Mike Angley

I haven't met Mike in person yet.  We have only communicated through e-mails, he will be at the upcoming conference and so will I.  In fact, we both will be on a panel together on the Saturday of the conference.  I'm really looking forward to meeting him and all the members of Public Safety Writers' Association who attend the conference.

As a retired Air Force officer, what made you decide to write novels following your first career?


“I’ve always loved to write, but I postponed my long-term goals while I pursued my Air Force career. In hindsight, I think that was a good thing because it allowed me to focus on my writing with the precision it needed. I retired as a Colonel having spent 25 years as a Special Agent with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, or OSI for short. The OSI is the Air Force version of NCIS, so I had plenty of rich experiences to inspire my writing, from running felony-level criminal investigations, as well as counterintelligence and counterterrorism operations around the world. In my last assignment, I was the Commander of OSI Region 8, at Air Force Space Command. I like to tell people, ‘If it entered or exited Earth’s atmosphere, then I had a dog in the fight!’”

What is the Child Finder Trilogy about?

“The trilogy is a mystery/suspense series with paranormal and religious edges. It features a protagonist, Air Force Special Agent Patrick S. O’Donnell, who is as tough as 24’s Jack Bauer, but with the endearing, family-values heart of 7th Heaven’s Eric Camden. He’s an early-thirties Air Force Major assigned to the Pentagon when the 9/11 terrorist attacks take place.

In the debut novel, Child Finder, Agent O’Donnell’s haunting dreams about missing children reveal a hidden psychic gift which the government eagerly exploits, drawing him into a Top Secret program to find missing kids. But to make matters complicated, Uncle Sam has other ideas in mind for his unique paranormal talents…after all, there is a War on Terror underway. One thing’s for sure—ever since joining this new, secret community, he is surrounded by murder, and the very real threat of harm to his own family!”

And the second book?

“Child Finder: Resurrection launched in November 2009. It has been a year and a half since Agent O’Donnell left the secret child rescue program after it went horribly off-track, resulting in murder and endangering his own family. And just when he thinks he’s comfortably put this painful past behind him, he receives a call from his mentor. The murky, shadowy Top Secret community where he once was center-stage has been revised, revamped, resurrected!

The government needs his psychic skills more than ever. A sick, twisted, menacing child killer is on the loose, and no one but Pat can stop him. But Agent O’Donnell soon discovers this new nemesis is more than he bargained for. Nothing can prepare him for the psychotic genius he must fight…and the life and death cat-and-mouse game that entraps him! Once again, Pat must call upon his faith and strong spiritual connection with God to sustain and guide him, especially during his darkest hours as he battles…pure evil.”

When will the third and final story publish, and what happens in it?

“Child Finder: Revelation (to publish circa December 2010), is the grand finale, so to speak. Many people believe the saying, ‘The truth is out there.’ But as my website says, ‘The truth is in here, and it’s not what you think!’ Patrick O’Donnell is dispatched to Korea on a sensitive mission to crack the disturbing abduction of a high ranking U.S. official’s children. What he discovers about their sudden disappearance — especially where they have been taken — shocks the foundation of international relations. But more intriguing is what makes these particular children so special. What O’Donnell learns about them, and himself, involves sensitive government secrets he regrets ever knowing. These new revelations will rock his faith, his concept of life, and his understanding of his place in the universe.”

How did you develop the character of your protagonist?

“I took a chance. I realized that most protagonists in this genre are rough and tough, and rarely show a soft side. I wanted both! Pat is a family man (has two small children), a deeply-faithful Christian, happily-married, and has an incredibly strong moral/ethical compass. At the same time, he is a ‘kick-ass’ investigator and counterterrorism operator. These contrasts come into play as he enters this Top Secret program – he finds himself pulled in many directions where he must make tough moral/ethical decisions (is everything he is asked to do actually legal?). He wants to save kids, but at what price? I also used his faith for contrast as well. He is a man who grew up with an unfulfilled sense of calling – is it the psychic gift and rescue of children? He’s not sure, so he grapples with what it all means.”

Please talk more about your military career.

“I retired from the U.S. Air Force in 2007 at the rank of Colonel. I was a career OSI Special Agent, and served on thirteen different assignments throughout the world. Among these were five tours as a Commander of different units, to include two squadrons and a wing.

I enjoyed an exciting and dangerous career, experiencing all things imaginable as a criminal investigator and a counterintelligence and counterterrorism operator. Following the 1996 Khobar Towers terrorist attack in Saudi Arabia, I was dispatched to command all OSI units throughout the Middle East, with responsibility for 23 countries. During my tenure my teams and I effectively neutralized numerous terrorist threats to U.S. forces in the region, to include an imminent threat to senior Department of Defense officials. In 2004, I commanded all OSI units in South Korea where we countered a classified target in Seoul. I was honored when the President of South Korea presented me with a Presidential Citation and medal, and the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) Commissioner decorated me with the KNPA Medal of Cooperation.

Earlier in my career, while commanding an OSI unit in northern Japan, I conducted an operation that effectively blocked a KGB agent’s efforts to steal critical U.S. technology, and thereby stymied Soviet military advances for years. In 1999, I was the Chief of Counterintelligence within the Directorate of Intelligence, U.S. Strategic Command. My office competed for the prestigious Killian Award, a White House level honor that annually recognizes the very best intelligence unit in the entire U.S. government. We came in as first runner-up for this significant honor!

Did any of your experiences in law enforcement factor in to the Trilogy plot at all?

“Generically, yes. The main reason I decided on this concept for the series was because of the number of crimes against children I worked in the Air Force. Every one of them literally broke my heart, and as a dad myself, it made it even tougher on me. In some respects, Child Finder is a kind of catharsis, enabling me to save some kids even if fictional.”

Obviously Pat O’Donnell stars in all three books, but what about other characters? Will any of them migrate over to the other two books?

“Pat would be nowhere without his team! His career mentor, Colonel John Helmsley, accompanies him on his journeys, as well as the team psychiatrist, Dr. Woodrow ‘Woody’ Davis.”

When Child Finder debuted it received a glowing review from the Library Journal, and earned placement on its Summer Reads List. Were you nervous about the review process?

“VERY nervous! As a debut author, I had zero experience with reviews until then. While everyone involved in my writing projects has been supportive and positive, getting my first impartial review flooded my gut with butterflies.”

What about the award your debut novel received?

"I am thrilled that Child Finder won the Silver Medal for fiction in the 2009 Military Writers Society of America’s Annual Awards program. This was such a huge honor for me, and from what I have been told by the MWSA community, competition was tough this year with the largest number of fiction submissions in the society’s history.”

What do you want readers of your books to walk away with?

“Inspiration. Plain and simple, I want them to be inspired by my protagonist and his exceptional moral grounding. I want them inspired by his love of wife and children, his love of God, his dedication and devotion to his country. I want readers to believe again in the goodness of people. And with regard to Child Finder: Revelation, I want them to challenge everything they have come so comfortably to believe about life.”


Mike Angley
Special Agent, USAF (ret)
Colonel, USAF (ret)
Award-Winning Author of the Child Finder Trilogy
http://www.childfinder.us/

Names for the democratic socialists

the speaker of the house where socialism lives.

                                   NANCY "BELA LUGOSI" PELOSI

sucking the blood out of the constitution.

He should no longer be referred to as the President of the United States.  He should be known as:

                                   THE WHITE HOUSE CZAR

Hollywood politics

I saw in today's paper that Sean Penn thinks journalists who write that Hugo Chavez is a dictator should be jailed.  Does anybody know what country he holds citizenship?  Does Penn believe that the liberal media lies about the things that Chavez says and does?  Is Chavez producing one of his movies and he's just kissing ass?  Intellectually, I didn't think Penn was that ignorant.  I intend to add him to the list of idiot actors I will no longer patronize.  George Clooney, Charlie Sheen and the Dixie Chicks are already on the list.  I'm afraid I just can't listen or watch someone who doesn't believe in America.

The two major films up for the Academy Award were Avatar and the Hurt Locker.  I was fortunate to see both of these films.  Both of these films were described by some people as being political.  Avatar I could see as it mirrored what our government did to native americans.  With the Hurt Locker, I failed to see the politics.  All I saw were brave American soldiers doing a job unlike any other in a hostile environment with the courage and determination thats reflected in most of our troops.

I used to be quite a movie buff.  Hollywood has just become way too opinionated for my tastes.  I still the love the old movies, where rarely did you see blood and the sex was always implied, but not shown.  Sean Penn has every right to say the things he says, but I have every right to boycott his movies. 

My dream has been to one day receive an Academy Award for one of my stories and undoubtedly I would be thrilled to meet some these Hollywood stars, but I pledge to you right now I will carry my beliefs in God and Country and will never knowingly compromise myself to one of these fools.

God Bless America and the men and women who protect her. 

The Writers' League of Washington will be meeting tomorrow.  Each month we pick a word to write something about.  The writing can be any form, story, article, poem, limerick.  Our word for this month is 'rendezvous.'  This is what I wrote.  For those of you who are familiar with the movie "Casablanca."

CAST A BLANKET

They come to the hot sands to relax and play

some stay for week, a month, some just for the day

They wander the broadwalk and eat the delites

enjoying the sunning days and the partying nights

She walked in the place knowing it was Mick's

She found the jukebbox and selected B6

The familiar tune made Mick turn with a sign

As the jukebbox played "As Time Goes By"

She sat at the counter and said you know what I eat

He felt the hurt renewing, he remembered her deceit

Of all the pizza joints in the world she walks into mine

Instead of a romantic rendezvous she left him behind

He knew she liked her pie with sausage and pepperoni

and he'd make it for her even though she was a phony

He still remembered Vegas and what he thought was love

The nights they spent together, what was he thinking of

She took all his money and left him all alone

with no transportation and no way to get home

He spit on her pizza and slowly closed the lid

and handed it to her smiling, here's looking at you kid

This was a poem I wrote when Washington, D.C. was in the top five as far as the number of murders.

WE ARE ALL EQUAL

A yellow line surrounds the scene

A young black girl's body lies serene

She was shot to death for no reason

Another victim of the killing season

A Congressman's aid lies in the street, blood gushing

The sound of sirens, the police come rushing

A crowd is forming to see who

Another victim, what can we do

A latino man is dead, his shirt torn open

in Spanish or English, no word is spoken

His gang has gone to form a plan

The hatred will kill another man

In life she ran the Korean store

Then shots rang out, death closed the door

No matter whose life there is no sequel

So in life and death we are all equal

The purpose of this blog will be to display my writings and to discuss issues of interest such as: Law enforcement; Writing Novels, Poetry, Short Stories, Articles; Politics; Movies; and Sports, I am a Redskin Fan and a baseball fan, Nationals, Orioles and Baysox.

I invite different points of views and have nothing against lively discussion as long as they remain civil.

The people I admire living or dead are: Ronald Reagan; Martin Luther King Jr.; Elizabeth Hasselbeck, although I rarely watch the show; Newt Gingrich; Henry Hudson, Judge; James Stewart and John Wayne, actors; Clarence Muse, police detective; Cline Hunnicutt, preacher; Joel Osteen, preacher; Dr. Lois Lee, Children of the Night; Peg Gregson, friend; William "Barry" Wiegand, attorney; Wallace Bradford, police officer; Michael Weiss, friend and Gudger Ray, late father-in-law and farmer.

My admiration for these people varies. I do not necessarily agree or admire every aspect of their lives, nor do I always completely agree with their opinions, but I admire their passion, their determination, their love for their fellow man or woman and their positive approach to life. Five of these people have passed away, but each made a lasting impression on me and my approach to life.

I am a retired vice detective and academy instructor formerly with the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, D.C. I spent 27 years on the street as an investigator. Most of that time, 24 years, was in vice where my primary investigations involved child predators. I was detailed as a Federal Investigator with the U.S. Attorney General's Commission on Pornography in the mid 1980's and wrote part of the final report. I spent another 8 years as an instructor at the police academy doing in-service training and taking every opportunity to train officers and detectives on investigating child predators. I have lectured on pornography or prostitution enforcement at 7 colleges, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the U.S. Postal Service, MAGLOCLEN and the FBI. I am considered an expert on Prostitution and Pornography with the D.C. Superior Court and the U.S. District Court, although I believe expert is not an apt description.

I am a native Washingtonian, been married twice, have six children and ten grandchildren with another on the way. I have written two books, "Shame: The Story of a Pimp," which is only available on-line at Amazon.com, Barnes& Noble.com, Borders.com or through this blog; and "Pimpel," which has not been published as yet, but when it is published this blog will announce it. Both of these books are fiction, basically because I believe that writing a non-fiction book about real sexually exploited children would be further exploitation of that child and I refuse to do it. I wrote about what I know and each book reflects the street as it really is and shows the constant violence and sexual exploitation that takes place. My books are not for children, but demonstrate what these vulnerable children of the street endure. I have also written a number of poems and short stories, which have been published in the FOP Union paper "Simulcast." One of my poems, "Tears on the Wall," was recorded on a CD titled "Heroes Unsung."

I am currently the President of the Writers' League of Washington and invite anyone interested in writing to join our small group. Dues are $10 a year and we meet the first Saturday of every month from October to June at the Chevy Chase Library at Connecticut Avenue and Northampton Street N.W. from 2 pm to 4 pm. Come visit and see what you think. I am also a member of the Public Safety Writers Association and plan to attend their conference in Las Vegas in June. I have entered into several contests and will post the results on this blog in July.