Hey there, I realize I’ve been MIA since oh, about March, but I have a reason. Actually, I have three reasons—this trilogy is kicking my butt.
Seriously.
I’m almost finished with book 3, Final Dawn, but still have edits on the first two books to do. My amazing advance reader team (ART for short) has been giving False Dawn an early read-through and have found a few oopsies and inconsistencies that I swear weren’t there on my last read.
Ah, yes, the fun of being word-blind after so many drafts. No matter how many times I or an editor goes through a manuscript, something always gets missed.
Thank goodness for fresh eyes.
Those same early readers have also come back with some fabulous reviews for False Dawn, which is always gratifying—especially with a new series and character. Click here to read a few of them on Goodreads. It’s exciting to know long-time readers enjoy Mac and her crew. I’m aiming for an early August release of Book #1. Crossing fingers all goes well. (read an #excerpt of chapter 1 below).
This weekend marks the unofficial start of summer here in the US, and it’s also Memorial Day—a day to remember the fallen, the soldiers who gave their all to keep this country free throughout so many conflicts. I’m especially reminded of the last world war, in which older relatives of mine fought. The conflict was driven (among other reasons) by the Treaty of Versailles (which humiliated Germany giving rise to Nazi rule), aggressive imperial expansion of fascist governments (Japan, Italy, and Germany), and Hitler’s invasion of Poland. People sometimes conflate fascism with authoritarianism, but they are two different forms of governance incompatible with democracy. Here’s how a quick search on Google portrays each:
Authoritarianism
Ideology: Flexible or absent; the goal is simply to maintain power, order, and control.
Society: Citizens are told to be obedient and stay out of politics, but private life and some independent institutions (like churches or businesses) may remain untouched.
Methods: Uses suppression of dissent, censorship, and restricted elections to maintain the status quo.
Examples: Absolute monarchies, military juntas, and conservative dictatorships that preserve existing social hierarchies.
Fascism
Ideology: Highly revolutionary and rigid. It relies on a “palingenetic” (rebirth) ultra-nationalism, intense leader worship, and often race-based social hierarchies.
Society: Total mobilization of the population. The state is supreme (”everything in the State, nothing outside the State, nothing against the State”), and private life is heavily controlled.
Methods: Utilizes violent mobilization, paramilitary groups (e.g., Mussolini’s Blackshirts), state-run economies, and imperialistic expansion.
Examples: Interwar totalitarian regimes like Benito Mussolini’s Italy and Adolf Hitler’s Germany
Fascism is always authoritarian, but authoritarianism isn’t always fascist. Either way, neither one is a good system of governance.
One antagonist in the Dawn Trilogy believes that he alone can save the world—by taking control in whichever way possible. He believes “normal” people aren’t able to govern themselves, that he’s been chosen to lead. Obviously, he’s not much for democratic rule.
All that is to say, I love taking down the bad guys in my books—especially Neo-Nazi types. It’s as close as I can get to honoring those brave men and women who faced unbelievable challenges in their fight for freedom.
I’m forever grateful for their sacrifice.
Have a great weekend.
xoxo ~DV
#excerpt
False Dawn, Chapter 1
Somewhere in the jungles of Nicaragua
Mackenzie “Mac” Reynolds scanned the night sky, searching for the plane. Hot, humid air mixed with the scent of damp earth and verdant growth, reminding her of an especially fetid greenhouse. The rumbling grew louder, indicating an approaching aircraft.
Landing lights off, the turboprop came in hot as it dropped through the clouds and thudded onto the narrow jungle airstrip, tires skidding. The engines howled in protest, then throttled down hard. For half a second the aircraft fishtailed, then was under control, rolling toward them in a wash of jet fuel and hot air.
Mac raised her fist. Her team stilled—eight silhouettes at the edge of the landing field, weapons held at low-ready.
The plane’s rear ramp dropped.
Four men poured out, weapons up, scanning the tree line with the controlled violence of soldiers who expect trouble.
Three more exited the rear of the plane, two armed, one not, while the first group swept the airfield. Mac’s gaze lasered in on the unarmed man.
Colonel Zhang.
He was smaller than she expected. The operators on each side were easily a head taller. His standing in the People’s Liberation Army suggested a towering figure, not the slight man who approached her now.
His clenched jaw and sharp, angry look told her he was used to being in command—that the need to defect grated, like an ingrown toenail.
The operator to Zhang’s right addressed Mac. “I hear Bob Dylan likes blue fin tuna.”
“Really?” she answered. “I heard he doesn’t do seafood.”
Having established their bona fides, he asked, “Mac Reynolds?”
She nodded and stepped forward. “Veritas Protection.”
“He’s all yours.”
The man to Zhang’s left backed away and headed toward the turboprop. Jimbo and Linda moved next to Zhang.
The remaining operator hesitated, gave Mac a look. He gestured for her to come closer, then dropped his voice so only she could hear. “Fair warning, this guy’s an asshole on an order of magnitude.”
Mac raised her chin in acknowledgement.
“Once he’s yours,” he warned, “Beijing doesn’t stop looking.”
“Copy that.”
He gave her a curt nod before heading back to the plane.
As she turned to Zhang, gunfire erupted from the jungle.
“Move!” someone shouted.
The team from the turboprop surged back toward the aircraft, covering the landing strip’s perimeter. Tracers snapped overhead, disappearing into the night sky. Mac’s team surrounded Zhang, providing cover.
She grabbed Zhang’s arm. “Colonel. With me. Now.”
He didn’t move. “They found me.”
A round slammed into the dirt twenty yards away.
Mac yanked him behind her, dislodging him from deer-in-the-headlights to run-like-hell.
They reached the middle SUV at a sprint. Linda yanked the rear door open while Hector shoved Zhang inside. Jimbo fired into the tree line to remind whoever was shooting that this wasn’t a soft target.
The turboprop’s engines roared back to life. Seconds later, the first two SUVs rolled out, headlights off, tires chewing up ground as they headed back into the jungle.
One of the tangos broke cover and headed straight for the SUV holding Zhang. Mac fired from behind the third SUV.
Headshot.
He fell, plowing the ground with what was left of his face.
Mac sprinted to Zhang’s SUV, jumped in, and slammed the door behind her. Jimbo rammed the accelerator to the floor and they rocketed forward, away from the ambush. The other two SUVs ran interference in case of further attack.
“You told me this location was secure,” Zhang snapped.
“I told you it was temporary,” Mac replied.
There were a few blissful seconds of silence, then, “Your government calls this safe passage?”
Mac swallowed the remark that sprang to her lips.
“You’re alive.”
#end excerpt
Looking for a fast-paced, heart-stopping read featuring a kick@ss female protagonist? Click on the link below to find a list of my published books:
The excerpt looks like this will be a great trilogy I am looking forward to it, but I am glad it will not be coming out until August because I am so behind on my reading.
In honor of Memorial Day I bought 3 books By Patrick K. O'Donnell
They are supposed to arrive today May 25th - right on Memorial day
The Unvanquished - Untold Story of Lincolns Special Forces
The Indispensibles - The Diverse Soldier-Mariners Who Shaped the Country, Formed the Navy, and Rowed Washington Across the Delaware
Washington's Immortals: The Untold Story of an Elite Regiment Who Changed the Course of the Revolution
I am starting to buy more of my books in physical format instead of digital. because we don't know what will be happening in the current state of the world.
- Rob Myran