series. who is easy rollins? guest: the kind of every man in the black community in the middle of the 20th century. he's been to world war ii. his whole view of himself and the world has changed. he came back to southern texas and realized he could no longer live there because of what he has learned and he and thousands of other southern black people from texas louisiana have moved to los angeles and what we do as kind of unofficial detective, but he reveals what life was like in parts of los angeles that has not been talked about. host: how did you come up with the name? >> i was writing a story and it was a voice speaking first-person and it was talking about this party he was giving and how he was trying to raise money to pay his rentnt and he talked about this woman he was in love with named etta mae , but she wasou in love with another guy named mouse and mouse comes in and looks at the person talking who we have not seen and said hey, easy, how are you doing and that's where it came from. host: what voice is he supposed represent? guest: who, easy? host: easy rawlins. guest: it'

of troubles that easy rollins or fearless jones will run into. and so it's, it's a different view because the relationships of black people to the world is very different than it was, you know, in the '30s and the '40s, '50s and '60s. and i really enjoy writing about current stories. i'm writing, actually, i'm writing a short story, if you call "the heart of darkness" a short story -- also for otto, because he wants to publish one of mine. and it's also going to be about leonid. >> host: wayne in texas city. [inaudible] can you hear me? >> guest: yep. >> caller: oh, okay. you are a new discovery for me. i'm really enjoying watching you -- [inaudible] i'm probably -- [inaudible] >> guest: i'm not sure. >> caller: oh -- [inaudible] benjamin was a jewish plantation owner at bell chase plan talkings in new orleans, and he was a member of -- plantation in norse, and he was a member of -- [inaudible] secretary of war, secretary of state and attorney general of the confederacy under -- >> guest: sorry. like, i do know him, but i guess i lost the name. all right, yeah, go on. [inaudible]