US warships head for South China Sea after standoff

The book was sent off to the publisher but without the final title.  So far it is "Untitled French Murder Mystery".   It involves murders, movies, the Catacombs and World War II Nazis.  All in all, rousing good fun.

 But on that title....

I worked on "Taken" with Liam Neeson and directed by Pierrel Morel.  French heavyweight producer-writer-director Luc Besson was the producer and writer of the film.  What a great script!  I have read a lot of scripts but very few scripts hae I read in thirty-five, forty minutes.  This was one.   It is a superfast read because the action is clear.  The dialogue is crisp.  The plot moves swiftly.   And the inherent nature of the plot: a man willing to do whatever it takes to get his daughter back in the Parisian underworld is intriguing and new. 

And Liam is no Politcally Correct wimp when it comes to getting his daughter back.  

I was hired by the producer John Morrissey on 'American History X".   I had worked with John previously on the film "Sensation" with Eric Roberts.   Now, they had the film setup at New Line Cinema but that company wanted the prep to be nonunion.   They would turn union upon shoot.  To me, it seemed like a screwy idea (one bound to come to the attention of the union) but I needed a job.   So I got one as a production supervisor.   I needed the work. 

The first task was to get the lead actor for the film.  The prime candidate was Edward Norton who had received an Academy Award nomination for his incredible work in "Primary Fear".    The movie was a solid Hollywood thriller but Norton exceeded the film's expectations.  

The director locked into place was Tony Kaye, a highly regarded commercial director making his first feature film.    Tony was the kind of director in the commercial world who was simply huge.  The Scott Brothers, Joe Pytka and Tony Kay were the top from what everyone said.  

Michael Mandaville has a long and extensive interest in National Security, Geopolitics, Military Strategy and History.    He has attended Counterterrorism seminars and spoken with Terrorism experts.    For him, “Stealing Thunder” brings together these area in a perfect storm of a Thriller on a broad canvas from America’s cities to the halls of China’s Forbidden City, from Carrier Battle Groups to America’s most modern submarines.    

Why did you write this book?
I read an article about the expansion of the Communist Chinese navy, the People’s Liberation Army Navy, or the PLAN.   They have been aggressively moving to create a true blue water navy rather than their usual coastal force.    They were very impressed by the American navy in the Gulf war of 1991 along with its general military success.  And they sought to expand its navy to counteract the American presence in the Pacific.    They bought former Soviet warships, including a carrier that they couldn’t make work.  Not to mention constantly trying to improve their submarine capabilities.