KAYLIN MCFARREN has received more than 45 national literary awards, in addition to a prestigious Golden Heart Award nomination for FLAHERTY'S CROSSING - a book she and her oldest daughter, New York Times/USA Today best-selling author, Kristina McMorris, co-authored in 2008. Prior to embarking on her writing journey and developing the popular THREADS psychological thriller series, she poured her passion for creativity into her work as the director of a fine art gallery in the Pearl District in Portland, Oregon; she also served as a governor-appointed member of the Oregon Arts Commission. When she's not traveling or spoiling her pups and three grandsons, she enjoys giving back to her community through participation and support of various charitable and educational organizations in the Pacific Northwest, and is currently the president of the Soulful Giving Foundation - a non-profit focused on cancer research, care and treatment at hospitals throughout Oregon. 

2. “High Flying” is an exciting time travel mystery and psychological thriller that demands the reader’s attention from the first page! You think you have the plot figured out in this book then discover an unexpected twist of events.

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After a career in medicine, Mike Houtz succumbed to the call to hang up his stethoscope and pursue his other passion as a writer of fast-paced thrillers. A rabid fan of authors such as Clancy, Mark Greaney, Vince Flynn, and Brad Thor, Mike loves series writing with strong characters, fast pacing and international locations, all of which explode into action in his debut novel, a 2017 Zebulon Award winner. When not at the keyboard, he can be found on the firing range, traveling for research across the globe, or trying out the latest dry-fly pattern on a Gold Medal trout stream.

Cole meets with the uncle who raised him, MASTER LI, and is warned to stop his search for Butch. Barrett discovers Cole’s identity (with the help of a genius computer hacker, LILLY), which opens a

twenty-year-old wound when Barrett was blamed for the disappearance of Cole’s father, along with the man’s invention. Barrett enlists the 14K organized crime syndicate to help capture Cole. Hammer, separated from Butch during the fight for the device, thwarts the gang’s attempt to kidnap Cole, and the two then set off to find Butch and the device. All parties converge on the city library where Butch, now disguised as a monk, is attempting to communicate with the Pentagon. Barrett and Park capture Butch, while the 14K gang nabs Cole.

Mike: I’m involved with a number of Children’s organizations---particularly the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Coming across and article, I read of one dad’s heartbreaking story where his ex-wife took their son and escaped to South America. The two parents had joint custody in the U.S.  He spent every waking hour and his entire life’s savings attempting to recover his son from the illegal separation. By all accounts, he was a good father and not an abusive husband. The mother’s new boyfriend was an attorney and the courts were unsympathetic in that part of the world. With two young sons of my own, I could only imagine the pain and suffering of such a horrible act for both the dad as well as the son. I kept wishing someone would recover the boy, bring him home, and then let the rest play out in the courts. I imagined a book character performing that type of rescue. Though this first novel doesn’t follow that specific action, I wanted to establish the basis for what will come in future releases.

Mike: The main protagonist, Cole Haufner, has led an interesting life. He was born in Massachusetts to a Chinese mother and German father. At the tender age of 6, he is stranded in China at a Shaolin monastery, along with his older brother. At the age of 15, he moves back to the U.S., finishes high school and college before embarking on a meteoric rise in mixed martial arts. Funny thing is he hates fighting. He prefers a quiet existence which brings him even more fame and attention. The dichotomy perplexes him.

Butch “Dragon” Haufner, the older brother, is a Delta Force team leader in the U.S. army. He’s part of a task unit that works primarily in the Pacific region and finds himself operating back on his old home soil. Unlike Cole’s introspective, calm self, Butch is aggressive and very much the protector—both suitable to his career choice.

Ron “Hammer” Thompson is Butch’s second-in-command. He’s a former linebacker for Univ. of Texas who gives up a possible career in the NFL to serve his country. He’s forced to teach Cole, on-the-fly, basic military tactics when the two meet on foreign soil. He’s the epitome of an east Texas boy.

“Lilly” is a 19 yo Chinese girl who is one of the world’s top computer hackers. She helps her adoptive father, a former CIA operative with various tasks. She’s sweet, naïve, and only wants to escape her existence in southwest China.

Barret Jennings, offspring of a wealthy railroad magnet, is a former CIA employee living in exile in southeast China because of a key failure twenty years ago. He groomed Lilly from an early age because of her extraordinary intellect and his multitude of illicit activities.

Commander Park is a notorious North Korean agent and sociopath bent on obtaining an invention capable of producing clean energy. He’ll kill anyone and anything in his way.

Mike: People who read early copies frequently mention three spots with one clear leader among them. Without giving too much away, Cole has a scene where he’s captured by a local gang hired by the North Korean element. Initially, he hopes for a quick death. At some point he finds the desire to exact revenge before he’s killed. As one leading critic says in his review, “It was a scene I only imagined happened in movies.” I’ll just say, Cole puts his world-class skills to effective use.

Mike: Not in the sense of outlining. I’ve found leaving myself plenty of wiggle room to let the story tell itself works the best for my style. Conversely, I’m obsessive with plot details. I fret over the tiniest details from scene-to-scene so that readers aren’t left with a question about something they read earlier. If a character places something in his right front pocket, I want to make sure any return action matches exactly with what’s been written before. I probably spend too much time flipping back and forth, but I don’t want to appear sloppy or oblivious for even the most in-tune reader. Attention to detail is something I’m keenly aware.

Mike: That varies quite a bit for me. I have very productive days when it’s just me and my German Shepard, Saber, at my feet with only the sound of a mouse click. If I have a particularly intense action chapter, I might crank up some aggressive music and beat the keyboard into submission. I’ve even pulled up pictures of my boys when they were young and imagined someone kidnapping them. I can pick out specific places in the book on those occasions. There are some bad ways to die and taking my children will bring out some very creative methods.

Mike: For the longest time, I wanted to play professional baseball. When I was 9, I played in the 12 yo league and was batting in the .570 range going into high school. I had it all set in my head—when I retired from baseball, I would become an anesthesiologist. I guess I didn’t mess around setting the bar too low.

Mike: This release is a setup for the rest of the series where children are repatriated to their rightful caregiver and brought back to their home. I’m hoping to raise awareness that this happens nearly 400 times a year in this country. I do agree there are a few common elements/messages that naturally comes from my writing. Maybe I watched Star Wars too often back in the early days? The strength inherent in family, good vs. evil, and the power of singular purpose is something I subconsciously add to my pages. With those elements, the driving forces for all the characters are easily shown.

Mike: I can’t say enough how grateful I am for everyone’s support. I want everyone to know how seriously I take the reader’s choice in getting a copy and spending their personal time reading my material. I’ll never take for granted the decision to spend those hours with something I created. Just know I’m working for all of you, and I’ll strive to earn your satisfaction on your decision to join me. Hoping everyone finds good health and love this year.

Geoff Armstrong began his teaching career in 1965 after receiving a teaching diploma from McGill University’s Macdonald College. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Montreal’s Concordia University in 1967 where his major field of study was history. Armstrong credits writers such as Bruce Catton, and Thomas B. Costain, as well as the encouragement of his father who had little formal education, but a deep love of reading and of history, as the inspiration for his own life-long interest.

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