Good morning, Caroline. Thanks for taking time away from your busy day to speak with us. First, tell us a bit about Casino Queen.
Caroline Popov, alone,
heartbroken, and deeply in debt ends up in glamorous Palm Springs, California. Native
American casinos have just opened, thousands
of people from all over the world came to work there, money flowed like water,
and real estate became the new status symbol. And then came The Great
Recession, and suddenly the partying stopped.
Alone,
desperate and deeply in debt, she lands a job at the Palm Oasis Casino. She is
mentored by the charismatic tribal chairman, John Tovar. Embraced by casino
culture, Caroline works her way up to casino manager of the Night Hawk, in the
High Desert town of Joshua Tree. There, she is responsible for managing
multicultural team members, satisfying the demands of challenging guests,
growing revenue while rooting out corruption. As she moves up through the ranks
of management, her bond with John deepens.
In the process of uncovering the
underbelly of corruption her list of enemies grows. Sometimes you have to
gamble like your life depends on it. With her life on the line can she pull out
a win?
What made you
choose the casino industry for a career? I always enjoyed playing in the
casino, but I never seriously considered it for a career. I guess you can say
it chose me. When I found myself deeply in debt, Shotowa Tribal Chairman John
Tovar threw me a lifeline. He offered me a job in management training at the
casino. Palm Springs wasn’t a very big town and the Palm Oasis was the biggest
employer. I also must admit I was intrigued about what it would be like to
stand behind the table as a dealer.
I
have not regretted this career for a second. At the moment John offered me a
job I could barely get up in the morning. I felt like a total failure, both
personally and professionally. Sometimes when you’re down you feel like you
don’t deserve anything, but then John stepped in and changed my life. He didn’t
just give me a job he gave me an identity. I worked with so many great people, it
felt like a big family. I never felt lonely on the casino floor. Pretty soon I
looked forward to going to work, to hear the latest gossip.
My
biggest fear is that everyone will find out what a fraud I am. I need to be
honest with my employees, or they will tune me out. Every day I have to go to
work with the fate of my team members in my hands. I know that a little fear is
a necessary thing, it keeps people honest, but I also want the face of the
house employees to have a positive and upbeat attitude. The juggling act of
balancing the two is a very tricky proposition. There is room for a little
heart in the casino.
Who is your
favorite fictional character? Becky Sharp from the Victorian novel Vanity
Fair. I read it at a young age, and her honesty was a refreshing change of
pace. She is presented as a social climber but circumstance made her live the
way she did. Orphaned at an early age she had to make her way in a male
dominated society with marriage her only option. I love Becky because she’s
funny and cynical, but underneath it all there is a heart beating, faintly. I
love characters that show their shades of gray.
What is the best
piece of advice you ever received? My accountant gave it to me at the
beginning of the Great Recession when everyone was losing their homes: “If you
ever consider buying a home in the future, only buy if you make the payments on
a thirty-year fixed loan. No adjustable, no interest only, or any other kind of
crazy loan the banks make up, only fixed interest.” If this saves one person
reading this, my job will be done. His advice came too late to help me.
Thanks, Caroline.
Now we’d like to chat with Cara.
Which writer
influenced this novel? The
first time I read Charles Bukowski was a revelation. He wrote in such a simple
manner about his everyday life and what an unconventional life he led. He loved
to go to the track, get drunk and chase women. Reading his work, I felt like I
was sitting at the bar next to him listening to his tales. I read him just when
I got into the casino business.
I
also love Shopgirl by the actor Steve Martin. We lived in Palm Springs
and would often make the drive to Los Angeles. His spare book presented such a
spot-on portrait of the city, his descriptions so real. His protagonist
Mirabella captured the loneliness of a young woman trying to make her place in
the big city, far from home and practically friendless.
With
regard to research, where did you start for this novel? Did that lead you down
different paths, thereby changing the original concept. I
found the perfect backdrop for my novel while hiking in the High Desert of
Southern California. A refuge for artists, ex-Marines and desert rats. The sky
was always blue, and the rocks at Joshua Tree National Park looked like giant
Jenga pieces precariously balanced, ready to fall. We loved hiking in the park,
an isolated place near the largest Marine base in the world. The Night Hawk
casino near that base became the setting for my novel.
The characters were familiar to me from my two
decades working in the casino industry. Fortunately, I worked for the most
charismatic tribal chairman in America. People always asked me, “What’s a nice
girl like you doing working in a place like this?” Now I can honestly say,
“Research.” The characters in my head just kept letting me know how they wanted
their story told. All the pieces of the story came together in an organic way
to capture that special time and place.
In my first draft I think I tried to write two
books in one. Once I began working with my editor Kaycee John, she wanted to me
to shorten a sub-plot and expand the stories about life in the casino. I think
focusing the book on one subject added to the realism. I kept the original
theme of the story but as I like to say I just added some spice to the mix.
Tell us about your publisher. My
publisher is The Wild Rose Press. I had seen and read novels by them, so when I
was querying, I decide to submit to them. They offered a quicker response and a
great royalty rate. I sent them a query letter, they read the first five pages,
and asked for more, then the next fifty, and finally the complete manuscript. I
spent a year in the editing process, writing and rewriting. What I loved about
the editing process was that I got to polish every sentence, and send it to a
professional who knew her stuff, but most importantly what would attract an
audience.
What are you reading right now? French
Ghost by a fellow Wild Rose writer. It is a fun romp
through Paris, and a mystery with so many twists and turns. I love to read
about good food, beautiful places and handsome men. This book has it all!
What’s up next for you? I
am thrilled to announce that The Big Thrill will be doing an author interview
with me for their April issue. Here is the link: The Big Thrill
Plus,
My husband and I met when we were working for Princess Cruises. In April, we
have booked a cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Copenhagen. The first part of the
cruise is six straight sea days. One of my friends said she would jump over
board if she had to be at sea that long. We can’t wait. For me there is nothing
as great as standing on the deck of a ship in the middle of the ocean. After
the cruise we will travel across Europe to visit his family and mine. I plan to
tweet about my travels. You can follow our journey online. I know people are
curious. Is it okay to cruise again? We’ll let you know.
Where can readers find you? I love connecting
with my readers. Please send me a picture with Casino Queen at: mailto:carabertoia@yahoo.com
Other
social media contacts:
Cara
Bertoia – Author (godaddysites.com)
Cara
Bertoia (@carabertoia) • Instagram photos and videos
TikTok: tiktok.com/@carabertoia
Here are the links to buy my book. It can
also be bought at any online bookseller.
Casino Queen by Cara Bertoia | NOOK Book
(eBook) | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)
