FIRST ROUND IS ON ME

As my debut espionage thriller SANDSTORM officially releases on Tuesday, June 4, I'd like to place
my feet back on the ground long enough to give a couple of shout-outs to some early praise making the rounds.

To the International Thriller Writers organization and its Debut Authors program, a huge thank you for the interview and publicity.  I'm proud to be a member of such a wonderful group bent on killing people on paper and sometimes spreading mass destruction.

Here's a link to the interview in The Big Thrill newsletter. 

The Big Thrill interview


To Hour Detroit magazine, I can't gather up enough copies!

Hour Detroit magazine review


I swear Ricky Brown is not on the payroll, and I generally don't genuflect, but his review in the 
Examiner floored me.  It will be good to hold onto when the less than complimentary reviews come in, and we know they're coming!  Such is the life of being a writer.  You can't please everyone, but happy Ricky is on board. 

Examiner review of Sandstorm

CAPTURING BRAD THOR

For years, author Brad Thor has been successfully churning out page turners.

Brad Thor

For years, I've been trying to get Scot Harvath's maker into the studio for a one on one chat.

Finally, I succeeded on a recent trip to Detroit.

Clearly established as one of the best thriller writers ever to bring characters and scenarios to print, Brad is about to launch his lastest effort, "Hidden Order" on July 9th.  He was nice enough to exclusively spill some of the beans about the upcoming novel as well as talk about what makes him tick as a writer.


Brad Thor interview

PREPARING FOR THE SURREAL

Available June 4th

June 4th looms as a huge check mark in my life.

Long after my time on this earth has passed, there will be tangible evidence that I was here.  In a way, a contribution to the arts.  That feels good.

For a while, I will have the honor of sharing the same precious space reserved for the works of Ian Fleming, Robert Ludlum, Lee Child, Brad Meltzer, Vince Flynn, Frederick Forsyth and so many more.

The air is getting thinner.

It's like precise math at this point.  Hard work + dreams x never giving up = June 4th, which is the day my debut espionage thriller SANDSTORM is released.

I hark back to my days as a youngster when I was drawn to bookstores like a magnet, seeking some far away land or larger than life character to satisfy my imaginative thirst.

They've been out of business for years, but I fondly remember spending countless hours at Kroch's and Brentano's in downtown Chicago.  My mother could deposit me there and then go shopping, secure with the knowledge that I wasn't going to wonder off.  And that was way, way before the invention of cell phones.

Multi levels of books; mysteries, thrillers, WWII, magazines, and newspapers from around the globe.  It was the best of times as I thumbed through the latest Mickey Spillane, Dashiell Hammett, Len Deighton and other offerings.

I'm sure that's where the fire was first lit.  Imagine one day on the shelf, staring back at me, something I created.

Fast forward to 2013 and it's about to become a reality.

I can only speculate that seeing one's first book, a labor of intense love, on a shelf at a bookstore is like an out of body experience.  To that end, I have to tip my hat to Barnes & Noble and countless independent sellers for surviving in this technological age.  Thanks for hanging in there!  Gone are Borders, B. Dalton, Waldenbooks and various other relics that used to cater to a reading world.

Part of me wants to emulate Mary Tyler Moore in the opening credits of her TV show where she spins and joyously throws her hat in the air.  Another part wants to take on the persona of The Most Interesting Man In The World.  Act like you've been here before.

Whichever emotion comes through, I'm sure it will be genuine and extremely humbling.  There are friends, fans and strangers who will willingly fork over their hard earned dollars.

I can only hope I manage to give them the kind of return on their investment that leaves them wanting more.

BALDACCI: HARD TO FORGET

DAVID BALDACCI

Bestselling author David Baldacci is at it again.

The man's brain just won't shut off.  That's a good thing for the millions of readers who look forward to his books every year.  A holiday treat this year is "The Forgotten".


I got the opportunity to do a satellite interview with David before Thanksgiving about his latest effort and he gives me a scoop about what lies ahead.

Click the link below to listen.


http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=7986401

NELSON DEMILLE, Worth the wait

Nelson DeMille

Nelson DeMille doesn't churn out books faster than a speeding bullet.

He's a stickler for well researched, detail oriented thrillers and that takes time.  His latest effort, The Panther is over 600 pages of hard to put down goodness.

A decorated veteran of the Vietnam War, DeMille cites some of his war experiences as the motivation behind becoming an author.

Recently DeMille explained the plot line of The Panther and his long-standing run as one of the best thriller writers in the business.

Nelson DeMille delivers the goods in The Panther.

DENNIS LEHANE, Good in any period

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Dennis Lehane for his latest novel, Live By Night.

Dennis Lehane

The unfortunate aspect of morning TV news is that there never seems to be enough time when you're having an engaging conversation. None-the-less, it was a few good minutes with the best-selling author.

Take a listen.

Dennis Lehane Interview

FIRING GET WELL WISHES

GET WELL

My wife came home from work today and asked why I seemed to be in the dumps.

My lack of enthusiastic communication centered around a tweet this afternoon from author Brad Thor: "Please keep Vince Flynn and his family in your prayers."  It was followed by a link to Vince's website where he chillingly discussed his on-going battle with prostate cancer.

I consider Vince a friend so this hurts to see him and his family go through such a difficult period.

If this was paper, there'd be DNA from tears sprinkled on the edges.  While Vince was dealing with his illness last year, he graciously took the time to read my debut manuscript. He did so while resting and recuperating in Mexico.  Considering his situation, I was shocked that he wanted to thumb through the pages of a newbie's work.  After finishing the manuscript, he provided a blurb to help me get the process going of finding a publisher.

If Vince should read this he'll probably say, 'Why aren't you writing?'

That's what writers are supposed to do - write.  Consider this a short break then.  No need to send Mitch Rapp my way.

When I read my first Mitch Rapp story, I couldn't get my hands on the books fast enough.  It also made me do some background on Vince.  He immediately became my inspiration.  A guy who self-published at first because no one was interested in giving him a chance.

Multiple books later, he's routinely on the New York Times Best-Seller List, represented by one of the most prestigious firms in the business, making serious money along the way to seeing his dreams realized.

At long last, Vince's kick butt CIA operative Mitch Rapp is slated to appear on the big screen in the coming year.  All this couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

I reached out several years ago to Vince's publicist, David Brown at Atria Books.  I begged him within an inch of stalking to convince Vince to make a stop in Detroit.  They eventually worked it out.  Vince was a guest on our morning show and a budding friendship had begun (okay, more admiration on my part than his).  To make the deal complete, I inherited David as a friend as well.  So when David called a couple of years later, asking if I would MC a Vince book signing at a Metro Detroit Borders (remember them?), I was more than happy to do so.

Even though I'm a broadcaster, it was an education to see a master at work in front of a crowd.  Vince was warm, patient and gracious with each person in a very, very long line of late-night worshipers.  Did I mention I anchor the morning show!  Afterward, Vince took me and several employees at the bookstore out for a drink and candid conversation.  Good times.

In reading the statement on his website, it's obvious Vince feels bad for not being able to deliver the latest Mitch Rapp adventure to his loyal readers on time.  Hey buddy, trust me when I say, Mitch can wait.  Your faithful fans want to see the true hero get healthy.  So in that regard, take all the time necessary to make that happen.

There's nothing wrong with going back and rereading the fine collection that occupies a special place on my bookshelf.