NPC member Tom Young raps about latest Parson/Gold adventure

Author Tom Young is leaving Michael Parson and Sophia Gold, the central characters in his six-book military-thriller series, to write a historical novel set in World War II, he told a National Press Club Book Rap Tuesday.

The beloved duo made their latest appearance in the last book in the series, "The Hunters," but fans of Parson and Gold can hope that Young may someday return to writing about them since he hinted they may be only on a hiatus.

Unfortunately, he told the crowd, it is becoming harder to keep placing Parson and Gold in “plausible scenarios” especially since he doesn’t write stories about “cartoon super heroes.” The decision to leave Parson and Gold was made jointly with his publisher, he said.

Until Young returns to Parson and Gold, fans can look forward to the movie version of the first book, "The Mullah’s Storm." Producers of the movie attended the Book Rap and announced that two-time Oscar nominee Mikael Salomon is interested in directing.

Young hopes the series helps bridge the gap between veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and all Americans. Just 1% of Americans have served in those conflicts.

“What I hope that these six books do as whole is to paint an accurate picture of what your military does, what its personnel are like, why they do the things they do, the kinds of things they are up against, the kinds of jobs they do,” Young said.

When he is writing, Young gets up each morning and writes 1,000 words, he said. Sometimes he is able to write quickly and then he goes fishing. Other days he is still writing at suppertime. He is often surprised that the writing on the struggling days is as good as the days when it is flowing, he said.

Young is a Press Club member. He was introduced by Michael Curley of the NPC’s Book & Author Committee. Following the Book Rap, Young hosted a reception in the Reliable Source’s McClendon Room.