So…Along Came A Soldier

In East L.A. there’s a detective still stuck in Kamdesh, Afghanistan, remembering the day that the sun beat down hard over him and 53 other men at Outpost Keating as they found themselves surrounded by an estimated 300 Taliban soldiers. The Battle of Kamdesh was about to begin.

It would take over 45 minutes for air support to arrive, and in that time the U.S.  soldiers –  comprised of members from the 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team and 4th Infantry Division – would suffer nearly a 65% casualty rate, with 8 dead and 27 wounded. They repelled the attack and held on to Outpost Keating. But even when they came home? For many, Outpost Keating never let go.

A real battle. From it comes Evan Parker, a fictitious detective named after two of my favorite authors (Evan “Ed McBain” Hunter and Robert B. Parker). So where did the idea of his “story” come from? I had a friend in the military who fought in Afghanistan. When he came home, he was turned away from one police department after another when they found out he was a combat vet. “How? Why? I don’t understand!” he lamented. But to anyone else it was blatantly obvious: he was suffering from PTSD. And the last person they wanted on the streets with a gun was a combat vet with PTSD.

Then, it hit me. “What,” I wondered, “Would happen if one such vet got in under the radar?” Boom. I had my story. What unfolds in The Parker Trilogy is the tale of a good man, with a good heart, struggling daily with bad intentions. Will he overcome them? Or will they get him killed? Find out this April, when the story that began last October with “Another One”, Book 1 of The Parker Trilogy, continues in Book 2, “One Way or Another”.

In the meantime, as always, thanks for your support. I really appreciate it when I get an email from a co-worker of a friend who knows my neighbor or something. That, plain and simple, is word of mouth. It’s also priceless.

You Rock!
Tony

ANNOUNCEMENTS: 
SAFE HORIZON UPDATE: Last October‘s promotion for The Snow Globe with Books on the Subway was a success. Over $750 was raised for Safe Horizon Women’s Shelters across NYC from my book royalties and some direct donations from my awesome readers. I have a beautiful “Thank You!” letter from the CEO of Safe Horizon and it is my sincere hope to be able to continue to help women who are the victims of domestic abuse and stalking.

ANOTHER ONE COVER CONTEST RESULTS: Lastly, I want to thank everyone who voted for Another One in the Kobo Best Book Cover of 2017 Contest. In the end, it came in 4th place (out of 10). The cover still earned a 2017 Cover Finalist Award and my artist was beyond thrilled.