Latch-key child sent to juvenile hall, later a foster child on welfare, living on a dairy farm. West Point graduate, Army Airborne Ranger Infantryman; served overseas in Alaska and Korea. RAND Fellow at the RAND Corporation. The historical text he authored at RAND, on Army use of space systems, was later used as a resource text at the Army Command & General Staff College. Graduate from the Defense Department's Program Management school; performed program management within the "Star Wars" program. Served in the U.S. Space Command as a space-ground combat analyst before and at the beginning of the 1991 war in Iraq. Aerospace Engineer/Manager supporting development and launches of National Missile Defense interceptors, satellites, and targets, as well as evaluating Homeland Defense. Amateur prospector & member Gold Prospectors Association of America (GPAA).

Insights about Ed as he speaks with the Reader:
The best fiction published in the last decade has been by first time authors. Examples are: Red October by Clancy, Absolute Power by Baldacci, Cold Mountain by Frazer, The Horse Whisperer by Evans, as well as Grisham's first works. These authors applied years of polish to their fresh stories.

Like them I've spent years learning my craft and laboring to gain honest feedback about what needed improvement in each of my novels as I develop them so I could eliminate those flaws and produce a captivating story for you. Consequently, I re-written my thrillers, numerous times to provide impressive characters skirmishing across a realistic, interwoven plot with surprising twists and outcomes.

As in real life, aspects of my characters' personalities emerge over time (across many chapters). Their "depth" is revealed as they cope with forbidding dilemmas while striving to achieve their goals.

I can't stand implausible events or incredulous behavior by characters. Therefore, in the Gold Lust series books, I apply true-life experiences, as well as achievements by real people I've observed disagreeing during arduous situations, and adapted them into each story. Example sources include: divorce, the death of parents, physical fights among family members, boardroom battles about down sizing, technical meetings between government managers and contractors, military operations, as well as the thrill of prospecting and finding my first gold nugget.

Today, people surf the TV, surf the radio as they commute, or surf the internet at work and home. They seek data and answers quickly and want satisfaction NOW!. Many readers are a product of this environment. Like gold, their time is precious. Meanwhile, big name authors are often publishing "bloated" books with redundant filler that bores the reader, causing them to rapidly turn pages until they find the next interesting or well written paragraph. To respond to the desire of today's reader, I write short, "tight" chapters attempting to make every word, sentence, and paragraph, propel forward the characterization or the plot.

And, like you, I hate a book with a weak or disappointing ending. To avoid that pitfall, I don't begin writing a thriller until I have determined a plausible, exciting ending. I strive to create multiple events where the hero and heroine appear doomed. Hopefully, when you reach those chapters, you will worry: Will they survive?

My need to write this series began on the beach in Monterey, California in 1980. At first, I wrote for myself. But for years now I've written for you. Then I fought to get this book published. Then to win awards and become known as a good author. I hope you enjoy my stories.

As a special service to readers who order from my ordering page, I'll autograph each copy for you.

AND

Enlightened by what happens to an author after they are published, I began a newsletter describing the behind the scenes marketing struggles every author suddenly faces upon being published. My newsletter shares the humor of doing a public reading with fruit flies attacking my nose, doing a radio show kneeling on the floor, having my car interior flooded with water while attending a library conference, and other fun surprises.

This newsletter, titled "From the Author's Chair" isn't always pretty. It is written on the fly, late at night or early in the morning. There may even be misspellings. But, you will experience the excitement and struggle that this author undergoes fighting to succeed in a very tough business. Seventy percent of the fiction that is published does not make a profit. So many wholesaler, distributors and bookstore owners don't trust emerging fiction authors and hesitate to take them on.

So share the adventure with me by signing up today. Don't worry, your e-mail information will not be sold or shared with anyone else. And you can drop the newsletter any time by sending me an e-mail. You don't have to buy my book to receive the newsletter. And you won't be barraged by me to buy some gadget.