The SHANNON MUIR’S INFINITE HOUSE OF BOOKS column on Mondays and Wednesdays is a place at Shannon Muir’s author website open to interviews and guest posts from other authors. One thing Shannon firmly believes in for readers not only to learn about new books available, but about those who craft the tales behind them. As its name implies, SHANNON MUIR’S INFINITE HOUSE OF BOOKS weekly column features writers from all genres of fiction who want their potential audience to get to know them, and their works, better – and occasionally may offer features from Shannon herself that support readers to discover words.
Today, find out more about STINGER: OPERATION CYCLONE.
Stinger: Operation Cyclone (Rick Fontain 2) by Bill Fortin
Publisher: Cold War Publications (February 9, 2018)
Category: Action/Adventure, War, Military, Crime
Tour dates: May/June, 2018
ISBN: 978-0996478618
Available in Print and ebook, 432 pages
Rick Fontain is back… This Cold War adventure takes the reader inside the classified exploits of Senator Charlie Wilson and CIA’s Task Force Chief, Gust Avrakotos. Strange bedfellows they were… their alliance proved to be one of the most successful partnerships in the history of the CIA. Stinger: Operation Cyclone recounts the outcomes of their efforts.
The adventure begins with the election of Ronald Regan in 1979. This was the same year that the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. Early in 1982 POTUS called for a plan of action to arm and finance the Jihadi warriors known as the Mujahideen. Operation Cyclone was the code name assigned to this project.
Rick is re-united with his Redeye instructor, Andy Davis, and together they would design a plan to kill buku Russian aircraft. The operation stalls until Rick thwarts an assignation attempt on one, Maalouf Torki bin Taisei. Mr. Taisei is a Malaysian government official. He is also the largest arms dealer on the Pacific Rim.
The Russian KGB suspects that President of Pakistan, Zia, and his ISI have aligned themselves with the American’s. Their attacks are fierce, but, the result was not what they expected. President Regan issued a change to the original operation requirements. The gloves were to come off. Rick Fontain is told to do whatever it takes to get Stinger into the hands of the Afghan Freedom Fighters.
American Special Forces, the Green Beret and DELTA, are sent to the ISI’s Ojhri Camp located just outside of Islamabad. CIA operatives LTC Jim Pezlola and CWO Gary Larson, solicit the Mujahideen Command to provide students for the very first class of Stinger shooters.
Rick takes the graduating class into Afghanistan to the Russian airbase at Bagram. The rest… as they say… is history. Operation Cyclone may not have ended the Cold War, but it certainly had weakened the Soviet Union’s resolve. So much so… that in 1993 it financially collapsed.
Trailer Stinger: Operation Cyclone (Rick Fontain 2) by Bill Fortin
Stinger:Operation Cyclone from Bill Fortin on Vimeo.
Praise Stinger: Operation Cyclone (Rick Fontain 2) by Bill Fortin
“This story has it all, war, politics, history and more. Enjoyable and thought provoking. I stumbled upon Bill’s first book Redeye Fulda Cold and really liked it so I decided to try his follow-up. Great read! Can’t wait to read the next one. I can easily see it being adapted for the big screen. From the opening scene in the elevator to the scene high on the narrow path to the helicopter attacks, crashes and the sad death of Rick’s friend and fellow Stinger expert Andy Davis, this book has it all. Terrific international locations and cast of characters and compelling story of providing and attempting to control the transfer of weapons and expertise needed for their use to be successful. You feel immersed in the detailed descriptions of locations in Afghanistan, Kula Lumpur, London, etc. Bill’s greatest strength as an author may be his ability to make you question how much of this is fact and how much is fiction.:”-billq, Amazon Review
Praise Redeye Fulda Cold: (Rick Fontain 1) by Bill Fortin
“With a smooth, wry touch, Bill Fortin spins a page-turning Cold War tale capturing both the great bravery and the occasional comic moments — some intentional, some classic SNAFUs — of U.S. military intelligence saving the world from Russia invasion.”- W.E.B. Griffin & William E. Butterworth IV, #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Authors
Rick Fontain tells us about his exciting adventures through a first person narrative. As a reader, I felt that I could connect easily with Rick on his incredible journey as he takes you by the hand and doesn’t let it go until the last page. Fortin does a remarkable job of describing the people and the landscape of the late 1960s, while throwing more light onto the tactics that the American military deployed to contain Russia in the Cold War. I certainly hope that this isn’t the last we have heard from Rick Fontain, and do hope that there is a sequel in the near future, as I cannot wait to read more of this young hero’s adventures and more of his infectious good humor. Fortin has put together a remarkably well written story with a vast amount of meticulous research.”- C.R.Putsche, Amazon Review
“a fascinating, eye-opening story of the American military move to contain Russia during the Cold War in the late 1960s, when most American eyes were focused on Vietnam. Told in short scenes, making the plot really easy to follow. There is a lot of detail—I was surprised, for example, to read about the use of drones in 1969—but always the story spins out in real-life scenes. It is clearly an army account, but the emphasis stays on “story.” Descriptions, of churches, towns, airplanes—all the scenes of the book—are so good we can “see” the places. Dialogue is snappy and real. I felt I got to know Rick Fontain, and look forward to meeting him in future historical novels. He has a freshness of view that makes the very tough Cold War story understandable. Extensive footnotes show the thorough research behind this book, and above all, it is so well written that I was always surprised to see how many pages had gone by. Read this to be entertained, but also to discover a successful and little-known war-front deployment that Americans are grateful for.”-Kay In Seattle, Amazon Review
“Bill Fortin’s, Redeye Fulda Cold, is a historically accurate, yet humorous account of one soldier’s mission during the Cold War.
Although written as fiction, the novel is an exercise in authenticity, with stretches illuminating the technical expertise required for a unit to accommodate seemingly never-ending revisions to Cold War objectives. Fortin cloaks the technical military facts and technology in character moments, using them to highlight Fontain’s sarcasm and tongue-in-cheek humor. Can’t wait to read the next Rick Fontain novel!”-Lisa Wieman Meerdter, Amazon Review
Interview with the Author
What initially got you interested in writing?
A flashback… in 2012 while transporting one of our horses, Quote Handsome, for a medical procedure. The signage along I-95 displayed the name Perryville Veterans Hospital Center… the result was my first novel… Redeye Fulda Cold.
How did you decide to make the move into being a published author?
In 2013 I had been only 50% successful in contacting the men I had served with… I found the research for this period of the Cold War fascinating… It was a very important, but little known, time in our history… so, Redeye Fulda Cold was born in 2016 and Stinger: Operation Cyclone was released to the editor at the end of 2017. The trilogy will complete next year with Cold War Adventure that is taking place on our Southern border, Medellin: Acapulco Cold.
What do you want readers to take away from reading your works?
An appreciation for all the men and women who stood the watch during a war that is still being fought today… I would hope that an understanding… A novel, a spur that provokes … an appreciation of a battle utilizing a different form of combat… usually a bloodless type of warfare, not always… but combat in every sense of the term… a very Cold War indeed.
What do you find most rewarding about writing?
I find the writing to be the easy part… the marketing piece is not for the faint of heart… The story telling has always come naturally… mixing history with both real and fictitious characters has become a real joy…
What do you find most challenging about writing?
Probably one of the more curious of questions asked are the ones seeking the disclosure of the methods and procedures utilized in producing a manuscript. The challenge for me has always been in the discipline. Setting a particular time each day and sticking to it. I found if I do this you can be very productive…
What advice would you give to people want to enter the field? Wear boots and watch for snakes… just kidding… Most people I meet who say they would like to write a book I tell them if you have a story to tell they should make the time to tell it… It’s been a very rewarding experience for me.
What ways can readers connect with you?
Besides the Vulcan Mind Link… bill@billfortin.com, http://billfortin.com/book/
About Bill Fortin
Bill Fortin served in the United States Army, 3rd Armor Division, from April 1968 to the first part of 1970. In 2012 while transporting Redhawk, a Quarter horse, to a medical facility in Pennsylvania he had a flashback to 1970. The cause was the turnpike signage that pointed to the VA Hospital at Perryville. He knew at that moment that the exploits of Cold Warriors of 40 plus years passed had waited long enough to be told. The result was a novel entitled Redeye Fulda Cold.
He had retired from Bell Labs in 2001, and is currently the CEO of IBS, Inc., specializing in systems engineering. He has a Master’s in the Management Sciences from the University of Baltimore. He lives with his wife Judy, a gaggle of Border Collies, and other 4 legged and featured companions in the rolling hills of Westminster, Maryland.
Website: https://booklaunch.io/704732506290559/54bfb1709a8c4222149ddd7e
Blog: http://billfortin.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bill.fortin.104
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillFortin
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Giveaway Stinger: Operation Cyclone (Rick Fontain 2) by Bill Fortin
This giveaway is for one print copy or ebook copy of the book. Print is available to the U.S. only but ebook is available worldwide. This giveaway ends on June 12, 2018 at midnight pacific time. Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.
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Thanks for hosting Bill Fortin!