Hello Reader,

Today is a National Day of Mourning for President Jimmy Carter. It will also be the memorial service for the former president in the grand National Cathedral. You are also sure to witness one of those rare occasions where all living current and former Presidents appear together in the same photo.

Funerals are a time of reflection, but a presidential funeral is rare. We should consider the extraordinary life and service of one man today. We should also spend time contemplating where we as a nation have come since Watergate, the Miracle on Ice, "Not Just Peanuts," the Islamic Revolution, and Reagan's zeitgeist question: Are you better off than you were four years ago?

And an equally important question: where are we headed together next?

Just remember Mark Twain's quote as we begin Trump Administration Part II: "While history may not repeat, it sure does rhyme."

But for many, is there a reason to feel hopeless? Frustration, disappointment, and dissatisfaction are all natural feelings at least half the nation will be coping with this month. However, hopelessness is not a realm anyone should allow their mind to explore. In fact, if you read to the end of Tree of Liberty, you'll discover just how important hope is as fuel for the human soul to keep us going even when the world around us feels overwhelming.

In the last edition, I gave everyone a bit of a retrospective on 2024. I hope you enjoyed it. If you didn't get around to reading that email, there is a blog post here. It's time for all of us - me included - to set intentions for 2025.

Updates From My Desk

I have appeared on two more podcasts this month - Cover to Cover and Heavy Bored. If you're curious about what I write and why, please listen to one or both of these episodes.

This month, I also started an exciting new project - drafting the screenplay of What It Takes to Kill a Bull Moose in partnership with Joshua Coffey. I hope to share more about that experience on MichaelFedorBooks.com very soon.

For me, 2025 will bring the release of Bull Moose Book #3. I'm about 15,000 words into draft one and discovered an exciting new story thread to explore—why does Sylvester Billings trust Jackson Piper so much? I am exploring the origin story of their relationship in Book 3.

And for those hoping that the Archivist of the United States from Book # 2 - Aurelia Avignon - will be found alive, I have discovered a reason to hold out hope.

(See, there is a reason not every mystery is solved at the end of each book).

So, while I'm at my desk writing furiously, be sure to check out some of these great deals and FREE books I have gathered together for my loyal readers below.

Inspiration for the Week

Back to the future at my keyboard,

Michael Fedor

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