Wednesday, February 20, 2013

IS THERE A CHAIN OF COMMAND IN YOUR LIFE? ...

Hi, All,

Today I am spicing up my blog with a intriguing interview with Lt. Noah Hutchins: a Navy Seal. He tells us about his life as a Seal and about the reporter who companied him in his active duty. This will be something to really sink your teeth into on this mid winter Hump Day. I hope you enjoy this new feature.


MD: "Welcome Lieutenant. I appreciate your time. I know how busy life is in the Military. My father was a Sergeant in the army."

Lt. N: "Thank you, Michael. I didn't know you were a military brat."

MD: "Yes, Sir." I salute.  "Now, how did you first decide to go into the military?"

Lt. N: "It was all I’d ever wanted to do, really.  I grew up watching Top Gun, and I thought those guys were awesome.  Then, one day when I was about eight or nine, I saw a PBS special on the Navy SEALs.  I loved the water.  I think I swam before I ever walked.  From then on, the SEALs weren’t an option.  They were a destination."

MD: "Fascinating. I did do some digging, and I wondered what were your first thoughts upon reading McKenzie McClendon’s article about you and your former partner in the New York Herald?"

Lt. N: "I sincerely doubt you want me to use that sort of language on your blog, here, Michael."

MD: I raise a brow. "Right.  Well, let’s go with this then: what made you go to talk to McKenzie herself rather than going to a rival newspaper or suing her for libel?"

Lt. N: "I’m not really the suing type, man.  I didn’t want to look like some whiny pansy-boy who got his feelings hurt.  I wanted things done.  I could’ve gone to a rival paper, sure, but McKenzie was obviously bold enough to say what she did.  She made me mad enough that I wanted to see if she could hock it to my face.  I hate passive-aggressiveness, so nothing pleased me more than the idea of setting the record straight while at the same time forcing her to put a face with the name she was so willing to hide behind a computer and blast."

MD: "I admire your ethics. So few people have them in our SUE-happy country. So, what was travelling with McKenzie like?"  

Lt. N: "Exhausting at times.  She has this weird habit of wanting to know where we’re going, when we’re going there, and what our plan is when we arrive.  I kept trying to tell her the details of the trip were on a need to know basis, but that didn’t stop the incessant questions.  I guess that’s what I get for travelling with a reporter.  At other times, having her along for the ride was both exhilarating and practical at the same time.  When you get past the whole “I’m nosier than an anteater on steroids” thing, the girl’s got spunk and smarts, and she’s fun to be around.  She’s cute, too, if you like that petite, ankle-biter type.  I was glad she tagged along, because having an extra set of hands was useful a couple of times.  Literally."

MD: "Yes, I can well understand that. Plus she does have a certain charm. Doesn't she? 

Lt. N: He nodded. "Yes, in a way."

MD: "In the article, it says you hadn’t spoken to your former partner in the SEALs for years.  Why then were you so convinced he hadn’t changed since you knew him and that he couldn’t possibly be responsible for the vice president’s assassination?"

Lt. N: "Cody was always such a laid back guy, and he was like a brother to me. He sure as hell hadn't become an assassin for hire. And it wasn't who he was to me that made me think so. It was the kind of guy I knew he was.  You don’t sleep next to a guy on a cliff ledge in a mountain range in enemy territory without knowing his stripes.  Cody believed in ethics and morals, and he was the kind of guy you’d trust to throw himself in front of a train if it meant no one else would get hit.  He wouldn’t so readily take away a nation’s leader—someone’s husband, father—for money, even if it was millions.  Money wasn’t a thing to him at all.  Before we were in the SEALs together, he used to work flipping burgers at a fast food joint just because it was the only job he could get that allowed him enough time to get home to spend with his terminally ill father, and I think every dime he made went straight to his old man’s hospital bills.  When he came back, as far as I know, he made a living tending bar and bussing tables.

MD: "You certainly convinced me. So why didn’t you two talk after you got back from Afghanistan, if he was such a great dude?"

Lt. N: "Wow.  Tough question.  We didn’t—well, we didn’t talk because we were both just ready to close that chapter of our lives, you know?  We lived on opposite sides of the country, and in our line of work, doing what we did, it’s better to not draw attention to yourselves or what you used to do, which hanging out together might do.  We kept in touch occasionally over e-mails, caught up by phone a couple times a year, but mostly, we would rather not see each other both for our mutual protection and because when we talked, it made us remember."

MD: "An honest, heartfelt answer. Thank you, Lieutenant for stopping by my blog." I salute him again.

Lt. N: You're welcome, Michael. Anytime.

Had you going for a while, didn't I? LOL. Lieutenant Noah Hutchins is the main character in author,  Colby Marshall's debut international thriller novel, CHAIN OF COMMAND.

Here's the blurb: 
"The first chapter will shock you--and the shocks keep right on coming. Colby Marshall has written a book that deserves to be called THRILLER."--R.L. Stine, New York Times bestselling author of Red RainThe Haunting Hour, and the Goosebumps series

I hope you will get a chance to drop by Colby's blog and wish her well. She plans to drop in and out all day if you have any questions for her. Here are all the links for everything. Have a great day everyone. 




Chain of command is currently available on Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/c36b6ja

Barnes and Noble: http://tinyurl.com/abynbjz

Directly from publisher: www.stairwaypress.com/bookstore

Also available on KoBo, iBooks, Sony, and other major e-readers.

Check out the official book trailer for CHAIN OF COMMAND: http://tinyurl.com/auye6bb

Colby's website: www.colbymarshall.com   



32 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

For a moment, I thought he was a real person! You are good at these, Michael.

Natalie Aguirre said...

I'm like Alex. I thought this was real for awhile. Awesome way to promote a book. Good luck to Colby!

Suzi said...

I have to admit, I only got a few paragraphs in when I googled the two names. Therefore figured it out right away.

I don't read much thrillers like this lately, and I think I'm missing out. Gotta set down that contemporary YA and read some other stuff too. :)

S.A. Larsenッ said...

Wish I had something original to add, but I'm with the first two comments. Love this promotion!

shelly said...

Wanted to thank you for stopping over to my blog and introducing yourself.

New follower here.

Hugs and chocolate,
Shelly

David P. King said...

Good grief! You had me there. If the interview was that convincing, that speaks volumes for how believable the book is. Well played, well played. :)

Morgan said...

Oh my gosh... You had me 'til the END! Hahaha! No lie. No one is better at being creative with these posts than YOU are, Michael! Seriously. Loved it. Totally entertaining!

:D

mshatch said...

I didn't suspect until the assassination of the VP was mentioned. Great interview, Michael :)

Arlee Bird said...

Since I've already hosted Colby I knew what was going on. Love the premise of her book.

Lee
Please visit my memoir blog:
Wrote By Rote
An A to Z Co-host blog

Rebecca Green Gasper said...

Love these character interviews! What fun to go inside the book and character a little more. Congrats to Colby. Will head over and check out her site. Thanks Michael for the fun and creative interview. :)

Johanna Garth said...

You totally had me going. Was searching my brain for the news stories on this guy! Great interview Michael!

Unknown said...

Ha ha ha, you rascal, really had me going. Fun post!

S.P. Bowers said...

You totally had me going. Hope I'm not the only one. Now I have to check out that book though. You really brought me into it.

Elizabeth Seckman said...

Holy smokes Michael! I've been intentionally ignoring the news (for my mental health) and thought...wow, I better crawl out from under my rock, someone shot Biden?

A true HG Wells moment.

colbymarshall said...

Haha! I'm so glad we had you all going there for a bit. Thank you for the well wishes!

Even though this isn't a true news item, I hope you'll check out the book, and, if you do, I hope you'll enjoy it. Noah is a fun character, and he's also part of my second novel coming up in June.

Thanks so much for having me over, Mchael!

~Sia McKye~ said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
~Sia McKye~ said...

Excellent, Michael! You did a great job with this.

When one decides to interview a *character* one has to treat them as if they are flesh and blood or the whole interview becomes hokey. I enjoyed reading it.

Sia McKye OVER COFFEE

Ashlee said...

I love hearing more from Noah! Great interview. :-)

Laura Eno said...

I love this idea of an interview with a character! You did it so well I thought it was real until we got to the assassination.

Yolanda Renée said...

Thrilling! Truly, I'm taking notes!

Sabrina A. Fish said...

Fantastic interview! I thought he was real. You truly have a gift! Great job and way to promote your writing. I am going to have to give this a go someday!

Roland D. Yeomans said...

You really had me going there for awhile. This was quite inventive and showcased, not only Colby's writing, but your own as well. Bravo! Roland

Susan Flett Swiderski said...

What a terrific way to bring a character to life for readers. This sounds like a terrific read, and the character's reasoning for not seeing his buddy after they came back to the states rings completely true. As tight as my husband was with his team in Vietnam, they went their separate ways once they got back to the world.

Great job!

Unknown said...

LOL!!! Brilliant job! I'm glad you told the truth at the end, otherwise, I'd look like an idiot Googling ex-VP's, who were assassinated, lol! I'm like Elizabeth, for a split second, you had me thinking Ole Smiley Joe had bit the bullet! :P Good luck to Colby. I'm sure she'll have lots of success! :)

Charmaine Clancy said...

I do like a shocking first chapter, sounds great!

Sharon K. Mayhew said...

Thank you so much for your service, Lieutenant. I love that you aspired to be a Seal from the time you were little. It takes something special to put yourself in harms way for others.

Thanks for sharing, Michael.

VR Barkowski said...

Have to admit, I was taken in, too, and I remember Colby's pitch for Chain of Command, so I should have known better. Nice job both of you!!!

Wishing you great success with Chain of Command, Colby!

~VR Barkowski

Denise Covey said...

You are sneaky Michael. You had me riveted. Intriguing book. I must visit Colny's blog.

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Misha Gerrick said...

Hi Michael,

I'm pleased to let you know that you've received a Paying Forward Awards nomination as Unpublished Blogger with Awesome Writing Style.

Congrats!

Misha

dolorah said...

Yes, you had me fooled! I kept wondering how I missed an assassination attempt on the VP. Really well done. I'm ready to read the book now :)

.......dhole

Unknown said...

Monday February 25th, 2013

Dear Michael,

Boy, you sure had me fooled! I really thought it all was true until I got down to the last line!
What fun. Really makes me what to read Colby Marshall's thriller.

Since I do live outside of the country, I do miss a lot of information about current events and the latest political intrigue. But still, I'm not that easily fooled. How could I miss an attempt to assassinate the vice-president?

Well done. Great review.

Best wishes,
Anna