About the Author

I’ll bet the bank that I’ll be the only belle at the opera ball wearing this accessory.”

Art by Raina Borgardt

Music and Lyrics by James Olm; Vocalist: Ashley Hirsh

Kay Sparling

Kay Sparling is an international opera and sacred singer. Now retired, she lives in the Upper Midwest with her feline writing buddy, the invincible Paducah. When not teaching voice lessons or writing, Kay enjoys gardening, hiking, adventure travelling, and cooking for family and friends.

Kay Sparling

MEET THE AUTHOR – A conversation with Kay Sparling, author of “Mission Thaw” [Reader Views]

 

Hi Kay, welcome to Reader Views! What is Mission Thaw: a Kaitlyn Stewart Spy Thriller about and what was your inspiration behind the story?

The story is about an American opera singer, Kaitlyn Stewart, who is an apprentice at the Vienna State Opera and is recruited by the CIA as a high-profile special agent. Her assignment is to infiltrate and gather intel on a human trafficking cartel headed by dirty Western businessmen, the KGB, and East Germans. The plight of the victimized refugees inspired me to write this story.

What drew you to choose the waning days of the Soviet Union and East Germany as your backdrop?

I was working in Austria in the 1980s and was witnessing the treatment of the masses of refugees fleeing into Western countries. In addition to opera, I was singing in the big cathedrals and working with many priests that were assigned to oversee the refugee camps. Through time, I became involved and volunteered in the camps as well.

What motivated Kaitlyn Stewart’s transformation from Iowa farm girl to Viennese opera singer?

Kaitlyn’s singing gained popularity at a very young age. She thought being a professional singer and seeing the world was a heck of a lot more fascinating than settling down in her farm community. Through the years, she was encouraged by college and graduate school scholarships, professional roles at a young age, awards at competitions, until finally she lands an international apprenticeship. The drive to succeed gains momentum when Kaitlyn is in middle school. That’s when she buys a map of New York City and places pins on major Broadway theaters and the Metropolitan Opera.

How does Kaitlyn’s opera career intersect with her espionage activities throughout the story?

Because Kaitlyn is an international singer, she is able to be a part of the higher echelon of society, including heads of state. This is a great advantage for the CIA, especially since one of the main bosses of the trafficking cartel is an opera fanatic and mentor to the Vienna State Opera. The glamor of the opera world fits in perfectly with the European jetsetters. Kaitlyn is a virtuoso and is able to use her talents to manipulate the cartel boss and his rich opera aficionado friends.

In what ways does Vienna’s cultural tapestry intertwine with your narrative?

Throughout the book, Kaitlyn gives the reader a tour through high society music-loving Vienna. Lavish scenes are set in the Vienna State Opera, the Sacher Hotel, Sigmund Freud Park, the Mozart Café, and even the largest cemetery, the Weiner Zentralfriedhof.

How did the Austrian mountain setting shape the plot or influence character decisions?

The Alps bring on a completely different set of obstacles for the team of commandos. The mountain terrain in winter proves difficult to navigate. The high altitude continually tests the strength and endurance of the team, and the blizzard conditions hinder both communications and transportation.

Kaitlyn’s growth from observer to operative is significant. What milestones mark her development?

The first time is when she’s ordered to be a part of the electronic surveillance team. Secondly, it would be the first time she is attacked and has to fight. And thirdly, would be when she’s ordered to assault rifle training. These are all things that came about that Kaitlyn wasn’t expected to do.

Tell us about Kaitlyn’s team of commandos. What makes each member unique?

Clive is the longest-serving agent on the mission, he’s a master of disguise and overall, the best of the best in espionage.
Bram is the youngest team member and is a combat warrior.
Ron has come up the ranks and is a fearless and wise leader. He is a man of color that has climbed to the top in the 1980s.
Drew has a tremendous talent with languages and dialects and is an expert in Austrian history.
Ulrich is a master computer scientist and surveillance device designer. He and Peter are partners in the time of don’t ask, don’t tell.
Peter, a blueblood Bostonian, Opera wizard and is indispensable in navigating through Viennese high society. Again, he is a gay man serving in the CIA.

What research process did you undertake to create believable neo-Nazi slave traders as antagonists?

Again, my first resource was my own experiences with the neo-Nazi movement in the 1980s and the agents I met in the field at that time. Other sources were interviewing victims or their families of neo-Nazi assaults and reading press reports of incidents during that period.

What challenges did you face in addressing the serious topic of human trafficking within your novel?

The sheer horror of the content of the reports. Interviewing women who had been assaulted. Many sleepless nights and being warned by literary agents to not include the content if I wanted to sell a lot of books.

Why did you choose to include graphic scenes in the novel, and how do they impact the overall narrative?

I feel that telling the whole truth is the only possibility for the stories of trafficking victims of the past and present. It is simply not enough for the general public to know that people are trafficked. They must face the fact that other than complete genocide, there is no worse atrocity than human trafficking. Kaitlyn and her team get their drive and perseverance in this mission from the victims they have encountered.

How does humor function in your writing to balance the serious themes and tense situations in the book?

Spy thrillers are so intense and rough at times, always jumping from one danger to the next. I feel there has to be an ebb and flow of emotional content, to give the reader a chance to relax for just a little bit and get to know the team in a more personal perspective. I’ve written the characters of Kaitlyn and Bram to offer the mission some comic relief.

Your novel maintains a brisk pace throughout. What’s your secret to keeping readers on the edge of their seats?

Ha! A gazillion rewrites. No seriously, since I’ve been an actor for most of my life, I write like I’m writing a screenplay. Always focus on the action of the story and don’t get bogged down with unnecessary fluff, write short chapters, and leave the reader in suspense at the end of chapters.

In what ways does Kaitlyn’s musical background prepare her for the dangers of espionage?

Anyone familiar with the international opera world will tell you it takes amazing dedication, resilience, and guts to climb your way to the top. Those experiences along with years of foreign language studies give Kaitlyn a leg up in the duties of espionage.

How did you integrate musical elements into the spy thriller genre?

In order for Kaitlyn to be successful in her assignment, she must break into a star position at the opera house. This will require her to be a flawless performer. I let the reader be inside of her head and body during her international debut. They get a glimpse of the complicated vocal and theatrical techniques that are required of a true virtuoso. This builds suspense because she only gets one chance, to sink or swim.

Espionage techniques have evolved over time. What intrigued you most about Cold War-era spy craft?

Compared to present-day techniques, it is a wonder that they were able to gather intel as well as they did during the end of the Cold War. Planting bugs required an agent at the locale and a surveillance team hidden in the same locale as the planted bug. The dangers for those agents was intense. Bugging landlines was also a common technique. These required a lot of field agents. Nowadays, surveillance techniques are pretty limitless and can be handled by just a few agents far away from the targeted locale.

What specific skills or experiences from your background proved unexpectedly useful in writing this book?

My singing career and where it took me and my upbringing. My parents taught me to have the courage to take a stand. Also, I’ve always used rejection and negative comments to keep me going. A new author gets plenty of both, but I didn’t stop writing.

Without spoilers, describe one of Kaitlyn’s most pulse-pounding moments in the book.

After listening to comments from my readers, I would choose the Jacuzzi scene.

What’s next on your writing agenda? Another Kaitlyn Stewart adventure in the works?

Yes, another Kaitlyn Stewart spy thriller is up next. This time Kaitlyn is stationed in Prague and teams up with Fr. Delaney in an assignment during the Bosnian War.