The inspiration comes from a real-life issue not often seen
by the public. I’ve been involved in children’s concerns—professionally and
personally—for most of my adult life. My series shines a
I made a
conscious decision that the main protagonist, Cole Haufner, was not a special
forces operator, CIA agent, etc. I took
my knowledge of martial arts and went the other direction. He’s an expert in
Shaolin Kung Fu, a monk, who disdains fighting and shuns the limelight. I
thought the story arc would add a lot more nuance and layers portraying a lead
character that didn’t follow the typical path we see in this genre. I wanted to
observe his reaction to situations where he processed a conflict from a
different mindset. When he does employ his skill set, the results are more
shocking.
My road to
publication isn’t overly dramatic--maybe to me it is! I’d finished the rough
draft and needed some experienced eyes on the writing. I had no formal training
and no friends on the Bestseller list. I was fresh from a career in
medicine—not a bastion of fiction production. I entered a contest for the
promised written reviews by the judges. I’d forgotten all about it and received
a call one evening months later informing me I’d won the Zebulon award for the
suspense/thriller/mystery category. I fell numb, unsure what to even say to the
person on the other end. A few months later, I went to a conference where I
pitched my newly-awarded story to a publisher out of New
York. I received a request to rewrite a rather
gruesome scene and a full manuscript submission. Within a few days, I shot it
out expecting the usual 3 month or more standard reply. Within 24-hours, an
email reported the file forwarded to a senior editor and she’d get back to me
within a few weeks. 48-hours later, the editor notified me she loved the story
and would present to the Board for a contract option. “These things can take a
little time,” she reported. “Probably a month or so.” 36-hours later, I had a
prepared contract in my hand. That wasn’t the typical timeline I’d been led to
believe from others in the industry. Needless to say, I was shocked at the
rapid pace from the contest submission to contract signing. I’m currently
working on the next in the series, and I’m back to work on my original
manuscript, a medical thriller with ties to the state of affairs overseas we’ve
all seen since 9/11.
Happy Reading!
Mike
About the Author
After a career in medicine, Mike Houtz succumbed to
the call to hang up his stethoscope and pursue his other passion as a writer of
fast-paced thrillers. A rabid fan of authors such as Clancy, Mark Greaney, Vince
Flynn, and Brad Thor, Mike loves series writing with strong characters, fast
pacing and international locations, all of which explode into action in his
debut novel, a 2017 Zebulon Award winner. When not at the keyboard, he can be
found on the firing range, traveling for research across the globe, or trying
out the latest dry-fly pattern on a Gold Medal trout stream.
He lives at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in
Colorado.
His latest book is the
thriller/international/action novel, Dark
Spiral Down.
Website: www.mikehoutz.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/michaelhoutz
BOOK BLURB:
COLE HAUFNER is a reluctant superstar in
the professional mixed martial arts world. After his latest fight, his wife and
child perish in a car crash. His grief deepens when his brother, BUTCH, a Delta
Force operator, is absent from the funeral and reported missing by two furtive
strangers who show up unannounced at the burial. Despairing, and acting on a
tip, Cole travels to his childhood home in southeast China, looking for his
brother.
Butch and his teammate, HAMMER, are the
sole American survivors of a gun battle between their unit and North Korean commandos,
both sides fighting over possession of a stolen suitcase containing a
miniaturized fusion device that could either provide unlimited clean energy or
be converted to an undetectable bomb seven times more powerful than a nuclear
explosion. Leading the North Koreans is the sociopath, Commander PARK. Pressed
into helping the Koreans is a disgraced former CIA operative, BARRETT JENNINGS.
Cole meets with the uncle who raised him,
MASTER LI, and is warned to stop his search for Butch. Barrett discovers Cole’s
identity (with the help of a genius computer hacker, LILLY), which opens a
twenty-year-old wound when Barrett was blamed for the disappearance of Cole’s
father, along with the man’s invention. Barrett enlists the 14K organized crime
syndicate to help capture Cole. Hammer, separated from Butch during the fight
for the device, thwarts the gang’s attempt to kidnap Cole, and the two then set
off to find Butch and the device. All parties converge on the city library
where Butch, now disguised as a monk, is attempting to communicate with the
Pentagon. Barrett and Park capture Butch, while the 14K gang nabs Cole.
Danger mounts as Chinese authorities begin
investigating foul play within their borders. Cole fights his way free of the
gang and reunites with Hammer. Both men
find Barrett’s apartment and discover Lilly (the man’s stepdaughter), who
divulges Barrett’s identity and plan. Cole clashes with Hammer, who is willing
to sacrifice Butch in order to recover the fusion device. Lilly offers her help
in exchange for her and Barrett’s rescue from Park’s grip. Meanwhile, Barrett
discovers the true nature of the case the North Koreans are pursuing and,
sensing he and Lilly are to be assassinated by Park once he has the device,
frees Butch. Butch, trusting Barrett was sent to rescue him, leads the turncoat
to the site where he hid the device. Barrett, hoping to make a quick fortune
selling it, shoots Butch before escaping with the case.
Cole, along with Hammer and Lilly, arrives
at the location of Butch and finds him gravely wounded. Butch fingers Barrett
for shooting him and for stealing the case. Cole wants only to save his brother
but Butch makes him promise to kill Barrett and recover their dad’s invention.
The revelation that the device is his father’s scientific discovery propels
Cole forward to fulfill his brother’s mission. Cole is forced to abandon Butch
at a hospital. Cole pursues Barrett to a remote dock where the ex-CIA man is
planning to escape China by boat. With the Chinese military now actively looking
for Cole, Cole confronts Barrett and Park sparking a gunfight. Barrett kills
Park. As Barrett turns the gun on Cole, Hammer kills Barrett. Cole, Hammer and
Lilly escape via the boat, and the fusion device is safely returned.
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