The American Crusade
by Mark Spivak
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GENRE: Political Thriller
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BLURB:
A power-hungry vice president, a bad batch of shady intelligence, and a sinister plot to destroy Western civilization.
Just another day in America.
On May 1, 2001, a group of radical Islamic terrorists crash a Boeing 737 jet airliner into the Mall of America—and Vice President Robert Hornsby knows his moment is coming.
The attack kills three thousand American citizens and throws an entire nation into a panic, but all Hornsby sees is an opportunity, a chance to imprint his fanatical values on the soul of the country he loves and become the most powerful vice president in American history.
With the aid of his affable but ineffectual president; the reluctant, conscience-stricken secretary of defense; and a preening, foppish faith leader with more than a few skeletons in his closet; Hornsby declares war on terror—and anyone who stands in his way. But as media scrutiny of the administration’s actions overseas intensifies, Hornby’s one-man campaign against evil begins to unravel—with striking parallels to the thirteenth century’s doomed Fourth Crusade—and sends the nation spiraling toward another deadly tragedy.
The American Crusade paints a grim and often cynical picture of America’s recent past, reflecting the attitudes, politics, and fears that shaped our nation in the new millennium. By sampling the contemporaneous French text on the Fourth Crusade, On the Conquest of Constantinople, author Mark Spivak reminds us of that ever-vital adage: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
Fans of The Castle by Jack Pinter, The President Is Missing by Bill Clinton and James Patterson, House of Cards by Michael Dobbs, The Whistler by John Grisham, and the Aaron Sorkin–penned TV drama The West Wing will love this book.
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EXCERPT:
To President George Cane, the assembled group represented “the full force and moral authority of the United States of America.”
To the Reverend Sanford J. Bayer, head of the White House Office of Faith and Reconciliation (known internally as the Woofers), they symbolized “the lawful arm of God’s righteous Kingdom … preparing to strike at the heart of our enemy.”
To Salman Al-Akbar, leader of the worldwide terrorist organization Husam al Din and the reason the dignitaries were gathered at this press conference, they were “the cancerous core of modern civilization, bleeding like an ulcer that must be removed.”
They included the heads of both houses of Congress, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Directors of the FBI and CIA, most of the Cabinet, and the Chief Justice of the United States.
And to the Vice President, who had assembled this improbable group, they were the usual suspects.
Author Interview:
1.Did you always want to be an author?
I decided around age 11 that I wanted to be a novelist. Don’t ask me why: I certainly didn’t have a bad childhood, but I was always fascinated by the process of creating another universe, an alternative world in which you could control the outcomes. I struggled with writing for most of my adult life. I had many different careers, two of which I was very successful at, but I always came back to it. I sometimes compare being a writer to having a recurring disease: you may experience period of remission, but it will always return.
2.Tell us about the publication of your first book.
Starting in the early 1990s, I focused on being a food, wine and spirits writer. My first book was called Iconic Spirits: An Intoxicating History. It focused on twelve spirits that had changed the world and created the cocktail culture. They were amazing stories: familiar to people in the trade, but unknown to the average person. A good example is the link between moonshine and NASCAR. Most of the early drivers were bootleggers, and they would get together on Sundays to race informally. These events attracted more and more crowds, gradually morphed into professional races, and finally gave birth to the NSACAR circuit.
3.Besides yourself, who is your favorite author in the genre you write in?
This may surprise you, but I don’t read much contemporary fiction. Part of it is that I don’t want to be influenced: I spent many years developing my own voice, and I want to avoid sounding like anyone else out there right now (regardless of how successful they are). And since I have a degree in literature, I tend toward the classics anyway. I’d rather go back and reread Moby Dick than delve into James Patterson.
4.What's the best part of being an author? The worst?
The best part is being able to create that alternative universe I mentioned earlier. You can rewrite history or create a world where you control the outcomes. There are times when doing this makes you feel like the master of the solar system. At the same time, most writers are incredibly insecure. You have to deal with a huge amount of rejection, and many people just aren’t equipped to do that. It doesn’t stop, and it really doesn’t get much easier.
5.What are you working on now?
I’m working on the sequel to The American Crusade, a novel tentatively titled Impeachment. The American Crusade is a political thriller set during the invasion of Iraq, with throwbacks to the Fourth Crusade. Impeachmentis a political thriller as well. I won’t divulge any spoilers, but I can tell you that the plot revolves around immigration.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
In the realm of non-fiction, award-winning author Mark Spivak focuses on wine, spirits, food, restaurants and culinary travel. His first book, Iconic Spirits: An Intoxicating History, was published by Lyons Press in 2012. He followed this with Moonshine Nation (Lyons Press, 2014), hailed as the definitive book on illegal corn whiskey in America. From 1994-1999 he was the wine writer for the Palm Beach Post, and was honored for excellence in wine criticism “in a graceful and approachable style.” Since 2001 he has been the Wine & Spirits Editor for the Palm Beach Media Group, and contributes to a number of national magazines. He is also the holder of the Certificate and Advanced Diplomas from the Court of Master Sommeliers.
Mark’s first novel, Friend of the Devil, was published by Black Opal Books in May 2016. Set in Palm Beach in 1990, it tells the story of America’s most famous chef, who has sold his soul to the Devil for fame and fortune.
Mark also has an endless fascination with the American political system and is an avid follower of Washington politics. His second novel, The American Crusade (a gripping political thriller set during the invasion of Iraq, which dips into the shadowy world of government conspiracy and political sabotage), will be released by TCK Publishing on April 4. He is currently at work on Impeachment, the sequel to The American Crusade.
Pre-order The American Crusade on Amazon:
Visit Mark's website at www.markspivakbooks.com, and sign up for his free newsletter and political blog:
www.markspivakbooks.com/free
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