Michael Fedor's Blog, page 3

Bull Moose Series Book 1 Launches Pre-Orders

A novel about the future of presidential elections just went on pre-order on Amazon, Apple, and Barnes & Noble on May 15, 2024. The novel will release in the United States and around the world on June 18, 2024 – just eight days before the first General Election debate organized by CNN between the current President Joe Biden and the former President Donald Trump.

What It Takes to Kill a Bull Moose tells the story of the presidential election of 2044 – twenty years into our future. The United States has been rocked by economic uncertainty, while political leaders have continued to grift and profit off the offices they hold while leaving the crises of the nation to languish without solutions.

The protagonist is former United States Senator Jackson Piper, formerly of Pennsylvania. The star of The Senate Deception has lost his reelection campaign and retired with his family to Denver, Colorado to seek a new profession. His former Senate rival, Russell Warner, is now the 49th President and preparing for his reelection campaign, but a series of peculiar events have political operative Ron Bender’s hairs standing on end.

Jackson Piper is convinced to make a run at the presidency, if only to stop Russell Warner and his corrupt intentions of a second and possibly third term in office. Sensing a spoiler to their plans, both political parties of the day shut Jackson Piper out from receiving their nomination. This leaves Jackson with two choices – quit or form a new Party.

Piper calls for New Optimism, New Freedoms, and New Vitality for America to return it to a road of shared prosperity. He and his allies are poised to rewrite the political rulebook while reforming the nation by resurrecting Teddy Roosevelt’s Bull Moose Party.

But there are darker forces at play. What stands in their way is the corrupt President Warner and his financier, Marco Alvarez. With unlimited resources and a ruthless agenda, Warner and Alvarez are determined to win a second term and maybe more. Piper and his allies must navigate a treacherous landscape of espionage, fake news, and assassination attempts to come out on top.

Accompany Jackson and his team on a pulse-pounding quest to rescue the Republic. Guided by the strategic mind of Ron Bender and the assistance of his sentient A.I. companion Ziggy, they must outsmart their adversaries and battle for the destiny of their nation. Will they triumph over the corrupt forces arrayed against them, or will they succumb to the Curse of Tippecanoe?

This enthralling political thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final page. Drawing from his own experiences as a former political operative, the author crafts a chillingly believable narrative of power and corruption in American politics. Don’t miss the inaugural installment in the compelling Bull Moose Series.

This book is a must-read for fans of political thrillers like “The Manchurian Candidate” and “All the President’s Men.” Pre-Order now and get ready for a heart-pumping adventure through the cutthroat world of presidential elections.

The post Bull Moose Series Book 1 Launches Pre-Orders appeared first on Michael Fedor, Author.

Is Reading More Poli-Fi in Your Future?

I began my author journey twenty years ago writing a political mystery, thriller, suspsense novel; the concept of poli-fi was not even a glint in my eye. I had written a typical present-day novel, relying heavily on realism and facts to drive the story along. After a year or so of work, it still lacked energy and excitement, so I threw it in a drawer and moved on with my career.

After much of the book’s plot came true between 2016 – 2021, I committed to publishing as an author and pulled that novel back out of the drawer. I rewrote it from start to finish with an exciting new vision to tell a even more terrifyingly plausible story, but this time using elements of a versatile genre the technothriller and hard science fiction.

When I first started writing twent years ago, science fiction had many fewer subgenres and to be honest, science fiction was rarely a genre of book I would pick up at the book store. I would most often gravitate to mystery, thrillers, & suspense, biographies, and current events. Today, science fiction & fantasy has become a richly diverse landscape of subgenres and sub-subcategories thrilling readers with scientific fact and theory as a basis for world building, plot development, the exploration of themes, and creation of characters.

Now that I have completed my second book and it is preparing for release, I have come to see that I am redefining two subgenres of two larger categories of reading: the mystery, thriller, suspense novel and science fiction & fantasy. I found it surprising to enjoy writing in these subgenre because I did not identify initially as a science fiction & fantasy nor a techno-thriller author.

So why is the definition of a new sub-subcategory of mystery-thriller-suspense and science fiction & fantasy so exciting?

Enticing Readers with Poli-Fi

Poli-Fi is the combination of political suspense, political thriller, and science fiction. It captures that this specific type of political thriller also combines elements of hard science fiction. Poli-Fi is two parts political fiction and one part science-fiction; the technology does not take a leading role in the plot or conflict of the story. However, without the fantastical setting of the future or alternate universe where such technology is possible, the story could not take place or would not be solved by the protagonist.

Political suspense and poliitcal thrillers are suspenseful reads where Machiavellian maneuvers between political rivals drive the main action of the book. Often the stories border on mysteries because a “whodunit” murder or crime and its ensuing coverup is at the center of the book’s driving tension. The characters are richly devleoped and drive the story as much as the tention. Usually set against the scene of American U.S. national politics involving the presidency, Congress, or the Supreme Court, a hero or heroine is often in a race against a deadline to reveal the bad actors and save the country from peril. Authors in this genre include Allen Drury, Stacey Abrams, Margaret Truman, and James Patterson.

Political thrillers often come in a series and feature a lead hero circumnavigating the globe to avert a potentially catastrophic confrontation between world powers. Military might, terrorism, and mass casualties are often a threat to be extinguisedh by a main character who is ex-military or ex-CIA or some other branch of foreign intelligence service. Books in this genre are often heavily plot driven, requiring fast scenes and intense action to keep the reader turning the pages. The “good guys” often win, but not without some just-in-the-knick-of-time solution and not without someone sacrificing themselves for the cause. Popular authors from political thrillers include Logan Riles, Daniel Silva, Jack Mars, Jessica James, Tom Clancy, Vince Flynn, Brad Thor, J.B. Turner, and Mark Greaney.

Retire Philosophical Science Fiction

Science fiction is a vast and complex forest of subgenres, but those most proximate to political suspense and political thrillers are the philosophical science fiction books, which can come in either the hard science fiction or soft science fiction categories. Let’s explain these further. But philosophical science fiction is not a high performing category of science fiction.

Philosphical hard science fiction relies heavily on projecting anticipated technological advancements based on currently available or known technologies such as artificial intelligence, cloning, space travel, deep sea exploration, weapons of war that are not laser or photon cannons, and other plausible advancements. Authors including Michael Crichton, Dean Koontz, N.K. Jemisin, David Mitchell, Octavia Butler, Aldous Huxley, and Hugh Howey would be at home in this category.

Philosphical soft science fiction might include elements of time travel, Matrix-like simulations of the mind, extensive world building, alien races, interstellar travel, flying cars, and other advancements that require the suspension of disbelief to entertain that the capabilities of the characters are possible in their world. George Orwell, Ray Bradbury, Lois Lowry, Ted Chiang, Douglas Adams, Carl Sagan, Isaac Asimov, Gabrielle Zevin, Aimee Pokwatka, Liu Cixin, and Frank Herbert are great examples of this genre.

Philosophy as the leading descriptor here is too cold. Philosophy as a descipline has an intellectural stigma these days, and it is in my opinion a disservice to the brilliant authors named above to refer to their writing with such a dry, stogey term. Let’s unleash a new wave of creative writing by carving out a space for poli-fi between the science fiction and thriller-suspsense shelves at your favorite book shop.

Closet Science-Fiction Fans

For years, when the term science fiction was mentioned, my mind immediately went to Star Wars, aliens, and Back to the Future when George McFly dreams of becoming a science fiction author. But today, science fiction has possessed a greater spectrum of the zeitgeist. This genre has become so expansive, creative, and inviting that it has welcomed in many more readers and watchers than might readily identify themselves as sci-fi fans when asked.

Think about the last ten movies or series you streamed at home. How many of them included a fantastical element such as time travel, aliens, futurist thinking, dragons, imaginary creatures, magic, or innovations not yet possible?

If the answer includes more than 2, you are exactly the type of closet sci-fi fan that would enjoy poli-fi.

Spectrum of the New Sub-Subcateogry

So where does Poli-Fi live on the spectrum of book categories. Look for books that categorize themselves in both Mystery-Thriller-Suspense (MTS) and Science Fiction & Fantasy to start. Look for the popular MTS subcategories of thrillers, suspense, and cime & mystery within science fiction. Other popular sub-subcategories for poli-fi titles for now would be conspiracies, assassinations, technothrillers, thrillers-political, or suspense-political.

That is until more authors find this new term pol-fi and we find a way to get Amazon to start offering this sub-classification.

The post Is Reading More Poli-Fi in Your Future? appeared first on Michael Fedor, Author.

Mightiest President 2024 Revealed

Thank you to all the fans of political fiction, the presidency, and March Madness who tuned into the first ever Commander-in-Chief Bracket Challenge.

A total of 64 Presidents from Fiction – television, streaming, movies, and books – competed for the 2024 title. There were a number of exciting nominees and exciting match-ups. Thank you to all the readers who nominated their favorite (or least favorite) Presidents since February. Your selections made for an exciting way to watch the Men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament.

Bracket Challenge 2024

44 Brackets were submitted by readers to compete for their predicted winner of the 2024 challenge. The final matchup was a meeting of titans: heavy favorite Jed Bartlet versus evil do-er Frank Underwood. At the end, it wasn’t even close as Jed Bartlet (tied to the UConn Men’s Team) prevailed over all opponents to win the 2024 title.

Champion 2024:Josiah “Jed” Bartlet (The West Wing)

Four total bracket entries scored fans some exciting prizes for their brackets finishing in the top 3. Winners have been notified. Thank you to all for playing along. We hope to bring the bracket challenge back in 2025 with a brand new slate of fictional Presidential nominees.

The post Mightiest President 2024 Revealed appeared first on Michael Fedor, Author.

Mightest President 2024 Revealed

Thank you to all the fans of political fiction, the presidency, and March Madness who tuned into the first ever Commander-in-Chief Bracket Challenge.

A total of 64 Presidents from Fiction – television, streaming, movies, and books – competed for the 2024 title. There were a number of exciting nominees and exciting match-ups. Thank you to all the readers who nominated their favorite (or least favorite) Presidents since February. Your selections made for an exciting way to watch the Men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament.

Bracket Challenge 2024

44 Brackets were submitted by readers to compete for their predicted winner of the 2024 challenge. The final matchup was a meeting of titans: heavy favorite Jed Bartlet versus evil do-er Frank Underwood. At the end, it wasn’t even close as Jed Bartlet (tied to the UConn Men’s Team) prevailed over all opponents to win the 2024 title.

Champion 2024:Josiah “Jed” Bartlet (The West Wing)

Four total bracket entries scored fans some exciting prizes for their brackets finishing in the top 3. Winners have been notified. Thank you to all for playing along. We hope to bring the bracket challenge back in 2025 with a brand new slate of fictional Presidential nominees.

The post Mightest President 2024 Revealed appeared first on Michael Fedor, Author.

Get Deluxe Bull Moose Novel Edition on Kickstarter If We Make Our Goal

On March 14, we launched our first ever Bull Moose series KICKSTARTER campaign to help us launch my first full-length novel as an indie author. I’m so thankful for the incredible support so far. At the time of this post, we are at 19% of our goal! As a point of context, 80% of campaigns that reach 20%, go on to achieve their goal. I feel GREAT about our chances if those of you reading this post jump in right now and back this EXCITING campaign.

I would be SO THANKFUL if you’d go over to KICKSTARTER right now and consider backing this project at any level. It is vital we keep up the momentum today and get this project closer to a 50% funding this week! Let’s do this, BULL MOOSE nation!

Sneak Peek for Reading

If you watch the full video above, you’ll hear my passion for publishing this book literally 20 years in the making. I have changed a great deal over 20 years and so has the story and its characters. I’m also thinking of giving the book a punchier cover to better align with the danger and tension that fills the pages. Here’s one concept. What do you think?

Thank you for believing in this project, for sharing this book and my writing with your family and friends, and for helping this debut indie author find a community of readers hungry for great political thriller fiction.

The post Get Deluxe Bull Moose Novel Edition on Kickstarter If We Make Our Goal appeared first on Michael Fedor, Author.

The Strong Women Characters of Bull Moose Book 1

At first, I felt a little timid about writing strong women characters. Not a woman myself, would I be able to write believable women? Once I started, I realized that being surrounded by strong women and raised and influenced by independent women my whole life gave me a tremendous amount of material and experiences from which to draw. Like all of my work, no character is a 1:1 representation of any real person who is now or formerly walked the earth. Instead, each of the women who drive What It Takes to Kill a Bull Moose forward are composites and reimaginings of some of the women who have influenced me in life, politics, faith, and more.

Enough prologue. Let’s meet the incredible leading and supporting women of Bull Moose Series Book #1, set for release on May 14, 2024. Kudos to the geniuses at MidJourney for programming the tech that made this A.I. artwork possible!

Dr. Catherine Piper

By 2043, when What It Takes… opens, Dr. Catherine Piper is one of the leading oncologists in America. Her treatment methods and research are groundbreaking. She is making important strides in helping patients not only beat cancer, but she’s working to cure it. Her husband, Jackson Piper, a former U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania, has lost his way. She and Jackson had been lauded as future President and First Lady only to be pushed aside from the national conversation by an unexpected electoral defeat. Behind her back, Jackson’s staff call her “Catherine the Great” because she is the woman who has it all – intelligence, a meaningful career, two great kids, and film actress-level beauty. Catherine whole heartedly backs Jackson’s run for the White House, but events in the novel make her question whether the pursuit of power is worth the dangers and sacrifices. The deepest secret she hides from most in the book is her feeling of dissatisfaction with living a life of high pressure and high expectations since entering Brown University 25 years prior. Will the pressures of being the wife of a man pursuing the presidency at a time of national peril be the last straw that finally causes Catherine to buckle or will she find the support and balance that allows herself the permission not to need to be the overachiever at everything she touches? She is near the top of the book’s strong female characters.

Former Governor Reese Tulson

Pennsylvania Governor Reese Tulson broke the glass ceiling by becoming the Keystone State’s first female governor. Jackson worked on her campaign, and since Jackson lost both of his parents early in life, Reese became not only a mentor to Jackson, but a motherly figure as well. She relished every moment of her two terms in office, but now retired and alone after losing her wife to cancer puts Governor Tulson in a position to reevaluate her choices. She openly wonders whether all the sacrifices of time away from her beloved wife were worth it. Perhaps Governor Tulson has had too much time alone in her Philadelphia mansion because she presents Jackson Piper with some wild conspiracies and superstitions when he calls on her for advice.

Vice President Jessica Brown

Jessica Brown was a Congressional leader who saw the 2040 election as her moment to help bring the country together and unify it after an unstated national crisis during that election. Crossing Party lines, she joins Russell Warner’s ticket despite fierce opposition from her Party. Her selection helped solidify Warner’s victory, but few of the assurances and promises he made to her have come through. A health crisis hits the Vice President, but events surrounding it shake her to her core. She is unsure she has the courage nor the stamina for the fight required of her in a moment unlike any other in American history.

Olivia Clay, White House Chief of Staff

A social media star turned model, Olivia becomes bored of the constant pursuit of image perfection and trades the runway for the beltway for a career in journalism. Her powerful features and sharp wit land her a job as a wildly popular cable news anchor, one that catches the eye of Senator Russell Warner. He recruits her in The Senate Deception to join his presidential campaign, running the communications shop, and by the time we meet up with her in What It Takes… she is the White House Chief of Staff, the first female to hold the post in the history of the Republic. She knows how to handle Warner’s fits of rage and fear. But a life on screens leaves her feeling empty. When Juniper CEO Marco Alvarez sees her as a person, not a sex symbol, she falls for him. But she soon wonders if Marco is using her position to get a Cabinet appointment he desperately wants. Soon, she is swept up in Marco’s ambitions, and the idea of a brand new role for the country tests her moral code.

Governor Valerie Lawrence of Texas

There is no tougher character in the novel than Valerie Lawrence of Texas. She is a former Olympic athlete who turned her international competitive drive into a political career to lead the Lone Star State as its governor. She is driven, highly competitive, tenacious, and has a raw sense of humor. She is not afraid of a fight, and openly wears a stylish six-shooter on her hip while she meets with legislators to flip the script about political positions. In the Piper candidacy, she sees a genuine desire in Piper to bring hope to a nation feeling afraid and defeated. Reforming the Bull Moose Party is just the kind of bold move to shake up the Presidential election that Governor Lawrence supports. But when a series of catastrophic events shake the Presidential race, she proves to be perhaps the strongest of the candidates left standing. She might be the only thing standing between the preservation of the Republic and complete chaos. She is arguable the strongest of the strong women characters of the novel.

Senator Eileen Frazier of Missouri

Senator Eileen Frazier was once the star of her own docu-reality show about her mission in Featherbed, Missouri, a small town of less than 2,500 residents. Her show’s driving shtick was her work to secure the repentance and conversion of every single town resident to become true believers and members of her Pentecostal church – God’s Glory Palace. Eileen fervently understood it to be her duty and privilege (as it was every follower of the Lord Jesus Christ) to endeavor to make disciples of all people in all nations. And son of a bitch, if she did not succeed by the fifth season of that show. She turned her television fame into an online church, and by the end of 2030, she had amassed a worldwide church membership of over 75,000 worshippers a week. She translated that fame and prosperity into a Senate seat in 2034, elected as part of the same Class to the Senate as Jackson Piper. But in 2040, she won reelection, and Jackson lost. She is drawn to Jackson by his strong faith, even if they disagree on a host of issues. She is open to switching to the Bull Moose Party if it will help move things finally forward in Washington and for the nation.

Ziggy

Artificial Intelligence has made leaps and bounds by the time of The Senate Deception in 2038. But Ziggy is in a class all her own. Ron Bender is coy about how and from where he acquired this exceptional digital assistant, but her processing powers are extraordinary. She can gain access to data sets that other A.I. assistants can’t touch. Ron Bender has chosen ZIggy to look like the woman of his dreams, and when the two of them are alone, it’s possible she is the closest thing he has to a life partner. Is Ziggy self-aware? Is she truly capable of human emotions, self-determination, and self-advocacy? Does the solution to winning the White House lie in her unbelievable programming, and is it ethical to use it?

Libby

Fresh out of college, Libby joins the Piper campaign full of ambition and idealism. She is clearly Ron Bender’s best hire and soon becomes his chief lieutenant. But the campaign is more than she bargains for as it comes under attack from political violence that has become common by 2044. Her steel spine and sharp intelligence are part of the reason the Piper campaign survives these direct assaults. When the choice is made to become Bull Moose, Libby doesn’t even bat an eye; she’s all in. Soon in charge of coordinating the multi-city Bull Moose National Convention, Libby appears to be a leader Piper will need to not only win the White House, but lead the nation.

In honor of International Women’s Day 2024, I am thrilled to share these character snapshots with you.

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“A Great President Has a Moral Compass, Guts, and…”: Michael Beschloss, Author of Several Current Best Sellers

Michael Beschloss, the author of many current best sellers, spoke at length last night about Presidential Courage at Messiah University. My wife and I had the pleasure of attending this history talk to hear the remarkable knowledge and perspective of America’s most knowledgeable presidential historian.

Mr. Beschloss outlined for the audience a list of 5 qualities of truly great presidents, but one of his asides during the list in my mind created a six. So here is the truly insightful list of six qualities of truly great American Presidents.

What Makes a Great PresidentMoral Leadership

The highest and most important quality that a great president must possess is the ability to be guided by a moral compass and an ethical moral code that values life, lifts up creation, and seeks to expand generosity and improve the lives of citizens of the country. I focused on this while creating Jackson Piper in the Bull Moose Series.

Leads the Nation as a Country of Ideals, Not a Means to an End

During the discussion of moral leadership, Michael spoke about great presidents and also understood that the United States was founded as a nation of ideals. Great presidents have always put those ideals at the center of their agenda – democracy, engaged citizenry, liberty, the rule of law, equality, justice, and opportunity – are chief among these ideals. Great Presidents improve and elevate these ideals. Perhaps some of the worst Presidents have abused the office and retreated the nation away from these ideals.

Possesses Guts and CouragePresident Ronald Reagan

The hardest job on the entire earth is the Presidency. The President is faced daily with decisions that test their courage to discern truth and weigh many options, sometimes only bad options. Presidents need to have the type of steel spine and grit that allows them to wake up each day in the role and tackle the next problem before it becomes a crisis. When there is a crisis, solve it with the least damage possible to the nation.

Explains Unpopular Decisions Well and Strategically

I found this insight one of the most interesting and rarely included in other lists. This is the President as a communicator, but Beschloss added more interest and dimension to this quality. He outlined that Presidents (and political leaders) undoubtedly will make unpopular decisions, but great leaders are able to explain those decisions in such a way that brings the nation along with them and allows them to remain both effective and popular as the nation’s leader. This is something that What It Takes to Kill a Bull Moose suggests Jackson Piper did not do well following the events of The Senate Deception.

Appreciates and Learns from History

The nation might have taken this quality for granted for too long. Michael outlined the lack of an instruction manual or training manual for the presidency, and the study of history being really the only available roadmap for a President to know how to navigate leading the nation, especially through crisis.

Works with People Who Dislike or Disagree with Them

Gather round children. Let me tell you a story. Long, long ago, back before the Internet and social media, people who disagreed with one another did not treat one another as enemies. Close your mouths and don’t act so shocked. It’s hard to think of a time in the 21st Century when the President and his opponents got substantial work done together AND then bragged about their collaboration.

What a truly enjoyable evening in Grantham. Thank you to Messiah University and Michael Beschloss.

I highly recommend any of these nonfiction best selling books by Michael Beschloss

The Crisis Years: Kennedy and Khrushchev

Presidents of War: The Epic Story, from 1807 ot Modern Times

The Conquerors: Roosevelt, Truman, and the Destruction of Hitler’s Germany

At the Highest Levels: The Inside Story of the End of the Cold War

Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How They Changed America

Mayday: Eisenhower, Khrushchev, and the U-2 Affair

Taking Charge: Johnson White House Tapes

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Great Presidents of Political Fiction: What’s the Formula?

Political fiction has long been fascinated by the ideal presidency, a theme explored since Washington Irving's satirical works. This genre depicts presidents with exceptional decision-making abilities, moral strength, and leadership. Amid dissatisfaction with real-world candidates like Biden and Trump, such fiction highlights the gap between imagined presidential greatness and reality. The upcoming "Mightiest President in Fiction 2024" will showcase these fictional embodiments of a perfect leader, reflecting society's yearning for a truly transformative president.

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A President’s Day Celebration of Political Fiction

This President's Day features three highlights for political fiction enthusiasts. A "Commander-In-Chief Bracket Challenge" will pit 64 fictional presidents against each other, starting March 17, 2024. An exclusive preview of "What It Takes to Kill a Bull Moose" introduces the 49th President, Russell Warner. Additionally, over 50 fictional presidents have been nominated for the "MIGHTEST PRESIDENT" list, promising an exciting engagement for fans of the genre.

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Presidential March Madness 2024: Basketball and Fiction Fusion

The 2024 Presidential March Madness Bracket Challenge coincides with NCAA excitement and the release of "Bull Moose Book 1.” Fans nominate fictional presidents from various media, who then compete in a bracket reflecting NCAA results. Winners receive prizes like Amazon devices and signed books; all entrants get a free audiobook, with additional sweepstakes for sharing the event. Nominations close on March 14, with 64 contenders chosen for the bracket revealed on March 17. The contest is limited to 5,000 brackets with no entry fee.

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