#militarythriller – Avonna Loves Genres

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: The Tin Men by Nelson DeMille, Alex DeMille

Book Description

Army CID Special Agents Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor team up for their toughest assignment yet as they are dispatched to Camp Hayden to investigate the death of Major Roger Ames, the chief scientist in charge of the top-secret war games being conducted between a platoon of Army Rangers and a fleet of “lethal autonomous weapons.” Brodie and Taylor find themselves at ground zero of the next generation of warfare, and must untangle the complex web of alliances, animosities, and secret agendas among the men and women of the isolated facility.

In a place cut off from the world and exposed to the harsh desert elements, everyone is a suspect—from the zealous camp commander who pushes his men to the limit, to the Rangers slipping into madness due to isolation, grueling training, and rampant abuse of performance-enhancing drugs, to the late Major Ames’s own research colleagues. Brodie and Taylor must uncover layers of deception to find the hidden hand behind the murder of Major Ames, and the real purpose of the activities at Camp Hayden and its terrifying arsenal of next-generation weapons.

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Elise’s Thoughts

Alex DeMille is carrying on the torch of his father. Nelson DeMille passed away on September 17^th, 2024, from esophageal cancer. He was resilient, caring, non-woke, and a perfectionist. Readers will see many of the Nelson DeMille traits of the characters in this book, written by Alex, where wokeness does not exist, they are sarcastic, wisecrackers, and are out for justice. As with Nelson DeMille’s plots, this storyline masterfully builds suspense, takes on relevant topics, and has humor and wit. Yet Alex puts his own imprint on the story and characters by having them do things that might shock readers in a good way.

The newly released book in the series Nelson DeMille’s The Tin Men, was written by Alex DeMille. Army CID Special Agents Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor are dispatched to Camp Hayden to investigate the death of Major Roger Ames, the chief scientist in charge of the top-secret war games being conducted between a platoon of Army Rangers and a fleet of “lethal robotic autonomous weapons.” Brodie and Taylor find themselves at ground zero of the next generation of warfare robotic fighters. They must uncover layers of deception to find who is behind the murder of the robot’s creator, Major Ames. The investigation is thwarted by the complex web of alliances, animosities, secret agendas, and the use of performance-enhancing drugs in this isolated desert facility.

The second book of the series, Nelson DeMille’s Blood Lines, is written mostly by Alex DeMille; with an assist from his father. Army Criminal Investigation Agents Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor have been separated for five months following their last assignment. Working together again, they are sent to Berlin, tasked with investigating the murder of one of their own: CID Special Agent Harry Vance of the 5th MP Battalion. Vance is an accomplished counterterrorism agent who had been stationed in western Germany, and whose body was discovered in a city park in the heart of Berlin’s Arab refugee community. The authorities suspect this is an act of Islamic terrorism, but Brodie and Taylor soon believe there is more than meets the eye. They work to discover what the murder victim was doing in the days and weeks preceding his death, becoming immersed in the many conflicts and contradictions of modern Germany: the Arab refugee crisis, the dark legacy of the Cold War, the Stasi secret police, and the imminent threats of a rising neo-Nazi movement. At the same time, they are butting heads with both the German and American authorities.

The first Nelson DeMille book in the series, The Deserter, was co-written with his son. The story seems to be based on Bowe Berghdal, a US soldier stationed in Afghanistan who walked away from his post, had two of his peers killed trying to find him, and was caught by the Taliban who kept him in supposed captivity. But then the plot takes a twist and turn. Delta Force Army Officer Kyle Mercer, the “Berghdal” character, has escaped the Taliban by beheading his captors and fleeing to Venezuela. After being spotted by an old army buddy the top military brass decides to send two members of the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) to that socialist evil country to find Mercer and bring him back for trial of desertion.

All three books have a riveting plot. Readers are taken on a roller coaster ride in this action-filled story with surprise twists and turns.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: There are three books in the series, what were the differences?

Alex DeMille: The first, The Deserter, was written fully with my dad and was set in Venezuela, the second, Bloodlines, was set in Berlin, and this one was set in America’s Southwest at an Army base like Fort Irwin. The setting came first and the plot with AI/autonomous weapons/robots came later.

I also wanted in the plot something I was reading about, drug abuse in the military. Specifically with the Special Operation elite soldiers using strength enhancing drugs.

In the first two books the main characters had to suck it up, keep their mouths shut, and not talk about the secretive stuff they found out. I wanted this book to be different.

EC: What was it like writing this story, mainly without your dad?

AD: I spoke with my dad about the plot for this book and he pushed for this idea of robotics and AI. He said we can do this and make it real where science fiction become science fact. Because he was so sick, I wrote the whole plot of this book on my own. Although, we did the proposal together: the stage, the characters, and the premise but after that the plot was not blueprinted out. I tried to follow his style whether he wrote with me, or I did it on my own. However, he has a unique voice so I could not parrot him exactly. With that said, he is my parent and have a sense of how he speaks in his writing, humor, and what he finds interesting. A lot of his style came to me through osmosis where a version of his voice melted with my voice. I really did hear his voice in my head when I was writing this book. In a way I felt connected to him after he passed away. I came to the realization, as many children do, that our parents’ voices are in our heads.

EC: Were you in the military?

AD: I was not in the military. This book does lean into the military more than the other two. While writing the first book together, I would have this conversation with my father who was a veteran so I felt comfortable, knowing if there was something that sounded wrong or was factually wrong, he would catch it. For this book, I did go to Fort Irwin where war games are cloned with logistic and combat training. I got to ride on a Blackhawk helicopter. I thought about what kind of weapons would be used by Army Rangers and Titanium Alloy humanoid weapons as well as how a base runs and how each type of officer relates to each other. I had a friend, a former officer in the Marines, read the book for authenticity since CID officers must operate without any consideration of rank.

EC: Were Maggie and Scott both in combat?

AD: Yes. Scott Brodie was a former infantry soldier in Iraq, now a top CID investigator. Maggie Taylor a former Civil Affairs E-5 in Afghanistan, is Scott’s CID partner. Their knowledge of combat was used in this plot. He was in one of the most vicious battles of the Iraq war, the Second Battle of Fallujah. She was a Civil Affairs Officer on the ground that was exposed to danger. Maggie’s first foot forward was diplomatic, and the guns came out if necessary.

EC: Why the drug use in this story?

AD: Partly because it was set in the desert, which I associated with hallucinogens. One can argue that these performance enhancing drugs that soldiers use in real life make them less human and become more like robots. I also had this drug used by many Native Americans where the user reconnects with nature, having ways of altering body and mind.

EC: Has Maggie and Scott, the CID Agents, changed over the course of the three books?

AD: I think they have changed. In the first book Scott was the brilliant crude arrogant rule breaking maverick while Maggie was brilliant but a rule follower who stayed between the lines. Through the course of the three books readers will see Maggie not by the book as she seems and Scott realizes he has limits. I really enjoyed writing Maggie, who was the junior officer to Scott, as she came more into her own and more confident. They both ended up having problems with authority, were untrusting, and rule breakers because the system was corrupt.

EC: What about their relationship?

AD: It began with sexual and professional tension. It grew into a deeper bond with a mutual respect and love for each other. Maggie became more like Scott because she saw through his eyes that these institutions are complicated, and she could not always defend them.

EC: How would you describe the robots, the D-17s?

AD: They are strong, and have the skills to run, jump, flip, roll, and dive. The first image of them is that they are like Terminators. They are not frightening because of their brains, but because of their brawn. They are killing machines. Despite being very powerful and agile they are designed to not have any sophisticated learning. They only engage in certain ways and certain places with certain rules on how they could be deactivated. The goal was to give the Rangers this incredible physical challenge fighting against them. The Rangers never win because they cannot overcome these unstoppable monsters. Throughout the course of the book readers see the humans wonder how they can prevail after the robots became like the “Scarecrow,” getting a brain. The story shows that with AI things can go wrong. I read how it cannot be autonomous without being intelligent and cannot be autonomous if it is too lethal. The military must balance how much the person can be taken out of the loop.

EC: How did you come up with the names for the robots?

AD: I do not remember if it was my idea or my dad’s idea to use baseball player names. I know he said the robots need names because the military names everything. The CEO of Simon & Schuster suggested instead of Wade Boggs to use Bucky Dent. I thought Bucky is an interesting name for a robot.

EC: What about the AI effect?

AD: I dislike it because I see all the ways it replaces human communication and human art. But a friend, a radiologist oncologist, pointed out, how it quickly can identify breast cancer. To me, in this case, humans were not taken out of the loop, and the machines were used as a machine. AI should be doing the grunt work so we can do art, not the other way around where AI does the art, so we all become grunts.

EC: Do you agree with David Baldacci that says AI companies are committing plagiarism and piracy of authors’ works?

AD: I completely agree with him. It is theft where learning models are taught on the work of the creators. They are using real artwork. How can someone trace what intellectual property feeds into it? I do not trust Congress to do anything. I am not optimistic that government is going to put any of this on a leash.

EC: What do you want readers to get out of this book?

AD: What it is like to lose humanity and then to regain it. Do the soldiers become the machines they are fighting against?

EC: Next book?

AD: I would be happy to write another Taylor/Brodie book, and I also have another idea for a thriller book.

THANK YOU!!

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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Tom Clancy Terminal Velocity and Red Tide by M.P. Woodward

Tom Clancy Terminal Velocity and Red Tide by M. P. Woodward are both riveting military thrillers. Although Red Tide is not part of a Tom Clancy series, it’s very much in that style. Terminal Velocity has the Jack Ryan family, while Red Tide introduces the Cole Family. Both these books are a salute to those who have served and their families. There is plenty of action but also some family drama.

Both these books blend geographical tension within action-filled realistic plots.

Book Description – Terminal Velocity

A string of savage murders in the United States seems unrelated until the FBI makes a shocking discovery: a decade ago, all of the murder victims were involved in a raid to eliminate the Umayyad Revolutionary Council, a vicious terror group that—were it not for John Clark and the Campus—would have perpetrated the most devastating attack against critical American infrastructure in history. Now it appears they’re back, with a next-generation leader hell-bent on revenge.

Mary Pat Foley, Director of National Intelligence, greenlights an op for the Campus to cut the head off the snake. Clark taps ex-Delta commando Bartosz “Midas” Jankowski to lead a kill team deep into the mountains to snuff out the charismatic terror leader. But when the hunters become the hunted, it’s up to Jack Rayan Jr. to avert disaster amid a deadly power game of nations vying for control of the disputed region.

On a rapid covert ingress from neighboring India, he’ll traverse the Himalayan wilderness with a rifle on his back and a tough Mujahadin fighter by his side. Jack knows time is growing short—he must save his team and lead them into position to be the first to hit terminal velocity.

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Elise’s Thoughts – Terminal Velocity

Terminal Velocity begins with Jack Ryan Jr., and his fiancée, Lisanne Robertson, visiting Delhi, India, to attend the wedding of Srini Rai, the brilliant surgeon who attached Lisanne’s prosthetic left arm. But there is trouble back in the US with a string of murders of former military who were involved in a raid to eliminate the Umayyad Revolutionary Council, a vicious terror group. John Clark, who heads the Campus, has ex-Delta commando Bartosz “Midas” Jankowski leading a kill team deep into the Pakistan/Afghan mountains to snuff out the charismatic terror leader who seeks revenge against those involved. Unfortunately, when the hunters become the hunted, it’s up to Jack Ryan Jr., who happens to be in the area for the wedding, to avert disaster amid a deadly power game of nations vying for control of the disputed region of Kashmir and to stop the terrorist attack in the US.

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Book Description – Red Tide

Rear Adm. Will Cole, outgoing operations officer (N3) of the Pacific Fleet, knows this is a recipe for disaster. But after decades at sea, he is ready to pass the torch to the next generation of “fighting Coles”: his eldest, Henry, a Navy lieutenant who flies F-18s; his middle son Jaime, a merchant marine officer; and his daughter Lu back home. When the new Cold War turns hot, however, Cole must abandon his plans. Proven right when the missiles start flying, Cole’s reward is an order to do the impossible: destroy the Chinese fleet and retake Taiwan—before it’s too late.

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Elise’s Thoughts – Red Tide

Red Tide’s plot examines the US Navy’s ability to remain the world’s guarantor of a free sea. Tensions between China and the United States have never been higher as both nations compete for access to advanced semiconductor chips produced only in Taiwan. Pearl Harbor comes to mind as the Chinese launch a surprise attack, crippling the U.S. fleet with devastating missile strikes while knocking American GPS, communications, and reconnaissance satellites out of orbit. A modernized Chinese fleet blockades Taiwan and seizes control of Pacific Sea lanes, throttling global commerce. One courageous military family, the Coles, are at the center of thwarting the Chinese in this war where the US must destroy the Chinese fleet and retake Taiwan. To succeed, Will Cole decides to listen to the reserve commander and tech-savvy venture capitalist Gabe Sorkin. With ties to the DOD’s new Defense Innovation Office, Sorkin pushes Cole to think outside the bureaucratic box.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for Tom Clancy Terminal Velocity?

M. P. Woodward: In all the Clancy books I write I want there to be an echo back to an original Clancy book. Tom Clancy wrote a book Dead or Alive before he died, published in 2010. It featured a terrorist network, the Umayyard Council. They had great designs to do something terrible to the American infrastructure. In this book even though the Umayyard Council was knocked out, the American operators who participated in achieving that goal are now dying, effectively murdered. The former terrorists have reconstituted themselves in Kashmir. I used the idea of the original Clancy book but modernized it.

EC: How would you describe one of the terrorists, Fahim?

MPW: Intelligent, charismatic, ambitious, and lecherous. He represents how a Muslim can be pushed into becoming a terrorist. I wanted to show the rift between East and West. His half-brother is a strict terrorist who manipulated him into it.

EC: How would you describe Rafa, Fahim’s half-brother?

MPW: A terrorist, unbalanced, thinks he is God’s messenger, and thinks he is a descendant of Mohammad. He feels he has a great score to settle against the US.

EC: You seem to be able to spot the hot geographical areas of the world. Is that why you had the setting in Northern Pakistan?

MPW: Yes. The clash between India and Pakistan is very real. Just a few months ago there was a terrorist incident in Kashmir, because it is so politically unsettled.

EC: Why the characters of Gavin, Midas, and Mandy in this book?

MPW: The Campus has about ten people with cross-functional skills. Bartosz “Midas” Jankowski has never really been featured except in the book Dead or Alive. The same with Mandy so I wanted to give both characters more page time. Gavin has been a constant character. Midas is a retired Lt-Col ex Delta operator, a commando. Mandy was an FBI-counter-terror investigator. Gavin is a computer nerd and hacker.

EC: There are some scenes with AI in this book. What would you like to say about it?

MPW: I did put in my book how Gavin has AI, Princess, his homegrown AI that can analyze data. AI is just another technical tool to make that easier. It makes sense for Gavin to build his own agent. AI will go into plots but that is different than using it to steal intellectual property.

Copyright protection is a real problem. When it becomes easier to imitate other people’s work, copyright protection should apply. Just as I cannot rebroadcast an NFL game without paying the NFL, permission should be asked, or else it is stealing author’s characters. AI is just another technical tool to make that easier. AI is the next extension of computing power.

EC: The idea for the story of Red Tide?

MPW: There is great power competition happening between China and the US. China is building up its naval power, trying to shut the US out of the South China Sea. I thought about how the US has a dependence on the Taiwanese semi-conductor production. I wondered since China is also dependent on that semi-conductor production, what if they just took it? This is a scenario of how a trade war can lead to a real war.

EC: Do you think this story has points about China?

MPW: China wants to regain Taiwan as a lost province and wants to project power across the South Pacific, calling it the defense of the first Island chain. It goes from Japan down to Indonesia. This is why they built up illegal reefs all over the China Sea, and have territorial disputes with the Philippines and other countries.

EC: Why call it “The Hide and Seek War”?

MPW: It is a fictional name I developed. As the fighting begins, each side will blame the other and try to take out the satellites. Once that happens it becomes a contest of fleets, a la WWII when there was not long-range intelligence. I put in the beginning of the book the President Reagan quote because it speaks of needing American naval power to maintain a free sea. It is something that is an obligation. We are still the number one naval power in the world but are stretched too thin versus China that is trying to control the South China Sea. The US naval power is the one since WWII to enforce that the oceans are open to all. There are other countries that want to close off oceans.

EC: What is the importance of the semiconductors?

MPW: Everything in our world is based on semiconductors. All the AI that is powering the economy is based on semiconductors. I think 70% of that production comes out of Taiwan. The design comes out of the US, but the physical manufacturer all happens in Taiwan. It is a major threat to the global economy.

EC: In this story there is an implication that Japan is not a true ally of the US. Agree?

MPW: When there are challenges national alliances will shift. At some point nations do not have friends, but interests. In this story, I wrote a fictional scenario how China was in a conflict, and the livelihood of Japan was threatened, so Japan wanted to stay out of it.

EC: There are some relevant parts of the story that is happening today. Agree?

MPW: The US Navy must make sure it works at innovating and not be bounded by procurement policies. Recently created was something I came up with in this book, working more with tech innovators. As I put in the book, China’s naval industrial capacity far outweighs the US. This has been a developing problem for many years.

EC: How would you describe the Cole family, the featured characters of the book?

MPW: I wanted them to be like families I have meant that are dedicated to service. The father, Will, is a naval officer, and one of his sons, Henry, also a naval officer, flies F-18s. The daughter, Lucy, works for the defense industry. The other son, Jamie, is a Merchant Marine. Henry’s wife, Sarah, works in DC as a lobbyist. I wanted to show how great this mindset is and hope there will be many more who are out there. We should all admire families like the Coles.

EC: How would you describe Gabe Sorkin?

MPW: I wanted a character who represented reservists. He came from the tech business; someone committed to defense and the military. His point is be prepared to fight each war differently.

EC: Next books?

MPW: I will be writing another Tom Clancy book, coming out in 2026. Red Tide is a standalone, but I am working on another military thriller that should be out in 2026 and is not a Red Tide sequel but is based around the Navy.

THANK YOU!!

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Friday Feature Author Interviews with Elise Cooper: The Guilty Sleep by Jeremy D. Baker and Nothing But Courage by James Donovan

Below is an interview with two authors who served in the military. They discussed their books, one a novel, The Guilty Sleep by Baker, and the other a non-fiction, Nothing But Courage by Donovan, as well as what Memorial Day means to them and how they incorporated their experiences into their books.

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Book Description

Afghanistan vet Dexter Grant is broke, reeling from PTSD, and on the verge of divorce when he’s approached by his old Army buddies to help rescue their former interpreter, the man who once saved Dex’s life. It means ripping off a vicious queenpin’s drug proceeds—but not to worry, they have it all worked out. And if anyone can pull it off, it’s Dex’s former team lead, Staff Sergeant Saenz.

Tempted by an easy score that could make his own problems disappear and imbued with new purpose, Dex agrees to play his part in the scheme. But just as in combat, the best-laid plans don’t survive first contact with the enemy. When the heist goes off the rails, his wife and daughter become targets for bloody revenge. Dex must face down his spiraling inner darkness and call on all his strength and training to save his girls. In his quest, he’ll learn there was much more to this heist than he ever imagined.

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Elise’s Thoughts

The Guilty Sleep by Jeremy D. Baker is a riveting novel. Although this book reflects on Baker’s past experiences, both professional, militarily, and personally, the story itself is a suspenseful mystery. The plot has the hero, Dexter, asked by his old army buddies to commit a crime to save the life of their former interpreter. Also, as part of the story, Dexter’s daughter has the same eye disease Strabismus, as the author’s daughter (essentially Lazy Eye), which costs tens of thousands of dollars to fix. He has no health insurance because he was kicked out of the military. He decides to go along with the heist to get the money for his daughter’s surgery. Dex is not a Rambo-type but is trying to do the right thing to make himself better to overcome PTSD. The book is about Dex coming back from war with his life falling apart and he decides to do something to make his life relevant again. After the heist goes off the rails, his wife and daughter become targets for bloody revenge, in which Dexter is determined to save.

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Book Description

In June 1944, German and American forces converged on an insignificant bridge a few miles inland from the invasion beaches. If taken by the Nazis, the bridge might have gone down in history as the reason the Allies failed on D-Day.

The narrow road over it was each side’s conduit to victory. Continued Nazi control over the bridge near an old manoir known as La Fière—one of only two bridges in the region capable of supporting tanks and other heavy armor—would allow the Germans to reinforce their defenses at Utah Beach, one of the five landing areas chosen for Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Nazi-held Europe. But because control of the bridge was also essential to moving U.S. troops inland and off the beach, it could not simply be destroyed: it had to be taken—and held—by the Allies.

This was part of the formidable mission of the 82nd Airborne, whose lightly armed but superbly trained troopers had dropped behind—and into—German lines five hours before the seaborne assault on Utah. While blocking enemy reinforcements, they had to seize and secure avenues of approach from the beaches to the interior of Normandy, including two bridges over the modest Merderet River and the key crossroads village of Sainte Mère Église. Failure would give Hitler enough time, and the opportunity, to build up the resources necessary to defeat the invasion and turn the tide for the Nazis. The village was taken early on D-Day, and the 82nd endured repeated attacks by much larger German forces. But the bridge at La Fière became a bloody three-day standoff against tanks and artillery that culminated in a near-suicidal charge across it and the narrow 500-yard causeway beyond—straight into the teeth of a fierce German defense ordered to hold it to the last man.

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Elise’s Thoughts

Nothing But Courage by James Donovan tells the dramatic story of the courageous paratroopers and glidermen of the 82nd Airborne. They risked their lives to seize and secure a small, centuries-old bridge in France that played a pivotal role in the success of D-Day.

The battle for La Fiere was crucial in the Normandy invasion and afterward was led by Matthew Ridgway and James Gavin, two of the most outstanding commanders in American military history. In June 1944, German and American forces converged on an insignificant bridge a few miles inland from the invasion beaches. If taken by the Nazis, the bridge might have gone down in history as the reason the Allies failed on D-Day. Continued Nazi control over the bridge would allow the Germans to reinforce their defenses at Utah Beach, with supporting tanks and other heavy armor. But the 82nd Airborne’s success helped the allies in defeating the Germans on the Normandy beach.

This is a riveting, brilliantly researched account of one of the most overlooked yet heroic actions of WWII.

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Jeremy D. Baker ————————— James Donovan

Author Interviews

Elise Cooper: Since Memorial Day is coming up what does it mean to you?

Jeremy Baker: Memorial Day, to me, means Remember. Remember the lives given in service of our nation. Remember those who sacrificed their all, who gave their last full measure of devotion, to something greater than themselves. Remember not only those who died in conflict, but those who died during times of peace, and those who died because of injuries–physical, psychological, emotional–that were received in times of war months or years before they died. Memorial Day, to me, means taking the time to honor all those we remember in these ways. It does not necessarily mean the day must be one of total, quiet, somber reflection. I’ve seen some people out there scolding their neighbors for having fun on the day, but in my mind, what could be a better remembrance and reflection of our values than using this sacred, special day for periods of enjoyment, family, community, and yes, even parties to kick off the summer season. Anyone who’s ever served will tell you that there are few things we service members enjoyed more than a good time with friends, a cold drink, and good food. I take absolutely no issue with anyone celebrating Memorial Day in the way they see fit, but I do hope everyone on the day will take at least a quick moment to think about those who gave their all for the rest of us. Every Memorial Day, I take a moment of reflection to think about those I served with who died, whether in combat, peacetime, or after leaving the military. I think about Carrie Ann, Josh, Dave, Brian, and Lee. The list grows over time, and even one name makes the list too long. I guarantee every veteran keeps a list like this in their mind. I’m honored to have served with these people, and their sacrifice, their battles, will not be forgotten.

James Donovan: Memorial Day is a time to reflect on those Americans who gave their lives to keep our country free. In writing this book I interviewed twelve men from the 82nd and thought what a great honor. By the time they made it back to England, after D-Day, they had 50% casualties: injured, missing, and dead. One company that originally had about 175 men returned with only 16 men. Memorial Day is not about the most recent war but about the past wars as well.

EC: Why the 82nd Airborne in the non-fiction book Nothing But Courage?

JD: It was a dream of mine to write a WWII book. The Airborne troops were considered elite Special Forces. Back then they did not really have Special Forces but had two elite parts of the Army, the Rangers and the Airborne. They were trained to a tee. They were given an assignment that lasted a week at the most and were sent back to regroup.

EC: What can you say about this mission?

JD: They were kept in the field for about 32 days. It was to seize and secure strategically important towns and bridges to keep German reinforcements out. Americans dropped two divisions of paratroopers behind the lines on Utah Beach on the French Coast. They were asked to take strategic towns, one of which was Ste-Mere-Eglise, that was controlled by the Germans. They also had to take two bridges to seal the Germans off from getting more men.

EC: Why were the gliders called in?

JD: They were sent in to take the La Fiere bridgehead on June 6th, 1944. They had to deal with the Germans who had machine guns, mortars, and anti-tank guns, basically well dug in. The paratrooper regiments were dropped all over because they lost their bearings. The

idea with glider troops of 20 to 30 men per glider was that they could jump out as a unit. For the most part it worked. After WWII they were not used because they used helicopters.

EC: Describe the leaders Ridgway and Gavin?

JD: General Matthew Ridgway was raised army, went to West Point. He was very inspiring and looked like a Roman Emperor. His deputy commander, Lt. General James Gavin, never went to high school, joined the army when he was 17, and went to West Point with an 8th grade education. He knew a lot about paratroopers. He led by example, very soft spoken. Ridgway was respected but Gavin was loved. These commanders were the first to jump out of the planes to lead their men, instead of how most generals acted, miles from the front. There was an extraordinary collection of men.

EC: Was it a success?

JD: Germans had flooded all these fields. They had to jump in the Swamp Land where dozens of men drowned. Yet, they got the job done because of the leadership, extraordinary training, and courage. After this, Airborne men proved that they could do an astonishing job.

EC: Does this story, The Guilty Sleep, have any reflection on your past service?

JB: I have been writing off and on for about twenty years. There is an awful lot of me and my military experience in this story. What I really wanted to do with this story is talk about the cost of fighting wars. I thought about this story in August of 2021 when the US was pulling out of Afghanistan. It was immediately overrun by the Taliban. As a military veteran who had served there, I had a lot of thoughts and feelings about it. I had a lot of conversations with other veterans about it. It made all the sense in the world to take all my thoughts and feelings about what happened there and put it all together in a novel that also dealt with family, camaraderie, and the cost of fighting wars on those who have fought.

EC: How did your military experience help you to write this?

JB: I was a counterintelligence agent in the army from 2000-2005, serving in Afghanistan. My team was assigned to support the Special Forces team, so we spent a lot of time chasing down the Taliban and Al Qaeda. In many ways there are elements in this story based on my personal experiences. The main character, Dex, is also a counterintelligence agent who was deployed there. He had the same training I did with many of the same experiences. He was impacted with combat induced PTSD that he developed during his deployment.

EC: Why the book quote, “The draw down in Afghanistan and the Taliban coming back is like nothing that happened even mattered. Like they died for nothing.” Please explain.

JB: I started writing this book in October 2021 and we pulled out of Afghanistan in August of 2021. I was watching it as a civilian and saw how our Afghan allies fled, and the Taliban took over our equipment. We were there for almost twenty years and so much of the blood and treasures died. I was struggling with what was it all for. There was a scene in the book where there was a veteran support group from Vietnam to Afghanistan. They talked about the Afghan pullout.

EC: How would you describe Dex, the hero?

JB: He is unraveling, a lost soul, sarcastic, a stand-up person, and a loving husband/father.

EC: Why give him PTSD?

JB: Some people who had one deployment like me struggle with PTSD and some people have many multiple deployments and do not seem to struggle with PTSD. Fighting wars and being in combat does have an impact on the human psyche. I found writing was my therapy.

EC: What was the character Dex struggling with?

JB: He had PTSD and struggled with depression, alcoholism, loss, and possibly losing his family. He screams, curses, has fury, some uncontrollable behavior, and sleep deprivation. I drew a lot of his PTSD experience from my own, especially the unexplainable flashes of rage along with the tossing and turning and unable to sleep. But like Dex I was a devoted husband and father. I put in this quote, “anger, booze, nightmares, symptoms, must be cut out like a tumor. And do it by helping people who need help.”

EC: Next book?

JB: I am working on sequel to the book. There will be some characters back. The working title is The Guilty Burn. There is no release date. Dex helps someone who gets into trouble and will do problem solving together.

THANK YOU!!

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Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: The Hunt for the Peggy C and Rescue Run by John Winn Miller

Book Descriptions and Elise’s Thoughts

The Hunt for The Peggy C and Rescue Run by John Winn Miller has life and death decisions that lead to daring escapes. The stories display how the hero, Captain Jake Rogers and the heroine, Miriam Maduro, have both courage and resilience. Both books’ plots show how the hunter and the hunted navigate their way through the war zones of the North Sea, the Atlantic, Europe, and the Mediterranean.

The Hunt for The Peggy C has Captain Jake Rogers of the aging tramp steamer, The Peggy C, smuggling contraband merchandise, for money. While in Amsterdam he is paid by Miriam’s father, Mr. Maduro, to smuggle to Gibraltar his most perilous cargo, a Jewish family of six: Uncle Levy, a rabbi; his three young children; and two sisters, Miriam and Truus. But things do not go as planned when a U-Boat commander forces the ship to be boarded by three of its crew members in search of contraband. Unfortunately, they see too much, and the Peggy C crew is forced to take them prisoner. Out for revenge for being humiliated, the U-boat commander Viktor Brauer doggedly pursues the ship hoping to torpedo it to smithereens.

The sequel, Rescue Run, has Captain Jake Rogers returning to the North Atlantic as commander of a US Liberty ship with many of his crew. Unfortunately, it breaks down and they end up in Ireland. While there, Rogers learns from Dutch sailors that the Nazis have arrested the father of Miriam Maduro and have deported him to a concentration camp. In the first book Miriam and Rogers have become lovers and realize they care for each other. Rogers and crew sneak back into Holland aboard a gun-running ship from neutral Ireland and contact a resistance group to help them get Maduro to safety. While in Holland they learn that Miriam is in grave danger in a Nazi prison and has been tortured. Determined to rescue her they once again ask a resistance group to help in a daring rescue attempt. This is where the cat and mouse games begin, as a Nazi bounty hunter is in hot pursuit to get the reward put on Miriam’s head. Now the heroes must navigate informants, imposters, gangsters, and double agents to escape to safety by using disguises, fake documents, subterfuge, and guns.

These stories have nonstop adventure and intrigue that keep readers in a perpetual state of suspense. The nail-biting tension mixed with heartwarming moments makes for a page turner. A bonus are the true historical details about the war and the countries involved that lend to a powerful authenticity. If readers want to learn more about the characters at the end of the second book are additional reading materials, research notes, and blurbs about the historical figures and their fate.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the story?

John Winn Miller: Years ago, I watched a bad TV adventure movie with my family. I knew I could write a better story. The next day I woke up from a dream and knew the first scene, the last scene, and the name of the ship. Because I had no personal experiences with U-boats, Merchants ships, or the settings in the plot, I took several years to do the research and get the facts straight.

EC: What was the role of Peggy C in the first book?

JWM: It is the name for the cargo ship. A Jewish family was rescued by the ship’s captain, Jake Rogers. The ship is chased by a Nazi U-boat. It is thirty years old but did well in the cat and mouse game with the U-boat. I wanted to use a slow ship to make it hard to get away. The ship was like a character in the story.

EC: What was real in the story?

JWM: The drug Pervitin was used to give the Nazis a jolt of energy and euphoria. It made them confident, courageous, and fearless. It helped people stay awake for several days. Hitler’s pirates are real. Pirates originated from the idea of Winston Churchill during WWI. The Nazis decided to use that idea in WWII. The more bizarre, the more I made sure it was real.

EC: There is a powerful quote in the book that can also be used today after October 7^th. Please explain

JWM: You are referring to, “You and your kind make evil leaders like Hitler possible and yet you pretend you are only fighting for country.” It was the typical defense of the Nazis; I was just following orders. There is no moral responsibility to stand up to evil whether soldiers in the German army or collaborators in the occupied countries, apart from Denmark.

EC: How would you describe the U-boat Commander Brauer?

JWM: He is based on three real U-boat captains. He is deranged and cruel. I took the worst traits of the worst U-boat captains. He is very much convinced of the righteousness of what he is doing. He is a war criminal and what he did is based on a true story. I based him on a real captain that had a troubled career. Brauer wanted revenge against Rogers after being humiliated.

EC: How would you describe the heroine, Miriam?

JWM: A reader, smart, impulsive, courageous, fighter, tough, optimist, and determined. She starts out to a damsel in distress but becomes a hero by the end of the story.

EC: Do you think Miriam changed in the second book after she was tortured by the Nazis?

JWM: Yes. She got a heavier heart, became more suspicious, not trusting, with feelings of gloom, anxiety, dread, and anger. She was a young medical student but now had to fight back and become tough to save her family. She grows more than anybody in these books. She realizes that those who told her not to fight back were wrong and thinks of them as fools, especially the Jewish Council in Amsterdam.

EC: How would you describe the hero, Rogers?

JWM: He is a cynic, loyal, a good navy man, clever, caring, with a bit of a temper. He is self-educated.

EC: What about the relationship?

JWM: Rogers and Miriam have a bond they share with the love of books. They care for each other but must navigate their differences because they come from entirely different cultures and religions.

EC: Why did you make a cat and mouse plot in both books?

JWM: I love the Bourne movies and realize that the tension is ratcheted up, especially as they get closer to each other in proximity. I enjoy the chase where they are trying to outrun and outsmart the enemy. Rogers realizes he is not as strong as the enemy, so he must use his brains to escape, many times getting ideas to think his way out from the books he read.

EC: Why the quote at the beginning of the second book, Rescue Run?

JWM: You mean this one, “To the brave heroes and heroines who gave their all, and often their lives, to defeat fascism’s heinous ideology of intolerance, racism, nationalism, and anti-Semitism.” There were soldiers and others who had the courage to stand up. Many of them are actual historical figures where I tried to remain true to who they were. For example, Miriam’s friend, Tineke Butcher, who hid them. She, her mother, and her grandmother, hid more than 100 Jewish refugees. The Gestapo raided her home eight times, arrested her nine times, and beat her; yet she never revealed any secrets. Even at great personal peril.

EC: Was the resistance leader, Miss 2000, real?

JWM: Yes. Very few did I make up. She was the only woman to create and lead a resistance movement during the war. She and her group sheltered more than 4,500 during the occupation, providing them with food, clothing, rations, and false identity papers, as I wrote about in the books. I hoped I highlighted her courage and her wanting to stand up for what was the right thing to do.

EC: What about Hitler’s bounty hunters like the character, Janssen?

JWM: I stumbled across this book, Hitler’s Bounty Hunters, about them and could not believe it. Janssen has no morals and no convictions. He was in it for the money and what made it more fun for him is that he did not like Jews. He has pure greed.

EC: What about your next book?

JWM: The title is Miriam in The Shadows and will be published March 2026. The plot has Miriam and Rogers sent to France on separate missions by the English Intelligence Agencies. There will be double crosses, double agents, and interjacencies that have dirty deals.

THANK YOU!!

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Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: The Hunt for the Peggy C: A WWII Maritime Thriller by John Winn Miller

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for THE HUNT FOR THE PEGGY C: A WWII Maritime Thriller by John Winn Miller on this Black Coffee Book Tour.

Below you will find a book description, my book review, an about the author section, and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Description

John Winn Miller’s THE HUNT FOR THE PEGGY C captures the breathless suspense of early World War II in the North Atlantic. Captain Jake Rogers, experienced in running his tramp steamer through U-boat-infested waters to transport vital supplies and contraband to the highest bidder, takes on his most dangerous cargo yet after witnessing the oppression of Jews in Amsterdam: a Jewish family fleeing Nazi persecution.

The normally aloof Rogers finds himself drawn in by the family’s warmth and faith, but he can’t afford to let his guard down when Oberleutnant Viktor Brauer, a brutal U-boat captain, sets his sights on the Peggy C., Rogers finds himself pushed to the limits of his ingenuity as he evades Brauer’s relentless stalking, faces a mutiny among his own crew, and grapples with his newfound feelings for Miriam, the young Jewish woman whom, along with her family, he must transport to safety.

When Rogers is seriously wounded, Miriam must prove she is as tough as her rhetoric to save everyone as the U-boat closes in for the kill. THE HUNT FOR THE PEGGY C is a masterpiece laced with nail-biting tension and unexpectedly heartwarming moments that any reader, not just fans of naval fiction, will enjoy.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/134916574-the-hunt-for-the-peggy-c

Universal link for the book on Amazon

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

THE HUNT FOR THE PEGGY C: A World War II Maritime Thriller by John Winn Miller is an edge-of-your-seat suspense filled historical fiction/thriller set on an American tramp steamer with an international crew and secret cargo being relentlessly hunted by a German U-boat captain before America enters the war. Set aside some time for this story because if you are like me, you will keep turning the pages and not be able to put it down until The End.

Captain Jake Rogers is experienced in running his tramp steamer, The Peggy C, through U-boat infested waters as the Germans try to cut off supplies to England and its allies. He takes on everything from vital supplies to contraband as long as the reward for him and his crew is high. As The Peggy C docks in Amsterdam, Rogers is paid to take on unusual cargo, Jewish refugees, which if discovered by the Germans could get his whole crew killed.

Oberleutnant Viktor Brauer is a brutal U-boat captain who has clawed his way through the ranks and is willing to do anything to finally be awarded the Iron Cross. After stopping The Peggy C and losing his boarding party, he is determined to destroy The Peggy C and its captain. The hunt is on.

I loved everything about this story. The maritime setting was an enjoyable change from other WWII historical fiction books. I learned so much while never being bored with the new maritime and nautical information which never bogged down the story or decreased the pace of the suspense. I truly did not know what would happen from page to page. The nail-biting tension throughout at Brauer’s scary determination to destroy Rogers and The Peggy C also kept me turning the pages. The interactions and growing feelings between Rogers and the refugees were heartwarming and gave a few small breaks to the continual overall tension of the main plotline.

I highly recommend this maritime historical fiction/thriller! A fantastic read!

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About the Author

John Winn Miller is an award-winning investigative reporter, foreign correspondent, editor, publisher, screenwriter, indie movie producer and novelist.

Based in Rome for The Associated Press and Wall Street Journal/Europe, he covered wars in Beirut, Chad and Eritrea as well as special assignments in Libya, Bulgaria, Tunis and India ,and traveled with Pope John Paul II.

He was part of a team of reporters at the Lexington (KY) Herald-Leader that wrote a series that helped trigger education reform in Kentucky. The series won the 1990 public service award from the Society of Professional Journalists, top honors from Investigative Reporters and Editors and was a Pulitzer Prize finalist.

He was executive editor of the Centre Daily Times (PA) and the Tallahassee Democrat and publisher of The Olympian (WA) and the Concord (N.H.) Monitor.

Miller also was the first Journalist-in-Residence for his alma mater, The University of Kentucky, and taught journalism at Transylvania University.

He has helped produce four Indie movies, written several screenplays and is a partner in a social media marketing company called Friends2Follow.

The Lexington, Kentucky-native is also a second degree black belt. His wife Margo is a former college English instructor and now a potter. Their daughter Allison Miller is an actress-screenwriter-director currently starring in the ABC series A Million Little Things.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.johnwinnmiller.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100076298677356

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnwinnmiller_author/#

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-hunt-for-the-peggy-c-by-john-winn-miller

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Defense Protocol (Tom Clancy) by Brian Andrews and Jeffrey Wilson

Book Description

For decades, Taiwan has been a thorn in the side of the Chinese government. An independent nation to the rest of the world, it is considered a rogue province by the PRC. Previous governments have tried to conquer the island using economic force and diplomatic pressure, but new Chinese President Li Jian Jun is done fooling around. He’s devised a secret military operation to take the island. Only one man knows how to stop Li’s mad and bloody plan for reunification and that’s Minister of Defense Qin Haiyu. Fearing for his life and the safety of his family, Qin covertly makes contact with the CIA in Beijing and signals his desire to defect to the West.

To get Qin out, John Clark creates an international task force reminiscent of Rainbow Six and goes undercover in mainland China. Meanwhile, Lt. Commander Katie Ryan is deployed to the tip of the spear on the destroyer USS Jason Dunham to defend Taiwan. Threatened by an encircling Chinese armada, she’s under pressure to find a flaw in the invaders’ plan for her father to exploit.

For his part, President Jack Ryan may have the power of the entire US military at his disposal, but what he really needs are Li’s secret plans from Defense Minister Qin so he can stave off a war. Because America’s Defense Protocol could lead to a game of mutual destruction that could cost the lives of thousands of young soldiers, sailors, special operators as well as his daughter.

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Elise’s Thoughts

Tom Clancy’s Defense Protocol by Andrews and Wilson brings to life the whole Clancy Universe.

The new Chinese President Li Jian Jun has devised a secret military operation to conquer Taiwan. Only one man knows how to stop Li’s mad and bloody plan for reunification and that’s Minister of Defense Qin Haiyu. Fearing for his life and the safety of his family, Qin covertly contacts the CIA in Beijing and signals his desire to defect to the West. To get Qin out, John Clark creates an international task force reminiscent of Rainbow Six and goes undercover in mainland China. Meanwhile, Lt. Commander Katie Ryan is deployed to the tip of the spear on the destroyer USS Jason Dunham to defend Taiwan. Threatened by an encircling Chinese armada, she’s under pressure to find a flaw in the invaders’ plan for her father to exploit. Both she, her dad, President Ryan, and the rest of the task force must come up with a plan to prevent WWIII.

This was as good as if Tom Clancy had written it himself with an intense plot and a lot of action.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the story?

Brian Andrews and Jeff Wilson: After writing the last book, Act of Defiance, which was a submarine book with Russia as the antagonist, we decided to look somewhere else geopolitically. The biggest global geopolitical flashpoints that could turn into war or could shift the balance of global power was with Taiwan, one of those places that’s very high on the list. China has made no secret about their plans to take over Taiwan and have been talking about this for almost two decades. It’s not a matter of if they want to reunify Taiwan, it’s just a matter of when, and how they do it. We thought it would be right for fiction.

EC: Does Chang have a major role in the book even though he died early in the story?

BA and JW: He was the Foreign Minister. In real life I kept seeing these articles about how these high-ranking important Chinese people would just disappear including billionaire civilians who maybe got a little too big for their britches and the Chinese would have them disappear. They would be off the radar with nobody knowing where they were. Those that do return have gone to reeducation camps. I just thought it’s amazing that this happens even with high-profile individuals. People that are known in politics, known on the world stage, and the Chinese are still doing it. We opened with it, which is basically if you want to play in the game and are not on board with what the Chinese President wants to do then you’re an enemy, and he’s going to get rid of you.

EC: I’m wondering if you could explain that it seems China, more than Russia are devious, violent, they’re on the brink of wanting World War III?

BA and JW: They’re always kind of challenging the United States and we wanted to get that point across in the book. The Chinese have what they call their 10-year plan which is part of their fifty-year plan so there’s five 10-year plans that make up their fifty-year plan. What we wanted to convey is that that the Chinese don’t think in terms of election cycles like the United States, and I think you’re spot on when you say that they’re more calculating and more disciplined than Russia because the Chinese think in terms of dynasties. Remember that’s their history: Chinese dynasties ruled the world until British naval power came on to the scene. We did a lot of research for this book just about Chinese history and mentality. They’re on the path to reclaim their destiny as the rightful rulers of the world and America is just in the way. They have been very methodical starting with commerce and manufacturing to get their toe in the door. First, making things for U.S. companies and then once U.S. companies started investing there, they develop trust. Now companies can’t own more than 49% of any business in China and if you want to do anything here you have to surrender your intellectual property. Then they send their people over to the US under the guise of researchers, students, and workers but most of them are spies to pillage intellectual property. They then use that to build up their military using all the money that American consumers spend on Chinese products. Now they have more ships in their Navy than we do. They clone our fighter jets, ships, submarines, and missiles because they’ve stolen all our technology. We wanted to show how they are the most formidable adversary that we face, willing to do one thing and say another because they’re very good at propaganda. Plus, they’re very good at managing their money and buy American T-bills so they can influence our currency.

EC: Everyone seems to be speaking of Russian, but it seems that China is our real enemy-something you point out in this book.

BA and JW: They’re much more sophisticated than Russia, and much less impulsive than Russia. For the Chinese it’s an entire machine really devoted to unseating the US as the world power.

EC: How would you describe the US asset, the Spider?

BA and JW: She is a support asset for the CIA that uses only women to help and has a web of contacts. She gets political dissidents out and can appear cold and cruel. But she’s a survivor and she’s like a spider. Her name is metaphorical but also accurate because she’s built a web in Beijing that allows her to use Cold War tactics and non-technology-based means and methods to do her job, moving information and people safely. It meant that she’s had to sacrifice certain things like having a family, so I think there probably is an element of stoicism to her. As part of her cover she runs a taxi company, hiring only women. Even though China is dominated by men she’s not going to get pushed around by being industrious and having survived the purge after so many other assets and spies were rounded up and murdered by the ministry of state security. She is stealthy, clever, and hard to catch.

EC: You also point out the importance of Taiwan-why?

BA and JW: Taiwan is 100 miles away from their coast. China has multiple bases along the eastern edge right across the Taiwan Strait from Taiwan. It would take minutes for their missiles to fly and hit Taiwan and take them over. Everyone knows that Taiwan alone cannot mount an effective defense against a full-scale invasion by the Chinese. I think because 90% of the world’s complex semiconductors are manufactured in Taiwan with so much global commerce running in, around, and through Taiwan that the world would balk. So, what we imagined is that Chinese president would say “to diminish the political damage from taking over Taiwan what we need to do is spin this so that our actions are justified, claiming that it wasn’t us being the aggressor.” Basically, using a false flag operation to provide the justification for the invasion of Taiwan.

EC: Was the role of Katie more of a supporting character?

BA and JW: We did have her anticipate the adversary response and how she helped get the Spider and Defense Minister by out maneuvering President Li. She didn’t wilt under pressure, and she was confident. We wrote her to be the primary protagonist, but this is a Jack Ryan series. Due to the complexity of this book and all the moving chess pieces that we wanted to show on the board, everybody got a little less airtime. There’s lots of other players in the Jack Ryan universe and we wanted to have the whole crew.

EC: You never write her as a superhero, agree?

BA and JW: We want to be authentic, so we don’t want Katie Ryan to be like a marvel superhero where she shows up as the smartest and fastest, able to do flips, beat people up, and knows how to fly planes, basically a one-woman wrecking crew when she’s an analyst who works for the office of naval intelligence. Although she did take a lot of initiative, putting a lot of effort into trying to do as much as she could to figure out what was going on and helping to deescalate the situation by finding a solution.

EC: Why the Battleship game?

BA and JW: The Battleship game is a metaphor for the story itself. Katie and her dad both are analysts, both strategic, playing this game of ships where they can’t see what the other side is doing, can’t see where their ships are. It really was a metaphor for the book, not just the game but also father and daughter playing together, having quality time. One of the things we had happened is that Katie won to foreshadow this idea that she’s the next generation of Ryan, who my gosh maybe she’s just as smart as her dad and or maybe she’s even smarter and she can do the same type of job that he does. Also just giving them some father daughter time to show that they have a very healthy and close relationship.

EC: Next books?

BA and JW: Out in April is the fourth book in our Shepherds Series, titled Dark Rising. There’s been a bit of a hiatus on Shepherds because we changed publishers and because we started writing the Clancy series, so we had to take a little break. It will now be published by Blackstone. Plus, the showrunner for the Shepherds is developing it for television. It has a faith-based component The plot has these kids called the watchers who have a spiritual gift that allows them basically to sort of predict and maybe see through visions like when bad stuff is going to happen and so they get an idea of something going to happen and tell the shepherds which are a bunch of former military special OPS guys. There is an interesting alliance between adolescents and operators where the operators can’t do their job without the watchers but the watchers can’t protect themselves without the shepherds and so you have this interesting alliance of kids and adults trying to stop evil in the world. The specific plot of the next book has terrorists dealing with the Chinese and Russians surrounding a sex trafficking ring. The hero iJedediah Johnson goes on vacation to the Dominican Republic and when he’s there he stops a kidnapping. What he starts to realize is that all these kids are being kidnapped there and taken to other places.

The book Four Minutes has the task force getting intel from technology and the Shepherd Series is getting intel from the spiritual. It is under development with a producer named Mark Evans. Netflix is developing this for film and so we sort of feel like we should wait and see where it goes. We’d like the movie and book to sort of be compatible and if the film goes off like in a big different direction, we need to be able to kind of know that before we write the sequel. 100% we’re going to write the sequel, but we’d like to get at least the first screenplay finished so we know what’s going to happen and then we can start on the next book.

In July will be the next Sons of Valor book, False Flag. The plot has the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia murdered, and the blame is pointed at Mossad, the Israeli Intelligence. The company goes to the Middle East to help figure out who killed the Crown Prince and obviously the title of the book sort of gives away it away.

In October the next Tier One book comes out. It doesn’t have a title yet, but the plot continues where the last book, Ember left off. A Chinese agent was helping the terrorist organization al Qaeda that was responsible for the bombing that killed President Warner and the Indian Prime Minister. Richard Wang of the task force is kidnapped so it’s about trying to figure who took him and how to thwart the Chinese and the terrorists.

The next Clancy book comes out December, maybe a little less Kate because her brother Kyle is going to make his appearance in the series. She’s got this twin brother Kyle. We’re working on it now.

THANK YOU!!

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