An accomplished attorney and award-winning journalist, Randy Richardson is the founding member and president of the Chicago Writers Association. His latest novel, "Havana Hangover," earned recognition as a 2023 Finalist for the Kindle Book Awards and the BestThrillers.com Book Awards and received 5-Star Reviews from Reader Views and Readers' Favorites. With two more novels, "Cheeseland" and "Lost in the Ivy," plus a coauthored nonfiction work titled "Cubsessions," Randy's influence spans genres. His essays grace anthologies like "Chicken Soup for the Father and Son Soul," "Storytellers' True Stories About Love," and "Cubbie Blues," and literary journals such as Hypertext and Memory House. As The first male recipient of the National Federation of Press Women’s Communicator of Achievement Award, Randy is featured on NewCity’s "Lit 50: Who Really Books in Chicago" list for 2019 and 2022.
Learn more about Randy Richardson and his work at randyrichardson.co
TOPICS OF CONVERSATION
- About "Havana Hangover" and the inspiration behind the story.
- Traveling, researching and writing about Cuba
- Drawing from personal experiences
- The influence of Ernest Hemingway
- The importance of the writing community for authors
- What's next for Randy Richardson?
Thirty-year-old Chicago corporate lawyer Tanner Ford leaves behind a painful past and lucrative job for a bucket-list trip to Cuba with Jackson Swift, his estranged best friend from law school. But when they arrive, the oddities start adding up. Jackson evades questions about his wife and kids. Their itinerary keeps changing, and their tour guide might work for a fake company. When Tanner awakes after a rum-soaked night beside Dannel, a local musician with something to hide, and a text from Jackson that reads “HELP ME,” his dream vacation turns into a fight for survival. He is held hostage in an abandoned cigar factory, interrogated by the police, and hunted down by a mysterious “ghost” in the Cuban government. Beset by anxiety and panic attacks, Tanner is hurled unwittingly into an international conspiracy leading right back to Jackson and a friendship that began in betrayal.
CONNECT WITH RANDY RICHARDSON!
https://www.randyrichardson.co/ https://www.facebook.com/RandyRichardsonWriter http://twitter.com/lostintheivy https://www.instagram.com/randman61/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/randyrichardson/ https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2629753.Randy_Richardson
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