Day: July 11, 2024

By: Alex Bell

‘The Cha Cha Babes Dance with the Devil,’ Frances Metzman’s latest book, has quickly earned a reputation as a must-read due to its compelling storyline and intriguing characters. This fascinating psychological thriller became a bestseller upon its release, no doubt because Metzman is a gifted storyteller who creates a world that keeps readers engaged to the very end and beyond.

In this novel, Metzman tackles the topic of human trafficking, placing her baby boomer protagonists, Celia and Marcy, into the heart of the action after they are kidnapped and forced to work for traffickers as madams. However, these dynamic women fight back, escape, and set out to free others still held by the traffickers. Without giving away the ending, this is a thrilling ride no one should miss. 

‘The Cha Cha Babes Dance with the Devil’ has captured readers’ hearts and imaginations. Your protagonists have found their calling as sleuths later in life, which is one of the exciting aspects of your book. What inspired you to want to have this be part of your story?

This is a stand-alone sequel to the novel, ‘The Cha Cha Babes of Pelican Way.’ In this novel, ‘The Cha Cha Babes Dance with the Devil.’ Celia and Marcy are caring and loyal friends. They would do anything for each other. The troublemaker Marcy does not edit her thoughts and tends to land the women in dire situations. Women’s friendships are essential and even more so as we age. I learned who these characters are inside and out. So, they were at my command; they watched and waited patiently for me to bring them along for the sequel. I believed documentaries weren’t appropriate. Instead, I saw these unworldly women who were violently introduced to human trafficking, taking the reader on their journey to better immerse them in what global sex trafficking means. It is vicious and not a well-known criminal enterprise. It involves millions of women and children globally who are lured, enticed, kidnapped, and become prisoners of the evil web of cartels.

Human Trafficking is a very difficult topic, and it’s one that plays a big role in this book. What do you hope readers take away with them when they finish the last page of this exciting read?

As Celia and Marcy find out, sex trafficking doesn’t just happen in foreign countries as other people believe. The USA is also an importer/exporter of the females who are imprisoned and kept under the worst conditions. They are transported in buses, trains, airplanes, and shipping containers (packed with women and children with little food, air, or sanitary conditions). I want everyone to know about it and what part they can play by notifying authorities when situations seem amiss. For example, an older man with a child or an unkempt young woman who keeps her eyes averted and doesn’t speak. Only the man speaks. There are other things to watch for in the book. 

You are also a very well-known writing teacher. Is there one thing you can share with readers who are also writers that may help them achieve the level of success you have?

I stress learning the elements of writing.  It is the foundation on which your tales are told. Each story is a room built a top the basic structure. It is the strength of telling a seamless story. We all have stories to tell and if we can do it verbally we can learn to write. It is a process like any career. It needs a background of knowledge. That’s exactly how I teach writing.  

Is there one scene, or moment in ‘The Cha Cha Babes Dance with the Devil’ that really resonates with you on a personal level?

The first chapter of my novel is a true experience. It has been fictionalized somewhat, but I actually saw beautiful young women who appeared drugged and led to the elevator by older, well-suited men in a restaurant/bar with an attached boutique hotel. It is very personal since I witnessed what happened to innocent women who seemed to be pawned off by bartenders in a high-class bar. Before I had a chance to report it, they were closed down.  

Are you working on a new book? Please tell us a little bit about it.

Yes. It is still in its earliest draft. Celia, Marcy, and Deb are back in their cozy, gated village in Florida. They are irreligious but find a group of people who are intelligent, accepting, diverse, charitable, and welcoming to all who wish to be part of the community. It allows members to address the group with whatever inspires them or is on their mind — except for anything hateful. But scorching secrets begin to blaze and the three women, once again, are drawn into murder and mayhem.

You can pick up a copy of  ‘The Cha Cha Babes Dance with the Devil’ on Amazon today.

 

Published by: Khy Talara