Bookpleasures.Com extendsa warm welcome to Tim Reuben, a veteran civil litigation attorney andworld traveler, joining us to discuss his debut novel, Tequila.

This first book in amulti-generational saga follows the Ramirez family’s dramatic risefrom humble agave farmers to the pinnacle of the global spiritsindustry.

Today, we’ll be divinginto the novel itself to explore its compelling themes of ambition,family loyalty, and the dark side of power and corruption.

We’re excited to haveyou with us, Tim. Let’s begin.

Norm: Tequila jumpsbetween historical chapters and present-day narrative. What made youchoose this structure?

Did you write thehistorical sections first to establish backstory, or did youinterweave them as you wrote? Which was more challenging?

Tim:  I designed thestructure of Tequila—moving back and forth in history-- toenhance the drama and also to keep the reader continuallyinterested. 

The backstory of theRamirez family and their company RAM is important and reinforces thethemes of family loyalty and external challenges.  

Some of that backstory wasalready planned as I wrote and other parts just wrote themselves.  And what is challenging is starting the story—whether it be historyor in the present.  Once I get started, I find the writing justruns. 

Norm: The Ramirez familyhistory is steeped in violence from the very beginning. Was thisintentional to show how violence becomes normalized acrossgenerations?

Do you believe thefamily’s later criminal activities were inevitable given theirviolent origins, or were there turning points where different choicescould have led to a legitimate business?

Tim:  Mexico has longhad the challenge of violence from the drug cartels, and it would beunrealistic to think that would not be an inevitable factor forSotero to deal with. 

But that the family stoodup to violence in various ways—that’s what’s important and afundamental concept of the book. 

Of course, they did so atsignificant cost.  Violence also enhances the intensity of thestory.  

As to later criminalactivities, that was primarily Miguel, and he is the symbol ofabsolute evil.   He could not be depicted other than asinvolved in multiple criminal activities. 

Norm: The Trust documentplays a crucial role in controlling family behavior and succession.What inspired this plot device?

Did you base this on realfamily trust structures you’ve encountered, and how much legalresearch went into creating its specific provisions about criminalbehavior and disinheritance?

Tim:  All of my legalhistory inspired different aspects of the novel, so of course I haveencountered Trust documents that were onerous or unduly controlling,even unenforceable, but everything in Tequila is entirely fictional. 

The Trust provisions aboutcriminal behavior and disinheritance came from Sotero’s horribleexperience with the drug gangs—he wanted to preserve his familycompany and never let criminals control it.     

As to legal research,after 45 years of practice, I did not need to do that, but I did dolots of other research on all kinds of topics, and that part was fun.

Norm: Miguel is portrayedas irredeemably evil from childhood—torturing animals andultimately becoming a murderer. Why did you choose to make him sopurely villainous rather than more morally complex?

Was the artificialinsemination backstory for Miguel meant to suggest nature vs.nurture, or was it simply a plot device to explain Marta’s thirdpregnancy?

Tim:  Miguel was thesecond pregnancy, Thomaso the third.  And yes, that Miguel justcomes out a sociopath is explained in part by his uncertainlineage—we don’t know anything about his biological father.  

I do want to suggest hisbehavior is due to “nature.”   And I wanted to makeMiguel pure—no moral complexity. 

I believe as an authorthat I should depict GOOD and EVIL in such a way as to leave noambiguity. 

I want to encourage thereader to identify and even strive to be more like the GOOD (Maria,Sotero, Brian), and to shy away from EVIL and find it abhorrent.  

The problem with morallycomplex bad guys is you might sympathize with them or find someexcuse for their behavior, and I don’t want that.  

Remember “Ming theMerciless”?  Or Hannible Lector?  Pure evil makes thebest BAD guy.

Norm: Nora Ramirez’smurder is brutal and detailed. What was your reasoning for having herdie relatively early in the narrative rather than being rescued?

Did you consideralternative storylines where she survived, and how would that havechanged the book’s trajectory?

Tim:  Nora wasMiguel’s first murder, so it really solidified who he was and thedirection he was going.   

Yes I considered notkilling Nora—she was a great character and I think many readerswill feel they have met someone like her.

But I decided this wasmore dramatic than the alternatives and a powerful point in thenovel—I also immediately went to a violent part of Ramirez historyimmediately after her death. 

A lot of the priorchapters were introducing characters, so I wanted to get right intoaction.   I think if you get to this point in the book, youwill want to keep on reading.  

Norm: Brian and Maria’sromance blooms in extreme circumstances on a deserted island. How didyou balance the survival story with developing their relationship?

Were you concerned readersmight find their romance unrealistic given that Maria’s familyessentially tried to murder Brian?

Tim:  No—it wasMiguel who tried to kill Brian, and he tried to kill Maria at thesame time. 

And that Maria fell inlove with Brian was signalled early on—in fact, inevitable. She was immediately attracted to him, not just because he washandsome but she admired his talent as a lawyer and opponent.  

That he was her adversaryadded to the attraction and sexual tension.   But then Ihad them literally saving each other’s lives and working togetherto fight for survival.  

Those experiences create adepth of love that is rare and special, which many couples neverachieve, and if they do, it’s because they went through seriouschallenges together, each supporting the other.

Norm; Marta evolves fromvictim to vigilante to business mogul. Which version of her characterwas most interesting for you to write?

Do you see her asultimately heroic or as someone whose moral compromises enabled herchildren’s worst behaviors?

Tim:  Gee, Iliked writing it all.  But what I wanted to show was thatMarta—forged by the pain of losing her mother violently—wasprepared to do whatever was necessary to achieve her father’sgoals. 

She had to fight the gangsfor RAM to survive—it was not a choice.   And as aparent, you can’t control what your child becomes. 

In Marta’s case, shemade some bad decisions, but she thought it was what her father wouldhave wanted. 

Remember that Marta’smorality is not yours or mine—it’s about family and RAM andfulfilling her father’s wishes.  Violence by itself was justforced upon her and necessary. 

Norm; How much researchdid you conduct into actual tequila production and the industry’shistory?

Are any elements of RAMIndustries based on real companies, and did you interview people inthe liquor distribution business?

Tim:  I have toureddistilleries and wineries many times over the years, but I did plentyof extra research about tequila production anyway, much of whichreinforced my existing knowledge.  RAM is entirely fictional.

Norm: Tomaso appears to beon a redemption arc by the end, bonding with his daughter Jocelyn. Doyou believe he deserves redemption?

Will his character findgenuine redemption in future books, or is this series a standalone?

Tim: No he did not deserveredemption.   And maybe you have not read the end?  Tomasomakes a slight turnaround but ultimately chooses a selfish course. 

But there are futurebooks, one of which I have already written and will soon go throughediting.  Another is on the drawing board.  All are BrianYoungman novels. 

Norm: As the plot involvescomplex legal issues—divorce law, criminal law, internationalkidnapping—how did you ensure accuracy?

Did you work with legalconsultants? Were there any legal elements you simplified fornarrative purposes?

Tim:  After 45 yearshandling all kinds of cases, I did not need much, but I did talk to acouple of other lawyers to ensure that I understood some things. And yes, the legal material is greatly simplified.

Norm: Miguel’sinvolvement with cartels through Javier adds another layer ofcriminality. How important was it to show the liquor industry’sdarker connections?

Did you worry aboutperpetuating stereotypes about Mexican business families, and how didyou try to avoid that? 

Tim:  I didn’t tryto avoid that.  And I don’t think Miguel is a stereotype—asyou noted, he has no moral complexity and that’s not typical ofpeople who are bad—there is usually something redeeming, but notwith Miguel.  

And I think the cartels are a terrible blight uponMexico, which otherwise is a wonderful country—great people, greatfood, great culture, great land, great art, great tequila.

Norm: Where can ourreaders find out more about Tequila and yourself?

Tim:  MY WEBSITE and  My law firm’s WEBSITE 

 Norm; As we wind up ourinterview, the ending of the novel leaves several plot threadsunresolved—Miguel’s fate, Brian and Maria’s future, Tomaso’strial. Is this intended as the first in a series?

If so, can you tease whatreaders might expect in subsequent books? Will we see more historicalbackstory or focus on the present-day characters resolving thecrisis? 

Tim:  Yes, yes, yesand yes.   As a tease, the characters in Tequila doreappear in the sequel, albeit ten years older.   Theprequel deals with Brian’s earlier history as a lawyer.

Norm: Thanks once again and good luck with all of your future endeavors