Submitted: Cold War book

 This book is yet untitled, but today I submitted a historical novel based on an army vet's experience in the early 1960s East Germany as he worked undercover for the US government. I began working on this book in March, and after total immersion for about four months, it's finally ready for submission. I've also established a Pinterest board for the book here. 

Here is part of my introduction:

When I grew up in the 1970s and 1980s, it seemed that the animosity between the United States and the USSR had always been part of the news, and the many spy movies produced during those eras were keen to create scenarios that would grip the audiences’ imagination. But Bob Inama’s story is not an ordinary spy story. It is one of a remarkable man, a humble man, who served his country, looked beyond himself, and changed lives around him. Even when he was nothing more than a prisoner of war in a 10x12 foot cell for six months.

Covid-19 was a growing force in the US when my first meeting loomed on the horizon with Bob and his wife Diane. So, over Skype, I met this extraordinary couple. Through the video call, I listened as this eighty-five-year old man told me of his experiences, from first being drafted into the army in 1959, which waylaid all of his plans to attend law school at George Washington University, until the day he received an assignment to go undercover in East Berlin and send nuclear target information back to the United States army.

When I asked questions from my pre-written list, Bob stopped me at one point and said, “There are just some things I had to forget.” As such, I have taken a respectful approach to Bob’s story and experiences. He endured a lot through his many trials, and he became an inspiration in my personal life as the world around me was ravaged with a devastating pandemic that forever changed everyone’s lives. Throughout Bob’s life, no matter what he endured, no matter the pain, the fear, or the unknown, he faced it with hope in his heart. He treated everyone around him as if they were a family member. From his army platoon, to the German people, to the East German guards, and the Soviet soldiers and officers who reviled and abused him.

Bob walked a straight line through his life according to his beliefs in a higher power. His humbleness and gratitude for his blessings, even on the darkest of days, echoes one of his favorite talks given by Joseph B. Wirthlin in 2008: “Come What May, and Love It.” This phrase truly embodies the way that Bob chose to live his life. Whether it was at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, or at the army post in Hanau, Germany, Bob was generous and loyal, despite the fact that he was serving in the epicenter of the Cold War, where one wrong move from either side of the West/East German inner-border could result in the next devastating world war.