Good news reached me this week.  My friend Grant Blackwood has a new website, as well as  some news that should excite readers.  A gifted writer, anything he publishes is sure to be top-notch. 

 If you've read Grant's work then you understand--if you haven't, it's about time.  Check him out.

                                                                           

 http://grantblackwood.com/

 

 

 

Biography

The New York Times bestselling author of the Briggs Tanner series, (The End of Enemies, The Wall of Night, and An Echo of War) Grant Blackwood is also the co-author of the Fargo Adventure Series (Spartan Gold, Lost Empire, and The Kingdom) with Clive Cussler, as well as the co-author of the #1 NYT bestseller, Dead or Alive, with Tom Clancy, and the upcoming thriller, The Kill Switch, with James Rollins.

A U. S. Navy veteran, Grant spent three years aboard a guided missile frigate as an Operations Specialist and a Pilot Rescue Swimmer.

Grant lives in Colorado, where he is working his own standalone series starring a new hero.

 

 

 

 

 

 http://grantblackwood.com/

Years ago, in my life as professional pilot, we were always plugged in and listening to Air Traffic Control.  Most of it was the usual chatter between pilots and controllers, requests, clearances being issued, boring but essential stuff.  But every now and then there would be a real jewel.

The following was an actual exchange between a frustrated TWA Captain and a calm cool female controller.  She had her hands full with a sky saturated with planes and thunderstorms--and this guy.  The TWA crew wasn't happy with their sequence, or some such detail, and it was more than obvious when the annoyed Captain finally came on the frequency.

"Center, this is TWA," the Captain blustered.  "Are you a trainee?"

"No, why?" She responded sweetly.  "Are you?"

I  promise there was laughter in every cockpit except one.  The controller had dismantled the bully with four words.  It was a work of art.  Words can change everything.

On that topic, an old friend of mine, Mark Whyte, along with his wife Katie, have written a children's book--a really good children's book about young people with disabilities.  If you, or anyone you know has a family touched by disability, please check out this book.  Mark and Katie's words are powerful. 



http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I8UXB2S

It's not real until it's on the internet.  Or in this case, posted online within Publishers Marketplace:

Philip Donlay's AFTERSHOCK, tormented by his past, in the fifth Donovan Nash thriller, he flies headlong into a lawless, volcano-ravaged Guatemala, in search of answers that may very well destroy him, to Bob Gussin and Pat Gussin at Oceanview, for publication in 2015, by Kimberley Cameron at Kimberley Cameron & Associates (World).



Thank you Oceanview, you're all great!  Now...I wonder what happens to Donovan in book six?

This article came out today--

http://www.goanacortes.com/arts_and_community/article_1f4177a0-98eb-11e3-818c-001a4bcf887a.html

I have a pledge to myself where I try to laugh at something at least once a day.  These made me laugh.   Enjoy--

 

I'm so happy for my good friends.  A new publisher is born, more books to read!  Really good books.


http://writersforensicsblog.wordpress.com/2014/02/13/reputation-books-launches-with-a-book-giveaway/

Book writing as told by Philip Donlay

I'm an index card junkie.  I go through hundreds of these while I'm plotting / outlining.  Sometimes I'm clever enough to number them, typically I don't.  It's stacks and stacks of chaos.

Then it's seemingly endless research to make sure all the stuff I dreamed up actually works. I love this part.

Then I type anywhere from 125,000 to 135,000 words.  During the editing process the manuscript gets whittled down to 96,000 words.  I wish I were good enough to type the correct 96,000 words the first time--but I'm not, and I never will be.   

The real magic comes when my publisher takes my mess, and turns it into this.   Thanks Oceanview!