Conspirator's Odyssey by A.K. Kuykendall

Description: In 1947, in the rural town of Roswell, New Mexico, a series of UFO’s crash-land in an area later designated as Area 51. A massive cover-up is launched. The intent: to conceal plans to strengthen the U.S. by using the genetic material from the recovered alien bodies to create the first wave of super-human soldiers. Skip forward to 1965: In order to field test the resulting serum, the strategic plot to invade Vietnam evolves, but the experiment fails miserably, as the soldiers who are tested suffer volatile unstable reactions making them prime targets for capture and slaughter.

On October 3, 1998, U.S. Army Ranger Captain Kalista Flaker is given an order of assassination. Everything seems routine until she discovers that instead of destroying the enemy, her orders are to kill her very own; to eliminate any living POW’s remaining in Vietnam, then assassinate her own team of Army Rangers and Navy Seals. If all goes according to plan, Kalista is to be the sole survivor of the mission. Ignoring the commands of her superiors, Kalista manages to return from Vietnam with her comrade Lieutenant Buckner and a vial of blood slipped to her by one of the American POW’s prior to his elimination. With no detailed knowledge of the reasons behind the mission and a growing crisis of conscience as she’s forced to question her loyalty to a nation she’s sworn to protect, Kalista sets out on her own fact-finding mission. Her discoveries lead her to assume leadership of a secret organization sworn to defeat those who would conspire against the United States; even those who often are found within the agencies of the U.S. Government itself.

AUTHOR'S BIO

A dedicated husband and a father of three, A.K. Kuykendall was born in Albany, Georgia and grew up as a military brat on the Kaneohe Bay Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH) located in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii and later at the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base located in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

A Corporate Executive Chef by trade, his true passion in life is writing thought-provoking novels that blends the concepts of fact and fiction. Conspiracy, espionage, horror, and suspense literature are particular favorites! He has an infectious love of bringing women to the surface in his literature where so many men and/or women authors fall short. This is why Mr. Kuykendall prides himself on writing stories with women as his protagonist’s.

Book Readers Review

The plot of Conspirator’s Odyssey takes the reader through many eras’ of U.S.A history, conspiracy theories, military, sci-fi, and a little romance.  This is an interesting story for those who love conspiracy.  The author has obviously done his research into the historical events that are portrayed.  He has added his own ideas to the conspiracy’s which could be believable for a few and somewhat ‘far-fetched’ for others. The storyline is complex and detailed, if not a bit confusing at the start.  There is a great deal of moving from present to past. If you are not careful and take note of the dates heading the chapters, may easily loose the thread.  Interestingly, the main character is a woman special Ops soldier, Kalista Flaker.  She and her team are sent on a suicide mission by the government.  She becomes obsessed with attempting to find out what is behind the government’s decision.  Kalista uncovers disturbing events past and present.

A.K. Kuykendall has achieved a very interesting technique in his writing.  His style and voice are authentic and memorable. My interest in conspiracy’s, action and adventure, drew me to this book.  I did find parts of the theories and events not quite in the realm of believable but that is the author’s creative licence.  The historical details, story line, strong characters, and flow of events are excellent.  The only issue I have is the sci-fi addition.  Generally, I do not choose to read or review sci-fi books.  But overall, I would highly recommend this book to those who love a good conspiracy and adventure with the element of sci-fi.     

Welcome to my blog A. K .  Thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions about yourself and your book.

Q:	Tell us about your latest work—title, genre, etc. — and why you wrote it?
A:	My latest project is a thriller entitled The Evolution of the Patron Saint, book #1 in the Conspirator’s Odyssey series. I wrote it because as a young man and a United States Marine Corp brat for the better part of my existence, I grew up with the smell of fatigues, which lingered regularly about the many bases my family and I both visited and resided—the pungent aroma trailing me as I made my way through life. Along with my cravings that border on the obsessive for ready-to-eat military stock meals referred to as MRE’s; I was brought up to appreciate the protocol embedded in me by the military’s code of conduct. On the other side of the coin and throughout my days I was unusually vigilant in historic readings, literature of all genres, and with the media goings-on in the world as I witnessed it all from an obscured perch I dubbed Forte Kuykendall. As the days in my life ticked by and as history played itself out before my eyes, I continually found myself at a loss for words in reflection of the many tempestuous global occurrences. There was entirely too much upheaval in the world and I couldn’t get my head around it all. This is when I decided to prioritize and I allowed my passions to take hold. And though I was born eleven years after his assassination, the late John F. Kennedy became my focus and with this came a torrent of unintelligible doors I instinctively knew neither I nor anyone else was meant to have opened. In reflection of my time as a military brat witnessing deployment time and time again on behalf of our nation, from what I had discovered; I was then and still am to this very day floored by the rampant political corruption that has covertly reduced our American soldiers to blind defenders and lambs for the slaughter. In searching for answers through a copious research process, a highly complex puzzle began to form with both eerie and true-to-life connections. And in my desperate need to make sense of it all I pushed on; exhaustively researching every angle that presented itself to me when I made a connection that, at first, even I could hardly believe. I discovered the true meaning behind former President Dwight David Eisenhower’s January 17, 1961 farewell address to the nation. By playing on the complexities within my own research, I decided to use the very same historical information that led to this discovery to present a plausible backdrop and Conspirator’s Odyssey was born.
Q:	What draws you to your genre(s)? Why is this type of story compelling to you?
A:	What draws me to my genre(s) is the possible avenues where truth can be seamlessly buried and eventually deciphered by a reader’s enlightened mind. This type of story is compelling to me because when it comes to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, many too often proclaim that they don’t read fiction. However, the word theory by definition is a supposition or a system of ideas intended to explain something, especially one based on general principles independent of the thing to be, i.e. the convoluted conundrum of the John F. Kennedy assassination. So if they read anything on the JFK assassination, they’re reading what they refer to as fiction because every author approaches the assassination of President John F. Kennedy from a theoretical prospective.
Q:	What is your writing process like? Do you map the whole thing out or do you just let it unfold?
A:	No particular process! I allow the story to unfold naturally. This method has served me well.
Q:	What kind of research was involved?
A:	Due to the true-to-life subject matter of this particular project, it’s the kind of research so guarded that I cannot, for the sake of you and I, reveal it.
Q:	How much of YOU makes it into your characters?
A:	All of me!
Q:	How do you balance the need to have time to write with the needs of family, society, etc.?
A:	Strategically!
Q:	Have there been any authors in particular, that inspired your writing?
A:	What inspires me is lengthy and convoluted as I’ve been inspired by many factions throughout my life. The world is beautiful; lending so much to the cause of many artists from all walks of life and artistic shticks. My life has been one marred with complexities I’m literally writing my way through. Though I haven’t perfected this chosen path, I will continue to follow this invisible muse through to the end. Inspirations are abundant! Some of my favorites are Rod Serling’s 1959—1964 series the Twilight Zone to The Mercury Theatre’s October 30, 1938 broadcast of The War of the Worlds over the Columbia Broadcasting System radio; where actor Orson Welles continues to frighten the hell out of me. What H.G. Wells created has been a huge inspiration for me. I’ve long been particularly fond the poetry of Emily Dickinson, John Keats, Robert Browning, John Ruskin, Sir Thomas Brown, and the novels of George Elliot, Charlette and Emily Bronte, Stephen King, Rick Hautala, Michael Marshall, Bram Stoker, Mary Shelly, Robert Louis Stevenson, James Patterson, Jack Higgins, S.E. Chase, and Nicholas Sparks to name a few.
Q:	Is there a story you want to tell behind or about your work(s)?
A:	Oh yeah! It is, after all, the reason my official author’s website is aptly referred to as “the site where truth reads through fiction”.
Q:	What other projects are you currently working on or about to start?
A:	I’m gathering pertinent US classified Intel as a stepping stone for the next book in the Conspirator’s Odyssey series entitled Origin.
Q:	Could you share some of your marketing strategies?  Which ones are the most effective in your opinion?
A:	No, I cannot share some or any of my marketing strategies as I’m a writer not a marketing agent. However, what I find appropriate for me in this dog-eat-dog business is to keep moving forward without pause as my fingers burn behind the keys of my typewriter, the lettering fading with every thoughtful strike. The many words I write I dare not stall; my mind perpetually alert for my magnum opus call.
Q:	What would be the top five, (or 3 or 1 or however many) things you would tell aspiring authors?
A:	First, I admire anyone who’d dare brave the waters of my chosen shtick and who’d step foot into an area of artistry that I find so fascinating. Your level of experience is of no concern to me as you’ve chosen to step into the same waters as us all. You’ve chosen to put brush to your canvas and I stand in support therefore you have my vote. I’m sure your painting’s [figuratively speaking] will eventually gain the admiration of many, but for now you must arm yourself with the strongest tool a writer could ever have at their disposal: and editor. Remember, you are the ideas craftsman, but an editor’s core objective is to bring said ideas into focus. Be smart when hiring an editor and learn from the editorial. Compare your original work to that of the editorial. This, I believe, will be the strongest path for any writer. Last but not least, each of us has a duty to inform the masses about our chosen shtick because everyone needs to know why we love the written word. Why we write. Why we put ink to paper. Why we dare to proclaim ourselves storytellers in a world where books and reading are damn near second to the moving story. Why we covertly, overtly, and strategically attempt to journey all back to a time when the imagination was our collective muse. Books are inanimate objects and only animate when a reader lightly peels back that first page and allows the story to unfold—lighting a robust fire under the ass of a reader’s dormant imagination. We are authors! We were once gods of villages at a time children and elders, nightly, sat at our feet anxious to lend an ear to our words. As writers we must make it abundantly clear to all, that supporting our efforts in every way is a noble undertaking. So as you take your next steps as a writer wherever your career happens to be at present, stand tall and let the world know exactly who we are and why we deserve support. Again, thanks A.K.  for taking the time to share your knowledge with us. We appreciate you and your work. Good luck with your current and future publications. For more information:  Name: A.K. Kuykendall Email: info@thewriterofbooks.com Book Title: Conspirator’s Odyssey [The Evolution of the Patron Saint] Available: Amazon, B&N, etc. Blog/Website URL: www.thewriterofbooks.com Video URL: http://youtu.be/EXB9jt854ZY