Step Away From The Book!

[[deleted user]]

Thanks for the opportunity to present my little addiction.

I began writing THE MINE in early 2003 and after countless revisions, published it in late 2009. But the seed to this book was planted over a decade earlier. A PBS Frontline progam in the late 1980s revealed a then-new method of gold mining called Cyanide Leach Mining, where entire mountains are ground up, piled into massive pyramids, and drenched with thousands of gallons of cyanide. The cyanide releases the gold from the ore, the gold is extracted from this fluid, and this toxic leach fluid is then stored in massive open ponds. These ponds, and the entire site, are prone to breaching tons of cyanide, arsenic, sulfuric acid and heavy metals into the environment. Such as disaster occurred at the Summitville Mine in Colorado, in 1990, killing 17 miles of the Alamosa River. Summitville is the costliest EPA cleanup on record, at $200 million and counting.

Repeated toxic releases from the Zortman-Landusky cyanide gold mine in Montana culminated with a release of 20 million gallons of cyanide solution onto 17 acres of land. Cyanide appeared in local tap water.

At Jefferson, South Carolina, a dam burst at the Brewer Gold Mine, flooding the Little Fork Creek with over ten million gallons of solution containing cyanide and a long list of heavy metals. The spill killed at least 11,000 fish and decimated 50 miles of the Lynches River.

THE MINE is a riveting thriller that explores the depths of corporate greed and criminality, and a young couple's will to survive. Ryan Evans, a biologist working for Oregon's Department of Environmental Quality, has two obsessions: his lovely new wife, Meagan, and a cyanide leach mine he wants to see closed. High in Oregon's rugged Wallowa Mountains, an open-pit mine is churning out gold, plus cyanide, arsenic, sulfuric acid, and heavy metals. Ryan is shocked when the DEQ approves the mine's expansion from 1800 to 6600 acres. His investigation reveals fraud, corruption, and the apparent murder of a DEQ investigator. Against Meagan's pleas, Ryan digs a little too deep. His tenacity catches the attention of a whistle-blower, plus people who will do whatever it takes to silence them both. Sometimes, idealism can be lethal.

Independent reviews of THE MINE have been excellent, using words such as "thrilling," "enthralling," "Grisham-esque" and "brilliant." The book is available on Amazon. (http://www.amazon.com/Mine-Daniel-R-C...).

See THE MINE (http://www.themine-thebook.com/index.htm) for more information and a growing list of select independent bookstores in Oregon and Washington offering this novel.

The author seeks agent representation.
copyright (c) 2010, Daniel Cobb

[Mandy]

Sounds great, Daniel!

[[deleted user]]

Thanks Mandy, I appreciate it.

I'm thinking of posting perhaps the first ten scenes (~35 pages) over several weeks to see how people respond. What you folks think. Is that legit?
-Dan

[Mandy]

I think it's legit and it sounds like a good idea. Look forward to it.

[Guido]

Absolutely legit, if you ask me.

[Paul]

Yep, no problem with that.

[[deleted user]]

Cool! I'll start on Friday, March 25, and post each Friday for ~ ten weeks. Thanks!
Dan

[Chaeya]

Congratulations, Daniel. This sounds like a very interesting book. I think posting the first ten scenes is a great idea.

[[deleted user]]

Thanks!
I'll be posting Chapter 3 later today, say be 7:00 pm (West Coast time) Chapters 1 and 2 are currently available, at http://www.themine-thebook.com/index.htm. Just click on Previews. I hope you enjoy.

BTW, Midwest Book Review just came out with their evaluation. They call the book "riveting". For the group, I'll post a discount code that reduces the Amazon price by 25%. Thanks,

Best,
dan