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OATH OF OFFICE, my 17th novel, is out on Valentine's Day

It just so happens that the release date for OATH OF OFFICE (a terrifying and scary read) falls on Valentine’s Day this year. I couldn’t help thinking of all of the St. Valentine’s Days I’ve had, many of which I’ve made a mess of.  I invited readers to reminisce with me and post their most unforgettable Valentine’s Day experiences—romantic or devastating—on my Facebook Page. In exchange, I promised to choose one person to send a signed hardcover of OATH OF OFFICE to.

Thank you to all who opened their hearts to this exercise. It was a tough choice—so I decided to pick two people: Kimberly Beyer, for reminding us that love is not about expensive gifts and fancy dates; and Angela Johnson, for sharing her family’s tradition of honoring her late husband on February 14^th—the same day as their anniversary.  You can read more stories on my Facebook page.

Once you’ve eaten all of the candy hearts your stomach can handle I encourage you to pick up a copy of OoO, for sale in hardcover and digital format in stores and online. The audio book is also available through MacMillan Audio, narrated by Robert Petkoff.

This lady wears her heart on her forehead.

Wishing you another memorable day tomorrow. Thank you for your continued support.

Michael

Last week, I started the Food For Thought discussion series on my Facebook page. I thought this would be fun exercise leading up to the release of my 17^th medical and political thriller Oath of Office (2/14/2012). My inspiration for OoO first came after I watched Food, Inc, a documentary that highlights many of the unpleasant realities behind what we eat.   In an effort to keep the conversation going about important issues facing our food—I posed the first question:

Do consumers have the right to know if a food product has been genetically modified? Would you support GMO food labeling if it meant that the food prices increased 2%?

Lots of great thoughts came out of this exercise. Overall, most of you would like to know where your food is coming from and any details about how it was processed. You do value this information, and many of you (although not all) would be willing to pay a bit more for it. To learn more about this debate, I recommend that you listen to this interview on The Diane Rehm Show featuring Gardiner Harris of the New York Times, Thomas Rednick of the Global Environmental Ethics Counsel and Gary Hirshberg of Stonyfield Farm, Inc.

Again- I was taken away by your commitment to providing natural and healthy foods to your families.

I chose two notable contributors to send an advanced review copy of OoO to. This was an incredibly hard decision as you all had very thoughtful things to say. The winners this week are: Tim Burns and Vivian Lee Mahoney.

Help me to keep the conversation going by suggesting a discussion question on my Facebook page or by emailing me at michaelpalmerbooks@gmail.com . Stay tuned for the second Food for Thought question soon.

A week ago, I asked you what thriller books made the biggest impression on you in 2011. It was another year of great novels: Stephen King came out with 11/22/63, inspired by Kennedy’s assassination and Joe Finder introduced us to Nick Heller, a “private spy” working to uncover the mysterious kidnapping of Alexandra Marcus in Buried Secrets.  Tess Gerritsen’s The Silent Girl, Lisa Gardner’s Love You More and John Lescroart’s powerful Damage I also highly recommend.

A big 2011 memory for me was when A Heartbeat Away, my 16th medical/political thriller came on at number ten on the New York Times bestseller list for Hardcover Fiction. All of my books have made “the Times List” and I try not to get too high or too low about things, but the competition is getting increasingly stiff, and “heavy hitters” are publishing faster and faster, so this was definitely a high point in my writing career. Thanks for all of your support and for making this possible.

This past year was important for my son, Daniel, whose debut novel Delirious hit stores in a big way at the beginning of February. It was very exciting for me to see all of his years of hard work pay off and to spend fun time with him on the road.

Thanks again for sharing your most memorable reads of 2011. I’ve listed a few of your choices below. Wishing you a happy and healthy 2012.

• Agent X by Noah Boyd
• Eyes Wide Open by Andrew Gross
• Back of Beyond by C.J. Box
• Before I Go To Sleep by SJ Watson
• Birth of a Killer by Darren Shan
• Creep by Jennifer Hillier
• Blindsighted by Karin Slaughter
• Darkness, My Old Friend by Lisa Unger
• The Drop by Michael Connelly

As some of you may know, I am at the beginning stages of writing Political Suicide (2/15/13). The book continues the story of Dr. Lou Welcome, the protagonist of Oath of Office (2/14/2012). I shared a bit of the subplot with my readers on Facebook, where Lou agrees to get his daughter, Emily, a cat. Unfortunately—this cat ends up being the cat from HELL. So, I found myself in need of a cat name and ideas to get Lou’s excruciating experience going. In exchange, I picked two participants with memorable posts to win a book.

It's hard to get enough cat pictures these days... find some more fun images at http://www.cats-pictures.info/

Over 20 people answered my post with endearing and frightening stories. It was funny and inspiring to me that no matter how many drapes they rip up, friends they clawed or furniture they ruined—you still love them.

The prize goes to Mona Bloom who shared the story of a loyal Tabby that stood by her owner that was suffering from terminal cancer (and managed to injure the nurse) and to Kayla Scally, whose three year old cat ripped up upholstery, set his tail on fire and urinated all over her brand new mattress. Read their full responses on my Facebook page.

Thanks again for your thoughts. Feel free to share more fun (and frightening) cat stories on Facebook, Twitter or by commenting below. Stay tuned for more news about OoO.

Happy New Year.

Michael

As most of you know, my 17th thriller  Oath Of Office is coming out on February 14, 2012 in hardcover and e-book. The novel was inspired by the documentary Food Inc.. If you haven’t seen it, I recommend renting a copy (and not watching it right after dinner). The film exposes many of the frightening and hidden realities of the food industry and uncovers the “plastic veil” separating us from what we eat. I was most impressed with the efforts and passion of the featured food justice advocates, farmers, writers and policy makers. It was individuals such as Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivores Dilemma, Joel Salatin, author and farmer at Polyface Farm in Virginia, and Barbara Kowalcyk food safety advocate whose 2 ½ year old son died of E.coli poisoning that motivated me to write Oath of Office.

Here’s a bit about the story: The novel opens when Dr. John Meacham goes on a shooting spree at his medical office killing his business partner, staff, two patients and himself.  The blame then falls on Dr. Lou Welcome, who worked with Meacham years before as a counselor, after John’s medical license had been revoked for alcoholism and angry outbursts. Lou knows that Meacham was an excellent doctor who deserved to be practicing medicine, and fought hard for his license to be restored after his rehabilitation. As Lou looks into matters, the terrifying evidence he finds takes him down a path to an unspeakable conspiracy that seems to lead directly to the White House and those in the highest positions of power. At the heart of the terror is corn modified with the genes of the flesh-eating termite Macrotermes bellicosus.

Over the few months until the book’s release, I will post articles, questions, and discussions on my website, Facebook and Twitter pages relating to OoO’s themes. I would love to hear your thoughts about the food justice movement.  What books, movies, articles and experience have furthered your understanding of food ethics issues? What farms and businesses in your community are providing options to eat and shop locally? What specific food issues do you wish you knew more about? Please share your insight and on my Facebook page—I’m happy to respond to and highlight your thoughts.

Here are a few more things to look for on this page in the coming months:

• “Food for Thought” Discussions: Every other week I will post a new article or question on my Facebook and Twitter pages about the themes presented in OoO, On Facebook, join me by going to the discussion tab, and on twitter follow the hashtag #FoodForThought. For each discussion, I will award two contributors (one on FB, one on Twitter) with a signed copy of the book. Do you have a question that you’d like to pose to the group? Email me your idea at michaelpalmerbooks@gmail.com. Hope you can join the discussion.

• OoO Sneak Peeks: I will provide a few sneak peeks of the beginning of OoO before its release date. For now, take a look at the Prologue and let me know what you think. I’ll post more chapters as we get closer to pub date.
• Financial help: For every book Preordered  during the three weeks leading up to OoO’s release date, I will donate $1 dollar to The Food Project- a great organization making change near my own home in Massachusetts. Learn more about their mission.
• Calling all book bloggers: Are you a book blogger or reviewer? I’d love to offer you an advanced reading copy of Oath of Office to review and post on your website, and another copy of the book to giveaway to a reader of your choice. Send me an email with your mailing address to michaelpalmerbooks@gmail.com.
• Events: I’ll be doing a number of appearances following the release of OoO, some with  my son Daniel, whose thriller Helpless comes out 1/31/12. I’d love to see you at one (or more) of them. Take a look at the full list and RSVP.

Thank you again for your support, readership and friendship over the years. I am truly grateful.

Happy Reading,

Michael