Author Tom Forest Guest Blogs

Please join me in welcoming author Tom Forest as the special guest blogger here at Thoughts in Progress today.

Tom’s latest release is T-REX VIRUS. Here’s a brief synopsis of it: “In this gripping book, brave Americans face all types of danger as they race against time and circumstances to keep the country safe. A deadly seed is planted as a wandering meteor finds a home on Earth and ends the time of the mighty dinosaurs. It sleeps, undisturbed for 65 million years until unearthed by a beautiful young paleontologist. The dormant disease surges to new life in a minor accident in a university lab. Killing the infected in a matter of days, the virus spreads like nothing ever experienced before by mankind.

As panic rises in the medical field along with the number of casualties, a military force prepares secretly to transport the meteor and its virus to Fort Detrick for intense study. The rock and the team disappear. Now, an offshore megalomaniac pharmaceutical giant possesses the virus and with it the surest chance for a cure. Driven by his insatiable greed, he plans to withhold the cure until the virus has spread worldwide.

FBI Special Agent Dale Fox hits the ground running as he races to recover the geode and the hope of humanity. Battling against time, he tracks and fights an elite team of killers from the pharmaceutical company. Will he succeed before it’s too late? Having contracted the disease himself, the race to find a cure takes on a whole new meaning for our Special Agent.”

Tom is here to answer some questions about his writing.

Thank you for the opportunity to guest post on your blog. I wanted to take a minute and address a couple of questions that I routinely get when people who know me find out that I’ve written a book.

I often get the comment from people that I lead a pretty exciting life, and the truth is that I really do. I have done some amazing things to this point and I certainly don’t plan on stopping anytime soon; from my time in the Marines, to fighting fires, to rescue situations involving caves, high angle entrapments, swift water accidents, train collisions, diving mishaps and even NASCAR. To be sure, there have been some very exciting, adrenaline pumping situations. 
So the next question that often comes up is, “With so much excitement out there, why take time away from that to write books?” I guess my answer to that is multi-faceted. First, I write because I love to write, there is a simple joy in writing down words on the page and seeing stories take shape. Creating something out of just the thoughts in my head is fulfilling. 

One of the other reasons I write is to give back. I love hearing from a reader, who from the pages of my book is able to vicariously at least, live out their lifelong dream of deep sea diving or some other adventure. If sharing my experiences will somehow add to the lives of others out there, if they can take some excitement, or passion, or even a short break from the hassle and stress of their own lives, then my efforts will have been well rewarded.   

The last reason I write is for balance. Just as a the muscles in our bodies function based on the balanced resistance of other paired muscles, writing exercises that sometimes neglected muscle between my ears, and helps me maintain balance in my life.

Tom, thanks for guest blogging here today. I especially like the part of giving back. From a reader’s view point, writers do help with everyday stress and problems by giving us worlds and situations to which we can escape for a little while.

Now for a bit of background on Tom. He draws on his knowledge as a former US Marine and a Supervisor of Rescue Operations in the civilian world. With an action-filled life, he has many personal experiences to share with his characters. Weaving real life with the “what ifs,” Tom has created a modern action story that enthralls those who read. A new hero has been born in this story, one who doesn’t hesitate to do what’s needed to get the job done. For more on Tom and his book, visit his website http://www.tomforest.com/ where you can also view a video of his interview on Fox News 13.

Share your thoughts on why take time to write.