For a photo of Andrew Britton, click here.

Author Andrew Britton Shares His Debut Novel, The American
On UNC-TV's North Carolina Bookwatch,
Friday, August 25, at 9:30 PM, and Sunday, August 27, at 5 PM

With a mix of his own military knowledge and vivid creativity, Andrew Britton sets his new novel The Americanin contemporary times-introducing readers to 33-year-old Ryan Kealy, a man who has achieved more in his military and CIA career than most men can dream of in a lifetime, but who has also seen the worst life has to offer and is lucky to have survived it.  Now, living on the coast of Maine, Ryan wants nothing more than to be left to his sporadic teaching and his demons.  However, he is soon brought out of retirement when a complicated terrorist plot to assassinate the U.S., French, and Italian presidents by Al-Qaeda, Iranian terrorists, and even Americans out to destroy their own country, is uncovered.

In this episode of UNC-TV's local literary series North Carolina Bookwatch, premiering Friday, Ausgust 25, at 9:30 PM, Britton discusses hisexciting debut, written at age 21 and crafted in the tradition of the masters-Ludlum,Forsyth, Clancy, Higgins, le Carre-but with a completely contemporary, post-9/11 sensibility. 

In fact, Britton's fiction, written years ago,  opens on the backdrop of conflicts between American and Iranian alliances that today exist in everyday headlines-giving the novel a largely prophetic feel.  "I'm no prophet-it was more educated guesswork combined with dumb luck," responds Britton. "[The Middle East] is such a volatile region that it's hard to write about in a way-in the year it takes to publish a manuscript, so much can change. This happens a lot to writers that fall into that trap of trying to write about a present-day situation."

With his first novel published at age 24, this University of North Carolina graduate shares how he hopes to make his mark over the coming decades-shaping the future of contemporary thrillers.  One way, is Britton's construction of deceivingly complex characters within what he calls his "terrorist thriller"-including The American's principal villain Jason March, a former U.S. soldier, and now, Al-Qaeda operative, with a ferocious grudge against America.

"Like anyone in this country, I am against terrorist regimes and want them to be defeated soundly. On the other hand, I wanted to create a character that is evil-with nothing but the worst intentions-but still a character that the reader can identify with on certain points," admits Britton. "I want the reader to say, 'I don't agree with you, but I see what led to this behavior.' I wanted [Jason March] to be a real character and not just a cardboard cut-out, stamped in a similar vein we've come to expect from fictional terrorists."

Born in England, Andrew Britton moved to the United States when he was seven.  Britton joined the Army at age eighteen, spent two years as a combat engineer, and then enrolled at the University of North Carolina, pursuing a double major in economics and psychology.  It was at UNC that Britton began writing The American, while taking a full load of courses and holding down a job.  It wasn't until he sold The Americanthat he told family and friends that he had written a book.

Don't miss D.G. Martin's all-new interview with Andrew Britton on North Carolina Bookwatch, Friday, August 25, at 9:30 PM, with an encore episode airingSunday, August 27, at 5 PM,only on UNC-TV!

During this season of North Carolina Bookwatch, guests also include: Will Blythe (To Hate Like This is to be Happy Forever), John Hart (TheKing of Lies), Sarah Dessen (Just Listen), Kristin Henderson (While They're at War), David Payne (Back to Wando Passo), John Hope Franklin (Mirror to America), Leah Stewart (The Myth of You and Me), Allan Gurganus (New Stories from the South), Tom Carlson (Hatteras Blues), Bill Smith (Seasoned in the South), William Leuchtenburg (The White House Looks South), Dot Jackson (Refuge), Art Chansky (Blue Blood), Mark Ethridge (Grievances),  Paul Leonard (Music of a Thousand Hammers), and Angela Davis-Gardner (Plum Wine).

For more information about additional series guests and airdates, plus, the all-new Bookwatch blog and online book club, please visit: www.unctv.org/ncbookwatch.

Funding for North Carolina Bookwatch is provided by UNC-TV members and by Quail Ridge Books and Music, Raleigh's independent, full service bookstore, bringing readers and writers together since 1984.

North Carolina Bookwatch is part of UNC-TV's ongoing commitment to produce programs for and about North Carolina. UNC-TV is the statewide 11-station broadcast network of the University of North Carolina. For more information, please visit www.unctv.org/ncbookwatch.

For more information about North Carolina Bookwatch and UNC-TV's other local productions, please visit our website at www.unctv.org.

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