Thirty years agoย Tom Clancyย was a Maryland insurance broker with a passion for naval history. Years before, he had been an English major at Baltimoreโs Loyola College and had always dreamed of writing a novel. His first effort,ย The Hunt for Red October, sold briskly as a result of rave reviews, then catapulted onto theย New York Timesย bestseller list after President Reagan pronounced it โthe perfect yarn.โ From that day forward, Clancy established himself as an undisputed master at blending exceptional realism and authenticity, intricate plotting, and razor-sharp suspense. He passed away in October 2013.
Steve Pieczenikย is an author of political thrillers and a cocreator of theย New York Times-bestselling Tom Clancyโs Op-Center and Tom Clancyโs Net Force series. He received an MD fromย Cornell University Medical College and a PhD in international relations fromย Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Pieczenikโs books are informed by his more than two decades as an international crisis manager and hostage negotiator in the US Department of State for theย administrations of presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush.
Jeff Rovin sold his first book at age 21 and has been a freelance writer ever since. He has worked as a consultant for television and movies and is a student of martialย arts. Heโsย batty about New York, where he currently resides.