In the Author Spotlight ...
John Wasik and Phillip Parrish,
authors of
Throwing Stones

 

 

Turn on the television news any day and you will hear stories about war, terrorist attacks, and the United States' "War on Terror". Imagine what would happen if all of the people involved with these terrible events brought their fight here? What would we do? How would we handle this? That is the basis for Throwing Stones, the new thriller by retired police officers - turned authors John Wasik and Phillip Parrish.

With 54 years combined police experience, authors John Wasik and Phillip Parrish have almost seen it all. "Initially, Phil, who retired as Cleveland Police' Narcotics Unit Commander and I met while doing consulting work for the Ohio Attorney General’s Office in the Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification where we developed the idea for the book", John says. "We discussed dozens of “what if” plots that terrorists could use and possible holes in our security system.”

"I had planned on writing a memoir detailing many my tour in Viet Nam with the 7th Marines and many of the police stories, events and people I had met throughout my police career. I was fortunate to befriend a local author and professor, Robert James, who would become our mentor and dear friend we affectionately called the "Professor". Robert said it was pretty good, so we went from there," Phillip says.

John and Phillip collaborated over the phone, at Book & Bean a local coffee shop and over the internet. Dozens of ideas were passed back and forth between us, often causing raised eyebrows in public places over some of the attack scenes being explained verbally or debates on which writer had the better plan. Most uncompromising scenes were arbitrarily settled by the professor’s deciding vote. “Robert, in essence, became the editor of our book.”

Throwing Stones is no ordinary thriller .The authors use the story to show the origins of wide spread enmity against the US and to argue that Americans are quite unprepared to the war on terrorism. They also show the vulnerability of free societies everywhere. Editor Linda Kinsey wrote: Thrilling and scary to read, the detective authors will ignite reader imagination.

Throwing Stones tells the story of German investigator Thomas Freiderich as he tracks his missing half-Arab nephew Jusef to University Circle in Cleveland, Ohio, only to uncover terrorists plotting to destroy America’s infrastructure. While Homeland Security concentrates on the East Coast, Thomas and two local colleagues discover the terrorists have established base camps and staging areas in the heartland. Together they penetrate the world of illegal border crossings, deceptive double agents, and assassinations.

The writing came easy; it was the embellishing that was hard. "Being police officers, we both had a 'Joe Friday' mentality - Just the facts," Phillip explains. "Both of us had to learn how to elaborate and make a story more outside of police details by using other background information to make it entertaining and informative, and more descriptive for the reader."

John continues to work for the Attorney General’s Office. Both authors are active in police organizations and community groups. They plan to collaborate on at least three more books, including a sequel to Throwing Stones, a mystery called Millstone Murdersand a nonfiction work titled No Common Sense, dealing with the country's 360 degree turn back into a colonial status under the global community similar to America under the British Empire.

 

To purchase your copy of Throwing Stones
visit http://www.atlasbooks.com/marktplc/02654.htm

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For more information on John Wasik and Phillip Parrish,
please visit their web site at http://www.p-jbooks.com/

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