I had watched a video of the president of the United States at a rally, where he compared immigrants to venomous snakes that should be crushed underfoot. I’m an immigrant, and I was horrified. For years, hearing politicians say terrible things about us, especially when they don’t understand our immigration system, had been heartbreaking.

Roxana Arama – 12 February 2023

The Back Flap

An immigration lawyer fights to keep her client from being deported and losing his family. But those who want him gone will stop at nothing—including murder.

Seattle, Washington, 2019. Attorney and single mom Laura Holban is an immigrant herself, guiding clients through a Kafkaesque system of ever-changing rules, where overworked judges make life-shattering decisions in minutes. Laura’s newest client is Emilio Ramirez, who was arrested in front of his sons at their high school and thrown in detention.

When Laura files for Emilio’s asylum, the world turns upside down. False criminal charges prevent his release, someone is following his family, and an ICE prosecutor threatens to revoke Laura’s US citizenship. None of it makes sense—until she uncovers a deadly conspiracy involving ICE, stolen data, and human trafficking.

Now the man at the center of it all is coming after Laura and Emilio, who must find a way to survive—and keep their families safe.

About the book

What is the book about?

An immigration lawyer fights to keep her client from being deported to the country where his family was murdered many years ago. Then she finds out the killers are coming here—for both of them.

Seattle, Washington, 2019. Attorney and single mom Laura Holban is an immigrant herself. Her client Emilio Ramirez was arrested at his sons’ high school and thrown in detention. When Laura files for his asylum, false criminal charges prevent his release. Someone is following his family, and an ICE prosecutor threatens to revoke Laura’s US citizenship. None of it makes sense—until Laura uncovers a deadly conspiracy involving ICE, stolen data, and human trafficking. Which puts her daughter and Emilio’s sons in imminent danger.

When did you start writing the book?

I started writing Extreme Vetting in October 2018.

How long did it take you to write it?

Fourteen months.

Where did you get the idea from?

My husband suggested I write a story about immigration during a chat we had in the fall of 2018. A few months earlier, I had watched a video of the president of the United States at a rally, where he compared immigrants to venomous snakes that should be crushed underfoot. I’m an immigrant, and I was horrified. For years, hearing politicians say terrible things about us, especially when they don’t understand our immigration system, had been heartbreaking. But a novel about immigration could be a good contribution to the public discourse on this matter, I thought. So, I started drafting the next day.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

I wanted to write it faster than I was able to. But a book like this requires a lot of research. For instance, I interviewed an immigration lawyer extensively, and I read books and articles about immigration—and other thrillers to hone my writing skills in that genre. Before and after my manuscript was acquired, I also did sensitivity reading and editing.

What came easily?

Writing the first draft after I finished my outline. My outline was around 27,000 words, containing description and dialogue, so expanding it to a full-length novel was not so hard.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

I used my own experience as an immigrant in the US for the background of my protagonist, even though I arrived here from Romania with a job in software development and she is a lawyer who immigrated as the spouse of a skilled worker. Other than that, all my characters are fictional, though I paid attention to my kids’ way of speaking when I wrote kids’ dialogue, to teenagers around me when I wrote my teenage characters, etc.

We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

For thriller writing in general, I studied John Grisham’s novels. I learned a lot about storytelling from Ken Follett’s books. A Romanian writer named Ileana Vulpescu nurtured my love of books when I was a kid. Umberto Eco’s novels always fascinated me with their complexity.

Do you have a target reader?

I’d like my novel to reach American citizens who are interested in learning more about how our immigration system works—and sometimes doesn’t. I’d like them to read my thriller and see for themselves how hard it is to build a home in a new land.  

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

I don’t have a good separation between life and writing. I think of my work in progress when I do the laundry or walk to school to pick up my kids. I write notes on my phone if I’m not at my laptop when an idea comes. And then I write whenever I have time.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

After writing a historical fantasy without a plan, and then spending years shaping that into a story, I decided outlining was the way for me. As I mentioned above, my thriller outline was quite long, containing description and snippets of dialogue. That outline was the essence of the story in a format where the prose didn’t matter, only the mechanics of storytelling. Once I had that in place, I was able to develop the first draft, updating the outline as I made progress.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

If an idea comes to me that alters a scene I already wrote, I go back and edit that scene, then follow the ripples of change all the way to the current point. I also write notes for myself about scenes that I will edit later. Once I have a first draft, I go through my notes and edit, and I always change the beginning to work better with the ending.

Did you hire a professional editor?

Yes, I have a trusted professional editor I work with once my manuscript is in good shape. Once I get their feedback, I revise, then look for beta readers. If needed, I hire sensitivity readers. And I don’t stop improving the story and the text until I send the manuscript out trying to get it published.

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

No, I don’t. I like the ambient noise of life around me when I write, from my kids chatting in the house to the trucks rumbling down the street and the airplanes roaring overhead.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

I submitted to both agents and small presses at the same time, and I received an offer from an agent two days before the offer from Ooligan Press, my current publisher. When things didn’t work out with my former agent, I contacted Ooligan Press again, and fortunately they were still interested.

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

I wanted to get my book published sooner rather than later because immigration is such a timely subject. I hoped to get it in front of readers and contribute to the current public conversation in our society.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
The publisher took care of everything, from the editing rounds, to designing the cover, and preparing the e-book and the audiobook.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

Technically, I’m not doing any marketing for my thriller. But I’m working on securing media coverage with the Publicity Department at Ooligan Press and BookSparks, a company dedicated to author publicity.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

There are many technical steps involved in designing and distributing a book. Apps, portals, and processes can be overwhelming. It helps to allow ourselves enough time to study each part so when we go through the publishing process there aren’t that many problems to deal with.

About You

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Galați, Romania, on the shores of the Danube River. It’s a beautiful city of around 250,000 people, its history going back more than two thousand years.

Where do you live now?

Seattle, Washington, which was designated a City of Literature by UNESCO in 2017.

What would you like readers to know about you?

I worked in computers, and I like playing videogames and hiking with my family.

What are you working on now?

Another immigration thriller, but this time with androids and spaceships. It’s a sci-fi about the beginnings of artificial general intelligence on Earth and about the androids’ search for a home when their native planet doesn’t allow them the freedom, safety, and peace they need.

End of Interview:

Get your copy of Extreme Vetting from Amazon US or Amazon UK.