Read an interview with Tammy Pasterick, author of Beneath the Veil of Smoke and Ash #HistoricalFiction #PittsburghHistory #PennsylvaniaHistory #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @TammyPasterick @maryanneyarde

Beneath the Veil of Smoke and Ash

By Tammy Pasterick

It’s Pittsburgh, 1910—the golden age of steel in the land of opportunity. Eastern European immigrants Janos and Karina Kovac should be prospering, but their American dream is fading faster than the colors on the sun-drenched flag of their adopted country. Janos is exhausted from a decade of twelve-hour shifts, seven days per week, at the local mill. Karina, meanwhile, thinks she has found an escape from their run-down ethnic neighborhood in the modern home of a mill manager—until she discovers she is expected to perform the duties of both housekeeper and mistress. Though she resents her employer’s advances, they are more tolerable than being groped by drunks at the town’s boarding house.

When Janos witnesses a gruesome accident at his furnace on the same day Karina learns she will lose her job, the Kovac family begins to unravel. Janos learns there are people at the mill who pose a greater risk to his life than the work itself, while Karina—panicked by the thought of returning to work at the boarding house—becomes unhinged and wreaks a path of destruction so wide that her children are swept up in the storm. In the aftermath, Janos must rebuild his shattered family—with the help of an unlikely ally.

Impeccably researched and deeply human, Beneath the Veil of Smoke and Ash delivers a timeless message about mental illness while paying tribute to the sacrifices America's immigrant ancestors made.

Publication Date: 21st September 2021
Publisher: She Writes Press
Page Length: 371 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction

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INTERVIEW

Writing Interview questions.

Why did you choose to write your book in this era?

This book is the result of a genealogy project that took on a life of its own. I researched the lives of my great-grandparents who immigrated to America at the turn of the twentieth century from Slovakia and Lithuania. I was so in awe of the challenges they faced that I wanted to recreate their world for today’s readers. I hope the story gives people a greater appreciation for the bravery of immigrants—both past and present.  

What is the most surprising thing you discovered while you were researching this era?

I was shocked by the number of accidents and deaths in the steel and coal mining industries at the turn of the twentieth century. Many corporations considered immigrant workers expendable and did not make health and safety a priority.

Can you share something about the book that isn’t covered in the blurb?

There are several very dramatic chapters in the book that take place in a coal mine, and readers will want to know what happens to a mule named Gus.

If you had to describe your protagonist, in three words, what would those three words be?

Sad, exhausted, misunderstood.

What are you currently working on?

I’m mostly working on publicity and marketing for Beneath the Veil of Smoke and Ash, but ideas for my second novel are floating around in my head. It’s a drama about a German family set during World War II, but I can’t find the time to get any words on paper.

Personal Interview questions.

What do you like to do when you are not writing?

I have a wide variety of hobbies, but my favorites are reading, traveling, skiing, and photography. I’ve never been much of a sports fanatic, but nothing brings me more joy than watching my kids play soccer and baseball.  

What did you want to be when you grew up?

I always wanted to be a world traveler, but I knew no one would pay me to do that. I considered becoming a history professor, a psychologist, and a lawyer, but ended up studying labor relations and German. My detour into writing has been a pleasant surprise!

What’s your favourite food?

Chocolate.

Either or!

Tea or coffee: Tea

Hot or cold: Cold

Movie or book: Book

Morning person or Night owl: Morning person

City or country: Country

Social Media or book: Book

Paperback or ebook: Paperback

A native of Western Pennsylvania, Tammy Pasterick grew up in a family of steelworkers, coal miners, and Eastern European immigrants. She began her career as an investigator with the National Labor Relations Board and later worked as a paralegal and German teacher. She holds degrees in labor and industrial relations from Penn State University and German language and literature from the University of Delaware. She currently lives on Maryland's Eastern Shore with her husband, two children, and chocolate Labrador retriever.

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