Rodger Recommends: CALICO By Lee Goldberg

This is really a “pass it on” from one of my readers. Within a week of the release of my thriller Echoes in a Stone, I began getting feedback from readers on the book. It is a Team Walker adventure that drifts into what some have called mystery science fiction. Much of this genre of the last century begins by taking hypothetical guesstimates from current science and extending the ideas into reality sometime in the future.

Echoes in a Stone explores how our current society might react to some impossible, unique and therefore priceless object literally dropping out of the sky. Where did it come from? How could it possibly have been built? Is the object itself the mystery or does it carry something even more mysterious? And, if it does, will the world ever learn more if the object disappears into the hands of a wealthy collector willing to pay almost anything to possess it?

One of my readers pressed me on creating a story in Echoes in a Stone that “might” include steps into our future. That same reader gave me a lead on a great book that did just the opposite. She recommended Lee Goldberg’s book Calico, which takes the reader the opposite direction. Calico explores a mystery set in the present about time travel, not into the future but into the past. My reader noted that if Calico could take us back in time, travel into our future should also be possible. I just finished reading Calico. 

It was a great book from one of the era’s most experienced guides to entertainment. Echoes in a Stone is being compared to Calico, with one stepping back while the other steps forward. I don’t know if that is an apt comparison, but each takes us seemingly impossible places while solving a mystery. Both explore the intriguing plot line of Back to the Future.

After you read both, I’d love to hear your comments on each. 

Rodger That: Stretching To Reach For Something That You Want To Attain

Am I the only one who has been inundated by pollsters asking the same questions week after week? This election cycle seems to be yielding not only one of the ugliest campaign conflicts I’ve ever seen, but a paranoia among all parties about what the American public is really thinking. 

This seems to be driven by one side seeing a slight tilt to the right in American politics after three decades of tilting the other direction and a desire to continue in that direction. It is also driven by a genuine hatred of the President, feelings fanned by endless social media posts.

Much of the vitriol on the left ignores the lessons of two centuries ago when the founding fathers chose to make the United States a Republic instead of a democracy for some very good reasons. On the other side, strong voices continue to lash out at cultural changes that challenge their beliefs. 

It reminds me of a fictional debate between people with strong opinions standing on a stage, screaming at each other because neither can hear, since both are wearing earplugs. I was recently the guest on a podcast by the author Terrence Layhew. Somehow, we drifted into a discussion on equity and equality. This may sound like heresy, but I’m not a big fan of equality.

What I am a fan of is, “stretching to reach for something that you want to attain.” All men are created equal in that we have the opportunity to grow as far as our mental and physical strengths allow. Sometimes others’ positions motivate us to use those strengths. (I would love to one day, in one conversation, be compared to Ernest Hemingway or Ernest K. Gann.)

Now, back to politics and the constant polling. With literally billions of dollars being spent to inspire our opinions, it seems most of it is wasted. We are all different and that makes us interesting. It also challenges us to understand the foundations of the country and then listen to each other instead of the political elites screaming at the top of their lungs like spoiled brats. 

Rodger’s Two Cents: How Will We Bridge Our Differences

A friend of mine, a middle-of-the-pack conservative, and I were invited on a destination fishing trip by another friend. Once on the plane we met the other two participants, both dyed-in-the-wool progressives. It was a great trip with time to discuss a lot of things except politics, drink a beer or two, and harvest some seafood for our families. When the conversation did slip into politics, the parties were civil and there was even some listening. This year my friend couldn’t make the trip, and the two longtime partners chose to go alone rather than invite the more conservative new member, even when it increased their personal expense by thousands of dollars.

In a few days. Carmen and I are off to a writers’ conference in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Preparation for the conference has been exceptional, with warm hospitality from the Canadians toward our American writer and reader friends who will be attending. This, at a time when our two governments have some serious disagreements. Ordinary citizens, brought together by a common love of books and reading, are ignoring the “political” differences. 

Surely, in the United States we are capable of realizing common loves and beliefs that will allow us to simply talk to one another again. One fishing trip isn’t a big deal, but our inability to set aside our political beliefs long enough to enjoy the companionship of others is sad. How can it be that our relationships with people across town are so threatening that we can’t find the same camaraderie that Canadian and American writers and readers can find?

Perhaps most importantly, how will we bridge our differences if we refuse to associate with others who hold “some” different beliefs?

Taste Of The Wild: Game Tenderloin In The Crockpot

One of the great hunting traditions is sharing a harvest meal with your hunting friends and their partners. Tenderloin is the meat of choice for this meal, but traditional grilling means the host isn’t able to join in the pre-meal festivities. This recipe solves that problem, and does it in a way everyone loves.

Prep time: 10 minutes (plus 4 hours soaking) | Cook time: about 4 hours | Serves: about 4
Double the recipe for each additional four people; it scales really well.

Ingredients

• 1 game tenderloin, about 2 pounds, cut into 1-inch-thick steaks

• 6 small portabella mushrooms, chopped into ¼-inch pieces and soaked in boiling water

• Butter for browning

• 1 cup Roma tomatoes, chopped

• 4 green onions, chopped

• ¾ cup burgundy wine

• ½ cup vegetable broth

• 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 tsp herbes de Provence

• 1 tsp juniper berries

• 1 tsp dried thyme

• 1 tsp dried sage, crumbled

• 1 tsp each salt and pepper

• 1 Tbsp cornstarch

Preparation

1. Soak the tenderloin in salt water for at least four hours to remove the blood. Rinse and pat dry.

2. In a skillet, melt butter and sear the tenderloin until lightly browned on both sides.

3. Place the tenderloin in the crockpot and add the mushrooms (including their water), tomatoes, green onions, wine, balsamic vinegar, vegetable broth, garlic and the herbs and spices. The liquid should just cover the meat.

4. Cook on low for three hours. Then stir 1 Tbsp cornstarch into 3 Tbsp water, add it to the pot, and continue cooking for about one hour, until the meat is tender and the sauce thickens.

Serving
I like to serve this over a bed of brown and wild rice. Place the meat on the rice and smother it with sauce from the crockpot. Steamed carrots or green beans go well with this, along with a fresh salad.

Rodger’s Two Cents: Setting Stories in the Wilderness

Among the highlights of the last month was a great podcast conversation with Andrew Child, brother of Lee Child and the author of the last several Jack Reacher books. We discussed his earliest books, and a few of mine, as well as the challenges of taking over a successful series (as Andrew took over Reacher from his brother).

Most of Andrew's stories are set in big cities, like New York and Chicago. That makes a lot of sense for a man who is originally from Birmingham, then New York and Chicago in the U.S. My new book, Echoes in a Stone, takes a reader from Anchorage, to Seattle, and Taipei. I spent years of my pre-writing life building companies and doing political and business consulting around the world. At one point I'd visited so many cities in one year that I woke one morning and had to check my plane ticket to remember where I was.

But a guy with my background craves the ability to get away. That probably explains why a one-year business commitment in Alaska has turned into decades of adventures. And as I get older, I've come to believe that wild places fill a place in the soul, pushing out stress and concerns. Most of us carry the weight of the world, career, family, and social issues hung around our neck. In my travels I found that few people have discovered the power of wild places to help us find what is really important.

In fact, few have ever walked in wilderness, or floated a wild river, or paddled a canoe across a lake where the only sounds are rustling leaves and the call of a loon. But I have, and every experience brings me joy. Even after moments of fear or action, like having a grizzly bear with cubs walk behind me while I'm out in a river with a fly rod, it brings me peace.

Few thriller readers have experienced that, which is why most of my books take a reader into the wild as well as to urban settings. My love of books began reading stories that took me places that I thought I would never see. Eventually my writing has allowed me to visit many of those places. I want readers to join me, to feel how the temporary absence of urban hustle can simplify problem solving, entertain, and leave you with a sense of peace.

Many of my stories feature heroes, bad guys, and dangerous wild places, which makes solving the crises in the story a three-way challenge. In the end, the survivors will probably go sit on a rock near a clear running stream and recover. This comes from one of my strongest personal beliefs: "In the future nothing will be more valuable than the ability to be alone."

And how does Andrew Child fit into this narrative? He and his wife left the city and moved into a home in the wilds of Wyoming.

Rodger Recommends: Reading A Novel Outside Of Your Typical Genre

The last hour of almost every day is spent with a book. I read an average of twenty-five to thirty books every year. Generally, four or five are classics. About a dozen are from bestselling authors you probably know: Brad Thor, Robert Dugoni, Ward Larsen, D.L. Auffenorde, Anne Cleeland, Jon Land, and Marc Cameron. Several of these authors have become good friends.

The rest, about half, are books from new authors. How do I pick them? Some are referrals, some are from authors I met at conferences, but most are just random picks from Facebook ads that are well crafted and offer something outside the box as part of the plot.

I find that my old standbys, conflicts with drug cartels, shoot-em-up gangs in the cities, and Middle East terrorists seldom draw my attention anymore. Current events in the real world are moving faster than most of us can write a novel. The evening news and podcasts are filled with short, violent plots, and people as well as skilled authorities working hard to vanquish the bad guys.

But many newer writers tackle challenges that aren't the subject of the five o'clock news. How about using a vineyard in Oregon as a cover for political assassination as something unique? Or how a single unknown soldier in World War I carves out a place in history? Or the upcoming book from a new friend, set in Rwanda, focused on overcoming police corruption?

Like many of us, I let television fill that empty time slot in the day. But when I pick up a book, I prefer a story that makes you think as well as feel.

I encourage you to pick a novel outside the genre you usually read. The first novel in my Gritt series, Tempest North, or in my Walker series, The Eel and the Angel, will take you places you've never been, with stories that are unique. If not one of my books, find one on Facebook or from some other source that's different, and enjoy.

Rodger That: A Lesson In Optimism

Every once in a while, my eternal optimist temperament hits a bump. It might be international politics. I would love to see regime change in Iran but fear the consequences of an outside power trying to impose it. (My book, The Shadow Game, is built around that concern.) It might be petulance or disease. I remain concerned about how the USA and the world dealt with Covid. It might be domestic divisions. For the first time in my lifetime, I've seen long-term fly-fishing buddies quit talking over their views on society. Are we in such deep trouble as a society that we cannot again come together?

But those momentary lapses in my optimism are usually resolved by something else in my life. My one lapse this August dissolved over the weekend at, of all things, a musical and dance concert. Children from the age of six to eighteen presented a two-hour concert at a major venue in Anchorage, Alaska. The Music Machine has been presented annually by the children of Alaska for more than four decades.

Few people know that Anchorage has one of the most diverse student populations of any city in the world. Hundreds of kids, led by dedicated adults with years of commitment to the show, put on a mesmerizing performance of song and dance, all dedicated to the 250th birthday of the USA. Their joy was contagious. Their commitment to rehearsal was obvious. Their love of country was invigorating. The unity of kids from dozens of cultures and economic backgrounds was eye-opening. How kids from first grade to graduating seniors took care of each other, supported each other, and reached out, even covering mistakes or difficult moments for some who were disadvantaged, delivered a message.

America was born of conflict. It took years to get our constitution right. In the end, we managed to agree to disagree and built a country. Nothing going on in the USA today cannot be overcome by what should unify us. We just have to accept that part of us more than we do what we disagree on. The kids from The Music Machine show that it can be done.

For those who read my books, you might realize a bit of that mindset in the stories. There is good and bad in the world. But our heroes are not all good, and most of the bad guys have some good traits. In my upcoming book, Echoes in a Stone, you will meet really good people doing the wrong thing, helping outright crooks. You will also meet brutal people reaching out to do the right thing. When things are at their worst, most of us will reach out to any hand that can save us.

Taste Of The Wild: Blackened Fish Caesar Salad

A great warm-weather meal, or a treat for an evening when you want something special but not heavy. Pictured here with blackened king salmon, but it also works well with sockeye, silver salmon, walleye, striped bass, or king mackerel, or any fish with real flavor. (Milder white fish like halibut will soak up the seasoning but lose most of its own fish flavor once blackened.)

Serves 4
The Salad

• ½ head romaine lettuce per person, chopped or torn

• 2 slices sweet onion per person, cut into 2-inch strips

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• 1 tbsp shredded parmesan per person

THE DRESSING
Minced garlic - 3 tbsp
Dijon or coarse mustard - 2 tbsp
Anchovy paste - 1 tbsp
Worcestershire sauce - 2 tbsp
Lemon juice - 2 tbsp
Olive oil - 3 tbsp
Finely grated parmesan - 4 tbsp
Mix all ingredients together.

THE FISH

• 1 boneless fish filet, cut into 1-inch-thick strips

• ½ cup Cajun seasoning (Zatarain's recommended)

• 1 tbsp smoked paprika

• 1 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

• Olive oil, for frying

Dust the fish strips in the seasoning mix. Fry in hot olive oil — a cast iron skillet works best — turning when the strips darken. Cook each batch no more than 5 minutes total; you want a blackened outside with a moist interior.

ASSEMBLE
Toss the dressing into the salad, then top with the blackened fish strips. Some like a bite of fish with each bite of salad; others prefer to eat them separately — either way works.

Note: Serving a crowd, or making this a side dish? Crumble the cooked fish over a large salad and toss it all together.

Rodger That: Change

In my upcoming book Echoes in a Stone (September 1, 2026), a middle-aged couple, Brandt and Andrea, who have spent a decade working day and night to make their fortune realize, finally, that the dream they have been chasing might have been a nightmare. They stare at each other, dressed in worn clothing, their hands torn and sore, their faces prematurely aging, and stop.

In one day, after thousands of days of commitment, two things happen. First, they wrap their arms around each other and decide to take charge of redirecting their lives. Second, a new dream appears. But is it also a nightmare?

Persistence has always been a building block of my life and the lives of most of the people who I believe are successful. With that said, beating your head against a door hoping that it will open has never seemed prudent to me. It's true that, as Jack London once wrote, "Life is not always a matter of holding good cards but sometimes playing a poor hand well." Still, after playing that hand, sometimes for years without winning, it has been my personal experience that it is time to fold. Not just fold, but to find a new game.

In Echoes in a Stone, the new game offers promise beyond their wildest dreams and problems they never knew could exist. But every opportunity comes with problems. Brandt and Andrea decide to change, forcing their heads and hearts in a new direction. Chasing the new dream, even with possibly terrifying consequences, is better than beating their heads against that locked door.

I remember when I hung up a successful business career to become a writer. Part of what moved me was reading an essay about George Bernard Shaw, in which he noted, "Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything."

There is a lot of me in the story of Brandt and Andrea, and a lot of all of you who quit a life that wasn't working in order to find one that makes you happy.

Rodger’s Two Cents: Wishful Thinking

I am currently writing a book about the demise of one of today’s most arrogant and damaging world figures. I guess that it is a bit of wishful thinking from someone who loves to take an idea and flesh it in to create a stimulating story.

There are several world figures that this could be about, but in this case, it is about one man who, until he rose to power had accomplished nothing. His rise was so unexpected that he interpreted it as almost a divine moment. He believed that if he could will himself into the spotlight, then that same will would make him almost unstoppable. If he could dream it, it would happen, and no one and nothing would stop him.

In the United States today, we have a major problem about empathy and sympathy. To many of us, showing sympathy to those who are less fortunate, discriminated against, or troubled has led us to demand that society solve the problem. Others of us employ empathy and command ourselves to help, even if it is a little, even if it is to show others how to help themselves. 

I’d love to see both sides compromise on this divide. One person’s problem is not necessarily caused by society. But not all people can solve their problems without some societal reform. But even more importantly, I have come to believe that this divide is a good example of why the government and society that our ancestors built in America works. 

But the leadership in Russia does not have this debate. Vladimir Putin allows no criticism. He tolerates no debate. To him, empathy and sympathy are weaknesses that are intolerable. He despises the history of Nazi abuse in his own country without seeing the same divine arrogance in his own leadership.

We kick, we bite, we scratch in this country and we always have. Even the elected leaders that some among us might not like will term out someday. But that is not true in Russia. So, my question to you is, as I write my story about Putin, how should it end?