelance for the Journal. I cover corporate malfeasance, corruption, and spend far more time than I like on the crime beat.
Michael. I’m from San Francisco originally. I was a detective there before transferring to Portland. I’ve been in homicide in PPD for four years now. I was finally starting to think I understood this city, and then… werewolves.
Carl. I’m, uh, not sure what to say. I’m a programmer, currently between jobs, just, you know, trying to make my way along here.
Gordon Chandler, pleased to meet you. I’m an accountant and a single father and, somehow, I’ve reached middle age. No idea how that happened.
What music do you listen to?
Veer: I rarely listen to music. I do listen to a lot of podcasts.
Michael: I have a fondness for old cowboy songs. Marty Robbins and Johnny Cash are some of my favorites.
Carl: I like pretty much everything. I’ll often listen to just whatever’s playing on the radio. Sometimes I like older stuff – the turn of the century Australian boy band Short Stack is a guilty pleasure.
Gordon: Usually I listen to whatever pop crap is blaring out of Barbara’s room. I guess my own tastes aren’t much better. When alone, I’ll sometimes listen to older techno or EDM. Revolting Cocks or Front 242 – a lot of memories wrapped up on those bands.
If you were stranded on a deserted island, what is one thing you’d like to have with you?
Veer: If I had a way to charge it, my laptop. If not, then I guess reverting to pen and paper will have to do.
Michael: A really good knife. The proper knife can open an oyster, clean a fish, or cut branches to construct a shelter.
Carl: A radio so I can call someone to get me the hell out of here.
Gordon: Maybe a guitar. I keep meaning to learn, maybe getting stuck on a deserted island with nothing else would encourage me to finally do it.
What is your biggest pet peeve?
Veer: How little interest there is in the most important news, especially compared to how much there is in celebrity gossip.
Michael: Corruption. People thinking they’re above the law.
Carl: Tyranny and injustice.
Gordon: People who never save their receipts then want to make the most outlandish deductions at the end of the year.
What do you do in your free time?
Veer: I work freelance. I don’t know what free time is any more.
Michael: Relax. Maybe grab a brew with friends. Watch TV at home. Build something in my shop if I’m feeling motivated.
Carl: Plot the overthrow of the system and discuss what we’d replace it with. Or, you know, sit around bullshitting with friends at a coffee shop.
Gordon: Spend time with Barbara when she’ll let me. I enjoy the theater when I have a chance. I’m lucky to be in Portland where there’s so many good selections that won’t break a budget.
What makes you want to get out of bed in the morning?
Veer: Morning’s usually when I go to bed! But I understand your meaning. It’s the work. Telling the stories that need to be told and hopefully making the world just a little bit better with each.
Michael: Doing the job. There are criminals and there is injustice and sometimes I get to help change that.
Carl: The thought of a brighter future. I know it sounds silly, but I’m convinced there will be one.
Gordon: The need to earn money, so I can keep my house and feed my family.
What is the best advice you’ve ever been given?
Veer: Letting someone else make a choice doesn’t absolve you of responsibility. Abdication of choice is moral cowardice.
Michael: Always be one of the good guys, because there’s far too many of the bad.
Carl: Look before you leap? Probably would have been good advice if I’d followed it.
Gordon: The road to hell is paved with good intentions. The consequences of your actions matter.
What do you carry in your bag?
Veer: In general, I don’t carry a bag. My jacket has pockets, and I keep my wallet, keys, phone, notepad, a couple of pens. Not much. Unless you mean the small travel bag that I always keep packed in case I need to go somewhere in a hurry. That has a few changes of underclothes, one nice outfit, one casual, toiletries, my passport, some cash and a pre-paid credit card that can’t be traced to me.
Michael: No bag, but there are some items that I usually have with me. Wallet, phone, weapon, badge, car keys. The usual, I guess.
Carl: I’ll usually have a small wad of cash in my pocket. Sometimes my drivers license if I think I’ll be needing it, but I usually try not to carry anything identifying, just in case.
Gordon: I try not to carry much stuff around with me. Especially, you know, lately.
What’s your favorite animal?
Veer: Cats are nice. Low maintenance and independent.
Michael: I like the duck-billed platypus. I’ve never actually met one, but I love the idea of them. Proof that God does have a sense of humor.
Carl: Before I met Toni, I would have said I don’t have one. Now, though, cliché as it may sound, it’s the wolf. They’re really fascinating animals, wonderful once you get to know them.
Gordon: I always wanted to get a dog. Maybe now, once everything’s settled down again, I will.
What do you think about the other MCs?
Veer:
- Michael could be useful, but he needs to overcome his idealism to be able to do what is right.
- Carl is dangerous and immature. His actions are already impeding his goals.
- What happened to Gordon is a perfect example of what I’ve been trying to change. We’re lucky he’s a man of such integrity or we’d all be in big trouble.
Michael:
- Veer talks about dedication to the truth, but she’s keeping secrets. Maybe we can work together, but she can’t be trusted.
- Carl needs to be stopped, thrown in a cell, and never see the light of day again.
- Gordon is too much the diplomat. He needs to stand up and do the right thing. Neutrality in this fight isn’t going to work.
Carl:
- Veer is 100% behind the Alpha, and absolutely cannot be trusted.
- Michael represents rigid law with no regard for human rights or dignity and absolutely cannot be trusted.
- Gordon is an enigma. Who is he really, and what side is he on? Maybe he can be trusted, but only to a certain extent.
Gordon:
- Veer knew about the werewolves but said nothing. Whose side is she on? Does even she know?
- Michael is just too rigid in his thinking. I suppose it comes with being a cop. But a lot of trouble could be avoided if he could consider the big picture.
- Carl’s not a bad kid, but he’s immature, careless, and has too many grand plans without thinking of how his actions will actually affect individual people.
Do you have favorite saying?
Veer: Energy rightly applied and directed will accomplish anything.
Michael: The law must apply equally to all, or it is worthless.
Carl: Ideas aren’t plans and plans aren’t victories.
Gordon: The most common way people give up power is by thinking they don’t have any.
What is your favorite holiday?
Veer: Halloween. I love all the costumes and spooky décor everywhere.
Michael: Thanksgiving. My father always made such a big feast for friends and neighbors who didn’t go anywhere else, and I like continuing that tradition.
Carl: Valentine’s Day. What, I can’t be a romantic?
Gordon: Christmas. Everything shuts down, and Barbara’s still into decorating the house with me.
If you could go anywhere in [the book’s world], where would you go and why?
Veer: Everywhere. I want to see the world. I’ve never been to China and would love to travel through there. Spending a year hunting down werewolf myths throughout Africa would be amazing, too.
Michael: I’d always wanted to see New York City. Can’t imagine working as a cop, there, though. Portland is bad enough.
Carl: Somewhere far, far away, where there are no Alphas. Antarctica, maybe?
Gordon: Somewhere with lots of wilderness, but still the amenities of civilization nearby. Maybe somewhere near Yellowstone.
What do you do to relax?
Veer: Nothing more relaxing than sitting by the fire with a good book
Michael: I like to work with my hands. Building things out of wood.
Carl: Hang out at my local coffee shop with my friends. Solving all the world’s problems over lattes.
Gordon: I like to walk, see the sights, in the neighborhood or somewhere natural.
What is your favorite food?
Veer: I like fish, often with rice. Delicious, but not too heavy.
Michael: Hard to define a favorite. I like complex mixes of flavors, but I’m always experimenting with my cooking, trying new things.
Carl: Cheeseburgers. Toni recently taught me about the wonders of putting bacon on everything, too.
Gordon: It varies. Right now, there’s an incredible Korean place down the street from me. I love the downtown cart pods, too, for lunch.
What is your favorite season?
Veer: Spring. New colors, new beginnings, hope in the future.
Michael: Summer. Barbecuing and boating season.
Carl: Winter. Shut down the city, stay indoors, eat soup instead of food.
Gordon: Summer. School’s out, and I get to spend more time with my daughter.
How would you define happiness?
Veer: Having a good goal, successfully achieved.
Carl: Being free and safe with someone I love.
Gordon: I used to be happy. I’ve already had to re-learn how to once. I suppose it’s possible that someday I may again.
What are you passionate about?
Veer: The truth.
Michael: Justice.
Carl: Freedom.
Gordon: My family.
How do you feel about your government?
Veer: What people seem to forget is that we are the government, all of us. Anything we don’t like about the government, we can change. That’s the whole point of a democracy.
Michael: It’s messy, but it functions. It may not be the best possible, but it’s better than most.
Carl: Which do you mean? Human or Were? Because the two operate completely independent of each other. Neither is trustworthy, but at least the human government is somewhat responsive to the needs of the people. Justice there isn’t dependent on the whims of any one man.
Gordon: It’s improving, albeit slowly. The world I grew up in was not the one my father knew, and I have hope that the world Barbara grows up in will be better yet.
If you could change one thing about [the book’s world], what would it be?
Veer: Human and Were coexisting openly and peacefully is my goal. I am working on changing it.
Michael: It would be easier to stop huge, organized crime gangs, whether or not they’re comprised of werewolves.
Carl: That’s my goal, to change the world. Destroy the tyranny of the Alphas and let the Were live open and free.
Gordon: Racism. It’s done enough damage. What would a world be like without it?
What’s your biggest secret?
Veer: You’re about to find out the big one, so I’ll go ahead and tell you: Werewolves are real. And I am one.
Michael: If I told you, it wouldn’t be a secret.
Carl: I actually like the chaos that recent events have brought. I think it’ll be helpful in the long run.
Gordon: Most of what I’m worried about Barbara is that she’ll get into the same things I was doing at her age.
What’s your biggest fear?
Veer: A life of obscurity.
Michael: Fucking up and putting other people in danger.
Carl: Getting captured and tortured by the goons of the Alpha.
Gordon: Anything happening to Barbara.
What do you think your best quality is?
Veer: A strong work ethic and a drive to accomplish what I want.
Michael: My sense of justice.
Carl: Ugh. I have no idea. I never know how to answer that. I always hated this question in job interviews, too.
Gordon: Maybe my willingness to try new things. I try to keep an open mind, and adjust my thinking as needed.
How would you describe the world you live in?
Veer: Could use some work. Fortunately, there are people willing to put the work in, so it keeps getting better.
Michael: It’s a tough place, where the good guys have to constantly be vigilant, so the bad guys don’t win.
Carl: It could be better. I hate that there are so many who either don’t care or actively fight against making it better.
Gordon: It’s a beautiful place, for all its flaws.
About the Author
I have lived in Portland, Oregon on and off throughout my life.
I’ve been a pizza boy, a Kelly girl, a corporate propagandist, and both a purveyor and debunker of conspiracy theories, and once had to take a class in money laundering and terrorist financing.
I once helped save the world.
You’re welcome.
The 2008 financial collapse was almost entirely not my fault.
I once drove to Guatemala with five people in a Subaru, and I’ve volunteered with archaeologists, where I’ve sifted dirt, flown drones, and dodged a giant boulder. (It wasn’t actually moving, but it was still a close call.)
I’ve been a member of one fundamentalist religion and two secret societies, and ran my first D&D game the summer before I saw my first Star Wars movie.
I’ve programmed satellites and police databases, and lost one job because the project I was working on got shut down by the EFF, and another because Bill Clinton said the wrong thing to an Iranian official.
I’ve also written two novels – so far.
Author Website: https://pluther.us/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PatLuthertheWriter
Twitter: https://twitter.com/plutheus
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plutherus/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@plutherus
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