In 1997 five former L.A. cops unite for lunch. They reminisce about
their lives on LAPD's strong blue line of silence during the turbulent
1960's; their assignments at 77th Street Division; racism, riots and the
3-b's. Tension grips them all when their conversation strays into a
time two months before the 1965 Watts Riot -- the Board
of Rights hearing against a fellow white officer who accused the LAPD
of being racist. One of them corroborated the accusation at the hearing,
and he added: "All hell's going to break loose down there if you don't
stop the abuse."
Q: I notice the new dust jacket for After a While You Wonder. What's that all about?
A:
The image of the young man sitting forlorn with L.A. burning in the BG
is the cover I originally wanted. I knew I had seen that image in 1965
but couldn't find it in my search in 2009 before the book was released.
In 2012 I "reopened this cold case" and voila! It was buried deep in the
L.A. Times archives. I had been searching for a newspaper article but
the image is not from an article. It was a cover for the L.A. Times
magazine "The View FromWatts', a reprint of a series of 1965 articles --
57 years ago.
Q: That's a long time ago. What
relevance do you attach to it?
A: The time frame
is the essence of the story. That sad young man, his shoe shine kit,
his city burning in August 1965. And 27 years later -- 1992, it happens
again. Each time, each occurrence started with an action by or reaction
to the LAPD. No doubt, after a while -- they too wonder, why?
Q: And the new jacket, cover -- layout, design?
A: It identifies with the sequel, Tuesday After Next, in design and layout; a consistent cover theme for the trilogy.
Q: Are you writing the third novel now?
A: Yes.
END
