Second Thriller Book Cover Sneak Peek

This is the near-final book cover for Frieden's upcoming thriller THE SERPENTS GAME

My book cover designer sent me the latest, near-final cover for THE SERPENT’S GAME, my next thriller due out this fall. The latest changes involved adding armed figures climbing the side of the ship. The back text is still being tweaked, ISBN and price bar codes will be added next week, blurbs will follow in late April, and the ARCs will go out to reviewers in May.  There are many aspects to developing a book cover, and it’s interesting to follow the progress and have some input.  Note that the cargo ship is from a photograph I took while researching and touring the Panama Canal, where two of the novel’s main action scenes take place.

The book cover also provides a visual marker of the long road that I’ve had to take for this manuscript.  It’s a signal that things are moving ahead and reduces the abstractness by which I have slaved over the chapters.  Now, finally, the second installment of the Jonathan Brooks thriller series is becoming tangible.

More updates soon, including dates for the launch events in Chicago and New York.

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THRILLERESQUE Magazine Launches Tomorrow!

Great News!  THRILLERESQUE magazine is launching tomorrow, Dec. 21.  It will feature interesting articles about Chicago fiction author Marc Paoletti and French-American thriller author Delphine Pontvieux, as well as author tips, research articles, a literary events calendar. There are also a couple articles about my research for two upcoming novels. You can also test your espionage skills and knowledge in the “Spy Quiz” and win prizes.

THRILLERESQUE is also taking submissions for the upcoming spring and summer issues — particularly literary-related research articles, author spotlights and Q&As, as well as short stories.  Check out the website for details: www.avendiapublishing.com/THR

THRILLERESQUE is a quarterly magazine published by Avendia Publishing®, a Chicago-based press, and is dedicated to topics of interest to fiction authors and their fans.

A.C. Frieden meets Author and Former CIA Officer Nada Prouty

A.C. Frieden with former CIA officer and new author Nada Prouty at the Union League Club in Chicago

Today I attended a luncheon at the Union League Club in Chicago and had the distinct pleasure of meeting Nada Prouty, a courageous woman with a fascinating history.  She just published her book “Uncompromised: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of an Arab American Patriot in the CIA,” a story covering her service with the FBI and the CIA before being swept up by an investigation that questioned her loyalty and put her in the crosshairs of an ambitious, out of control prosecutor.  If you have time to read it, pick up a copy.

Reading with Novelists Delphine Pontvieux and Libby Hellmann

Novelists A.C. Frieden, Libby Fischer Hellmann, and Delphine Pontvieux after the reading

On the second day of the Chicago Book Expo I gave a reading along with novelists Delphine Pontvieux and Libby Fischer Hellmann.  I read from my thriller Tranquility Denied and talked briefly about the upcoming sequel, The Serpent’s Game.  There were some interesting questions from the audience and it was great to hear other author perspectives.

Book Signing at the Chicago Book Expo 2011

A.C. Frieden at the Avendia Publishing booth

I attended the Chicago Book Expo this past weekend.  It was a pleasure to meet many interesting authors and fans of fiction.  And it was a great way to support the area’s literary community, since most of the participants were Chicago-based publishers.

Chatting with Author-Lawyer-Pundit James Carville

Author-lawyers James Carville and A.C. Frieden

Tonight I had the pleasure of chatting with James Carville, a liberal pundit, CNN commentator and fellow author-attorney, at a conference in Chicago, Illinois. James Carville is a well-known political consultant, liberal commentator, educator, attorney, and media personality. He gained national attention for his work as the lead strategist for Bill Clinton’s successful presidential campaign. Carville was a co-host of CNN’s Crossfire until its final broadcast in June 2005. He has since appeared on CNN’s news program, The Situation Room, and hosts a weekly program on XM Radio titled 60/20 Sports. In 2009, he began teaching political science at Tulane University. Both Carville and Frieden received their law degrees in Louisiana and share a deep affection for the state and especially New Orleans.

Russian Launch of my Thriller “Tranquility Denied”

Anglia British Bookshop in downtown Moscow

A.C. Frieden at Anglia British Bookshop

A.C. Frieden with bookstore co-owner Irina Khan and Swiss Embassy attache Florian Gubler and his wife.

A.C. Frieden with Russian parliamentarian and hockey legend Vladislav Tretiak.

Today I celebrated the launch of my latest legal/spy thriller Tranquility Denied at Anglia British Bookshop, Russia’s largest English language bookstore here in the heart of Moscow. I was eager to launch the book here because key parts of the novel are set in Russia and I have such fond memories of my studies here years ago. The book launch attracted a very international mix of guests, among them several VIPs such as Russian hockey legend Vladislav Tretiak, who is currently a member of the Duma (the Russian Parliament) and head of the Russian Hockey Federation.  

Also in attendance were American and European executives and diplomats working in Moscow as well as an eclectic mix of expatriates who’ve made the Russian capital their new home. My presentation began with a reading, followed by a briefing on current U.S.-Russia relations, including the ongoing political and security tensions that are rivaling those of the Cold War. I also discussed my own observations of this city, having studied at Moscow State University in the mid-1990s.  A lively reception followed my presentation. The after-party included a special dinner at the renowned Central House of Writers restaurant (Tsentralny Dom Literatov), a 19th century mansion that served as an exclusive authors club during Soviet times.