What I’m Thankful For
You, dear reader.
This year, Jill and I are fortunate to have our health, we’re financially secure, and we have each other, all of which I’m thankful for. But most of all, I’m thankful for you. It’s because of you that I get to write these stories. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for being a reader.
I hope you and yours have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Ask Me Anything
I’m doing an Ask Me Anything, and it goes like this:
Ask me a question, and I’ll answer it in a video. You can click the link here or the image below to leave your question as a comment on Facebook or simply reply to this email. I’ll gather all the questions and then publish a video in a couple of weeks with my answers.
You can ask about my writing process, Max’s background, my new novel coming out in December, my workout regime, why I stopped drinking bourbon, when I’ll quit my day job to write full time, or why the Oxford comma is mandatory for everyone. Ask whatever is on your mind!
What I’m Streaming
I just finished Ghosts of Beirut on Amazon. It’s a four-part “mockumentary” that tells the story of Imad Mughniyeh, one of the most elusive and deadly Hezbollah terrorist masterminds in history, and the CIA’s and Mossad’s attempts to track him and ultimately kill him. It’s well-acted and well-written and humanizes Mughniyeh in a way that adds real depth to the story. My only issue is the younger Mughniyeh actor is significantly taller than the older Mughniyeh actor, but it didn’t detract from the excellent production. I particularly enjoyed the period segments that took place in Beirut in the 1980s and I watched with interest the relationship between Mossad and the CIA. Highly recommended.
What I’m Re-Streaming
Homeland. Yes, I know, it’s from 2011, and yes, I already watched it. But holy cow it’s still good. And not just because I may have a slight crush on Carrie Mathison or because Mandy Patinkin is one of the most underrated actors of the last two decades. It’s just an absolutely cracking story. If you’re looking for something to binge while Hollywood catches up with itself, give Homeland a shot. Season one will blow your mind.
Podcast I’m Enjoying
If you’re not listening to Lex Fridman, you’re missing an opportunity to tap into the current zeitgeist. Lex is an artificial intelligence researcher at MIT, but his podcast is wide-ranging and Lex himself is a bit of a polymath. He covers a breadth of topics from artificial intelligence, to free speech, to broader technology topics, to sociology, art, and yes, even politics.
What I like about Lex is that he will interview both sides of a debate or a political issue with balance and open mindedness. Lex encourages open dialog and discussion, he’s not afraid to take both sides of an argument, and he always leads with love. Love for humanity and love for his fellow man.
Episodes you may enjoy include his interview with Jack Barsky, a former KGB spy who defected to the US, and his interview with Andrew Bustamante, a former CIA spy. If you want to get educated on AI, including technology, policy, and the sociological impacts, there is plenty of that material also.
“Choose wisely, my friend.” ~Lex Fridman
What I’m Launching Soon
I completely rewrote Cat & Mouse and we’re publishing the second edition soon. It’s practically a brand-new story, with a new beginning, a new middle, and a new ending. It introduces a couple of new characters and there is even a new twist. It’s re-edited, re-proofed, and it has a new cover! I’ve been working on this in bits and bobs for most of the year, and I’m stoked to finally release it.
When it’s ready, I’ll make it available for free to everyone on my email list. Meanwhile, here is the new cover. I absolutely love this design from the creative geniuses at Damonza.
What Else I’m Launching Soon
I have a new novel coming out in December. It’s different, and it’s very cool. It was a passion project that I started back in April 2020 during the pandemic lockdown, and for many reasons, the story is very personal to me. It’s also an absolute romp, and it stars a couple minor characters from the Russian Assassin series.
I paused on this project to finish the Russian Assassin series, and now it’s done. You might love it, you might hate it, such is the risk with passion projects. If people like it, I have a second book in the series plotted out. If people hate it, I’ll have something else new mid-2024.
This launch deserves its own focus, so watch this space for the cover and title reveal. If you want an early crack at it, click here to join my Advance Reader Team and clear your calendar for the next few weeks.
