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.

MY MAGNIFICENT SEVEN

I started reading thrillers, mostly spy fiction, before I was a teenager.  Anybody out there old enough to remember the Nick Carter series?  Killmaster ring a bell?  Had my mom really thumbed through some of the pages, she would have been as surprised as I gladly was.  Guess the innocent looking covers were a nice misdirection.

As time passes, you read and read and certain books influence or stay in your mind as ones you could read over and over again. 

Here, in no particular order, is my Magnificent Seven list.

1.  The Day Of The Jackal by Frederick Forsyth

      I said there's no particular order but I have to confess this is the book that set the standard for me.  The subject came up once during an interview with Tom Clancy and he agreed with my assessment.  Forsyth created a masterpiece in both plot and character development.


2.  Marathon Man by William Goldman

      I've never liked the dentist and this book created a phobia that exists to this day.  Perhaps you've seen the movie but reading it first-hand, late at night... who can forget...

      "Is it safe?"

      "Yes.  It's very safe.  It's so safe you wouldn't believe
      it.  There.  Now you know."

      "Is it safe?"


3.  Six Days of the Condor by James Grady

     If memory serves me right, this was the first book I ever read in one day.  It was short but one hell of a page turner.  A very well thought out and unique plot.  Robert Redford did a good job in the movie version and Max von Sydow - special.


4.  The Matarese Circle by Robert Ludlum

      That I got to meet and interview Robert Ludlum at a time when I was a huge fan, makes this book special.  Most people know about Jason Bourne but the lead character in this offering, Brandon Scofield, is a bad man.  He has a Russian counterpart and they hate each other but as fate would have it, they are forced to join forces to snuff out an organization known as The Matarese.  Good stuff.


5.  The Eiger Sanction by Trevanian

     Jonathan Hemlock was in interesting character.  A professor of art, skilled mountain climber and a free-lance assassin who often killed in order to acquire precious works of art.  Shame this character was only operational in two books.


6.  Consent to Kill by Vince Flynn

    I have had the pleasure of knowing Vince for several years and he serves as an inspiration since he had to self publish his first novel when no one would give him a serious nibble.  Several bestsellers later, it proves the literary world can miss out on talent.  Flynn's CIA assassin is Mitch Rapp and after all the killing he's done, it stands to reason that one day, someone would come looking for revenge.  That day comes to light in this entertaining read.


7.  From Russia With Love by Ian Fleming

     Another book I shouldn't have been reading when I did was this James Bond offering.  SMERSH sets up a lavish trap to kill Bond and they have trained the perfect killer in Red Grant.  How can you go wrong a writer who brought an entire genre to the forefront.

The Dog Days of Writing

By now, I expected to be in the midst of a book signing tour, answering tough and insightful questions about my novel, smiling through the pain of writer's cramp.  Instead, I'm having an Ernest Hemingway moment, knocking back my favorite go to beverage, a rum & coke with lemon.

My novel is done and yet, each literary agent rejection or no response sends me back into tweaking mode. those rejections sting at first but I look at them as merely a test of conviction and perseverance. I think what I've written is good and worthy of print. It's sort of like dating. You just have to find the right agent and hope you make a good enough impression that your feelings are returned.

The one good feeling you can return to time after time is that you've actually finished a novel. No small feat by any measure. Doing so often means you've neglected your family and friends for a period of time. The disappointment comes when you have nothing to show for your hard work. My wife, sensing my frustration of not securing an agent yet, remarked: "Not as easy as you'd thought it be,eh?"

Slap!

That was not me slapping my wife, but instead reality going upside my head for anticipating success quickly. I've been a journalist for 28 years so I know how to write, interpret facts and deliver a story. Convincing an agent of that is as college football analyst Lee Corso would say, "Not so fast my friend." My novel, Operation Sandstorm, is a spy thriller and I've come to realize a majority of agents are hesitant to take on a first-time novelist in that genre because publishers are concerned about taking the risk of getting enough books sold to cover their cost.

Now, if I wanted to write a book that fit into the YA (young adult) crowd, which is highly popular now, I'd probably peak an agent's interest. Or, if you have a vampire detective investigating killer werewolves with a shape shifting assassin on the loose, you're as good as gold.

Those topics don't work for me. I grew up on spy thrillers. I started reading Ian Fleming long before it was age appropriate for me to do so. I transitioned into a series of escapism novels perfect for a budding teenager known as Nick Carter: Killmaster. Thank goodness for EBay because I tracked down a number of the titles and they're now part of my library.

Because of my profession, I've had the unique and wonderful opportunity to meet and interview writers in the thriller or mystery genre that I respect and enjoy reading. An inspirational moment came years ago when I lived in St. Thomas of the United States Virgin Islands. Robert Ludlum, my favorite author at the time, was vacationing on the island. He was informed that I wanted to interview him and he agreed. He invited me over and we sat out on the terrace overlooking the ocean for a couple of hours as he let me explore his mind. A cherished moment made more special by the personal note he sent me weeks after, expressing his delight over the interview. I still have that letter tucked away in one of his books.

So when I chat with the contemporaries; Vince Flynn, David Baldacci, James Patterson, Patricia Cornwell, Sara Paretsky, and so forth, I long to join the club. My favorite book of all time is The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth. I went overboard in thanking him for writing such a masterpiece when I interviewed him but I'm not alone in that assessment as Tom Clancy agreed when the topic came up in conversation.

If you've written anything that hasn't sold yet or haven't found someone to represent your work, I'm sure you've had the experience of going to the bookstore and thumbing through the pages of those who've entered the kingdom. You're often left with that feeling of 'This person is published and I can't get a nibble! What the hell!' But, don't give up!

I'd love to sit around and chat some more, but there's tweaking to be done and a few more agents to target. Somebody out there has got to like me!