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Why do you write in your genre? What draws you to it?
Thrillers are fascinating for many reasons. For starters you have the element of suspense, which is a true art. And of course you have a realistic story: I think readers are drawn to thrillers because they largely take place in the real world, in familiar settings and to characters that resemble the readers themselves. In the case of The American Crusade, I’m a political junkie who has a lifelong attraction to the steamy underbelly of Washington politics. I’m also a student of history, which was the genesis of the novel: the realization that the invasion of Iraq was the instant replay of the Fourth Crusade.
What research is required?
In the case of The American Crusade, research was involved on two fronts. For the modern-day story, I had to make sure that all my references to the details of government were correct. The interesting part of the research was learning about the Fourth Crusade. I ended up finding an eyewitness account written by one of the Crusaders that was very compelling, and I used excerpts from it in the book.
Name one thing you learned from your hero.
Most of the story is told through the eyes of Robert Barton Hornsby, the vice president and former CIA director. He’s the ultimate puppet master, the spy who refused to come in from the cold. Projecting myself into his mind was an interesting exercise, and I always needed to be mindful of his primary maxim: the real power in government is exercised by those who don’t actually run for office themselves.
Do you have any odd or interesting writing quirks, habits or superstitions?
I have tons of quirks. As far as writing goes, I get up very early—around 4 or 4:30 a.m., which is when most of the work gets done. I still do a lot of journalism, so the emails and phone calls start around 10am. I write intermittently throughout the day, but find that I do better with fewer distractions.
Are you a plotter or pantser?
Unfortunately, a pantser. I just can’t seem to outline anything. The process is more interesting and exciting that way, but also more dangerous: you run the risk of the story exploding on you, and you end up having a lot of orphaned novels on your computer. Often, though, I go back to them years later and find a way to salvage them. That’s what happened with The American Crusade.
Look to your right – what’s sitting there?
A pile of notebooks, good old-fashioned steno pads. As mentioned, I still do a lot of journalism, so the steno pad habit is hard to break. It does give you a reference library of sorts, although it’s time-consuming to go back through it.
>b>Anything new coming up from you? What?
I’m currently finishing up the sequel to The American Crusade, a novel tentatively titled Impeachment. I can’t give away any spoilers, but the plot revolves around immigration.
Do you have a question for our readers?
Lots of them, and it would be great if we could talk. I’d love to know what their likes and dislikes are, what they look for, what interests them. Hopefully they’ll ask questions in the course of the day, and we can interact.
A power-hungry vice president, a bad batch of shady intelligence, and a sinister plot to destroy Western civilization.
Just another day in America.
On May 1, 2001, a group of radical Islamic terrorists crash a Boeing 737 jet airliner into the Mall of America—and Vice President Robert Hornsby knows his moment is coming.
The attack kills three thousand American citizens and throws an entire nation into a panic, but all Hornsby sees is an opportunity, a chance to imprint his fanatical values on the soul of the country he loves and become the most powerful vice president in American history.
With the aid of his affable but ineffectual president; the reluctant, conscience-stricken secretary of defense; and a preening, foppish faith leader with more than a few skeletons in his closet; Hornsby declares war on terror—and anyone who stands in his way. But as media scrutiny of the administration’s actions overseas intensifies, Hornby’s one-man campaign against evil begins to unravel—with striking parallels to the thirteenth century’s doomed Fourth Crusade—and sends the nation spiraling toward another deadly tragedy.
The American Crusade paints a grim and often cynical picture of America’s recent past, reflecting the attitudes, politics, and fears that shaped our nation in the new millennium. By sampling the contemporaneous French text on the Fourth Crusade, On the Conquest of Constantinople, author Mark Spivak reminds us of that ever-vital adage: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
Fans of The Castle by Jack Pinter, The President Is Missing by Bill Clinton and James Patterson, House of Cards by Michael Dobbs, The Whistler by John Grisham, and the Aaron Sorkin–penned TV drama The West Wing will love this book.
Read an Excerpt
Sitting in the White House Situation Room that day, Vice President Hornsby thought he was witnessing the perfect storm. All those years we thought it would end with a nuclear launch from the Soviets, he thought bitterly. Now I have to watch a bunch of jokers in turbans destroy the world.
FBI Director Edward Gambelli entered the room and approached the head of the table.
“Most of the planes are out of the sky, sir. The airspace is almost secure.”
“What do you mean, almost? For shit’s sake.” The Vice President gesture toward the electronic map on the wall, where aircraft were represented by red dots. “That’s a lot of dots, Eddie.”
“They’re mostly private planes, sir. Joyriders out for a spin. We’re contacting the ones that have radar. The fighters will intercept the others and escort them down.”
“What about the other plane?”
“It’s still heading for Washington, sir. Just passed Wilmington.”
“How long before it gets into rural airspace?”
“Five minutes, sir. Ten at the most.”
“What’s happening on board?”
“We’ve received radio and cell phone communications. The passengers are still fighting. They’ve overcome two of the hijackers, and they’re trying to get into the cockpit.”
Hornsby glanced to his right, to the chair occupied by his protégé, CIA Director Admiral Mike McCardle. McCardle nodded.
“When it gets over unoccupied land, I want you to shoot it down.”
“Sir?”
“Eddie, we have the tapes, correct?”
“Yes, but—”
“These people are dead already. None of them can fly the plane. It’s the least we can do to bring comfort to their loved ones. The public will eat it up. The passengers will be heroes.”
“But”
“Eddie, that’s an order. Shoot it down once it gets over unoccupied land. I’ve got your back.”
“Yes, sir.”
About the Author:
Mark’s first novel, Friend of the Devil, was published by Black Opal Books in May 2016. Set in Palm Beach in 1990, it tells the story of America’s most famous chef, who has sold his soul to the Devil for fame and fortune.
Mark also has an endless fascination with the American political system and is an avid follower of Washington politics. His second novel, The American Crusade (a gripping political thriller set during the invasion of Iraq, which dips into the shadowy world of government conspiracy and political sabotage), will be released by TCK Publishing on April 4. He is currently at work on Impeachment, the sequel to The American Crusade.
Visit Mark's website at http://www.markspivakbooks.com, and sign up for his free newsletter and political blog: http:// www.markspivakbooks.com/free
Amazon buy link: https://www.amazon.com/American-Crusade-Political-Thriller/dp/1631610708/
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