Rothstein draws on his experience as a political strategist and media manager to craft a political thriller of epic scale
“An enthralling protagonist at the heart of a gripping tale!” – Kirkus Reviews
“For intrigue and suspense The Latina President rivals anything I’ve ever read about campaign politics.” — U.S. Senator Tom Daschle, former Senate Majority Leader.
“Joe Rothstein spent decades living in the real world of political drama. Now he’s packed all of that experience into a riveting political work of fiction that is a guaranteed page turner.” — U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan, former chairman, Senate Democratic Policy Committee and best-selling N.Y. Times author.
“Powerful fiction, directly relevant to growing risks now facing us as individuals and the stability of our entire global financial system.” — U.S. Senator Don Riegle, former Chairman, Senate Banking Committee.
“A gripping tale about our country’s first Latina president and her unbelievable rise and fall. Couldn’t put it down. How does one say ‘spell-binding’ in Spanish?” — Dick Lobo, award-winning journalist and broadcast executive.
”Other than sleep and working today I have not been able to stop reading for a moment!”
“This will make an amazing movie someday!!!”
“An exciting book to read from someone who has seen politics up close and personal.”
“Full of suspense and plenty of sub plots from beginning to end.”
“His words placed me there along with the characters.”
“I started it on Sunday evening and had to make myself stop reading at 1 am Monday morning.”
“It hops, skips and jumps with lively and witty dialogue and three-dimensional characters.”
“Starts with the most dramatic, engaging prologue I’ve encountered in years.”
“No wasted words or artificially contrived scenarios for the author, who knows what he’s writing about though years of real-world experience.”
“His characters are often duplicitous, ingenuous, deceitful and murderous.”
“If you miss this one, you will miss a nail biter of a story.”
“Surprisingly evoked a rollercoaster of emotions.”
“This book came to me as a gift, and what a great gift it was.”
“You’ll be thinking about this book long after you finish it.”
“Best and most entertaining novel I have read since I read the DaVinci Code.”
Why I Write
(Interview with Joe Rothstein, Washington Independent Review of Books)
Given our current political climate, it’s hard to imagine writing DC-themed fiction that’s stranger than truth, but Joe Rothstein has done just that in his new novel, The Moment of Menace: The Future Looks Glorious…Unless We All Die First. Rothstein, whose long career spans both politics and literature, braids the two worlds together in a riveting story that gives readers a glimpse of what our democracy could become — for better or worse.
Your deep knowledge of politics comes through in this book. Is it challenging writing fictional stories about a very real system?
Think about what it means to be a candidate. Depending on the political office at stake, you will need to raise considerable campaign money, much of it by personally asking friends, family, co-workers, strangers. In a real sense, you will have to learn to beg. You will have to hire a professional staff and recruit dozens, hundreds, possibly thousands of volunteers, a hugely difficult exercise in high-pressure management. You will need to appear in public every day, sometimes in the media, weighing every word lest it be misinterpreted, often purposely, by the opposition.
Tension will increase as Election Day approaches, whether the polls have you ahead or behind. The money won’t be enough. The attacks on your character will increase, all in public media. Your family will feel under siege. You will get conflicting advice. Every day, you will need to make decisions, any one of which could cause you to win or lose the election. This is stuff of high drama, and I lived it through more than 200 campaigns. Marriages were…destroyed, so were reputations, wealth, hopes, and dreams. I don’t need to use my imagination to develop characters and situations. I just need to remember.
Your novel follows a charismatic American president named Isabel Aragon Tennyson. How did you shape this character?
During my campaign career, I met many strong, capable, and courageous women: candidates, spouses, campaign leaders, and others. We’ve never elected a woman president. I decided that I would, and that she would be a composite of many women I met who would have made great real-life presidents.
This book is as much a dystopian novel as a thriller. Do you find it difficult to approach the dystopia genre without being overly pessimistic?
I’m a democrat with both a small and capital D. But democracy is struggling to effectively meet the challenges of the 21st century. And because democracy is underperforming, anti-democratic forces are presenting a serious challenge. It’s essential to recognize and meet this challenge. So, I write not as a purveyor of doom but rather with a call to action. Rather than write essays about this, I’ve chosen to write entertaining thrillers and wrap them around real public problems.
What does waiting to write until you’ve gained some life experience bring to the resulting work?
Perspective. The curved edges of “good” and “evil” and “right” and “wrong.” Living through chapters of life to see many of them resolve, gaining insight from experience.
What’s next for you?
One of my summer-vacation jobs in college was with an automobile stunt show, sort of a car circus of smashed cars, daredevil motorcyclists, and a finale with a car and driver being shot out of a cannon. We traveled the country as the Motor Olympics. I was “Suicide Saunders.” That’s my next book.
Welcome to my corner of the Internet. It’s where I talk about my novels and about current events. I have a lot to discuss.
I sat down to write my first book when I was in my 20s. It didn’t take long for me to realize that I could not write a book because I had nothing useful to say. I’d have to live my life first. Among other things, between then and now:
–I was the advance man for a traveling automobile stunt show. In the act I was “Suicide Saunders.” (That’s my next book).
–I sat, as an aide to the governor of Alaska, in the private quarters of the top military commander in Alaska, while he clutched a red telephone expecting a call telling him we were at nuclear war with Russia over the Cuban missile crisis.
–I experienced the most powerful earthquake in U.S. history, in Alaska, and worked on rebuilding in the aftermath.
–I became editor of a daily newspaper, The Anchorage Daily News, before I was 30.
–I flew as a passenger with the Navy’s Blue Angels (and have the photo to prove it).
—-As chief of staff of a United States Senator I was deeply involved in the Pentagon Papers episode.
–I was political consultant to Congressman Peter Rodino of New Jersey as he presided of Richard Nixon’s impeachment.
–I worked as strategist and media producer to help elect and re-elect nine U.S. Senators, dozens of members of Congress, and countless other candidates.
–I’ve started five businesses, one which went public, and another that’s become an important Internet news distribution service.
–Also, I’ve had the experience of raising four sons and, among other things, coaching their Little League baseball team, which was one of the most intense political experiences I’ve ever had.
And now, in my 80s, I’ve written three novels with two more in progress. Having something to say no longer is an obstacle.
My first three novels feature a charismatic Mexican-American heiress who becomes the president of the United States and is confronted with a series of events like none other in U.S. history.
I hope you enjoy them. And if my words and thoughts in these novels and my current events blogs prompt responses from you, please share them with me at jrothstein@rothstein.net.
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“An enthralling protagonist at the heart of a gripping tale!” – Kirkus Reviews
“For intrigue and suspense The Latina President rivals anything I’ve ever read about campaign politics.” — U.S. Senator Tom Daschle, former Senate Majority Leader.
“Joe Rothstein spent decades living in the real world of political drama. Now he’s packed all of that experience into a riveting political work of fiction that is a guaranteed page turner.” — U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan, former chairman, Senate Democratic Policy Committee and best-selling N.Y. Times author.
“Powerful fiction, directly relevant to growing risks now facing us as individuals and the stability of our entire global financial system.” — U.S. Senator Don Riegle, former Chairman, Senate Banking Committee.
“A gripping tale about our country’s first Latina president and her unbelievable rise and fall. Couldn’t put it down. How does one say ‘spell-binding’ in Spanish?” — Dick Lobo, award-winning journalist and broadcast executive.
”Other than sleep and working today I have not been able to stop reading for a moment!”
“This will make an amazing movie someday!!!”
“An exciting book to read from someone who has seen politics up close and personal.”
“Full of suspense and plenty of sub plots from beginning to end.”
“His words placed me there along with the characters.”
“I started it on Sunday evening and had to make myself stop reading at 1 am Monday morning.”
“It hops, skips and jumps with lively and witty dialogue and three-dimensional characters.”
“Starts with the most dramatic, engaging prologue I’ve encountered in years.”
“No wasted words or artificially contrived scenarios for the author, who knows what he’s writing about though years of real-world experience.”
“His characters are often duplicitous, ingenuous, deceitful and murderous.”
“If you miss this one, you will miss a nail biter of a story.”
“Surprisingly evoked a rollercoaster of emotions.”
“This book came to me as a gift, and what a great gift it was.”
“You’ll be thinking about this book long after you finish it.”
“Best and most entertaining novel I have read since I read the DaVinci Code.”
Rothstein draws on his experience as a political strategist and media manager to craft a political thriller of epic scale
Why I Write
(Interview with Joe Rothstein, Washington Independent Review of Books)
Given our current political climate, it’s hard to imagine writing DC-themed fiction that’s stranger than truth, but Joe Rothstein has done just that in his new novel, The Moment of Menace: The Future Looks Glorious…Unless We All Die First. Rothstein, whose long career spans both politics and literature, braids the two worlds together in a riveting story that gives readers a glimpse of what our democracy could become — for better or worse.
Your deep knowledge of politics comes through in this book. Is it challenging writing fictional stories about a very real system?
Think about what it means to be a candidate. Depending on the political office at stake, you will need to raise considerable campaign money, much of it by personally asking friends, family, co-workers, strangers. In a real sense, you will have to learn to beg. You will have to hire a professional staff and recruit dozens, hundreds, possibly thousands of volunteers, a hugely difficult exercise in high-pressure management. You will need to appear in public every day, sometimes in the media, weighing every word lest it be misinterpreted, often purposely, by the opposition.
Tension will increase as Election Day approaches, whether the polls have you ahead or behind. The money won’t be enough. The attacks on your character will increase, all in public media. Your family will feel under siege. You will get conflicting advice. Every day, you will need to make decisions, any one of which could cause you to win or lose the election. This is stuff of high drama, and I lived it through more than 200 campaigns. Marriages were…destroyed, so were reputations, wealth, hopes, and dreams. I don’t need to use my imagination to develop characters and situations. I just need to remember.
Your novel follows a charismatic American president named Isabel Aragon Tennyson. How did you shape this character?
During my campaign career, I met many strong, capable, and courageous women: candidates, spouses, campaign leaders, and others. We’ve never elected a woman president. I decided that I would, and that she would be a composite of many women I met who would have made great real-life presidents.
This book is as much a dystopian novel as a thriller. Do you find it difficult to approach the dystopia genre without being overly pessimistic?
I’m a democrat with both a small and capital D. But democracy is struggling to effectively meet the challenges of the 21st century. And because democracy is underperforming, anti-democratic forces are presenting a serious challenge. It’s essential to recognize and meet this challenge. So, I write not as a purveyor of doom but rather with a call to action. Rather than write essays about this, I’ve chosen to write entertaining thrillers and wrap them around real public problems.
What does waiting to write until you’ve gained some life experience bring to the resulting work?
Perspective. The curved edges of “good” and “evil” and “right” and “wrong.” Living through chapters of life to see many of them resolve, gaining insight from experience.
What’s next for you?
One of my summer-vacation jobs in college was with an automobile stunt show, sort of a car circus of smashed cars, daredevil motorcyclists, and a finale with a car and driver being shot out of a cannon. We traveled the country as the Motor Olympics. I was “Suicide Saunders.” That’s my next book.
Welcome to my corner of the Internet. It’s where I talk about my novels and about current events. I have a lot to discuss.
I sat down to write my first book when I was in my 20s. It didn’t take long for me to realize that I could not write a book because I had nothing useful to say. I’d have to live my life first. Among other things, between then and now:
–I was the advance man for a traveling automobile stunt show. In the act I was “Suicide Saunders.” (That’s my next book).
–I sat, as an aide to the governor of Alaska, in the private quarters of the top military commander in Alaska, while he clutched a red telephone expecting a call telling him we were at nuclear war with Russia over the Cuban missile crisis.
–I experienced the most powerful earthquake in U.S. history, in Alaska, and worked on rebuilding in the aftermath.
–I became editor of a daily newspaper, The Anchorage Daily News, before I was 30.
–I flew as a passenger with the Navy’s Blue Angels (and have the photo to prove it).
—-As chief of staff of a United States Senator I was deeply involved in the Pentagon Papers episode.
–I was political consultant to Congressman Peter Rodino of New Jersey as he presided of Richard Nixon’s impeachment.
–I worked as strategist and media producer to help elect and re-elect nine U.S. Senators, dozens of members of Congress, and countless other candidates.
–I’ve started five businesses, one which went public, and another that’s become an important Internet news distribution service.
–Also, I’ve had the experience of raising four sons and, among other things, coaching their Little League baseball team, which was one of the most intense political experiences I’ve ever had.
And now, in my 80s, I’ve written three novels with two more in progress. Having something to say no longer is an obstacle.
My first three novels feature a charismatic Mexican-American heiress who becomes the president of the United States and is confronted with a series of events like none other in U.S. history.
I hope you enjoy them. And if my words and thoughts in these novels and my current events blogs prompt responses from you, please share them with me at jrothstein@rothstein.net.
