Exploring big questions with suspenseful, sometimes violent stories.
Background
Information
Mostly I write about Shailene Campbell and her adventures as a reluctant vigilante. I've written three novels about her, the first of which, Worlds Collide, was published in June 2008, and is also available for download to Amazon's Kindle device. The second installment, Worlds Apart, came out in August 2008, and the third, Harold's World, came out in spring of 2010.
I've undergone some major revisions over the years, starting out as a cadet at the U.S. Military Academy (aka West Point) and going to the Army's Ranger School, then flying helicopters for the Army, then starting a civilian career as an information technology manager. I've worked on novels before, but I began writing seriously when I got the idea for Shailene back in 2002, and I've been telling her stories since. I was actually inspired by Dean Koontz' novel Intensity, though Shailene has little in common with that novel's protagonist except maybe gender and some familiarity with handguns. I'm also a fan of Andrew Vachss, J.A. Konrath, Joe R. Lansdale, Stephen King, F. Paul Wilson, and Joss Whedon.
Accomplishments
New York Stories' 2005 Fiction Prize Competition recognized "Zion", a short story about Shailene, for "the controlled tension of the story, the skillful revelation of character and the carefully observed treatment of the setting in Zion Park." This story is both a teaser introduction to Shailene Campbell and her world and a mini-sequel to Harold's World, the third novel in the series. You can read the story for free on my website, www.maxsalt.com, in the Chronicles section.