Rodger's Two Cents: Two Sides To Conflict

When you write thrillers, many including geopolitical intrigue and conflict between people and groups who both believe they are right, you develop a deep sensitivity to the level of disagreement in the world today. On the grand level of nation to nation, these conflicting beliefs can and do explode into armed conflict. Governments are not very good at debating their core principles or compromising their goals. There is an old saying that applies here: "One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter."

In my writing, I strive to introduce readers to both sides in a conflict. In today's world, that often means introducing three or four or more parties to a conflict. Modern media, especially social media, and artificial intelligence have allowed even small fringe groups outsized power to stir up conflict. As an author, my task is to somehow arrive at a solution to the conflict by the end of a book.

But in my country, the United States of America, we have twisted our political thinking to resemble geopolitical conflicts where we are so set in our beliefs that conflict is acceptable. The assassination of Charlie Kirk lit up my Facebook account with posts that even international political leaders defending their beliefs would reject. How can a citizen of a democracy based on liberty rejoice in the death of someone whose entire career was about encouraging debate among divergent views? One post from a conservative friend caught me completely off guard: "The left needs to remember that we are the side with the guns."

That statement is only true if the right believes that the solution to our disagreements is civil war. In the interim, the man who killed Charlie Kirk and the person who shot up the ICE facility in California prove that the other side also has a small arsenal. Are we so polarized that that is acceptable? My conservative friend's post only makes sense if we allow ourselves to slide into actual armed conflict.

One additional observation: in these examples, the weapon at the scene of the crime did not pull its own trigger. A warped human was responsible for the act. There is a lot of data indicating that the shooters were radicalized by obsessively following divisive media and posts. It would be interesting to know if they ever actually talked with people with divergent views. If they did, they might have at least understood the "other side."

I overheard a conversation a week ago that I appreciated. One person, a staunch progressive, was bemoaning the change in American politics. He noted that many of his liberal friends were "disturbed" by the changes in the country. "I'm willing to talk to conservative friends," he said, "but how do I explain what is happening to other progressives?"

The conservative at the table offered, "The country has been swinging left for three decades, longer than any period in our history without a swing the other way. Maybe it's just our turn."

I'm sure that didn't change the progressive's mind, but he nodded and smiled. They ordered another round. They were talking. 

Rodger That: The Outdoors As Therapy

Last month I featured a picture of my fans and others I invited on a float fishing trip on Alaska's famed Kenai River. The outdoors is like therapy for me—a place where rushing water, eagles in the cottonwood trees, and men and women focusing so intently on what's happening at the end of a fishing line that all of life's stresses disappear.

This month, allow me to introduce you to the extended version of that experience. Last weekend I returned from a nine-day fly-in hunting and fishing trip at the family cabin, two hours by air from our Anchorage home. We spent a week working on things—old-fashioned hammer and saw and wrench and screwdriver things. A fifty-year-old log cabin requires a lot of TLC. Trucks and boats that sit idle seven months of the year age quickly without maintenance.

For all of us, days of working with our hands, away from email, scheduled business meetings, clients, classes, kids' soccer games, and measuring life against a business plan worked even better than a day of fly fishing for resetting one's head, heart, and attitude. What I'd forgotten was the other part of a long wilderness trip.

We got lucky and harvested a nice bull moose on the third day. With about five hundred pounds of organic meat in the meat house, the pressure was off. All of us spent a great deal of time curled up in chairs or on the large couch under the picture window overlooking the river...reading. Getting lost in a story is almost as good as finding a wild place to sit and watch nature. Books from my Gritt Family and Team Walker series were passed from person to person. Other books—from science fiction to crime thrillers and even books recounting historical explorers' trials and tribulations—had their fans.

It was a great reminder of why I write. It's special to open a book and instantly be transported to an exotic place, with exciting people doing good and bad things we might never experience in person. Even more special is when those moments reading the works that authors spend so much time crafting are not interrupted by "regular life." One of my guests, a financial planner from California, offered, "I'd forgotten what it was like not to be wound tight."

I love to share my getaway strategies: reading, outdoors, fishing, and extended time away from normal civilization. All of us are better after we take time to recharge our batteries. I love my career writing stories that I know take my readers to places they might not even know exist. In a way, I share those moments away from everyday life with them, and that makes my life richer.

Allow me to thank Brad Thor for a copy of his latest book, Edge Of Honor, which he dedicated "To the patrons of Beaver Creek cabin." One of the best things about being part of the writing community is collecting signed copies of other authors' works for the cabin library.

Rodger Recommends: Bouchercon 2025

Those of you who follow my escapades know that Carmen and I were in New Orleans for one of the premier writer/reader conferences in the nation, Bouchercon. This conference, named after famed writer Anthony Boucher, one of America’s early mystery writer superstars, has been held every year since 1970. It’s an all-volunteer event held in a different city every year. New Orleans is one of our favorite cities to play in, so the trip had special value to us. Next year Bouchercon will be in Calgary. 

For a writer, the conference offers the opportunity to meet readers from across the nation and many nations around the world. I come away from every conference with ideas for new stories and feedback to make my writing better. Spending time with other writers, exchanging notes on what is going on in the industry and the hot new directions and topics is invaluable. Participating in panels gives a writer an opportunity for exposure and to share with the other writer panelists, writers and readers in the audience.

But what’s in it for readers? The international readers organization, Sisters In Crime, is always deeply involved in the conference. For an avid reader, the opportunity to meet favored authors and even to offer criticism and ideas is exciting. Feeling that those authors are listening is rewarding. If you read mostly techno-thrillers, or some other genre, a conference like Bouchercon offers exposure to new and different themes. You will meet authors who you might never have heard of, authors whose writing is as good or better than many big-name writers. And you will find that the big-name authors are normal people who really enjoy meeting the people that make their career possible, those of you who buy books.

At every conference I meet new readers. Often it is someone who will come up after a panel and offer, “that was amazing, I never considered your work.” I remember two women from Ohio who came up while I was signing books. Both only read romance and especially appreciate romantic mysteries. “We never thought about romance in a historical adventure,” offered one of them. “But we’re going to buy your Gritt Family books. Telling adventure stories that follow one family from generation to generation, must have a great love story or there won’t be a new generation,” offered the other. They were right. Everything I write includes a great love story. In life, worry, fear, excitement, adventure, exploration, and even pain is all more passionate and deeply felt when shared with those you care about. I’ve been told over and over that my adventures don’t fit any one genre. Perhaps that adds depth and intrigue to my stories.

So, here’s my recommendation: find a writer-reader conference and attend. Start with one close to home, then try a national conference. They are held from coast to coast. Think about it: unlike television or movie fans who rarely meet their heroes, writers go out of their way to meet, listen to, and celebrate their fans—you, the readers. If you choose Bouchercon, perhaps we’ll meet in Calgary. 

A Taste Of The Wild: Korean BBQ Ribs

Korean marinades and other Asian flavors such as teriyaki go extremely well with wild game. I know hunters who trim the meat from the rib cages and leave the bones in the field. To me, that wastes one of the most flavorful and fun parts of a deer, elk, goat, antelope, or moose. Here is one of my favorite preparations for wild game ribs.

Preparation
First, I cut the ribs into about 12-inch lengths. For smaller game, I leave two or three ribs connected, and for larger game like moose, I divide the ribs into single ribs.

I prepare the ribs by trimming and discarding all blood and large sections of fat. Next, I soak the ribs in salt water overnight to extract the blood. Pat them dry and you're ready for the marinade.

Place the ribs or rib sections in a crockery or glass bowl and cover with this marinade:

Marinade
2 cloves of garlic, chopped and crushed

½ cup of soy sauce

¼ cup of sesame oil (vegetable oil will do, but sesame is better)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger

3 tablespoons of brown sugar

2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoons of sesame seeds

2 teaspoons of black pepper

6 scallions or green onions, chopped fine

Place the dish in the refrigerator overnight. Stir the ribs occasionally to cover the meat evenly.

Grilling
Place the ribs or rib sections on a medium-hot grill for about eight to ten minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the meat. I like to add trimmed green onions or asparagus to the grill when I flip the meat. (Brush them with a 50/50 mixture of oil and soy sauce before grilling.)

You can trim the meat from the bones with a knife as you eat, or put on your barbarian hat and eat them with your hands.

The meal goes well with steamed white rice. For you barbarians, a fork is handy for the rice.

Rodger Recommends: New Orleans…Bouchercon

About the time this blog is published, I will be off to New Orleans for Bouchercon. 

This is one of the premier conferences in the writing industry, and the one that is most welcoming to readers and the general public. I bump into more of my readers there than any other conference.

Each year Bouchercon moves to a different city. This is an all-volunteer effort which is extraordinary since it includes literally dozens of seminars as well as a bookstore where many great authors you have never heard of, offer extraordinary books. Many sessions encourage readers to chat with authors about their work, and some walk away with a signed edition. 

I will be joining five great authors on a panel that will discuss how authors infuse mysteries and thrillers with espionage and intrigue. My fellow panelists have been writing international intrigue stories for years. A couple of us have years of experience in politics, law and business in countries in Europe, Asia, and South America, which really helps with the authenticity of what we write. As I write this, the summit between Putin and Trump is taking place only five miles from my home in Alaska. Having lived and worked overseas experience helps make a story real. For example, if you’ve spent a lot of time in Russia as I have, you know that while the Russian people by and large look European, culturally they are more Asian where saving FACE means everything.

(This may be why helping Putin get out of an endless war is so challenging. He cannot admit that he made a mistake or worse that he failed.)

But, before I go, let me give a big shoutout to New Orleans itself. This is one of Carmen and my favorite cities. The Mississippi River gives it a southern feel and the multicultural history from Native, Spanish, French and American control is rich with stories. It is a cosmopolitan city with a blue collar feel, a place where skin color only matters if you don’t love ‘Nawlens.’ It is also a city filled with great music, from jazz and blues to Cajun. The cuisine is also a bit blue collar, and features seafood, oysters, shrimp, redfish and crayfish. Local farms produce greens and other southern favorites as well as pork and chicken. Many of the restaurants feature simple southern cooking while others have taken the same ingredients and turned them into works of art.

But a caution, some places, especially those on Bourbon Street serve a fluorescent green drink that goes down like soda but can kick the hell out of you if you ask for another. Many of the bars and restaurants have great drink menus. My favorite New Orleans cocktail is a Pimm’s Cup. I’ll let you explore it yourself. While there, we’ll spend some time exploring small restaurants and bars housed in buildings built before the Civil War. In some we’ll find extraordinary music from artists and bands that the rest of the country will never hear of. We’ll enjoy a drink and then wander on to look for the next special moment of our visit in a very special city.

Rodger’s 2 Cents: You Are The Key

Writing and publishing today is a tough job. I don’t mean the actual creation of a great story. I’m talking about the business of being a writer. The publishing industry is feeling the same pain as Hollywood, and both film and television. (Have you noticed how many A list actors and actresses are doing commercials now, just to pay the bills?)

What’s happened to both media and publishing is a massive increase in content which makes it difficult to stand out for even great books and shows. As a writer, it is almost impossible to reach the mass public through advertising. Even a great looking cover might get a few seconds of face time as prospective readers flip through a magazine, or switch from show to show or scowl through social media.

So, how do great books get recognized? The best advertising a writer can have is a reader who finishes a great story and then (1) tells their friends about it including their social media friends and (2) takes a minute to post a review. That review can be done in seconds through the locations where they bought the book. Many readers know local literary critics, people who write newspaper, local magazine or television reviews. If you finish a great read, tell those people about the book. (They really get tired of trying to put lipstick on the pigs that the publishing houses send them, so they appreciate a referral to a book they will love from someone local.) 

Many authors, including me, offer special book giveaways for targeted readers. I personally appreciate the men and women in uniform and veterans so my website will often include special offers, including free books to them. Many of those readers have a background that gives them a special credibility when reviewing a book. A teacher has special credibility reviewing a book about the classroom. A lawyer has insight that makes their review of a legal thriller more honest. A politician or someone with a military background can often hit a high point that lights up the public when reviewing a political, historical or military thriller.

To readers of the Books of Rodger Carlyle, you are the key to the rest of the public finding my work. I thank you for taking a minute to tell them about my stories.

Rodger That: More Than A Fan

This last week I had the great pleasure of an extended day with a fan of my Team Walker Series. Scott Alstrom from the Seattle area and his son Alex. They joined me for a fabulous float fishing trip on Alaska’s famous Kenai River. Also along was my son-in-law, Clancy, my grandson, Chase and Mark, a great friend who also is an early copy reader and critic of my books.

I guess it is no surprise that many of my readers are also outdoor enthusiasts. I get a lot of comments like, “I couldn’t stop reading,” and “after an hour with your book, I was right there feeling the fear along with your characters.” Any writer loves to hear that a story captivates the reader, and making my readers part of every story is a goal I work hard on. 

But with the entire world available, I also get a lot of feedback on settings for my stories. The outdoors is my sanctuary. My previous career in the corporate world as a consultant and doing political consulting, I found significantly stressful. I learned then that a hike in the mountains or just sitting on a rock watching a crystal-clear river flow helped balance my life. A day on a river with a flyrod recharged me then and even more now that my career is all about creating thrilling plots, and characters whose stress is only relieved by a great story ending. 

The outdoors, from Mexican ocean scenes to wilderness mountains and wild rivers, works its way into every one of my stories. I love to hear things like, “I could feel the raging wind on my face,” or “I just knew that the serenity on that lake was about to explode.” The newest Team Walker book, due out next summer , will take the reader from a remote cabin on the famous Iditarod River to the total wilderness of Russia’s Chukchi Peninsula. The final setting on the endless gyrating ice of the Bering Sea takes me back to one of my favorite trips. A year ago, Carmen and I led a creative writing class for the kids at America’s most isolated school on Little Diomede Island only a few miles from Russia. The setting was brutal, with screaming winds and below zero temperatures, but the kid’s creativity and the village’s welcoming made it a joy to be there.

By July 2026 many of you will be able to let me know if I did a good job bringing you into that extreme wilderness with me.

Which gets me back to the fishing trip on the Kenai River. I’d like to hear about your favorite natural, wild, getaways. There’s a good chance that I would love to visit your sanctuary. On the Kenai fishing trip, we happened to hit the middle of a historically huge run of Sockeye Salmon, more than 3.7 million fish. Six of us hooked at least a hundred salmon before we turned our attention to fishing for Arctic Char and Rainbow Trout. We brought home nine salmon, but we could have taken dozens. In just an hour of trout fishing we caught and released at least a dozen fish. The ride home was all smiles and lies, I mean fishing stories. I’m including two pictures. One is Chase with a salmon and the other the guide and me with a nice rainbow. 

Let me close by offering a shoutout to Jason Lesmeister of Jason’s Guide Service in Cooper Landing, Alaska. I’ve had the pleasure over three decades of watching him become one of the best guides I’ve ever fished with. He just has a knack of helping everyone have a ball.    

A Taste Of The Wild: Gourmet Moose Burgers

Everyone has a favorite burger. This is mine. It is different in that you substitute the standard burger bun for two slices of Naan bread. Naan is a leavened oven-baked flatbread popular in India, South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. The Naan “bun” replaces the doughy flavor of a regular bun with a crisper buttery wrap for your burger. A second element that adds to the gourmet flavor is to smash the burger very thin. What’s on the burger is also different in that I replace the standard lettuce, tomato, pickle finish with sauteed onions and mushrooms. So on to the recipe.

INGREDIENTS (for each burger) This scales perfectly.
1 quarter pound wild game burger patty smashed to about 3/8 inches thick.
2 slices Naan Bread (available at many grocery stores and at Costco)
1 slice of extra sharp cheddar cheese
Butter
Mayonnaise
Sliced sweet onion
Sliced baby portabella mushrooms
Salt, pepper, smoked paprika
(other condiments like ketchup and mustard if you choose)

PREPARATION
Brown two slices of Naan bread on both sides in a tiny amount of butter and set aside.

In the same pan, add a bit more butter, sauté mushrooms and onions until transparent and set aside.

Season the burger patty with a small amount of salt, pepper, smoked paprika and fry until there is no pink inside. (Maybe two minutes on each side)

ASSEMBLY
Prepare the Naan slices with condiments you like, or none at all to preserve the butter taste. I like a little mayonnaise and a touch of mustard.

Lay the cheese on one slice of Naan and then top it with the cooked burger patty right out of the pan. Top with sautéed mushrooms and onions. Add the second slice of Naan bread as a topper and enjoy.

This burger goes well with a macaroni salad, corn on the cob, or coleslaw.

Rodger Recommends: Great Company

As I write this, I am only five weeks away from attending one of my favorite writer and reader conferences: Bouchercon, September 3 - 7 in New Orleans.

I’m proud to be invited to be a panelist on Mysteries and Thrillers Infused with Espionage and Intrigue, a genre that precisely defines my writing in the Team Walker Series. 

The panel includes five extraordinary writers. I’m familiar with two of them from previous conferences. The other two I know only by reputation and their remarkable success. The moderator is an amazing writer herself, A.M. ADAIR draws on a career in naval intelligence to create gripping stories. I read her book, A New Game, from cover to cover on a flight last year.

I was the moderator on a panel at Bouchercon previously and one of my panelists, CHRISTOPHER SWAN, a Georgia based writer had to cancel at the last minute. But in preparing for the panel, I read his Shadow of the Lions, set in an elite small school in the south. His characters, especially Matthias Glass, are so real that you can hear them talking to you. The story is a mystery set in a setting that cannot hold mysteries; a simple ‘what happened’ that becomes ‘is this even possible?’ I am looking forward to finally meeting Christopher.

DACO S. AUFFENORDE, is an award-winning author from the south. Her background is in creative writing, but family experiences give her a deep understanding of technology, science and human strengths and weakness. I just bought her book, Cover Your Tracks, a story of complex lives, just trying to survive in a rugged outdoor setting. As an Alaska based writer, any story set in mountains, storms and snow intrigues me. I look forward to meeting Daco.

BRETT BATTLES is the kind of professional author that someone with less than a decade of fiction experience, like me, is in awe of. A California writer, he has written over forty novels. I read his novel The Deceived years ago and I studied his remarkable plot and a little of his style filtered into my work. The Deceived won the prestigious Barry Award. He understands the business of writing like few others, and the first part of that is to write great books. I’m honored to be seated close to a legend.

A.C. FRIEDEN could not have a better background for writing espionage and intrigue. Born in Africa and educated first in science and then in law including studying law in Moscow, he speaks at least four languages, and his wife Elena helps him with his Russian when needed. His international law practice takes him all over the world. We met at Bouchercon a year ago and became friends. The hero of his stories somehow gets dragged out of New Orleans and into impossible situations that a small-town lawyer should never face. I’ve now read two of his books, Midnight in Delhi and The Pyongyang Option. A.C.’s personal travels in North Korea, made The Pyongyang Option a favorite, as few writers have ever visited the hermit kingdom. We’ve both roamed all over the globe and the authenticity of his settings, both geographic and culturally is extraordinary. I love his work.

Rodger’s 2 Cents: Politics And Fishing

I recently went on a fishing trip with an old friend and two new ones, an exercise in learning. The others, one a retired federal attorney, another an architect, and my close friend Mark, a retired business and real estate attorney, were all committed progressives. I’m a relatively conservative independent, one who understands the appeal of the Trump Presidency to much of the nation. We were fishing the same day that about five million Americans participated in the “No Kings” protest. My two new fishing friends were appalled that anyone could support the President. We became friends, but there remained a little tension even as we dined together. 

Our conversations of what was right and working in the country versus areas of crisis were tinged by a genuine hatred for Trump. But in the end, what became clear is that we could not have a civil debate because we didn’t even agree on the definitions of what we discussed. It began with a difference over the founding of the country. 

LIBERTY:
The state of being free within society from OPPRESSIVE restrictions imposed by authority on one’s way of life, behavior, or views. The primary founding vision for THE UNITED STATES is LIBERTY. Liberty applies to all of us and is critical in a nation where we are free to have very different views. It is why it is so difficult to settle the divide on issues like abortion rights. The supreme court decision that the federal government has no role in this issue fits the definitions of liberty in our constitution but infuriates those who saw the federal government as a policeman enforcing their views on the issue.

EQUITY VS EQUALITY: 
EQUITY is the quality of being fair and impartial. A person or group attacking a problem with equity in mind focuses on being impartial to all in looking for solutions. It is the basis for demanding educational performance to give all citizens the best possible chance to advance themselves. It demands that authority (like government) treat everyone the same but understands that we are all different with different backgrounds and skills, and outcomes.

EQUALITY is the state of being equal, especially in status and rights. Where those who focus on equity try to level the playing field, those whose focus is equality do whatever is necessary to assure an equal outcome. Unless all finish the game relatively equal, the rules to the game need changing. Again, government is often called on to tip the scales to the desired outcome.

EMPATHY VS SYMPATHY:
EMPATHY is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person. Can you step into their shoes even if you have never been in the same situation? Approaching with empathy demands that you support that person’s strengths and help them learn the skills to overcome.

SYMPATHY is a feeling of sincere concern for someone who is experiencing something difficult or painful. A person approaching a problem from a sympathy perspective must do everything possible to make the others pain go away to make their own pain stop.

One approach sees an imperialistic government solving problems: the other a liberated citizen.