On today's 115th Episode of an all new season of The Thriller Zone, I'm stoked and honored to welcome New York Times Bestselling author, Brad Taylor.

I've been trying to get Brad on The TZ for a long time now, and finally our stars and paths and chicken bones all crossed and connected. And just in the nick of time, as his latest military-flavored thriller, The Devil's Ransom, drops on Tuesday, January 24th.

What perfect timing, right? Brad helps me (a) Kick off a New Year, (b) he officially launches our 4th Season, and (c) we get to compare notes on BBQ, Best Beaches in the country, Texas vs South Carolina (in the fight for Southern Supremacy-ish), and (d) we get the INSIDE SCOOP on where he gets some of the nicknames of his NYT bestselling series.

If you'd like to pre-order a copy today, I'll provide a link at the bottom of this page. And trust me, if you're a PIKE LOGAN fan (his lead guy), you'll snatch this puppy up in a blink!

If you're not familiar with Brad, here's bit of nifty background: Brad Taylor was born on Okinawa, Japan, but grew up on 40-acres in rural Texas. Graduating from the University of Texas, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Infantry, where he served for more than 21 years, retiring as a Special Forces Lieutenant Colonel. During his service, he held numerous Infantry and Special Forces positions, including eight years in 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment – Delta, where he commanded multiple troops and a squadron. Finally, he has conducted operations in support of US national interests in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other classified locations.

Now, just a few things you will hear in the show that I think it's worth noting for future, deeper consideration. Several of them are as follows:

Charleston, South Carolina is a mighty fine city. And worth visiting if you ever get a chance.

Folly Beach is quite possibly one of the nicest beaches on the East Coast.

Mount Pleasant is just as its name states: a pleasant place to live (although there are no mountains in the area).

Lewis Barbecue is one helluva restaurant. It's Texas style, and created by the owner, founder, and master of BBQ, John Lewis. John never cuts corners, unless you’re talking about burnt ends of, course. The pit master’s cult-like following can be attributed to his unerring dedication to barbecue, from welding his own custom-designed smokers to waking up at 4 a.m. to tend to the fire, he takes his meat seriously. Barbecue enthusiasts have flocked to his pits for years, waiting in long lines to get a taste of his expertly smoked pork spareribs, beef ribs, “Texas hot guts” sausage, oxtail, and his legendary beef brisket.

You can stop in and enjoy (but forget reservations) here: 464 N Nassau St, Charleston, SC 29403. Call ahead to see if they have a spot: +1 843 805 9500, but go anyway.

Also, if you're an aspiring writer like me, or a seasoned professional like Brad T, you need a rock-solid, ass-kicking, and super-sexy website. As you'll hear in the show, we're both fans of the dudes & gals over at Authorbytes.com who built, manage and support our sites.

Brad's is: BradTaylorBooks.com. Mine is: DavidTempleBooks.com. You can follow BT on Twitter @bradtaylorbooks and DT @thethrillerzone

Lastly, if you want to buy Brad's THE DEVILS RANSOM, CLICK HERE. I don't get anything from this, I just believe in his talents.

Perhaps in the (near) future, Amazon will bless me with some kind commissions, but they will NEVER come out of YOUR pocket. So there!

Are you still reading?

If you are, you really ARE a fan. Now, click the BUTTON and LISTEN to the podcast, or you can always WATCH right here: YOUTUBE.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Avanti Centrae Giveaway

Avanti Centrae, author of the international bestselling VanOps thriller series has just released her latest thriller, "Cleopatra's Vendetta." Win prizes by going to VanOps.net, use code: thrillerzone for bonus points!

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