What are four things you can’t live without?
EWP: My health, my family, my creativity and imagination, my
work ethic
What is your favorite television show?
EWP: I don’t watch a lot of television shows other than
Jeopardy! When I’m not writing, I like to stream documentaries and web series.
If you could be any character, from any literary work,
who would you choose to be? Why?
EWP: I would be Achilles from The Song of Achilles.
The son of a mortal king and an immortal sea nymph, Achilles befriended a
servant, Patroclus, and they embarked on an epic adventure leading to the Trojan
War. Despite a prophesy that Achilles would be killed in the battle of Troy, he
went ahead and fought, leading his army to several victories until the tides
turned and the prophesy came true when both he and Patroclus were killed in
battle. I liked that Achilles lived life to the fullest, took decisive action,
made mistakes and owned them, knew he was going to die yet stormed ahead
anyway.
What have you got coming soon for us to look out for?
EWP: My next novel is titled Archipelago. It’s the
second book in The Herb Society Mysteries series that will be published
sometime in 2025-26.
What books or authors have most influenced your own
writing?
EWP: James Michener, Steve Berry, John Boyne, Douglas
Stuart, Pajtim Statovci and countless others.
THE POSEIDON PROJECT
E. William Podojil
GENRE: Suspense, Thriller, Mystery
The
Poseidon Project is an international suspense thriller and the first book in
The Herb Society Mysteries series
Molly
Halloran and her friends have a secret past.
Their bucolic retirement is suddenly upended when Molly’s husband is
abducted and held for a steep ransom.
Now she, her friends, her tech executive son, Lukas and his Air Force
pilot boyfriend must race against the clock and travel halfway around the world
to meet the kidnappers’ demands. But
when they learn why her husband has been abducted, they realize how high the
stakes truly are. Molly and her friends
now must face their past in order to save the future. But not only their futures; the world’s.
Excerpt One:
The Spectrum’s
engines roared, providing thrust to power the plane to takeoff speed as it
lurched ahead down the runway. The plane’s power was evident as the
acceleration force held them in their seats. This plane was designed to go
fast, and the cabin was surprisingly quiet. As they hit takeoff speed, Taylor
pulled back, and the nose lifted off the ground, followed shortly by the rest
of the plane. The landing gear retracted immediately into the fuselage.
The passengers
quietly stared out the large porthole windows as the Goose climbed out of
Tucson. It was almost dusk, and Lukas spotted thousands of saguaro cacti
dotting the sides of mountains that cast distorted shadows that looked like
goblins. The exhilarating views captivated everyone. That is, for everyone
except Donna, who sat rigid in her seat, hands clenched and her eyes squeezed
shut. Lukas shot her a thumbs up in thanks to Donna—already not a fan of
flying, but all in for a fifteen-hour flight halfway around the world just to
support her friend. The plane’s angle leveled off, and soon Taylor emerged from
the cockpit, curious how well the passengers had settled into their home for
the next fifteen hours. Linda and Betty had their eyes shut, as Donna
distracted herself with her laptop.
Taylor walked
back to the crew stateroom for a few minutes. He and Diego had a brief
conversation before Diego walked up to the cockpit. Lukas moved toward the back
of the plane to set up his inflight internet connection and workspace. Linda
and Betty awoke, startled and disoriented after their brief power nap, while
Donna adjusted their seats to face each other, a small table between them.
Betty remarked that it reminded her of a train.
“How’re you
doing?” Taylor asked Lukas.
“Just trying to
get set up here. I’ve got a lot of work to do on the way to Dubai. I need to
connect with my team in Croatia to get some data and ideas on how I can get
this ransom together. It’s still early morning there, so I’ll wait a few
hours.”
“Why don’t you
get some sleep until then?” Taylor suggested. I’m gonna try to myself. You
mind?” Taylor pointed to the empty seat next to Lukas.
“Of course
not.” Lukas stood to let him in. Taylor sat and reclined his seat. “I changed
my mind. I’ll let the kids do the first leg, then I’ll replace one of them, and
we rotate like that.”
Lukas saw that
his mom and her friends were already starting to doze off, no doubt tired from
the frenetic day. “Why don’t you sleep with me?” Taylor said, and then caught
himself. “I mean not with me but next to me—you know what I mean. You make me
all tongue-tied, Dr. Halloran.”
“Sure, I could
use a nap. I’m relieved we’re finally on our way.” Lukas reclined his seat to
the same angle as Taylor’s. The cabin was mostly dark, except for the LED
accent lights that glowed a cool blue.
Taylor reached
out and touched Lukas’ hand. “Is this okay?” He then intertwined his fingers
with Lukas’. “This is better than okay. Sleep tight.” Lukas raised their joined
hands and kissed the back of Taylor’s. Pretty soon, their hands were on each
other’s thighs.
Heat rose from
Taylor’s athletic legs.
Despite the
sadness, stress, and emotion of this week, Lukas appreciated the kind soul
sleeping next to him. As he was resting, Lukas suddenly felt a rush of panic.
What am I doing? Random memories of Drew raced through his head as he tried to
calm himself. He tried to rationalize his thoughts. Yes, I just met this guy.
Yes, I promised myself I’d never get hurt again. But he’s such a nice man. What
if he’s psycho? He pulled his hand away from Taylor and eventually calmed his
mind and drifted off to sleep. When Lukas woke up, he noticed his mother
sitting with her eyes open, staring at nothing, either deep in thought or
terrified of something. Lukas walked over to her. “Ma, are you doing okay?”
“I think I’m
okay. I just have a lot on my mind.”
“I know. This
has got to be tough for you...” “Honey, I’m not talking about your father. Of
course, I’m concerned about him, but it’s only a matter of time until we can
see him, hopefully.”
a Rafflecopter giveaway
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Podojil currently resides in Northeast Ohio with his husband and three sons. He travels extensively and writes about his experiences on his website www.ewpodojil.com.
https://www.facebook.com/ewilliampodojil
http://www.twitter.com/EWPodojil
https://www.instagram.com/ewilliampodojil/
