Q&A With Robert Dugoni, Dr. Jeff Langholz & Chris Crabtree 

I have the pleasure & honor of doing this Q&A with Robert Dugoni, Dr. Jeff Langholz & Chris Crabtree! All three men researched and wrote the historical fiction novel Hold Strong. Robert Dugoni is the New York Times bestselling author of several series and standalone novels some of which are The Tracy Crosswhite series & the Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell! I did one of my early solo Q&As with Robert back in 2022 which you can read by clicking this link https://booknotions.com/qa-with-robert-dugoni/. Dr. Jeff Langholz is an award-winning teacher, researcher, entrepreneur & writer. Jeff’s work has appeared in 250 media outlets, some of which are The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, National Geographic & the Economist. Chris Crabtree teaches middle school and high school English language arts and literature at Costa Rica International Academy in Guanacaste, Costa Rica! 

Q: Gentleman, I’m so happy to be interviewing all three of you for this interview! For those who haven’t read Hold Strong, would you give a brief description of the novel?

A: Thank you! We’re thrilled to be here. 

Hold Strong is a historically inspired novel based on actual events from the Pacific Theater of World War II. It follows two intertwined stories: Sam Carlson, a young man from a small town in Minnesota who runs the projector at a local movie theater and volunteers to join the Army National Guard, and Sarah Haber, his intelligent, college-bound high school sweetheart. 

Sam’s unit is federalized, and he’s sent to the Philippines. 

The Japanese invade the Philippines just hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Outnumbered and undersupplied, Sam and his fellow soldiers fight a desperate battle until they are forced to surrender. He and nearly 10,000 American and 66,000 Filipino soldiers then endure the brutal Bataan Death March, then face two and a half years of starvation, disease, and unthinkable cruelty in prison camps. 

As the trajectory of the war begins to change, Sam and his friends, along with 1800 other US and Allied personnel, are packed into the cargo hold of a Japanese “hellship,” the Arisan Maru, bound for an uncertain fate. 

Sarah Haber is a college-bound math whiz. After the attack on Pearl Harbor and the declaration of war, she joins other women recruited into a top-secret code-breaking unit, where her mathematical skills become crucial to cracking enemy codes. Her work is vital to the war effort, and her personal journey reveals the unseen role of women in wartime intelligence. 

Both Sam and Sarah must confront unimaginable challenges, but their resilience and courage drive their stories forward.

At its core, Hold Strong is a love story – it highlights the love between a man and woman, between soldiers, the love of country, and God.

Q: I read that Chris first uncovered this story & has a personal connection to a real-life Catholic priest Father Tom who is a character in the story, as a Catholic myself I appreciate this so much! Then Jeff dedicated more than a decade of research & investigation into the history of the novel & I know Robert has a history of investigation & research since he used to be a reporter for the Los Angeles Times. How did the two of you get into contact with Robert Dugoni to write Hold Strong? 

A: It took a team to weave together this story.

It’s true that Chris uncovered some key events in Hold Strong, but that was only the beginning of a decade-long journey of research and writing. He graduated from Father Thomas Scecina Memorial High School, a school named for one of the novel’s most endearing characters. In fact, Chris’s grandmother, Anna May Conlin (Schare), knew “handsome Father Tommy” personally.

However, when Chris shared the small part of the story he knew with his longtime friend, Jeff Langholz, the two realized that this heroic Catholic priest was touched by many of the most significant events of the Pacific War.

They both knew the story had to be told.

Jeff met Robert Dugoni at a writing workshop. Bob read the first 50 pages of the raw manuscript, and he, too, was captivated by this lesser-known set of events. It was shortly after that Bob joined the team. He also uncovered secrets in his own research, and his gifted prose brought Hold Strong to another level.

We think you will find it to be one of the most thoroughly researched and documented war stories ever, riveting from start to finish.

Q: After over a decade of research, what was the writing process like for the three of you? Did Robert write a chapter, & then Jeff wrote a chapter & Chris wrote another chapter? 

A: Hold Strong turned out to be a puzzle that needed to be pieced together. Chris and Jeff passed back-and-forth chunks of the manuscript on Word documents for years and chatted on Messenger about the progress. They would jump on Zoom for brief conversations, decisions, and support. I doubt either of them would recommend this method to aspiring authors.

Bob took what they had written into the stratosphere by bringing in supplemental historical research, deepening the characters and events with his masterful, proven storytelling abilities. 

Q: With all the history that was in the novel, you three did a great job of blending history with storytelling without the history sounding like a textbook & without the storytelling sounding too far-fetched! Was it easy or difficult to accomplish the balancing act of sticking to history without it sounding like a textbook and to tell a story without sounding far-fetched? 

A: That is a solid observation, and we’re glad you feel like we struck a balance between the underlying historical events and the fictional accounts of Sam and Sarah. 

That was our intention from the beginning. Honestly, it was not easy, but we felt it was crucial. 

History is at the heart of this story, and the weight of getting it right and staying true to the tragic events and the people who lived through them was vital. At the same time, it’s not meant to be a history lesson. 

We want history to serve the story—ground it without overwhelming the reader. We also had to be careful with the fictional aspects, so the characters’ journeys feel believable and resonate with the reader. It was a challenge to keep everything authentic, but we worked hard as a team to ensure it came together in a way that honored the past while still telling a compelling story.

With over 100 pages of supplemental information, including direct historical references, the reader can dive even deeper into the relevance of the events featured in Hold Strong. They can obtain even more details at www.jefflangholz.com.

Q: Which scenes did you enjoy writing & which scenes were difficult to write? There are so many scenes I appreciated. One of them was the fact we see that despite Father Tom being a priest, we see that he’s human and he wondered where God was amidst all the horror. Most of us don’t want to see anyone suffer, but I appreciated this scene because it shows that even men & women of God or any faith also have their breaking points too. 

A: The settings are often horrific. 

We are confident that the readers will be able to quickly answer your question. There are times when the events are grueling to read, so you can assume they were the most arduous to write. 

However, there is so much hope in Hold Strong, even in the title itself, that readers can embrace, and perhaps it is those parts where faith, hope, and love prevail that we find personal solace in the telling.

Q: Are the three of you currently writing another historical fiction novel like Hold Strong or will it be a different topic this time around? If you three aren’t writing a novel together, do you have plans to soon? What is your advice for anyone wanting to co-author a novel with someone else? 

A: Bob does not generally write with other authors. Hold Strong is the exception. It’s such a big story he was drawn to, just as we all hope the readers will be. Bob is an experienced and masterful storyteller, and readers will not soon forget Hold Strong’s impact. 

Jeff is polishing a second manuscript highlighting another hell ship tragedy. As it turns out, the disaster of the Arisan Maru is just one such incident. The hell ship phenomenon remains one of the lesser-known chapters of World War II. Jeff will continue his deep dive into these tragic and heroic events.

Chris will continue teaching until retirement when he will likely write a few lighter stories. Hold Strong took a toll on us all and will remain a part of everyone involved forever.

I’m not sure we have any helpful advice about co-authoring books since our collaboration came about organically. 

Q: There are many lessons I believe everyone can and will learn after reading Hold Strong for many years to come! For me I remember the timeless lessons about courage, endurance & faith even when things seem impossible and the importance of remembering history, so we don’t repeat it. Would you say those are the lessons you would hope readers would learn after reading Hold Strong? 

A: You hit the bullseye, which means we have, in many ways, accomplished our mission. 

We toiled to make the storytelling on par with the actual, underlying story of the brave men and women who sacrificed so much. 

It’s important not to record only the data, facts, and timelines of events in stories like Hold Strong. It is crucial to highlight the history of the human heart and human relationships, as well as the struggle to remain hopeful and faithful in a world turned upside down.

Q: If/when Hollywood gets the rights to Hold Strong, who would be your dream cast to play the historical figures & the fictional characters you created? My suggestion for Sarah would be Hayley Atwell since she was Peggy Carter in the Marvel Universe. Mark Walburg or Colin Farrell to be Father Tom, Sho Kasamatsu from Tokyo Vice to play Yoshida the ruthless Japanese guard (he played a yakuza in Tokyo Vice) & David Alvarez from the West Side Story reboot to play Pete Chavez. Also, I would want Clint Eastwood to direct this movie. 

A: Since Sam Carlson was a projectionist and the novel reintroduces several films of the time, including Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers blockbusters, I can see why you might ask that question.

Hold Strong will be a challenging movie to film, but with so many talented directors and producers out there, the likelihood that it could come to the big screen is compelling.

Chris said he would like to read the part of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He’s even practicing.

Q: I know you three included several pages of sources that helped this novel, and they are also recommendations for anyone wanting to read further about the war in pacific and the codebreakers. For further reading, what are some of the books you recommend others to read?

A: Indeed, resources are available in the book, and there’s even more on Jeff’s author page and website, www.jefflangholz.com.

The actual, underlying stories of the Pacific Theater of World War II are still seeping into the public domain and consciousness. Perhaps some of the information we provide will, in some way, get new researchers involved in understanding this complicated time in world history. 

It has been the intention from the start for everyone involved in this project to “get it right.” 

We believe it will inspire readers to remain hopeful through life’s challenges. And because it is a love story, perhaps readers will come to know that even when rough seas separate us from those we love, we can hold strong. 

When our faith is challenged, perhaps we can look for the example of Fr. Thomas Scecina.