Tom Rizzo Newsletter

Thanks for subscribing to my newsletter, a regular communiqué featuring:

• Information, announcements, and inside information about my forthcoming novel and other writing projects
• Special offers/discounts and contests for member subscribers
• Sample chapters
• Book reviews
• A peek behind the scenes of the fictional world of history, action and adventure

Follow me on Facebook, and be sure to "Like" or "Add to My Favorites" on my Fan page. To distinguish it from the personal Facebook page (Thomas Rizzo), I'm calling it Tom Rizzo. Clever, huh? It is new, and stands as a work-in-progress.

Find me on Twitter http://twitter.com/TomRizzoWrites

For One Battle-Weary Union Spy, the War Is Not Over

My debut novel, LAST STAND AT BITTER CREEK, will be available soon.

This historical action adventure novel focuses on a burned-out Union Army spy who wants to quit, but reluctantly agrees to one last mission. The decision entangles him in an intricate conspiracy that almost costs him his life, and leaves him struggling for redemption and justice. It's a story of murder, betrayal, revenge and deception. Blended into the story are three actual historical events.

The Prologue is available at TomRizzo.com.

And, when you subscribe to my (FREE) newsletter, you'll receive a link to read three sample chapters of LAST STAND AT BITTER CREEK.

Espionage Played Significant Role in Civil War and Beyond

Spies played a key role in the U.S Civil War, but it wasn't until 1863 that the North established the Bureau of Military Intelligence—the first organized unit responsible for gathering and analyzing intelligence.

In addition to the seventy operatives who worked for the BMI, the Union relied on other tactics to for inside information, including the interrogation of prisoners-of-war, newspaper articles, refugees, and various documents left behind on battlefields by Confederate officers, who were either killed or fled.

Both sides used a broad range of intelligence gathering methods, including balloons, signal towers and codes and ciphers.

Reader more here about America's secret war within a war.

Mission Impossible Gadgets Not Impossible

If you like lots of action, thrills and contemporary spy missions, check out the latest Tom Cruise flick—Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. This high-octane adventure starts fast and never lets up. Improbable? Absolutely. At least that's what I thought at first.

But, from I've read, the high-tech gadgets utilized in the film are more possible than impossible.

One of the more memorable scenes shows Cruise scaling a skyscraper in Dubai with electromagnetic gloves. According to former Delta Force commander, the technology is real.

Check here out whether the other gadgets featured in the film rank as possible or impossible.

See you next time.
Tom Rizzo