Today I finished book five of the Blue Dawn series – Patrons of Fear. First draft is at 125,000 words – so it is hefty and fun. I wrapped up some character arcs and storylines – which was great. Now begins the real work, rewriting and editing.
Book four of the series, No Greater Tyranny, is with the publisher.
People have been asking when the audiobook for Confederacy of Fear will be out. It is done and I have reviewed it, so now we are trapped in the waiting game for Audible to put it up. Confederacy is doing fantastic all on its own in terms of sales, though I have to admit, launching two books in two weeks is overwhelming – and awesome.
I have some book tour events/interviews lined up thanks to my publicist. I don’t mind doing interviews about my writing or current events. A big part of being an author is the promotional work you have to do.
Splashdown
That brings me to Land&Sea. Book five of that series is done and being reviewed by the Creative Juggernaut team before I start the editing. I have eight working titles on it – so clearly I haven’t settled on one just yet.
Book one of the series, Splashdown, continues to score high on bestseller lists on Amazon and has nearly 100 reviews, with 96% of those being four and five star. I am really happy people are enjoying it. Riptides, book two, drops on February 16. The audiobook for this should (fingers crossed) be ready the day of launch too. Then, in March, comes Storm Surge.
From time-to-time I send copies of my books to military units or personnel. I know how folks on deployment share these things. With Splashdown, I wanted to get a copy to the Marine Corps unit that I have stationed on Guam in the book – and to the Captain of the USS Virginia. The Marine Corps was great – one call, “Here’s your address, sir.”
The Navy – not so much. They have a web site for the ship, so I used the mailing address they had, but the Post Office said, and I quote here, “You are missing four digits at the end of the FPO line.” I tried to explain to them that was what the Navy had on their web site – but trying to use logic and common sense with the post office is often more frustrating than it was worth. Sidebar: I am willing to bet that the Post Office is wrong about this, but I can’t prove that at this stage.
So, I called the Atlantic Fleet, where the Virginia is currently assigned. I was routed around (twice) and got a voicemail box that was full. I live outside of DC, so I called the Department of the Navy. Surely they would know. Well, it took three calls, one of which I was on hold for 45 minutes. Finally the very nice lady told me that, “The Navy cannot release the mailing address of a ship due to security concerns.”
“Well, it’s on their web site. I’m not sure why they won’t just give me the correct one since they put it on the web.”
“What can I say, this is the Navy.”
I called Gloucester where the squadron is based and got a great officer who said he was going on vacation, but it is getting me the address when he gets back.
The moral of this story is that if the Navy can’t handle mailing addresses, I’m a little concerned if we have to go to war. I guess no good deed goes unpunished. I WILL get this book out to the captain of that boat.
Riptides release is coming up fast. I love this book because of three characters – two in particular. My absolute favorite is Adam Cain. His Rhino Class rig is on the cover. Cain is a whole lot of fun for me. He’s older (as am I) and has been there and done that. The graybeards are often the most interesting characters you encounter coming out of the military. They have seen some shit. Cain has some issues, but when the chips are down, this is the guy you want to have fighting beside you.
Cassidy Chen (CC) is a neat character in her own right. Riptides is where her arc really takes off. War has a way of shaping people, violently. I’ll leave it at that.
What’s Next
I have been asked to contribute a Mecha-centric book in a very popular military sci fi series. I have the outline sketched out – and starting this week, it will get written.
Then comes book six of the Land&Sea series. The plot is done. It is neat and takes the action away from the United States which should be interesting.
Then comes Season Two of Land&Sea. We’ve been toying with doing a trilogy each year that will advance the overall universe plotline. I have an outline done, characters profiled – it’s a matter of mapping out the storylines.
We are hoping some other authors will be joining us on this journey too, so that will eat some of my time up as well. Brent is working with Jason at WarGate on some new merch – which should be cool. Needless to say, I will be busy for the next few years.
Finally, my daughter wants to us back into true crime – so I need to dust off my notes on the case files for our next venture into that genre.
Out now in Kindle and paperback. The audiobook is coming soon!
I am pleased to announce that Confederacy of Fear has released. Published by Defiance Press, this book is the third of the Blue Dawnseries. This carries the story forward from the end of A Most Uncivil War.
For me, this series holds a special place in my heart. It’s not the details of the universe like Social Quarantine Camps, Reparation Points, the rewriting of American History, the corruption of our icons, the use of Social Enforcers, or the imposition of a Truth Reconciliation Committee. Those are merely window dressing, bits and pieces of a tapestry of a twisted and changed America. I based these bits of backdrop on real world policies, suggestions, or attempts on the part of politicians.
What makes the stories so exciting for me is the characters. You can’t tell good stories without remarkable characters. This series has a lot of them. Caylee, the former operative of the NSF. Raul, a young man caught in a whirlwind of defiant uprising, a prisoner of his own success. Charli, head of the Secret Service with her own dark past. Andy, a man forced into being a freedom fighter. Jack, the President’s Chief of Staff and the leader of the Sons of Liberty – a man that never let the fires of liberty die. General Trip Reager, a man that lost everything to the progressives, who is now charged with fighting a second American civil war. Deja Jordan, a Social Enforcer, now the darling of the Newmerican government for her capture of Raul.
Into this mix two new characters emerge – Su-Hui Zhou, a refugee from fallen Taiwan. General James Donaldson, a man that betrayed his former commander in chief who is in command of stomping out the Americans.
This is a book where political thriller meets contemporary military fiction. For me, this is where I like to play as a writer. This is a nation divided, with passions on both sides of the political spectrum. Readers will pick up where they left off. Raul has been captured and sent to the Supermax prison in Colorado. Caylee, Charli, Andy, and others are hell-bent on getting him out of there, setting the stage for some real fun and exciting tales. Meanwhile war erupts in Georgia and New Hampshire as the Newmerican government refuses to accept the election results. Fans of the series – buckle up, it’s going to be a wild ride. Slap, rack and roll – there’s a war on. The audiobook for Confederacy should be coming any time now. Let your friends know if you like the series. Book four, No Greater Tyranny, is at the publisher right now and I am on the verge of finishing book five, Patrons of Terror.
Confederacy of Fear releases on the 24th of January. As with all of the Blue Dawn series, I introduce some new characters. One of my favorites is Su-Hui Zhou. He and his family are refugees from Taiwan. While I discuss this in the novel, I thought it might be good to actually provide the scene of his departure and what led to the fall of Taiwan in that universe. This story doesn’t have any spoilers – it simply fills a neat gap in a character background.
Is this feasible or realistic? Everyone is bound to have their own opinion.
So, to set you up for Confederacy of Fear allow me to present, One Island Alone.
Hualien County, Taiwan, Republic of China
Su-Hui hustled his family down the crowded streets. It was as if the entire city…no, the entire country, was rushing to the western side of the island in the last few hours. He understood the panic that was on the faces of everyone that he saw. Taipei had fallen to the Chinese the day before. People fled the invaders, even though they were on a small island and fleeing didn’t get you far. It was a deeply human reaction, to get away from danger.
The war for Taiwan had only recently turned bloody. The Chinese had savored to bring the ‘breakaway republic’ back under their thumb for decades. When they made their move, it was not what everyone had anticipated; a decisive military strike. Instead, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy interdicted the island, calling it a quarantine – blockading incoming food and fuel. They avoided the word blockade, purely for political reasons – blockades were acts of war. Even with rationing, the population had only a months’ worth of power and provisions. The Republic of China Air Force attempting to confront the PLA Navy, valiantly sinking one capital ship and badly damaging two others before being engaged in an air battle where the overwhelming PLA numbers devoured the brave Taiwanese. It was a brief and quick Battle of Britain moment, but this time the bad guys won.
Cries went out to the international community to come to Taiwan’s aid. There were pledges of weapons and humanitarian assistance, none of which had arrived. Transports and aircraft did not dare attempt to push through the Chinese interdiction zone that surrounded the island nation. The pleas to the United States were met with an eerie silence at first. The coup there that had resulted in the new nation, Newmerica, had put their foreign policy in a tailspin. Each passing day that the United States didn’t respond was a signal to the Chinese to continue to execute their plans of conquest.
Su-Hui had his own theories about the Newmerican’s involvement. They are almost as socialist as mainland China. There were stories of camps, Social Quarantine, coming from Newmerica. Dissident voices disappeared overnight. There were stories of an arrested President dying in prison, and other important officials simply being erased from online content. They don’t want to rock the boat with China. They fear for their fragile supply chain, and the Chinese know that.
At first, Su-Hui had continued to go to his job at Formosa Plastics, as he had every other day. Many people expected the invasion at any moment, but not him. He had served in the Republic of China Army (ROCA) for two years on duty, and eight years in reserve. Where other people fidgeted and feared what was coming, he knew it wouldn’t come until the blockade did its damage. They don’t have to invade, they can starve us to death. After two weeks, his business was shut down to conserve energy. Sabotage followed, blowing up several power transfer stations, plunging parts of the island into darkness. One group of Chinese terrorists struck at one of the national oil reserves, ensuring that power losses would be coming soon…and they did. We should have expected fifth columnists operating here…we should have known better.
The Newmericans claimed they would move air assets to the Philippines to support Taiwan but that nation denied them access. They had been courted by the Chinese before the start of the interdiction and money secured alliance. The Chinese sent a naval task force off of the coast of Japan – forcing the Japanese to pressure the Americans to not use their air bases in that country. That same task force put Okinawa at risk. The North Koreans began beating their war drums as well, keeping the Newmericans forced to counter their buildup along the DMZ. I wonder how the Chinese enticed them? A Chinese naval ship parked outside of the Panama Canal as well, an unspoken warning. China was playing chess, while Newmerica was struggling for a stalemate game of Tic-Tac-Toe.
The much touted sanctions Newmerica swore would being China to its knees were symbolic more than effective. The United States is more interested in keeping its Walmart’s stocked than saving us. Everyone was using the right language, demanding China end the quarantine – but none were willing to go to war with China to help his people. Words and threats are impotent against men with guns.
The day before he had moved his family, reports flooded the airwaves of Chinese forces landing. The Chinese were clearly over with their stalemate – they were coming in force. The sounds of battle echoed off the hills, the booms of distant firing.
Su-Hui saw the handwriting on the wall, Newmerica was not coming, nor was anyone else. That was why he relied on himself for survival. He had purchased the sailboat years ago and enjoyed short trips along the coastline of Taiwan. After the brisk and vicious battles to hold off the Chinese, the military began to dissolve. This was further fueled when his government began negotiations with the Chinese when the food supplies dwindled and riots broke out. There was no doubt that the riots and looting was spurred on by Chinese infiltrators. Now the Chinese had taken Taipei. The time had come to depart.
He had his brother in-law go to his sailboat and load it with supplies while Su-Hui assembled his family. Hatchi, his wife, wore an overstuffed hiking backpack, his young son dragged a duffle, and his daughter, Ya-Ting, pulled two roller bags. His mother had a bag slung on a shoulder. Su-Hui had his hiking pack filled as well, but the most important piece of gear he had, a handgun, was in his cargo shorts pocket. Most Taiwanese frowned on owning guns, but Su-Hui’s father had carried one for protection and he now carried it. He hoped it wouldn’t have to use it, but was fully prepared to do so.
The crowd seemed to get thicker and angrier the closer he got to the boat slips. There was a smell in the air, a mix of the ocean breeze nearly obliterated with the stench of human body odor. There were guards there, trying to keep people back…hopelessly outnumbered by the mob. The sound of all of the voices talking and yelling was indecipherable, it was as if everyone in an orchestra were playing at once, all a different song. Su-Hui elbowed and shoved his way forward so that he reached one of the guards with a clipboard.
“I am Su-Hui Zhou – I have a boat here,” he yelled.
The man seemed almost disinterested by the crowd surging at his security team. He casually pulled up the clipboard and flipped through the pages. “Identity card,” he said, apparently having found his Sui-Hui in his list. Fumbling for a moment, he pulled out his wallet and his ID card. “I have brought my family with me.”
The man didn’t make eye contact with him. Perhaps that makes his job easier, not looking at the people he’s holding back. He motioned them past one of the guards and they squeezed through the gathered crowd. Three others attempted to follow them. “We are with them!” the young man said, shoving forward.
Su-Hui looked at the stranger, then to the man with the clipboard. “Are they with you?”
A part of him wanted to say yes. There might be room on his sailboat, but he had no idea how long they might be at sea. Even with the food they had brought, it might be a long and hungry voyage. Bringing the strangers along would introduce a risk that he was unprepared to make, no matter how much he wanted to. It was a cold calculation to make. This is about survival – my families. “I don’t know who they are,” he replied. The guards at the boat slip pushed the strangers back into the mass with some degree of difficulty. There are so many people here, it is going to get out of hand at some point.
As they hurried to the dock where his boat was moored, he had expected to see his brother in-law at the sailboat, but he was nowhere to be seen as they board. Cries from the crowd some 80 meters away tore at him. “Don’t leave us…take us with you!” He did his best to ignore them.
Stepping board the ship, he turned to help Hachi and his mother aboard, then the children. He asked them to go below while he prepared to get underway and they did so without hesitation. When he moved to the cabin, he glanced in the cabin. The supplies looked like they were there, but there was no sign of Chun-chieh, his brother in-law. Hachi called his name out several times, but there was no response.
Hachi’s face slid to one of panic – at least he could see that. Hachi was good at hiding her emotions, but he saw it. “Where is Chun-chieh?” she asked.
Su-Hui pulled out his cell phone and tried to call, but only got a disconnection tone. The cell phone system on the island had been pressed to the limit from the start of the blockade. He tried two more times, but could not connect. “I cannot reach him.”
Hachi tried too, and Su-Hui heard the same tone. He moved to the sail storage and began the work of hooking them up and hoisting them up the masts. “Try texting him,” he suggested to his wife as he worked.
It took a half an hour to get the sails up and properly tied off. He wouldn’t need them until they were clear of the harbor. He went to the cabin and checked – yes, we have a full load of fuel. Mentally he went over the checklist of what he needed to do to get underway. All we have to do is untie and start the engine.
Returning to the deck, he joined his wife. “Anything?”
She shook her head. He was here at some point, that is obvious. Why did he leave? His brother in-law had always been a bit erratic. His train of thought was immediately derailed by a commotion at the edge of the pier. The crowd was starting to get violent, shoving the security people back, the volume of their voice rose, as did the terseness of them. It was clear that things were on the verge of getting out of hand.
One man pushed past the guards, then another, running for the docks. The man, in his 20’s, charged for Su-Hui’s boat, clearly intent on jumping aboard. Su-Hui drew the pistol from his shorts pocket and held it with both hands, aiming it the young man. “Stop right there.”
“Take me with you,” he demanded.
“Walk away.” I won’t put my family at risk for you.
“I can pay.”
Su-Hui was too tense to laugh, but he wanted to. Money no longer has meaning. “Stay back and you won’t get hurt.”
The young man cracked a coy smile, as if he knew something that Su-Hui didn’t. “You won’t shoot me. Just let me aboard. You can trust me.”
He put his foot on his boat, and Su-Hui fired. The gun kicked hard in his hands, making his elbows ache. The shot hit the man in the arm, a spray of blood squirted from the wound and the man spun under the impact, falling on the pier. He crawled back from the boat. His cocky expression had been replaced with one of pain and fear. Su-Hui regretted shooting him, but he was already taking great risk in trying to sail away. This was a matter of survival.
Su-Hui moved to the moorings and untied the boat with one hand, holding the gun with the other. Turning to Hachi, he handed her the gun. “If he or anyone else tries to get aboard, fire at them.” She nodded. He didn’t know where Chun-chieh was, it no longer mattered. Soon the guard would be overwhelmed and there would be a rush for every boat.
Reaching the cabin, he started the engine. Slowly his sailboat slid away from the dock – away from the only home he had ever known. Once he angled toward the open sea, he returned to the back of the boat where he found his family. All of them were looking back at the docks, back at Taiwan. He wondered if he would ever be able to return. What will be left of my country now that the Chinese are here?
Did you like this little freebie? Want to read more? Confederacy of Fear is available for preorder right now!
In full disclosure, this was not the cover I had originally planned. The Blue Dawn series always will have some American iconography on the covers of the series. Originally, I was going to use an image from Stone Mountain, Georgia, on the cover given that it figures into a pivotal chapter of Confederacy of Fear. We got back the first pass of that cover and both the publisher and I were underwhelmed with the results. It wasn’t that the art wasn’t great, it just didn’t have the impact we were hoping for.
Having seen the cover, I didn’t want people to associate the American cause highlighted in the book with that of the Confederate States of America. The two couldn’t be farther apart. The title, Confederacy of Fear refers to the progressive Newmericans that toppled the government. The cover should never be a distraction to the book, but should have some relevance to the story.
So I pivoted to New Hampshire as the focus. The cover depicts the New Hampshire State House under occupation by the Newmerican forces. Hanging down is the current Newmerican flag – in the series, they change the national flag often to appease every faction in their administration. Also hanging is the New Hampshire state flag. If you look hard, you can spot some ANTIFA graffiti as well – one of the driving forces that topples the American government in the series.
The details count
About the flag…the Blue Dawn series is based on real events, amplified for creative effect. While many would decry that the progressives would never change the American flag, in reality, this happens more than you might imagine. For example – this was the alteration done when the Ukrainian President visited the Capitol.
As such, it isn’t that far-fetched to think they would be willing to change the flag of the United States, the national anthem, the seal, even the national bird. In fact, there have been proposals on these very things. I get my best material for this series from the mouths of the radical progressives and CNN.
In this novel, and the two subsequent ones (No Greater Tyranny and Patrons of Terror – coming soon!) New Hampshire is a key state in the second American civil war. A friend of mine, author Alu Axelman, exposed me to the state’s independence movement in the state a while back. That inspired me to see the people of New Hampshire as stoutly defiant, the kind of people that would not stand for the Newmerican’s attempts to hold onto power. Revolution in the form of the Defiance, in my books, is inevitable.
The resistance to Newmerica – the Defiance, has a fun name all on its own. It is the name of the publisher of the series as well. That was intentional. Now all I have to do is convince the publisher that we need some merch – t-shirts and stuff, to support that.
The New Hampshire State House and its occupants play key roles in the story. In Confederacy of Fear, that building represents the will of the people of the Granite State. It is a link to their past and stands for their future as well. As such, it made a great choice for the cover…showing a free people under enemy occupation. I love the feeling the cover conveys of you peering through the razorwire at the Newmerican progressives holding state house hostage.
The paperback of Confederacy of Fear will be available January 24 as will the Kindle version. Yes, the audiobook is coming too.
My online stalker, J**** now admits that the persona that he used to wage his campaign against me, Faith McClosky, was a complete fake. I was on vacation when this went down, I was inundated with emails and messages of support. Thank you to all of you that reached out to me about this. I’m not going to provide a link his blog post because I refuse to validate this individual’s mental problems further. I was going to say nothing, but why let this person have any sway over the narrative?
It is tempting to say, “I told you so,” but I already did. For me, this “confession” was old news. Law enforcement long ago revealed that what he claimed to be online was a fabrication. I exposed it back in July of 2021, The Truth about Faith McClosky. Moreover, I informed Catalyst of the details of this at the time, even providing documentation.
I doubt seriously anything that J**** writes regarding turning another leaf. Bear in mind, he admitted that he created a fake ID and persona; while using a new fake name (Ace Kaller), and is using it to continue to spread lies and misinformation. Fake accounts, lies, and a smear campaign – it’s the same old story we have all seen before from this person. At least this time he’s not practicing identity theft by posting photos of someone he is pretending to be…but we are still early in this game.
Why anyone believes anything this person posts, on any subject, is a mystery worthy of PhD research and study. Amazingly, a handful of vocal BattleTech fans opted to support this utter fraud and perpetuate his lies. They embraced censorship as a justifiable solution. Mao would be proud of them. Now they simply look foolish, led by a confessed liar. A few have stood up and apologized for their roles in this – but most opt to remain cowardly silent.
To clarify a few points…prior to this, J****, under the guise of “Faith,” submitted a short story that CGL published because they believed the individual to be a female. John Helfers told me that was one of his primary reasons for publishing the story. “BattleTech is a sausagefest. It will be great to have a female voice.” I warned CGL that this was not a wise move but they believed that this would “appease her.” Bottom line, J**** used his false identity to gain an advantage over other would be authors.
J**** claims he had nothing to do with my release by Catalyst. I was shown, and possess, from Loren Coleman and other sources, the messages that J**** (and his known sock accounts,) used to engage Fanatics and Topps in this campaign. Furthermore, CGL admitted my release was because of his campaign in my conversation with their President. I refer you to the transcripts of my call with Loren Coleman on this matter – Moving Forward. J**** can claim whatever he desires about his involvement in this matter, but I think most people now fully understand his role.
Consider this: If “Faith” had never posted about me, would I still be writing BattleTech? Absolutely! The blame for my removal lies with J**** as the chief instigator of this debacle. All he succeeded in doing is denying long-time fans the stories I had completed and in-process.
Every time I posted about this incident, J**** under the fake persona of “Faith” claimed I was waging “transphobic attacks” as a means of deflecting his own guilt and culpability in these matters. Those of course now are proven as lies by his own admission. He dragged the LGBTQ community into his personal little fight with his lies, and now has smeared them in the process. I can only hope that this will not deter real members of the LGBTQ community from enjoying the universe that I contributed to for decades.
He makes ridiculous claims that I hired a PI to harass his friends. I don’t know if he even has friends. The owner of a personal protective service who is a friend, did reach out to his probation officer at my behest to tell him that a protective order had been put in place. That was it, period. Of course in J****’s strange world, he saw people hiding in his shrubbery spying on him at my bidding.
Keep in mind, this is a person that fantasizes about me dying. I have a thick folder of these kinds of posts.
I know a lot of you are hoping that Catalyst sees the errors of their ways and apologizes. For now, this changes nothing. This is just J**** doing what he always does, using a fake identity to continue his attacks on me. Yawn…
I have moved on past BattleTech, both out of necessity and out of a desire to do what I love doing – writing. What was almost lost in this twisted nightmare is that I’m just a guy that wants to tell great stories. I’m pleased to say on the writing front, things are booming. The Blue Dawn series is doing great – with book three, Confederacy of Fear, releasing on January 24. The book has been on two Amazon Hot New Releases bestseller lists. Book four, No Greater Tyranny, is at the publisher as well and I am almost done with book five, Patrons of Terror.
The second American civil war continues…
Less pew pew and more boom!
For my Mecha fix, the new universe I have worked on with my company, Creative Juggernaut, Land&Sea, launches in a big way on January 12 with the release of book one – Splashdown. This near-future military sci fi novel series (and eventually a game) has already hit three Amazon bestseller lists. I just finished the fifth book in the Land&Sea series and will be starting book six this month. WarGate Publishing is great to work with, they give me a wide latitude to practice my craft, and has introduced me to a broad universe of IP’s and authors. My editor there is someone I respect, something I haven’t been able to say often in my career. I’ve also made a lot of new friends as a result of the cancel culture crowd. I get my big stompy war-robot fix every day with this new series, and staring this month, you can too.
I don’t need BattleMechs in my life – I have ASHURs
I have a project with Baen coming out soon as well as a big surprise in the works in another awesome universe involving Mecha combat. My daughter and I are working on a true crime project. Every day BattleTech becomes something further in my past. I miss interacting with the fans, but not as much as you might think. The fan base has a cancer in it; one introduced by J**** and allowed to spread by CGL. That’s his only lasting legacy to BattleTech.
I have greater reach as a result to being targeted by the cancel culture mob. I have a weekly show where I interview interesting authors each week on https://www.thenexgenusa.com/ and I get to appear as a floating member of the Council of Future Conflicts weekly, which is awesome.
My weeks are filled with doing what I love. I am writing more than ever and having a great time doing it. I’m working with good people who are worthy of my trust, especially the folks at Defiance Press, WarGate Publishing, and Baen Books. The audience I am writing for is larger and his little tolerance for woke behavior. My publishers want me to write great books and I am happy to do so. I am crafting some wonderful characters and putting out stories that tens of thousands are going to read and enjoy.
The attempts by the online woke mob to drive me into submission have failed. Their attempts to delist my books and prevent me from being published have hilariously backfired. I refuse to be censored by the cancel culture crowd. I won’t be silenced, especially by a criminal on probation who hides behind fake ID’s. I have support from many publishers and even more fans. I was never a victim, only a target – a target of misdirected hate that still festers in the dark corners of the BattleTech community. I am comforted to know that these social justice warriors will be looked back at by future historians for what they are; little more than digital terrorists and butthurt harassers.
The best thing I can do to heal the personal damage caused by this person, is to be stunningly successful. That’s what I am all about now…success. If you want to support me, buy my books and enjoy them. Thank you for doing so. If you want to hate me, go ahead. That’s your problem to deal with. Me…I’ll just keep on writing.
I get asked from time-to-time where I get my book titles from. In the case of Blue Dawn 3 – Confederacy of Fear, it came from an unlikely source – fake news!
Right after Joe Biden was announced as the winner of the Presidential election in the US, a quote circulated on the internet, attributed to a Czech newspaper. It read: “The danger to America is not Joe Biden, but a citizenry capable of entrusting a man like him with the Presidency. It will be far easier to limit and undo the follies of a Biden presidency than to restore the necessary common good sense and good judgement to a depraved electorate willing to have such a man as their president. The problem is much deeper and far more serious that Mr. Biden, who is a mere symptom of with ails America. Blaming the prince of fools should not blind anyone to the vast confederacy of fools that made him their prince.”
I loved the quote, but I fact checked it and found, to no big surprise, that it was a fantasy piece, regardless of how accurate the content was. It was not from a Czech newspaper or a member of their government as was often touted.
While I didn’t circulate it on my social media (until now), I was intrigued by the phrase, “…confederacy of fools…” It had a neat sound to it. I wanted to use that as the title of the third book in the series, but hesitated. The antagonists in the Blue Dawn series were not fools. If anything, there was a level of genius to them and I didn’t want to detract from that. So with a minor word swap, Confederacy of Fear was born. See kids, even the fake memes have a purpose in life!
Confederacy of Fear is available in ebook (Kindle) format right now on Amazon. The book is available in paperback on January 24 when it releases to the general public.
I’m pleased to announce that book three of the Blue Dawn series will be available in paperback on 24 January 2023. The Kindle version is available for pre-order right now on Amazon.com. Defiance Press is releasing this 12 days after Splashdown releases from WarGate books. The audiobook is coming soon too!
For those of you who have read book two, A Most Uncivil War, (spoilers to follow), you know that the main characters are starting to fight America’s second civil war against the radical progressives that overthrew the United States five years earlier. One of the main characters is a prisoner of the Newmerican Government, held in the Colorado Supermax prison. Atlanta has declared itself an autonomous zone in defiance of the presidential election – and the leaders of Newmerica are tightening their grip on power.
There are new characters in this mix – a refugee from Taiwan who fled when Newmerica abandoned its protection of the breakaway republic…a political general out for glory, and action spanning from New Hampshire to the west coast.
Confederacy of Fear is a true conservative thriller – with nail-biting military action and political twists and turns that will both excite and leave readers in awe. The odds have never been longer and the risks that the characters have to take never greater. As always, the real-world issues and headlines come into play in this novel – making it more pertinent that ever.
If you liked the first two books, this one puts you on the front lines of the Second Civil War. More on this book to come!
I’m pleased to announce that the audiobook for A Most Uncivil War is now available on Amazon.com. This book is the second in the Blue Dawnseries and carries the story forward as America and Newmerica lurch into civil war.
I used the same narrator as for Blue Dawnbecause I liked his tone and style. The book clocks out at 14 hours, so there’s lots of entertainment there.
I hope you enjoy the characters, the story, and the cautionary tale that emerges in this series. Book three is in the editor’s hands…so hopefully we’ll be seeing it soon.
The universe of the Blue Dawnseries is one where left wing extremists have toppled the American government and replaced it with their version of a progressive utopia. Conservatives are rounded up in Social Quarantine Camps – for their own safety of course. In the series, I have given the radical progressives everything they want – complete control.
And my characters are going to take that control away from them – one novel at a time.
They have implemented a Disinformation Governance Board – in the guise of the Truth Reconciliation Committee – the TRC. I feel a bit like Nostradamus with this, I created the TRC in Blue Dawnbefore Biden proposed his Disinformation Board. Sadly, the left is predictable. In A Most Uncivil War readers get a more in-depth look inside the TRC.
The TRC makes use of slogans in the novels. There are hundreds of them, displayed everywhere in America to help govern the right kind of thinking. I put a smattering of these in the book, but most appear as chapter headings. Below is a list of those from Blue Dawn and book two of the series, A Most Uncivil War.
Sometimes these slogans are directly related to the chapter, sometimes they are not. I have a massive list of the ones I intend to use in the series (I’m halfway through writing book five). The slogans are easy to create, all I have to do is put on the news for an hour and I get one or two. Some are somewhat contradictory, because tyrannical governments don’t care about contradictions. I channel George Orwell often during this process. Where he focused on three slogans primarily in 1984, I know that in our age, there would be a slogan a day if someone seized control of our nation.
So here’s the list from the published books so far in the series…
Tyranny is what you make it
Only the downtrodden are truly free.
Everyone is a minority.
The past is lies—trust the future!
The greatest heroes are victims.
Action against one is action against all.
History owes us.
Putting one first is putting all last.
Tolerance is prosperity.
People are data
Achievement is no one failing.
Doing nothing is something.
Truth is more tangible than facts.
Comfort Equals Compliance.
Everyone is owed. Everyone has suffered. Reparations set things right!
Data is Reality.
Wealth is Weakness… Wealth is a Cancer.
Fear makes you brave.
Every voice is equal unless it is the voice of intolerance or division.
The Individual Is the Enemy. Groups ensure prosperity!
A danger to one is a danger to all.
Individual achievement hurts us all. Only together can we grow and thrive.
Only trust information that is proven trustworthy—look for the Truth Reconciliation Committee logo.
Are your neighbors being good citizens? If not, turn them in for reparation points. The more points you have, the more you earn. Surveillance is every person’s responsibility.
Social Justice Is Criminal Justice.
The Good of All is the Good of One.
Lowering the Bar Ensures Equality.
The only trust that matters is between you and the government.
Everything bad is systemic.
There is nothing that cannot be fixed with government intervention.
Someone else is always to blame.
Hating the government is hating yourself.
Freedom is selfish.
Words are more deadly than bullets.
Being afraid is being vigilant.
The greatest threats to our nation are those that refuse to accept their inherent flaws.
Victims are symbols of hope.
Hurt feelings are a form of abuse.
When everyone cheers, watch for the handful that doesn’t. They are the enemies.
Questioning authority is a form of insurrection.
There’s a fine line between rhetoric and reality, one best defined by your leaders.
The hate of one reflects the hate of all.
Fear is a virtue
The loudest voices are the ones that are right.
Do you like the weather today? Thank your government and the New Green Deal!
Individual needs corrupt the needs of the whole.
The only virtues that matter are those that are sanctioned.
Those who deny systemic racism are the worst kind of racists.
If you think you are possibly being oppressed—you are.
There are no crises—there are only opportunities to excel.
If it is not for the betterment of all; it is not for the betterment of one.
History without proper interpretation is nothing more than myths and lies.
The only fair elections are the ones that we say are fair.
Freedom is overrated. What matters is security.
Most people who use the word ‘freedom’ mean the opposite.
What suggestions do you have for future books? Please put them in the comments below…
Spoiler Alert – please read the novel first. It’s available on Amazon.
Like it’s predecessor novel Blue Dawn, A Most Uncivil War covers a lot of geography. It has to. America is vast and the diverse locations are fertile ground for the characters to interact with. Many of the places that are referenced I actually visited. Those that I did not, I tracked with street views from Google Maps and other photographs that are online.
The use of the Alamo was always going to be a part of the novel. I’m a big fan of battles that are last stands, or where the odds are overwhelming. I have read Three Roads to the Alamo now four times. My wife and I have a trip planned there this fall.
The Alamo is important as a symbol, not just for Texas but for all Americans. In recent years, woke historians have tried to downplay the Alamo. They believe that the battle is insignificant because some of the leaders owned slaves – which in their minds, taints the importance of the battle and the location. It is frustrating and angering to me as a military historian to hear alleged peers adopt this kind of socio-revisionist-history.
The use of San Antonio and Alamo was not a fluke. I planted the Easter Egg for it in Blue Dawn. There are a few little surprises in that first book and in this one that will play out as bigger storylines in the coming novels. Likewise there are Easter Eggs in A Most Uncivil Warthat will come into play two books down the line. Yes, the storylines are planned out that far, if not father.
Would a woke mob want to destroy the Alamo the way I portrayed it in the book? I believe yes, if given the right opportunity, they would. We have seen statues of Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson, and others destroyed, damaged or removed because Progressive radicals believe the men were flawed or they don’t agree with their politics. Given the right circumstances, yes, they would attempt to destroy a historic icon like the Alamo. In fact, they would do so with glee if they believed they could get away with it.
All people are flawed, myself included. Trying to erase our history is the errand of fools and the weak-minded. Their misguided and destructive inclinations are doing irreparable damage to our country – but then again, that is their goal. I wanted to capture that essence in the book.
The setting was also critical in the character arc of Trip Reager. Trip is an interesting character who develops throughout the Blue Dawn series. He is Texan, and to him, protecting the Alamo is more of a natural instinct than a set of orders. Trip’s role the night the Newmericans came to destroy the Alamo is integral to his being.
Nashville was a necessary scene as well in my mind. Nashville was a natural location for the Southern White House. I visited there during CrimeCon a few years ago, not realizing I was doing research at the time for this novel. The buildings and locations mentioned in the book are quite real.
The “Southern White House” in the new novel
The other major geographic area covered is downtown Chicago. We all like to think we understand what urban combat is, but we have never seen it in a city as big as Chicago. You might argue Kiev, but Chicago presents a lot of complexities that military planners would struggle to contemplate or compensate for. Having been raised in Michigan, I visited Chicago a lot in my early life. I walked Grant Park some 15 years ago, so I know the ground. I wanted to have a battle there because it is the last place you might expect such a fight.
Will the new American civil war be coming to your hometown or city? It is quite possible as this series of novels expands. Hints as to the locations of coming scenes are inA Most Uncivil War if you look hard enough. The war for the soul of the nation is just beginning…
Notes From The Bunker 