Selected by J. Allen Wolfrum
Genre: Political Thriller
Published by: Indie
Publication Date: December 28th 2017
Number of Pages: 326
ISBN: 1981498974 (ISBN13: 9781981498970)
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
Former Army helicopter pilot, Susan Turner is Selected as the next President of the United States. In order to avoid a nuclear war, she must overcome personal demons and learn to navigate the murky waters of international diplomacy.
Five years ago, the Dove Revolution changed the political structure of the United States. The President, Senate, and Congress are no longer elected by the public, they are Selected at random every two years. A shadow organization known only as The Board, advances their sinister agenda by taking advantage of their anonymity and Susan’s tendency to make brash decisions. Blackmail, espionage and murder are all in play as The Board manipulates geo-political events to spark a war between the Soviet Union and the United States.
With the help of her former Squadron Commander, General LeMae, Susan Turner attempts to lead the nation through these turbulent times while battling her own internal demons. Susan is a battle-hardened war veteran but she must learn what it takes to be a world leader. Nuclear war and the future of the human race hang in the balance.
Inspiration behind the female protagonist Susan Turner
The decision to make the protagonist of my debut novel, Selected, a female wasn’t a decision at all, it came naturally. From the moment I had the original idea for the novel, the protagonist was always a female. There are many factors and life experience that went into the creation of the character of Susan Turner, when asked ‘why choose a female protagonist?’, my gut response is, why not?
Throughout my life I have been surrounded by strong women who are more intelligent, better decision makers, and better leaders than I could ever hope to be. Leadership isn’t measured by physical strength or the ability to win in a fist fight. If that were true our President would be current heavyweight UFC champion, I don’t think anyone wants to see that scenario.
In the novel, Susan Turner is a former Army helicopter pilot. I chose that specific background because I wanted to dispel the perception that women in the military spend their time in cushy administrative jobs. I also wanted to touch upon some of the realities of sustained combat operations. Susan lost her husband in the war and struggled with PTSD. Those are very real problems that I feel are important to include in the conversation about war.
If I really dig down deep inside myself a secondary reason for making the protagonist of the novel a female was self protection. It was the same reason why I decided to make Susan a former Army helicopter pilot instead of a Marine Corps pilot. As a former Marine, I was concerned that if I made the protagonist a Marine, I would overload the novel with Marine Corps jargon and lose the readers. Therefore Susan is a former Army pilot and if I wanted to use any jargon I had to look it up, it didn’t just roll off my tongue. If I would have made the protagonist a male, I feared falling into the trap of creating a superhuman Jason Bourne character who is a former Olympian that competes in triathlons for fun.
I believe that we as a society learn our behavior from the stories that we read. In my novel I wanted to drive home the point that there is no reason a woman cannot be the President, I hope I succeeded.
About J. Allen Wolfrum
J. Allen Wolfrum is a fiction author and former Marine. He served four years as a Marine Corps Infantryman in the most decorated Regiment in Marine Corps history. During Operation Iraqi Freedom he led an infantry squad on missions spanning from the oil fields of Southern Iraq to the streets of Baghdad.
After the Marine Corps, he spent the next fifteen years exploring life from several perspectives: press operator in a plastics factory, warehouse stocker, confused college student, Certified Public Accountant, bearded graduate student, management consultant, and data analyst.
J. Allen Wolfrum’s writing career began in 2017 with his debut novel, Selected. He uses the unique combination of his Marine Corps, professional and life experience to create a realistic perspective on the political thriller genre. He lives in Southern California with his beautiful wife and two cats.
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GIVEAWAY:
This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for J. Allen Wolfrum. There will be 1 winner of one (1) Amazon.com Gift Card. The giveaway begins on July 1, 2018 and runs through September 1, 2018. Open to U.S. addresses only. Void where prohibited.
1 comment
I read this book, it was exceptional, and the protagonist definitely came across as a strong woman. I’m looking forward to more work by this author.