The publishing industry and readers around
the world lost remarkable talent in the past few months.
Tom Clancy, Vince Flynn, Elmore Leonard,
and Michael Palmer.
Each had a unique voice and an amazing presence. They captivated and entertained millions of fans,
and inspired thousands of writers. I am
one of them.
While a great deal has been written about
Clancy, Flynn and Leonard, I’d like to honor Michael Palmer.
Michael was the first author to notice
me. Actually, notice isn’t even the
proper term. Recognize is better. Launch is even stronger.
Thanks to an introduction through our
mutual friend in Boston, Sandi Goldfarb, Michael wrote an incredible endorsement
for my first political thriller, Executive
Actions. His quote remains on my
Diversion Books cover. Through his words we became friends.
Michael Palmer encouraged me to keep writing. After Executive
Actions he helped me focus my objectives and goals. He gave me professional tips and other
introductions. He also told me I had to participate
in one of his favorite events –ThrillerFest, the annual conference of The
International Thriller Writers , Inc.
Michael
was right about that as he was everything else.
I also realized that Michael Palmer was
willing to nurture others in the same manner.
Nowhere was that better seen than at the 2013 ThrillerFest where he was
celebrated morning, noon and night by his fellow writers and the legions of ITW
members who couldn’t wait he see him.
Fortunately, I had the opportunity to
repay Michael’s kindness. Two years ago,
as I helped in the production of the Emmy-winning PBS book series “Between the
Lines with Barry Kibrick,”
I brought Michael to
Puerto Rico for a special taping.
Michael and Barry discussed A
Heartbeat Away. The show can be viewed
through: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vHyxsyRRAI.
As Michael
talks about his novel, it’s easy to grasp his own commitment to story and
character; his understanding of structure; and his desire to entertain readers
through suspense close enough to touch.
Michael Palmer introduced us to evil doers
and took us to perilous places. He
raised decidedly scary “What If” scenarios.
He asked us to think.
He noted in the TV interview that he wrote
fiction the way the world is. And yet,
he remained personally optimistic.
Host Barry Kibrick underscored that point
by reading a quote from Michael’s novel, drilling down into his underlying optimism;
his belief in the human spirit. “..we as a people,” he wrote, “can master any
difficulty and achieve unparalleled peace... .“
Rest in peace, Michael Palmer. Your creativity and thoughtfulness will
continue to inspire us.
Gary Grossman is the author of the thrilling Executive series.
An assassin’s bullet changes the course of the Presidential election— not by killing Democratic candidate Teddy Lodge, but his wife. Riding a wave of popular sympathy, Lodge surges forward as the man to beat for incumbent President Morgan Taylor. Secret Service Agent Scott Roarke is ordered by President Taylor to investigate the assassination, and unravels a deadly Soviet plot that has incubated for more than 30 years. Now in the hands of a power hungry Middle Eastern heir to the throne, Agent Roarke must stop a sleeper agent poised to change the course of American policy in the Middle East. Executive Actions is a tense political thriller, where both the Presidency and the Constitution are at stake.
Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, the iBookstore, & Audible.
Executive Treason
The secret terrorist organization that came within a heartbeat of installing its agent as President of the United States in Executive Actions is back with a new—and deadlier—plot to destabilize the U.S. government. It all begins with what appears to be a simple mugging and murder of a female White House staffer. Secret Service agent Scott Roarke discovers the truth: that the murder was committed by his secret nemesis, the mysterious assassin who had managed to always stay one step ahead of him during the presidential campaign. This time Roarke has found clues about the assassin's past that give him the tools he needs to hunt the hunter, but the clues can only go so far. Roarke needs all his skill, and a huge amount of luck as well, if he's going to catch his quarry.
Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, the iBookstore, & Audible.
The clock is ticking down to an attack on America’s most vulnerable natural resource: Water. Our nation’s water resources are high on terrorist target lists, but low on America’s consciousness. Water sources are largely unprotected, providing open access to any enemy with chemicals and biotoxins.
So far we’ve been lucky. But that luck won’t last.
This is the all-too-real-and-present danger facing President Morgan Taylor and Secret Service Agent Scott Roarke as they desperately try to prevent hell-bent terrorists from destroying America and its infrastructure city by city, and state by state.
Fact-based in frightening detail, Executive Command is a political thriller that will leave you pondering its strong possibility the next time you pour a glass of water.
Available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, the iBookstore, & Audible.
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