Why 2020?

It has been said that an author should write what they know about.  My expertise does not lie in the vast expanse of fictional genres.  Prior to writing "2020" my expertise lay in the areas of technology and financial markets.  I've also had more than a fleeting interest in politics, not for the love of politics as such, but rather in the public's reaction to the political process and its accompanying aftermath.  If one combines politics, technology, and financial markets, the resulting amalgamation is a political thriller with a backdrop of a financial crisis and cyber terror.

"2020" is best classified as realistic fiction.  The story is entirely fictional, yet I take the reader to real locations and expose them to real institutions.  Moreover, several years ago when I wrote the first in the series of Escaping Oz books, I identified a pending collision of politics and economics.  I also discussed the emergence of public anger manifested in the stormy political climate that led to the rise of the Tea Party.  I did not believe that the Tea Party would emerge as a standalone party.  The seeds, however, were sown for the emergence of political candidates who did not fit within the traditional two-party system.

The 2016 election exemplifies this emergence with the candidacies of Bernie Sanders, Dr. Ben Carson, and Donald Trump.   None of these candidates fit within the mold of the parties under which they ran.  They would be hampered in fundraising and media exposure by running as a third-party candidate.

"2020" takes the reader 4 years into the future and explores what might happen with the emergence of third parties on the national stage under conditions of financial crisis and cyber terror.  The novel introduces Chandler Scott, a US-based, intrepid journalist working for an international news network headquartered out of Argentina.  Along the way, readers will be introduced to various characters influential in the story including his mother, the love of his life, his mentor, his boss, and a powerfully connected billionaire trying to influence the government.   He tries to connect the dots of influential shadow organizations and their association with the U.S. government.   He uncovers the seeds of the next crisis, a crisis that would shape the future of the United States.

Reading "2020" will be a unique experience.  The combination of reality and fiction should be unlike anything you've encountered.  At the novel's conclusion, you will be left asking yourself if something like this story line could actually happen.