319: Writing in the Tom Clancy Multiverse - Interview with Mike Maden

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hey there word nerds!</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Mike Maden.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mike grew up working in the canneries, feed mills and slaughterhouses of California’s San Joaquin Valley. A lifelong fascination with history and warfare ultimately led to a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California at Davis with a focus on conflict and technology in international relations.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Like millions of others, he first became a Tom Clancy fan after reading</span> <em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">The Hunt for Red October</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and began his published fiction career in the same techno-thriller genre, starting with</span> <em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Drone</span></em> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">and the sequels,</span> <em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Blue Warrior</span></em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">,</span> <em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Drone Command</span></em> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">and</span> <em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Drone Threat</span></em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">. After spending over a decade in Dallas, Maden now lives in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tom Clancy and his unforgettable characters have been a household name for as long as I can remember, and since 2017, Maden brought his ideal background and knowledge of war and tech to the family of Clancy co-authors and collaborators, beginning with</span> <em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Tom Clancy Point of Contact</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">. His books have garnered plenty of attention and acclaim, and his fourth entry in this #1 NYT-bestselling series, titled</span> <em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Tom Clancy Firing Point</span></em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">, is out now.</span></p> <p><span style="f