Mike Maden

Last updated

Mike Maden
Born1960 (age 63–64)
Antioch, California, U.S.
OccupationWriter
Alma mater University of California, Davis
Genre
Years active2013–present
Notable works
Tom Clancy: Point of Contact
Drone
Website
mikemaden.com

Mike Maden (born 1960) is an American novelist. He is well known for the Jack Ryan Jr. novels, which are part of the Tom Clancy universe, as well as for the Drone series of techno-thrillers.

Contents

Early life

Maden was born and raised in California’s San Joaquin Valley, where he later worked in the food packaging department for years. [1] He graduated from the University of California in Davis with a doctorate degree in political science, majoring in international relations and comparative politics.

Maden lived in Dallas, Texas from 1995 to 2014, where he worked for Common Grace Ministries. [2] He served as a political consultant and campaign manager in state and national elections, and also hosted his own local weekly radio show for a year. [3]

Maden also worked as a screenwriter and producer for TV shows and films in Hollywood. His works included the web TV series Pink (2007–2009), which won a Streamy Award, [4] Continuum (2012), and the movie Sunny in the Dark (2015). [5]

Career

Maden made his literary debut with Drone in 2014, which was initially the outcome of a challenge posed to him by his friends who are authors. A techno-thriller featuring protagonist Troy Pearce, its relative national success spawned three more sequels: Blue Warrior (2015), Drone Command (2015), and Drone Threat (2016). [6]

Maden is a Tom Clancy fan from reading The Hunt for Red October back in graduate school. He elaborated that "Tom Clancy’s genius was to bring current technology into stories in a powerful and entertaining way, but he also created some of the most compelling characters in the genre—a genre he essentially invented. No one can ever replace him or even imitate him." [7] On February 20, 2017, The Real Book Spy announced that Grant Blackwood, as well as Mark Greaney, is leaving the Tom Clancy franchise. Blackwood was replaced by Maden for the Jack Ryan Jr. novels slated for release in the summer. Speaking of Maden's inclusion into the franchise, longtime Tom Clancy editor Tom Colgan, who is also Maden's editor, stated: “I had read and loved Mike Maden’s Troy Pearce series, so he was the first person I thought of for the Jack Jr. books and I have to say that it’s been a blast working with him on Tom Clancy Point of Contact." [8]

Speaking about his inclusion into the Tom Clancy universe, Maden remarked: "It was the probably the greatest literary moment of my life. It was also the most terrifying, because basically I was told, 'Feel free to add to the canon — just don't mess it up.'" [9] His first contribution to the series, Tom Clancy: Point of Contact (2017), debuted at number three on the New York Times bestseller list, making it his first and highest charting work on the list. [10] It was followed by sequels Tom Clancy: Line of Sight , released on June 12, 2018, [11] and Tom Clancy: Enemy Contact , released on June 11, 2019. [12]

Bibliography

Troy Pearce / Drone series

Jack Ryan Jr. series

Featuring characters created by Tom Clancy

The Oregon Files

Featuring characters created by Clive Cussler

Filmography

Television

Writer

  • Pink (2007–2009)
  • Exposed (2010)
  • Raspberry Jam (2011 short)
  • Continuum (2012)
  • Quantum Dawn (2018)

Producer

  • Quantum Dawn (2018)

Film

Writer

  • Sunny in the Dark (2015)

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<i>Point of Contact</i> (novel)

Point of Contact is a techno-thriller novel, written by Mike Maden and released on June 13, 2017. Set in the Tom Clancy universe, the novel depicts Jack Ryan Jr. as he helps avert a North Korean plot to crash the Asian stock market, along with his Hendley Associates colleague Paul Brown, in Singapore. Point of Contact marks Maden’s debut as the sole author of the Jack Ryan Jr. novels, succeeding Grant Blackwood. It debuted at number 3 on the New York Times bestseller list.

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<i>Power and Empire</i>

Power and Empire is a political thriller novel, written by Marc Cameron and released on November 28, 2017. Set in the Tom Clancy universe, President Jack Ryan and The Campus must prevent a secret cabal heightening the tensions between the United States and China from causing a violent coup in the Chinese government. Power and Empire is Cameron's first book in the Jack Ryan series, succeeding Mark Greaney. It debuted at number six on the New York Times bestseller list.

<i>Line of Sight</i> (novel) 2018 novel by Mike Maden

Line of Sight is a techno-thriller novel, written by Mike Maden and released on June 12, 2018. It is his second book in the Jack Ryan Jr. series, which is part of the overall Tom Clancy universe. In the novel, Ryan has to avert a sinister plot by Serb extremists to provoke war between NATO and the Russians in the Balkans. It debuted at number three on the New York Times bestseller list.

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Oath of Office is a techno-thriller novel, written by Marc Cameron and published on November 27, 2018. Set in author Tom Clancy's "Ryanverse," universe, President Jack Ryan and The Campus deal with a sinister plot behind a series of protests in Iran, dubbed the Persian Spring. Oath of Office is Cameron's second book in the Jack Ryan series. The book debuted at number eight on the New York Times bestseller list.

<i>Enemy Contact</i>

Enemy Contact is a techno-thriller novel, written by Mike Maden and released on June 11, 2019. It is his third book in the Jack Ryan Jr. series, which is part of the overall Tom Clancy universe. The novel depicts a breach in the U.S. intelligence community that is connected to Ryan's mission in Poland. It debuted at number three on the New York Times bestseller list.

<i>Code of Honor</i> (Cameron novel) 2019 novel by Marc Cameron

Code of Honor is a techno-thriller novel, written by Marc Cameron and published on November 19, 2019. It is his third book in the Jack Ryan series.

<i>Firing Point</i> 2020 novel by Mike Maden

Firing Point is a techno-thriller novel, written by Mike Maden and released on June 9, 2020. It is his fourth and final book in the Jack Ryan Jr. series, which is part of the overall Tom Clancy universe. In the novel, Ryan investigates an old friend's death while vacationing in Barcelona, Spain. It debuted at number three on the New York Times bestseller list.

References

  1. ↑ "Mike Maden (Author Webpage of Official Website)" . Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  2. ↑ Martindale, David (June 8, 2018). "Former Dallasite Mike Maden used to read Tom Clancy novels; now he writes them" . Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Mike Maden". PenguinRandomHouse.com. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  4. ↑ Powell, Jenni (September 8, 2009). "'Pink' Anniversary, Interview With Streamy-Winning Director Blake Calhoun (Part 1)". Tubefilter. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Mike Maden". IMDb.com. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Mike Maden - Book Series in Order". September 8, 2017. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Tom Clancy - Posts". Facebook . Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  8. ↑ Steck, Ryan (February 20, 2017). "Exclusive: Big Changes Coming To The Tom Clancy Universe In 2017". TheRealBookSpy.com. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  9. ↑ Martindale, David (June 8, 2018). "Former Dallasite Mike Maden used to read Tom Clancy novels; now he writes them" . Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Combined Print & E-Book Fiction Books - Best Sellers - July 2, 2017 - The New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
  11. ↑ Amazon.com: Tom Clancy Line of Sight (A Jack Ryan Jr. Novel). ISBN   0735215928.
  12. ↑ Maden, Mike (2019). Tom Clancy Enemy Contact (A Jack Ryan Jr. Novel). ISBN   978-0525541691.
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