A.J. Tata | The Heroes Among Us

Heroes amaze me.

I have served with them all of my life, whether in combat, education or now in
state government.

In 2007 as deputy commanding general of the troops in Afghanistan we were flying
in a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter that “landed” at the Korengal Outpost in the
general vicinity of, but 18 months after, the combat action made famous by books
such as SEAL of Honor and Lone Survivor. Later the pilots counted eight bullet
holes in our helicopter, sixteen if you count the pass through holes on the
starboard side. Once on the ground, the company commander grabbed my body armor
like a football coach grabs a quarterback’s facemask and moved me to the bunker
as we found ourselves in a three-sided machinegun and RPG ambush.

As we were moving to the bunker, Staff Sergeant William Vile was shot in the
arm, tied off his own tourniquet and began his mission to vector indirect fire
onto the enemy positions. I did what any general would do: I called for air
support as I asked a medic to tend to Sergeant Vile. The sergeant uttered some
words that made the medic leave rather quickly. Vile was continuing his mission
despite his wounds and obvious shock symptoms. After the indirect fire silenced
the primary menacing position, Vile turned to the medic and said, “Now you can
work on me.”

Heroes complete the mission. Heroes stand by their comrades. Heroes subordinate
their own needs to the overall good.

I talk about Sergeant Vile and men and women like him every chance I have.

As superintendent of Wake County (Raleigh) Public School System we had 9,500
teachers and 170 principals who worked with students every day to help them
become the very best they can be. At every school, teachers demonstrated daily
acts of courage, placing their students’ or parents’ needs above their own.

Heroes are everywhere in our communities.

As the Secretary of Transportation for North Carolina I have 12,000 employees
working across the state on highways, railroads, transit systems, airports,
ports, pathways and ferries. Every month we are recognizing brave men and women
for rescuing motorists, saving people from burning homes, or pulling potential
drowning victims from treacherous waters along the coast.

Sergeant Vile, the teacher and government employee are everyday Americans who
place their mission before their own needs and safety.

As I create protagonists, whether it is Amanda Garrett the medical school
student fleeing ISIS terrorists in Mortal Threat or Chayton “Jake” Mahegan, the
Native American errant knight in Foreign and Domestic, the primary
characteristic they must have is to place their mission above their self
interests. Amanda must protect the vaccine for Ebola so that she can serve the
greater good. Mahegan must avenge his friend’s death so that he can both deliver
justice and stop the illegal flow of arms to our enemies. Amanda and Mahegan do
their mission at great risk to themselves.

If there is no risk, where is the challenge? Where is the heroism?

I believe this is the primary reason so many readers enjoy thrillers and
suspense novels. The hero, as in everyday life, places resolution of the main
problem above her or his own safety. It is this sense of
hanging-out-there-on-the-edge that makes the reader say, “Would I do this?” And
whether they would or not, they admire and respect the protagonist for doing so.

The valiant acts of soldiers, teachers or state employees have taught me that
our fictional heroes require the same essence of our everyday heroes. Ignore the
bullet wound to save your comrades. Go the extra mile to make sure the
struggling student learns her gift. Pluck a bobbing recreational sailor from the
windswept seas.

We reward our heroes’ risky but calculated behavior with admiration and
praise…and readership.

Our fictional heroes should amaze us in the same way our real-life heroes do.

About MORTAL THREAT

Medical school student Amanda Garrett and American doctors working secretly in
Africa have found a cure for the Ebola and Human Immunodeficiency Viruses.
Leaders of the Islamic State want the cure so they can show the world Islam is a
benevolent religion that all Africans should follow. The President of the United
States believes an alleged 30,000-year-old Sub-Saharan religious text called The
Book of Catalyst identifies him as being of divine origin. As Amanda operates
her portion of the clandestine CIA Project Nightingale in a Tanzanian orphanage,
she is attacked and chased by brutal killers called The Leopard and The Cheetah.
Amanda has 48 hours to escape across the Serengeti Plain before the remaining
vials of the cure expire.

The Islamic State escalates attacks across the Middle East using freshly
converted fighters from Africa. The American President, however, chooses not to
deploy sufficient troops to save U.S. Special Forces, including Amanda's
husband, assisting in the air war against ISIS. As Amanda attempts to save the
rapidly decomposing formula for the Ebola and HIV cures, she finds herself at
the center of a clash between warring media titans, Jonathan Beckwith and Zhor
al Rhazziq, who are following her every step toward the Olduvai Gorge, which
some scientists claim to be the origin of human life.

Praise for MORTAL THREAT

"When I'm not writing, I like to read, and I read books in my genre. I'm very choosy in my reading and there's a lot to choose from. That's why I like Tony Tata. There is a 'been there, done that' feel to his storytelling, his characters are vivid and engaging, and his plotting is tight and well- paced. So I highly recommend MORTAL THREAT and FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC." — Dick Couch, New York Times Bestselling Author of ACT OF REVENGE and ALWAYS FAITHFUL, ALWAYS FORWARD "...captivating, riveting. Once you start MORTAL THREAT, you won't want to put it down." — Grant Blackwood, New York Times bestselling author of The Briggs Tanner series "AJ Tata's MORTAL THREAT reads at a blistering pace while weaving a cure for Ebola, a 30,000 year old religious document, a president who thinks he's of divine origin, and a burgeoning ISIS threat into a tightly knit plot. Amanda Garrett is a new breakout heroine as she races across the Serengeti to save the cure from the evil men who seek it. Great stuff." — Jeremy Robinson, International Bestselling Author of ISLAND 731 and SECONDWORLD

About A.J. Tata

A.J. Tata is a career paratrooper and infantryman. Retiring as a Brigadier General, he commanded combat units in the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions and the 10th Mountain Division. A West Point graduate and Harvard University National Security Fellow, he is the award winning author of three critically acclaimed novels, SUDDEN THREAT, ROGUE THREAT, and HIDDEN THREAT. He was also a writer in Glenn Beck's New York Times Bestselling MIRACLES AND MASSACRES. Tony has been a frequent foreign policy guest commentator on Fox News, CBS News, and The Daily Buzz. NBC's Today Show featured General Tata's career transition from the army to education leadership. He served as Chief Operations Officer for Washington, DC, Public Schools and then as the superintendent of Schools in Raleigh-Wake County, North Carolina, the sixteenth largest school district in the nation. An avid surfer, he is married to Jodi and has two children, Brooke and Zachary.