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Fiction, Thriller, Writers on Writing

Mar 20: Why Brad Taylor Took Risks with A Dead Man’s Hand

March 15, 2024

Pike Logan Goes Head-to-head with Putin’s Henchman

Dead Man’s Hand with author Brad Taylor

Brad Taylor calls his latest thriller his riskiest project yet because, as he wrote, real-life events were unfolding around the world that could have obliterated his story — think Russia, Ukraine, Nato, and nuclear weapons.

Fortunately, this former special forces officer, managed to write ahead of the curve to create his 18th novel in the Pike Logan series. In Dead Man’s Hand special-ops officer Pike Logan attempts to avert nuclear war by facing down Putin’s right-hand man.

Brad shares the three big risk factors in telling this story. We discuss his travels to Sweden and Finland for ‘boots on the ground’ research. And learn where he found inspiration for the story concept, and where he took creative license with some little known historical facts.

Meet Brad Taylor

Brad Taylor, Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.), is a 21-year veteran of the U.S. Army Infantry and Special Forces, includ­ing eight years with Delta Force. Taylor retired in 2010 after serving more than two decades and participating in Oper­ation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He has written seventeen New York Times bestsellers and is a security consultant on asymmetric threats for various agencies.

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Biography, History, Non Fiction

FEB 03: Icebound with Andrea Pitzer

February 3, 2021

Shipwrecked At The Edge Of The World

“‘Icebound’ takes us back to the Arctic, in all its terror and splendor” — says The New York Times. And today Andrea Pitzer has two true stories to tell. The first about Dutch polar explorer, William Barents, who set sail in the 1500s to find a northern route to China.  The second, her own life-changing journey to sail in Barents’ wake.

We discuss the ancient explorer’s trials and successes during his three Arctic expeditions.  How Andrea sailed a tall ship and spent time high up the mast. How her expedition to the Russian Arctic changed her. And what surprised her the most.

About Andrea Pitzer

Critically acclaimed author Andrea Pitzer is a journalist whose writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Review of Books, The Daily Beast, Vox, and Slate. Her two previous books are One Long Night and The Secret History of Vladimir Nabokov. Her latest is Icebound: Shipwrecked At The Edge Of The World.

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Fiction, Writers on Writing

JAN 15: The Body Outside the Kremlin with James L. May

January 15, 2020

For our Writers On Writing Series, James L. May, author of The Body Outside The Kremlin joins us with what Publisher’s Weekly calls a “richly evocative first novel…gripping…thriller deserves high marks…for historical detail about a prison that served as a key link in the gulag chain.”

We discuss the history of the White Sea Solovetsky Islands and Russia’s renowned concentration camp. How and why this sparked the location and set the scene for his murder mystery. His favorite scenes to write. Most surprising research. What James knows now, that he wish he’d understood when he began writing his book. Does his work as a reviewer inform or hinder his own creativity? And is it worth doing an MFA in Creative Writing?

James L. May’s short fiction has appeared in Tigertail, and he reviews fiction for The Florida Book Review, Gulf Stream Literary Magazine, and New Orleans Review.

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Fiction, Writers on Writing

JAN 08: NYT Bestselling Action Thriller Author Brad Taylor & Hunter Killer

January 8, 2020

 With 13 Pike Logan action thrillers hitting the New York Times Bestsellers list, author Brad Taylor says no one is more than surprised than him. He always wanted to write but never had time until his final military assignment at The Citadel.

Set in Brazil, Hunter Killer is the 14th in the hit series—hot off the presses January 7th.  Today Brad shares his POV on writing and why he broke the rules, developing strong protagonists, the scenes he loves to craft, and the challenges of writing.

Brad Taylor, Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) is a 21-year veteran of the U.S. Army Infantry and Special Forces, including eight years with the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment (Delta Force). He continues to consult with various agencies on asymmetric security threats.

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Conservation, Environment, Journalism, Science

Oct 28: Visiting Greenpeace Onboard the Rainbow Warrior ~ PODCAST

October 28, 2013

 

Vicki St. Clair onboard Greenpeace's the Rainbow Warrior, Seattle.

Onboard the Rainbow Warrior, Greenpeace, Vicki St. Clair

Today Vicki takes a field trip with Greenpeace Captain Joel Stewart and Senior Campaign Manager Jackie Dragon onboard the Rainbow Warrior to discuss some of their current projects, as well as how they respond to criticism of Greenpeace at large. They also give an inside point of view on the controversial arrest of the Arctic 30 by Russia.

Captain Stewart shares the importance of marine preserves and the health of the Bering Sea to our ecology. He discusses why fish farming is not a good solution for ecosystems or feeding humans — and why that won’t even matter unless we get climate change and CO2 under control.

Jackie Dragon shares details of a new species, more on the science of the Bering Sea, and why it’s critical to the survival of Native Alaskan communities. By the way, the Rainbow Warrior was specifically built for this campaign, making it a unique ship. If you can get down to visit it on tour, do it!

Conversations Live with Vicki St. Clair airs every Monday at noon Pacific on KKNW 1150AM and 94.9FM HD.

 

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