"He is finished" was the opposition's campaign slogan against Slobodan Milosevic in the election of 2000. It took a couple of weeks post-election to accomplish that, but it did happen peacefully. I'm winding up readings from my reader magnet, Dateline: Belgrade this week. Next episode--more background on why I wrote a trilogy about a European election.
More reading from the new reader magnet Dateline: Belgrade , with an emphasis on a change in the purpose and nature of street demonstrations in Belgrade in the year 2000. Why did the police lay off--most of the time? What did a student group and a radio station have to do with activism? And a hint about how changing a constitution backfired on the man it was supposed to benefit. I'm talking 20 years ago; I swear. You can still preorder Dateline: Belgrade at a special introductory price (99cents)...
Some background on a reader magnet entitled Dateline: Belgrade came about, and an introduction for the upcoming trilogy, Self-Inflicted Wounds . You may learn more about the Balkans than you ever wanted to know. And, yes, a thunderstorm passed over while I was recording. This episode contains some excerpts from Dateline: Belgrade and the trilogy. One excerpt touches on the disturbing topic of human trafficking.
In the final story, "Brave New World," from the collection, Spy Flash II , we see that even the most sincere of politicians can succumb to the temptations of power, even if for good reason. And it takes a spy to show the way back to the light. Stay tuned next week for excerpts from an upcoming novella, Dateline: Belgrade , and be prepared to learn more about the history of the Balkans than you ever wanted to know.
What role does a Klingon proverb play in the third story from the collection Spy Flash II , "Best Served Cold"? Listen and find out. Though this story's inspiration was four years ago, it unfortunately encompasses a topic still timely today, still unbelievably making headlines today: the killing of unarmed Black people by the police. A human story, not a spy story per se, "Best Served Cold" was difficult to write and record. Please note this story was reviewed in 2016 by sensitivity readers, and...
Story number two from the collection Spy Flash II . "Promise her anything" is the instruction to get an asset to agree to a marriage she doesn't want. But some spies fulfill their promises.
Trying to be more spontaneous instead of scripted, even when reading the excerpt. I may have, well, employed my limited ability to mimic accents. Be kind.
Some thoughts on including extremist characters and their philosophy in fiction, and an excerpt from A Change for the Better .
My thoughts on whether an event is history or a current event. Oh, and an excerpt from my novella, A Change for the Better . You can hear more excerpts at my website . Just click on the "Past Podcasts" tab.
Some insight into why I write historical fiction.
Let's try this again--after some much-needed tutoring on sound editing. Enjoy!
