"I'd never hire anyone who would apply for the job"
It’s a beautiful day here in Colorado. I’ve been lucky enough to live all over the world, and there’s just no place quite like the mountains. Same mountains every day, yet I’m always amazed by how different they look as the hours and seasons change.
Anyway, I hope things are equally terrific in your neck of the woods.
I have a quick story for you today.
In a prior life, I used to do a good bit of work in the national defense world here in the US, and I spent a lot of time in DC as a result. You’ve probably noticed that a couple of my characters have a… particular view of the Beltway ('jaded' might be the right term), and I’d be a liar if I claimed their outlook wasn’t at least a little autobiographical.
During one particularly long day full of mostly pointless meetings, I had a conversation with the Secretary of the Air Force (sorry if this sounds like name-dropping… I don’t mean it in a pretentious way.)
Over stale coffee and stale donuts, SECAF told me about his trouble finding a qualified applicant for what is generally regarded as the most important under-secretary position in the Air Force.
“The problem is,” he said, “the kind of person we need for the job is not the kind of person who would ever apply for it.”
Which kind of sums up government work in one sentence.
(I think it resonated with me because it matched my opinion, which made me feel smart. :)
His point was this: because there is little upside potential in civil service work, it's not an attractive option for many sharp and talented people. So he was left to sift through a pile of applicants who had fallen out of more competitive industries and who were largely looking for a sinecure.
But that kind of problem — where a job’s responsibility and importance far outstrip the capabilities (or integrity) of the person holding the job — is a terrifically powerful engine for conflict and trouble… both in real life, and in a novel.
I think that’s why it’s become one of the major themes in my mysteries. That scenario has all sorts of interesting variations and implications, and I hope you enjoy discovering them as they show up in the novels!
OK… it’s back to the grindstone for me.
Until next time,
Lars
(PS: We have a special going on right now over at the store. Click here to check it out.)
"Have you lost your mind?"
That's what my wife said when I told her about these specials.
She's not even a little bit happy -- "Our daughter starts COLLEGE soon, or have you forgotten?" -- but I think you'll really like the deals we've put together for you.
Some people like having this kind of nonsense delivered to their inbox on the regular. I don't know why. But I'd be happy to add you to the list if you're so inclined. (You'll get early-bird specials on new releases and occasional deals and discounts, too).
Sam Jameson Books 1 & 2
Special double-volume edition containing Books 1 and 2 in the Sam Jameson series. This is the story that kicked everything off for me, and it still blows my mind that over a million people have read (and hopefully enjoyed) the story. It's Sam in her prime, and I hope you love her as much as I do :).
Quinn Book 1
Man, I loved writing this book. I think that probably shows through when you read it, too. I think I can usually tell by the way a sentence reads if an author is wearing a smile as they write it. A reader named James said that MONARCH is "maybe the best thriller I've ever read." I hope you enjoy it, too.
Sam Jameson Book 3
This is my least favorite of my books. It has... issues. But I've had many readers tell me it's their favorite in the whole catalog (there's no accounting for taste, evidently). Improbably, it actually became a #1 bestseller. If you really want to read it, it's available in every format except audio.
Sam Jameson Books 4 & 5
"The end of the world began in New Jersey," is how Meltdown starts. Sorry if you're from that state, but I think we can all agree that it's an appropriate place for the end to begin. I had a ton of fun playing around with this topic, and I really enjoyed getting Sam and Brock out of the trouble I stuck them in. I think you'll like this double-volume special edition.
Peter Kittredge Book 1
This one ended up as one of those noir psychological thrillers that have become all the rage. I wasn't smart enough to have planned it that way. I actually didn't set out to write a noir psychological thriller. It just seemed like I followed Peter Kittredge to someplace dark, cynical, and entertaining as hell. I hope you love it!
Sam Jameson Book 6
I wrote Fallout right after Descent, during a time when I had a long commute to the cement box that held my cubicle. I dictated a good portion of the manuscript into my laptop, which sat open on the passenger seat... except during hard braking, which led to my requiring a new laptop. FALLOUT tackles some thorny questions in what people say is a very interesting story. Let's hope they're right.
Sam Jameson Book 7
This story has a gigantic twist at the end, and it shapes a good bit of the rest of the series so far. I've lost count of how many emails I've received since I published BLOWBACK from people asking when and how I'm going to resolve it. There's also a surprise appearance made by an old favorite, and you won't believe how different he is now.
Sam Jameson Book 8
BURN is the first story I wrote in Sam's voice, and I absolutely loved the way it seemed to come alive from this new vantage. There's another mega-twist in this one that has left a lot of jaws in the fly-catching position. I can't tell you any more, because I don't want to spoil the surprise!
Sam Jameson Book 9
This story picks up just two weeks after the end of BURN, and Sam is still a long way away from okay. People say it's an intense ride, and a handful of folks wrote to me within hours of the book's release to tell me they finished it in one sitting, loved it, and when the hell is the next one coming out? I hope you enjoy it just as much.
Sam Jameson Book 10
This book solves one of the biggest riddles in the entire series. It provides the answer to the question I've been asked hundreds of times, which is.... something that I can't even tell you, because if you're reading this description before you read the earlier books, it might ruin the surprise. Suffice it to say that if you're a Sam Jameson series fan, this is one you won't want to skip.
