Media Murder Thriller

Author A. C. Fuller and me

The Anonymous Source

By A. C. Fuller

Seize the opportunity this Saturday 10/24 at noon to meet A.C. Fuller at The Edmonds Bookshop, and hear firsthand the way he spins a thrilling tale.

This media thriller engages you from its very beginning, which is 9/11.  When the first plane hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center, Macintosh Hollinger was in his executive offices on the 99^th floor of the South Tower.  What happens to him that day is not what his loved ones believed.  A. C. Fuller skillfully reveals a story of intrigue that whirls around a fast changing media business, and also around a cast of characters, each with passions that boil so close to the surface. 

A year after the attacks, a young newspaper reporter in New York is seeking excitement and a fast break into flashy television news.  He’d been disappointed by his assignment to a bland court circuit, until now with the beginning of the Santiago trial.  He knows this media-circus story will finally land him on the front page and will keep him there for weeks.  What he doesn’t know is that he’s about to start down a trail where he’ll uncover the scoop of a lifetime.  So why then does his editor bury the story?  And it can’t be some coincidence that his source turns up dead.  What ensues will test this reporter’s courage and integrity.

Now Alex Vane is a reporter in the midst of a violent media conspiracy.  He needs to solve the mystery before more people end up dead, before he could end up dead.  Who is the anonymous source that seems to be helping Alex?  What is motivating this anonymous source?  Is he really helping Alex?  And how does any of this relate to Macintosh Hollinger?  You’ll be eagerly analyzing along with Alex as he tracks down facts, interviews people, and investigates clues using the newly emerging internet and other turn of the 21^st century technology.  In the end, it’s a mix of reporter’s intuition and some old fashioned common sense that puts it together and reveals a secret that leads back to the tragic morning of 9/11.

This author has been an observant witness to the unprecedented media reporting changes of this timeframe.  A. C. was a freelance reporter, and previously taught Journalism at New York University.  He’s currently an English teacher at Northwest Indian College on the Olympic Peninsula, and fortunately for readers he’s also now a published author.

Thereby hangs a tale . . . .

Forgotten Hollywood Remembered

Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History

By Manny Pacheco

It was October 2010 that author Manny Pacheco visited Edmonds, Wa as an honored Hollywood guest for the Edmonds International Film Festival.  Bringing Hollywood to that small town was such a treat, and one of many of his tours.  His fascinating book shares incredible stories of the character actors and supporting players who brought American history to life on the screen during the days of old Hollywood.  The author brings his additional insight, analyzing these actors’ body of work to show how they have also created history themselves.  As the author says about these actors, “We can see by type-casting, or through intentional choices, the development of a career with some meaning.”  Enhancing his story about these actors and their historical works are some delightful pictures of them, their films, and also the real historical people and events.

Savor the personal stories of award winning supporting actors such as Claude Rains, Ward Bond, Walter Brennan, Thomas Mitchell, William Bendix, Donald Crisp, and others.  See how their personal histories also reflect American history.  There’s great trivia too.  For example, do you know who holds the record for appearing in more movies nominated for Best Picture awards than any other actor in history?  You’ll also learn little known factual information about the American history events and people depicted.

Manny Pacheco is steeped in the world of Hollywood.  He’s been a broadcaster in Los Angeles and Southern California for over three decades, and he’s a thirty year member of the Screen Actors Guild.  A student of history and a movie fan, he’s blended his two passions in this book.  He keeps very busy with an engaging website that also includes interviews, events, and articles.  He also has other books, including Son of Forgotten Hollywood Book 2 published in 2012.

After reading this book you’ll want to watch some of those old time movies and see these legendary performances for yourself.  So sing along . . . .

“Hooray for Hollywood

That screwy ballahooey Hollywood

Where any office boy or young mechanic can be a panic

With just a good looking pan

And any barmaid can be a star maid

If she dances with or without a fan”

Thereby hangs a tale . . . .

You'll Enjoy Playing - Saul's Game

                                           Homeland Saul’s Game

By Andrew Kaplan

There are lots of ways to tell a good story.  This is the second novel in a prequel series that’s a tie-in to the Showtime Homeland series on cable.  In this case, if you discover the television series and like it, you’ll love the book.  And also, if you first discover the books and like them, you’ll love the television series.

These stories are about fictional characters in the CIA fighting the war on terror, defending the homeland.  If you’re looking for passion, you’re definitely going to find it in this book.  These characters are so passionate in their beliefs and in their actions.  The action is constant, and the situations are desperate.  Throughout, you’re never sure exactly who you can trust as the plot takes turns around each corner.

The heroine is Carrie Mathison, a CIA operative.  Her boss is Saul.  The characters are incredibly real, with amazing strengths and chilling flaws.  It’s fascinating to see how the strategies and undercover plays unfold.  You have to wonder how closely fiction might reflect reality.  The life depicted of an operative in the Middle East and Iran is heart pounding.  The books give you a more in depth background and feel for the thoughts, emotions and backgrounds of all the characters than the television series platform allows.  Books also give a more in depth understanding of the issues facing the Middle East today.  For those fans of Nick Brody, the Marine POW caught up in the CIA intrigue, he and his story are included in this novel.

The author, Andrew Kaplan is a former journalist, war correspondent.  He served in both the US Army and also in the Israeli Army during the Six Day War.  He’s worked in military intelligence and has been a consultant with groups that advise governments.  He’s the author of several spy thrillers, including the Scorpion series, as well as this novel, and the first in this series – Carrie’s Run.  Saul’s Game is the winner of the 2015 Scribe Award for the best original media tie-in novel of the year.  The Scribe Awards are selected each year by the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers to honor excellence in licensed works that tie in with other media such as television, movies, gaming, or comic books.

Just like the incredible Showtime series, which is available on DVD, Andrew Kaplan’s books leave you wanting more.

Thereby hangs a tale . . . .

Extend Your Summer With A Beach Read

The Summer We Read Gatsby

By Danielle Ganek

Extend your summer delights with this beach read.  It’s a quick trip out to Southampton, and then weeks languishing by the sunny shore.  Two sisters, with very different mothers, share memories of a beloved Aunt Lydia and their summer visits to her beach home.  Eccentric Aunt Lydia has now passed away.  The two sisters are very different women, one quietly practical and the other a larger than life romantic.  They meet for a few weeks at Fool’s House, so named long ago by Lydia, to pack it up and sell it.  Or, can they revive it?  They find that there’s little they agree on.

Aunt Lydia’s will had been written in the flowery words she’d loved all her creative life.  The will included that she’d bequeathed her house and all its contents to her beloved nieces.  She was quite specific that they spend a month in Southampton together in the summer and seek a “thing of utmost value” from within this cherished place.  So here they are, like it or not.  Can they at least cooperate well enough to uncover this hidden value?

In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the narrator Nick Carraway remarks, “You can’t repeat the past.”  It was Gatsby who answers, “Why of course you can.”  These sisters immerse themselves in the eccentric life, traditions, and romance of the house and friends they thought they knew from so many summers ago.  Over these few weeks they find out how little they did know.  Now they learn so much about this place, its character, and each other.

It’s hard to resist a book that starts, “Hats, like first husbands in my experience, are usually a mistake.”  This Summer starts with an extravagant Gatsby-style party, introduces some memorable characters, follows clues to a mysterious stolen painting, along with a stolen first edition of The Great Gatsby, reveals romantic games, and also a secret about Aunt Lydia.  Then, like most summers it ends all too soon.

This is Danielle Ganek’s second novel.  Although American, the author spent most of her childhood in Brazil and then in Lausanne, Switzerland.  She says she always felt like a foreigner, even when she returned to the U.S. at 16.  “Being a perpetual outsider made me a constant observer and I began writing as a child,” she says.  “I’m a fiction writer.  I’m a big believer in our ability as readers to suspend our disbelief.” 

Thereby hangs a tale . . . .

Jimmy Carter's Full Life

A Full Life

Reflections at Ninety

By Jimmy Carter

“Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be,” this quote from Robert Browning, could be a great description of this optimistic book by our thirty-ninth President, Jimmy Carter.  I was privileged to briefly meet the President, when he was at Third Place Books signing this 29^th book he’s authored.  His warmth, humor and optimism comes through immediately in person, as it does in this book.

Jimmy Carter at 90 reflects back on his full life, and the reader is treated to an in-depth description of the events and people who shaped his life actions and decisions.  It seems he’s packed several lifetimes into one, and as he quipped to one of the people at the book signing, “I’m not done yet.”

He was born in 1924, and I enjoyed reading about his childhood in rural Georgia, a life very foreign to what I’m used to.  There were many parts of his life that I wasn’t aware of, and it was interesting to see, in hindsight, what he felt led him into the next stages of his life.  His time in the Navy was riveting, and how he came to the decision to return to Plains, Georgia to be a Peanut Farmer and business man.  His caring for the people in his community is what led him to government office, beginning locally.  His election campaigns really showed his personal connection made with the electorate.  It also gave a glimpse from comparison how very different times have become.

The strength of his convictions carried him through a tough, and also incredibly giving and meaningful life.  I was fascinated by the information about his Presidency, what he felt his priorities were and why.  He is consistently very good about letting you know the why’s of his times.  He’s honest about his regrets, and humble about his successes.  He also shares his reflections on current events and times.

And this book has a wonderful, unexpected treat inside.  The President has included some of his wonderful poems that he’s written throughout his life.  He includes the poems he wrote at the different times of his life.  They are often insightful.  He also includes personal photos and copies of his own paintings.  I especially like the painting he’s titled Home in Plains.

We’re fortunate to have available the reflections of this humble, sincere man who was the thirty-ninth President, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, who with his wife founded the Carter Center – a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of people around the world.  He’s still living a full life, and we can all learn from his tales of caring, perseverance, staunch belief, and moral character.

Thereby hangs a tale . . . .

Come, Sit, Read, Enjoy

A Dog’s Purpose

By W. Bruce Cameron

It’s unconditional love.  We crave it; we seek it.  Many find it with their canine best friend.  This book is all about it.

First appearing on the page as a feral puppy, Toby will tug at your heart as he learns from his litter mates, and starts his quest to learn why he exists.  What is his purpose in life?  This author skillfully reveals this dog’s thoughts and heart, as the story is told by Toby.  You’ll read Toby’s vivid, innocent insights from his dog’s senses.  Toby doesn’t always fully understand the human world around him and his misinterpretations add to life’s adventure.

Toby’s first life ends in a way that leaves you still wondering about his life purpose.  And Toby isn’t finished.  He’s reincarnated and frolics into a second life, snuggling into a family and especially snuggling into the arms of the boy, Ethan.  In his second life he remembers some of the more compelling lessons learned from his first life.  What’s also revealing is how Toby, who is now Bailey, views the people around him, and their lives.  Bailey’s family life has its delights, and at times is no walk in the park.  As a reader you care for Bailey, and join in his pursuit of purpose as he matures.  This universal quest to answer why we’re here is an exhilarating exploration in this novel.  A dog’s life is just too short.

Back again, you’ll greedily lap up Bailey’s next incarnation as Buddy.  This time a she, her spirit is brought back in a most unique way and she has retained knowledge from both her previous lives.  You’ll share all new experiences that will keep you turning or swiping, pages hungrily.  I felt thrilled that Buddy was fulfilling a great purpose, and then a most unexpected turn took the story soaring.  Toby/Bailey/Buddy is an old soul who will warm your heart like the old Peanuts quote “happiness is a warm puppy”.

W. Bruce Cameron’s entertaining humor is scattered throughout this marvelous novel.  In a taped interview, hosted by his dog Tucker, the author said that “I remember reading these books when I was young and you had this great bond with this dog, then the dog dies.  I remembered how much I hated that.  I wanted to write a book that made you feel good about your relationship with dogs, and then the dog doesn’t die at the end.”  Adorable Tucker the “interviewer” is a rescue dog, and the author has said his favorite “breed” is a rescue dog.

This book will remind you why, or teach you why, people love dogs.  It will also remind you that we all have a purpose to fulfill, and there is goodness in that search and fulfillment.  That’s a lot to learn from a wag and a bark.

Here’s to the many dogs I’ve loved, especially Tristan, Charley, and King.

No Excuses

No Excuses

By Derrick Coleman Jr. with Marcus Brotherton

Derrick Coleman is #40, fullback for the Seahawks and part of the Super Bowl XLVIII championship team.  He made history by becoming the first deaf offensive player in the NFL.  He tackled Trindon Holliday at the 12-yard line on the opening kickoff of Super Bowl XLVIII - getting the game started right I’d say.  And the rest is history, including the first Super Bowl Championship team that included a deaf player.

All Twelves, and football fans will enjoy his new memoir book.  It’s so interesting to read about his childhood and his progression from Pop Warner, to High School football, and then trying to get into the NFL, and then the story about what it was like to be in that Super Bowl!  But that is just the icing on the cake, because this book brings to life so much more than just football.

I had the privilege to meet Derrick Coleman Jr. at his recent book signing at Third Place Books.  His memoir is written is such a conversational and personal way, that when I met him I felt an instant connection through what I’d read.  Mixed into the life stories are life lessons that feel so sincere and embraceable.  This isn’t a book that preaches at you what you should do; it takes your hand and shows you what works.  He shows you the importance of having goals, and of pursuing them.

This book is about a man who persevered to overcome in a big way his obstacle of being deaf.  That has been an incredible inspiration for so many in the deaf community – kids and adults.  I would never discount that.  Standing in line at the book signing I was surrounded by so many people who told me how inspired they are by him for exactly that hope that he’s showed them.  Yet, as he says himself, we all have obstacles that we have to overcome to achieve our goals.  He has written a book of sincere and plain spoken inspiration for anyone who has ever dreamed and been told they couldn’t do that.

 

I can tell you that in person Derrick Coleman Jr. is a humble, caring, and compelling man.  His whole face and demeanor lights up around kids, and he’s given back to kids in many ways.  In a recent interview this UCLA graduate told kids, “The sky’s the limit for you; I’m nobody special. If I can make it to college, y’all can too. Don’t have any excuse. Whatever it is you want to do, do it.  Have fun and don’t worry about other people.”  Derrick Coleman has confronted even more than the one obstacle in his life, and he’s learned many things from his struggles, that he’s now sharing.  His sense of humor has softened life’s blows, and adds to this engaging read.

For you football fans and Twelves, yes there are some tantalizing stories you’ll enjoy.  His memoir is about such recent history, you’ll recognize many of the people included.  Thankfully Coleman has recovered from his foot injury, says he’s feeling good, and participated in all of Seattle’s Organized Team Activities, which are now done.  All indications are that he’s preparing for his second season as the Seahawks’ likely starter at fullback.  As always, Derrick Coleman takes nothing for granted.

If Derrick Coleman Jr. was signing off from this recommendation, he’d say to you - Be Great!!

I’ll add, Go Hawks!

Thereby hangs a tale . . . .