BOOK EXCELLENCE AWARD

I am incredibly excited to announce that I have been recognized as a 2024 Book Excellence Award Winner for my book, Maskirovka—The Russian Science of Deception, in the Mystery Category.

Out of hundreds of books that were entered into the Book Excellence Awards competition, my book was selected for its high quality writing, design and overall market appeal. To view my complete award listing, you can visit: https://honorees.bookexcellenceawards.com/#!/Maskiro  vka-The-Russian-Science-Of-Deception-Mystery/p/731808078/

​The book was released in 2022 and is a genre cocktail: one part murder mystery, two parts spy thriller, and a dash of police procedural. Collusion, conspiracy, kompromat—what’s not to love?
NOIR AT THE BAR​

I want to thank everyone who attended our first Noir at the Bar at Bike Dog's East Sac Taproom on Sunday, December 1st. Many thanks to Sage Smith and the Bike Dog crew for hosting our event. Thanks to Joe McNamara, our wonderful emcee. I feel so fortunate to be included with my talented co-authors, Jim L'Etoile and Claire Booth. I hope we can organize another event in the near future. Again, many thanks to all!
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I’ll speaking on the Thriller and Suspense Writers panel at the  inaugural Lincoln Book Festival on November 9th at 12:30 PM. I am so pleased to be included with such a great group of authors: Claire Booth, James L’Etoile, and Faye Snowden. Our moderator is Kathryn Hunt.

Books will be available for purchase from Face in a Book. Following the panels, there will be a mix and mingle session to meet authors and get books signed. The panel sessions include:
  • 9:30 AM - Local Lincoln Authors
  • 10:30 AM - Traditional & Cozy Mysteries with Ellen Kirschman, Jessie Chandler, and Karen A. Phillips moderated by Jennifer K. Morita
  • 11:30 AM - Historical Mysteries with Claire Johnson, Ann Parker, and Laura Jensen Walker moderated by Greg Randall
  • 12:30 PM - Thrillers & Suspense with Claire Booth, Rick Meredith, James L’Etoile, and Faye Snowden moderated by Kathryn Hunt
I hope you can join us. It promises to be a great event! The Lincoln Book Festival will be held at 485 Twelve Bridges Drive in Lincoln. For more information, go to www.libraryatlincoln.org
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​​Killer Nashville Debrief:
Had a wonderful time at Killer Nashville. What a great conference! It’s almost like a reunion seeing old friends with the benefit of meeting so many new writers and readers. It was especially fun to share it with the Capitol Crimes crew. Thank you, Clay Stafford. Although I didn’t win in my category, I was honored to be nominated. It was a talented group. My congratulations to the Claymore winner, Patricia Thorpe, for her novel, The Scent of Sunday, I was privileged to participate on two great panels—Writing Mysteries and Writing Action Adventures. I got to meet best-selling author, Karen Dionne (The Marsh King’s Daughter), and talk about our Michigan connections! Can’t wait until next year!
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What a Great Early Christmas Present!!!

I am thrilled to announce that Maskirovka—The Russian Science of Deception—is a BestThrillers Book Awards finalist for 2023! I am honored to be recognized among such a great list of authors. Thank you BestThrillers and all the judges.
The Western Flyer Returns to Monterey!!

To all you John Steinbeck fans, Carol and I were thrilled to be invited to the Welcome Home of the Western Flyer in Moss Landing.

The Western Flyer was the famous sardine fishing seiner John Steinbeck wrote about in his book, The Log of the Sea of Cortez, where he accompanied marine biologist, Ed Ricketts, on a scientific collection expedition in 1940.
The Western Flyer was almost lost to history when John Gregg found it in 2015 and started the Western Flyer Foundation to restore the vessel for its new purpose: marine research and environmental education. It will be home ported in Monterey.

The shipwrights at Port Townsend, Washington have done an incredible job on the restoration. It is a beautiful vessel.
We were so pleased to meet John Gregg and his family, the foundation board members, Executive Director Sherry Flumerfelt, Chirs Chase who spearheaded the restoration, guests, and the relatives of John Steinbeck and Ed Ricketts.

I was had a chance to speak with Dr. Gregor Cailliet, my professor of marine ichthyology at Moss Land Marine Laboratory in 1975!

What a great evening. I hope you will check out the foundations website and consider joining or donating to this wonderful organization.

​https://www.westernflyer.org
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Hi Friends,
I had the great opportunity to record an interview on Rich Ehisen’s In Their Own Words podcast. What a thrill! Rich is an award-winning journalist, editor, and a great interviewer—smart, witty, fun, and he brings out the best stories. I hope you’ll give it a listen and subscribe to Rich’s website and YouTube channel. You will be entertained and informed!
Here is the link to the podcast on YouTube:https://youtu.be/gVKdbROUMm4
​And Rich's website link: https://www.richehisen.com

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For all my friends in Michigan, I'll be attending my Southwestern High School Reunion in Flint on October 7th.

I'll be having a book signing and get-together on Friday, October 6th at Totem Books.

If you get a chance, I hope you'll stop by and say hello, and maybe buy some books!!







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Collusion, corruption, kompromat…What’s not to love?

Please join me on August 8th at 7 PM as Penny Manson of Capitol Crimes grills me on Maskirovka—The Russian Art of Deception.  The event will be on Zoom and it's open to the public. Hit the link below to join.
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​Many thanks to the Gold Country Writers, particularly Margie Yee  Webb, for inviting me to speak at their meeting on Wednesday where I discussed how my different jobs have provided fodder for my novels. I had a great time at the talk, was able to sign some books, and had lunch with wonderful group of writers. 
I will post when the video here and on YouTube when it is completed.
Check-out the Gold Country Writers website. They have a full load of events for the reader and writer!
 https://goldcountrywriters.com. ​
One-to-One Interview with John DeDakis
​I had a wonderful interview with John DeDakis on his One-to-One podcast about Maskirovka—The Russian Science of Deception and a wide range of topics. 
John, a fellow author, editor, writing coach, former CNN producer for Wolf Blitzer, and friend, is always a joy to talk with and I think you’ll enjoy the interview.
Please check-out John's website at the link below for a very interesting array of guests and topics. ​
Many thanks to Christie and Cathi for a wonderful Crime Book Chat at the Game of Books podcast. I had a great discussion with my fellow panelists, Rick Bleiweiss, Kimberly G. Giarratano, and Rebecca Keller. It was fun and informative. Please give it a listen at the link below and checkout the books!
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​I am excited to announce that Maskirovka—The Russian Science of Deception was rated as one of the Top 100 Indie Novels of 2022! 

If you haven’t I hope you’ll give it a read!

AUTHORS ON THE MOVE!

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​Along with fellow Capitol Crimes writers Catriona McPherson, Claire Booth, and James L’Etoile, I’ll be speaking at the 21st Annual Authors on the Move gala sponsored by The Sacramento Literacy Foundation on March 11, 2023 at The Sawyer Hotel in downtown Sacramento. The Foundation collaborates with community organizations to advance children's literacy skills throughout the Sacramento region.

​The keynote speaker for the event is New York Times Review Editor’s Choice, Angie Cruz and her recently released novel, How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water.
If you are attending, please stop by and say hello!
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See my Interview with Kirkus Magazine
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​MASKIROVKA—The Russian Science of Deception
It may have changed its name, but the KGB is up to its old tricks, only this time with a new puppet—the American Public! 
 I am pleased to announce that my third novel, Maskirovka—The Russian Science of Deception, will be published by Bluewater Press on Tuesday, October 25, 2022.
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Steve Nguyen, a newly minted homicide detective with the San Francisco Police Department, is cut loose on his first solo case—the mysterious death of a young accountant with a public-interest foundation. Everything points to natural causes, but Nguyen, to the dismay of his chief, isn’t ready to close the book. With no motive, means, or opportunity, the anxiety-racked law school drop-out starts digging anyway. 

Nguyen’s tortuous investigation leads him through the halls of Congress, the gritty oil fields of the Siberian tundra, stately Black Sea palaces of the petro-czars, and the mean streets of San Francisco. He unearths a malevolent alliance among a billionaire Russian oligarch, a duplicitous foundation director, and a renowned philanthropist hell-bent on tightening Russia’s monopoly on the European energy market by choking-off American exports. If it means corrupting the American electoral system through illegal campaign contributions, political blackmail, and a few dead bodies, so be it. 

Addled by self-doubt, and with just his misfit cousins, Tina Ngo, an attorney with a special practice in feral law, and Tommy Tran, a computer geek straddling the tightrope of legality, Nguyen must learn, and learn fast, the Russian rules of international deception, all while in the crosshairs of the SVR’s most skilled assassins. His unraveling of a complex tangle of offshore accounts, dummy corporations, front companies, and shell corporations, may, just may, save a republic. 

Maskirovka is available through: