If everything goes according to plan, Briggs Tanner is the name to remember.

Friday, April 06, 2001

If everything goes according to plan, Briggs Tanner is the name to remember.

Tanner’s name will rank with those of Dirk Pitt and Jack Ryan among popular fiction-readers.

Perhaps, the movie role of Tanner will be cast by day-dreaming fans. A mature Leonardo DiCaprio or Ben Affleck with an edge?

Dare we compare Tanner with 007 himself?

Tanner will be introduced this spring in "The End of Enemies," a novel of international intrigue by Grant Blackwood, making his debut as an author.

The Penguin-Putnam Inc. / Berkley paperback goes on sale May 8.

None other than Clive Cussler, the best-selling author of "Raise the Titanic, Sahara and Inca Gold," plus nine other Dirk Pitt tales is a Blackwood fan.

In cover quotes for the debut effort, Cussler is quoted as saying, "Pure fun, pure adventure. The action and intrigue keep accelerating without any attempt to brake. Grant Blackwood spins his tale with incredible ease."

So convinced Blackwood has the right recipe for a best-seller of his own, the publishers have ordered a first print run of 75,000 to 150,000 and purchased his next novel.

In addition to Cussler, the publisher has techno-thriller author Tom Clancy in its stable as well as John Camp, also known as John Sandford, author of the "Prey" series, detailing the adventures of Lucas Davenport, the fictional Minneapolis police investigator.

Camp/Sandford recommended the literary agent – his own – with whom Blackwood eventually signed.

And Blackwood is sure to succeed with the endorsement of Jackie Robinson. The retired travel agent and her husband, Dick, praise "The End of Enemies."

After all, the author is the same person, who used to hang out at the Robinson home when he was a next-door teenager.

"He used to spend time at our house when he was a teen-ager with our kids. I’ve read an uncorrected copy of his book and it is very good. Very, very good," said Mrs. Robinson.

Blackwood accepts the praise matter-of-factly.

"I really appreciate what they are saying about the book," he said.

Blackwood, the son of a former Hormel Foods Corporation executive, moved to Austin with his family in 1977 and lived here for seven years.

After reading a non-fiction book about the Middle East, Blackwood was intrigued. "I realized what a fascinating place it was," he said. "To me, it was baffling, because there was so much going on. The roots of the conflicts there were hundreds of years old and based on ancient hatreds."

"It (The End of Enemies) grew out of that," he said. "Basically, it’s a story that answers the question: ‘If somebody really wanted to ruin the whole political environment in the Middle East, how would they do it?’"

The prologue is set aboard a submarine in World War II, but the actual story starts 60 years later and, well, it will cost $7.99 U.S. or $10.99 Canadian to learn any more about Briggs Tanner, because that’s all Blackwood will say about his book.

Blackwood has enjoyed writing creatively since high school and continuing throughout adulthood. He is 37.

He was an operations specialist in the area of pilot rescue for the Navy.

His first novel remains in the sock drawn of a bedroom dresser of his home. He calls it a "practice novel" and admits it didn’t attract a publisher.

After five drafts of an outline, his second novel "felt good" to the author and when it crossed an editor’s desk at the publisher, it was accepted.

Now, Blackwood is making himself available for interviews and scheduling book-signing parties.

Blackwood lives in Rochester and has made a quick study of the publishing business.

"The interesting thing about the book industry nowadays is that publishers are looking for authors that bring them a product that doesn’t need a lot of editing," he said. "If you can bring them a book that is already well-edited and doesn’t need a lot of work, they’re that much happier."

After the debut novel, Blackwood will deliver another book this summer, involving the derring do of his hero Tanner.

Call Lee Bonorden at 434-2232 or e-mail him at newsroom@austindailyherald.com.