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Executive Order 14900 by Gary A. Keel
Aperture Press
$28.94, hardcover / $15.95, paperback
ISBN: 978-1-7329329-1-3
October, 2018
Fiction: Mystery/Thriller
Available from your local bookstore or www.Amazon.com
A power-hungry president, a constitutional crisis, and a democracy in peril… President Jerome Elliott was elected with overwhelming support from the American people. His populist platform and soaring promises captivated voters. But now, after a series of increasingly unorthodox policy decisions and suspicions of sinister motives, a shadow gathers over the White House.
When thirty-four state governors call for a constitutional convention to reform the federal government, Elliott fears losing control. In a desperate attempt to hold power, he orders the revered 82nd Airborne Division to march on the convention and arrest its participants as domestic insurgents. The Georgia National Guard mobilizes to stop them, and the two forces clash in the small town of Madison. These actions echo across the nation, polarizing the populace and threatening to erupt into violence between the people and their government.
Meanwhile, television reporters Nicole Marcel and Luke Harper race to discover the truth behind President Elliott’s actions, while United Nations investigator Percy Leach digs deep into Elliott’s past. Chasing facts and whispers alike, they uncover the roots of dark truths that, if realized, risk sundering the very fabric of American democracy.
Gary A. Keel’s upbringing in Hope, Indiana, revolved around family, the Moravian Church, and sports. His father, an Eisenhower Republican and decorated World War II veteran, exposed him to politics through hunting trips with local politicians, and discussions during poker games at the local American Legion Hall. His mother, a Great Society/War on Poverty Democrat, exposed him to pressing social issues by taking him on trips into the back woods to introduce the rural poor to social welfare programs.
He enlisted in the military, spending a year in Vietnam where many childhood ideals were challenged. A degree in political science and a graduate degree in Public Administration from Indiana University led to his career with the federal government, where he moved up the hierarchy to executive level positions. He was appointed by Ronald Reagan to a task force designed to set up Inspector Generals throughout the government. When George W. Bush was elected, he was appointed to a political position where he gained an intricate understanding of government.
Milestones in his career included talking to Secretary of State Colin Powell the morning of his infamous WMD speech at the UN, and a discussion with Bono about his philanthropic projects in Africa. He worked with special assistants to Leonid Brezhnev and Nobel Prize winner Lech Walesa on business development programs in Russia and Poland. His work on economic development projects around the world included a geothermal plant in India, sanitary wells in Kenya, and entry-level housing development in South Africa. When NAFTA was adopted, he worked with maquiladoras in Mexico.
The above provided a backdrop for his novel Executive Order 14900 and its sequels, which together form the compelling Strife in America series.