Sometimes real-life experiences can lead to some truly unforgettable books. This is certainly the case for thriller writer Ed Kovacs, who has studied martial arts, holds many weapons-related licenses, certifications and permits, and is a certified medical First Responder. He now works as an “international security contractor,” and here he shares a fascinating—even alarming—peek into some of the hairy situations he’s gotten himself into around the world.
Riding the Iron Cobra
Guest post by Ed KovacsAs a young boy I recall watching reruns of the TV show “Dangerous Assignment.” The fictionalized intrigue that played out in exotic locations every week struck a chord in me. Little did I know that I’d eventually spend years of my life on the road or overseas living through my own intrigues. Nor did I realize that I’d become a writer whose real life experiences on the edge would provide me with such good material for my thriller novels.
When I flew into New Orleans in a private jet with eleven other heavily armed security operators after Hurricane Katrina struck, writing a novel wasn’t on my mind. I worked in dangerous environments and horrible conditions, and while doing so, learned about the last murder in New Orleans just before the hurricane struck. A murder with a missing corpse, no forensic evidence, and a destroyed crime scene sounded like a good premise to me, and ultimately resulted in my Cliff St. James crime novel trilogy, beginning with Storm Damage.
While researching my first novel, Unseen Forces, I traveled to Southeast Asia’s Golden Triangle and crossed illegally into Burma (now Myanmar) to meet with a rebel group fighting the military dictatorship. When I got back to Mae Hong Song, Thailand, an employee of my hotel warned me there was a contract on my head from a local drug lord who suspected me of being an undercover DEA agent.
I was once taken into custody in Mongolia and accused (falsely) of antiquities smuggling. In Russia, I was detained at the airport in Irkutsk and not allowed to leave because my papers weren’t in order. I came way too close to falling to my death in a cave in Belize, and once got lost in the jungle and accidentally crossed the border into Guatemala while trying to find a Mayan ruin.
I travel for research, adventure or to work on security contracts. I’ve had guns pointed at me many times. One of the most dangerous places I worked, believe it or not, was the U.S.-Mexico border. Gunfights are common. I had weapons aimed at me by cartel lookouts, soldiers and Mexican police. Due to our rules of engagement at the time, I knew I was simply in God’s hands.
Beheadings and “stewings” are common down there. The bad guys will take a person and put them into a 55-gallon steel barrel, then add gasoline and lye flakes and seal the lid. An acid is created that dissolves a human being down to teeth and bones. The stewing thing made it into my novel, Burnt Black.
I’ve been to Russia many times. I worked with Russian military and intelligence people, and that helped me with material for my latest book, The Russian Bride. The villain is physically based on an acquaintance of mine, Viktor Kubetkin, a former KGB agent who operated undercover in London.
I’ve been to the Middle East, Africa, South and Central America, all over Asia and have had many close calls. Not that I go looking for trouble. I go looking for nuggets of gold; the characters I meet and situations I find myself in is the payoff that I file away to incorporate into my books.
Ed Kovacs is the author of five published thriller novels including his latest from Minotaur, The Russian Bride. He is currently on deployment in Eastern Europe as a security contractor. His website is www.edkovacs.com.
PoisonedBlogger
Greetings from the Badlands
CJ Box and Keith McCafferty will be signing their newest books on Monday, August 3rd at 8;00 PM. Keith’s newest is Crazy Mountain Kiss and CJ’s is Badlands. To show our appreciation for our dedicated patrons, we will be offering a promotional item for those who buy Badlands, while supplies last!
Here is a sneak peak at the beautiful postcard rendered in classic style.
To pre-order your copy today, just click the link below:
Thank you and See you Soon!
7 Book series perfect for binge reading
Series for Binge Readers as recommended by Redbook Magazine.
Watch the slide show. I’m very proud of my own Poisoned Pen Press author Mary Anna Evans ranking right in their with Sara Paretsky and others.
To purchase Mary Anna Evan’s books, or any of the other wondeful titles:
Anne A. Wilson, author of Hover
Last Tuesday the store had the distinct pleasure of hosting new author Anne A. Wilson for the launch of Hover. We’d been hearing the buzz from everyone who had read it, and were so happy to see the hundred plus smiling faces that evening. Anne was wonderful to work with and we’re all looking forward to the next book when it comes. Here is a blog post from Anne about our store founder Barbara Peters. Take a look!
https://anneawilson.blogspot.com/2015/06/barbara-peters-of-poisoned-pen-reviews.html
A letter from author Michael Harvey, appearing on Tuesday, June 16th at 7:00 PM
Looking forward to seeing everyone back at the Poisoned Pen this summer. I wanted to give you some quick news, as well as a little background on my latest Michael Kelly novel (and my favorite!), THE GOVERNOR’S WIFE.
First, the news. GK Films and Graham King, producer of THE DEPARTED and THE TOWN, bought the movie rights to a crime thriller I’m just finishing set in Boston. The working title for the novel is BRIGHTON and I’m hoping it will be out next summer. Here’s a link with details on the movie deal.
As for THE GOVERNOR’S WIFE, the idea for the book was born in the winter of 2011. I was watching a live chopper shot of Rod Blagojevich drive down the Edens en route to his sentencing hearing when a little ping went off in my head.
What if the former governor’s black SUV pulled up to the Dirksen Federal Building and the back seat turned out to be empty? What if Rod split and took 40 million in cash with him? What if he became Chicago’s version of Whitey Bulger? What if he left his wife holding the bag?
And so the first seed was sown. As the novel grew, it turned out to be something quite different that what I expected. And something I enjoyed writing very much.
Hope you guys like it. See you in June.
Michael Harvey
Looking forward to seeing everyone back at the Poisoned Pen this summer. I wanted to give you some quick news, as well as a little background on my latest Michael Kelly novel (and my favorite!), THE GOVERNOR’S WIFE.
First, the news. GK Films and Graham King, producer of THE DEPARTED and THE TOWN, bought the movie rights to a crime thriller I’m just finishing set in Boston. The working title for the novel is BRIGHTON and I’m hoping it will be out next summer. Here’s a link with details on the movie deal.
As for THE GOVERNOR’S WIFE, the idea for the book was born in the winter of 2011. I was watching a live chopper shot of Rod Blagojevich drive down the Edens en route to his sentencing hearing when a little ping went off in my head.
What if the former governor’s black SUV pulled up to the Dirksen Federal Building and the back seat turned out to be empty? What if Rod split and took 40 million in cash with him? What if he became Chicago’s version of Whitey Bulger? What if he left his wife holding the bag?
And so the first seed was sown. As the novel grew, it turned out to be something quite different that what I expected. And something I enjoyed writing very much.
Hope you guys like it. See you in June.
Michael Harvey
Looking forward to seeing everyone back at the Poisoned Pen this summer. I wanted to give you some quick news, as well as a little background on my latest Michael Kelly novel (and my favorite!), THE GOVERNOR’S WIFE.
First, the news. GK Films and Graham King, producer of THE DEPARTED and THE TOWN, bought the movie rights to a crime thriller I’m just finishing set in Boston. The working title for the novel is BRIGHTON and I’m hoping it will be out next summer. Here’s a link with details on the movie deal.
As for THE GOVERNOR’S WIFE, the idea for the book was born in the winter of 2011. I was watching a live chopper shot of Rod Blagojevich drive down the Edens en route to his sentencing hearing when a little ping went off in my head.
What if the former governor’s black SUV pulled up to the Dirksen Federal Building and the back seat turned out to be empty? What if Rod split and took 40 million in cash with him? What if he became Chicago’s version of Whitey Bulger? What if he left his wife holding the bag?
And so the first seed was sown. As the novel grew, it turned out to be something quite different that what I expected. And something I enjoyed writing very much.
Hope you guys like it. See you in June.
Michael Harvey
oking forward to seeing everyone back at the Poisoned Pen this summer. I wanted to give you some quick news, as well as a little background on my latest Michael Kelly novel (and my favorite!), THE GOVERNOR’S WIFE.
First, the news. GK Films and Graham King, producer of THE DEPARTED and THE TOWN, bought the movie rights to a crime thriller I’m just finishing set in Boston. The working title for the novel is BRIGHTON and I’m hoping it will be out next summer. Here’s a link with details on the movie deal.
As for THE GOVERNOR’S WIFE, the idea for the book was born in the winter of 2011. I was watching a live chopper shot of Rod Blagojevich drive down the Edens en route to his sentencing hearing when a little ping went off in my head.
What if the former governor’s black SUV pulled up to the Dirksen Federal Building and the back seat turned out to be empty? What if Rod split and took 40 million in cash with him? What if he became Chicago’s version of Whitey Bulger? What if he left his wife holding the bag?
And so the first seed was sown. As the novel grew, it turned out to be something quite different that what I expected. And something I enjoyed writing very much.
Hope you guys like it. See you in June.
Michael Harvey
A Note from Daniel Palmer on TRAUMA
Dear Readers:
Every September, after submitting his latest novel to St. Martin’s Press, my father would immediately begin to brainstorm. What kind of story would he be sharing with his readers next? Autumn 2013 was no exception. Pop knew he wanted his twentieth thriller to return to the hospital setting that was the hallmark of his earlier works. The protagonist would be a young female resident who encounters a desperate patient with the repeated claim, “I don’t belong here.” The doctor begins to believe the patient, investigates, and soon descends into a labyrinth of murder and corruption.
Dad’s next story was in place. Then, in October of 2013, my father died suddenly.
I don’t know how long my dad would have kept writing. He had no plans to stop. He had journals and file folders filled with ideas. With each novel, my father aimed to deliver his very best because he cared deeply for his readers. When news broke of his passing, my inbox flooded with messages from fans around the world.
Even though he was a bestselling novelist published in over thirty languages, the business of writing was sometimes lonely for my dad. It meant blank pages, solitude, and deadlines. But something changed for him in 2009. That was the year I landed my first publishing contract.
I was working from home doing consulting and writing. My dad was at his office, too, some sixty miles to the south. I’d leave my iChat application running all day so whenever Pop wanted a little face time, he could just dial me up online and there I’d be. Or me and his grandkids, or all of us plus his daughter-in-law. We would jawbone about plots until our fingers grew itchy to do some key tapping. I learned the craft of writing from my father during those long talks. Remembering them gave me confidence that I could run with his great premise for TRAUMA.
Working on the book proved to be a remarkable and deeply emotional journey. When the email from Dad’s beloved editor Jennifer Enderlin came in accepting the manuscript, I said aloud, “We did it, Pop.”
I can’t replace my father; nobody can. But I can continue his legacy, and that’s a thrill and an honor that leaves me humbled and incredibly grateful.
In friendship,
Daniel Palmer