Sunday, July 06, 2008

These writers' books....

From Mike Sirota, Author and Writers' workshop leader:

Had another writer of mine land a book deal the other day, but he's superstitious and I can't announce it till he has the contract signed and sealed.

I never did hear from that agent on my writer with the Iraq war book, THE OLD GUYS. My writer, Mike Ryan, did a POD with it, and he recently received recognition in an Indie book contest. Details are below, from a recent signing he did in Del Mar. If you think another agent would be interested, by all means let him/her know.

Also, if he/she is into war stories, I'm just finishing up a non-fiction book with a former Swift Boat commander in Vietnam. Powerful story.

AWARD - The 2008 Indie Book Awards, a nationwide contest for the thousands of new independent publications printed each year, just announced that Mike Ryan’s first novel, The Old Guys - Back to Baghdad, is a national top ten “Finalist.” The book wraps major problems facing America today (Islam versus Christianity, baby boomers forced into early retirement due to age discrimination and disappearing traditions that define our culture and heritage as a nation) into an action-packed, heartwarming novel. It pits three disenfranchised baby boomers and a retired Marine Sergeant against terrorist kidnappers in the Middle East. Three of the characters reflect a growing problem of the old being replaced by the young and put out to pasture before they are financially prepared. These unlikely heroes went to extremes to solve their problem by accepting the risk of driving trucks in Iraq to again earn a six-figure income. The novel is fact-filled, but the story itself is entirely fictitious.

According to Ryan, “It’s exciting to know that literary critics like my work in addition to the favorable feedback from friends.” Positive comments include: “Best book I have read in years.” “Excitement and suspense from beginning to end.” “Great story. I learned a lot about the Middle East.” “The ending choked me up, that's never happened before.”

Mike Ryan - Entire career spent in the financial community as a stockbroker, founding officer of a life insurance company, and president of a marketing firm. He graduated from Cal State Long Beach and the Naval Officer Candidate School, serving aboard an aircraft carrier during Vietnam. Similar to his characters, Ryan’s company forced him out before he wanted to retire. Part of this novel is his story.

Contact Sirota: mike.sirota1@cox.net

Wrap...

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