Jackson Blaine, the President of the United States and a former defense lawyer, shocks his estranged son Brian and the entire world when he decides to personally go to court to help defend the young man after he’s arrested for murdering his best friend and college dormmate. This is the compellingly unique premise of First Line of Defense, a political/legal thriller and murder mystery coming out October 1 by one of IE's most awarded and prolific authors, Peter Berk. 

​First Line of Defense marks award-winning author Peter Berk’s third novel with IngramElliott, following the recent publication of TimeLock and TimeLock 2: The Kyoto Conspiracy, the first two entries in an imaginative series of sci-fi and action novels co-authored by Peter’s father, Columbo and Mission: Impossible writer Howard Berk. 

And now, Peter adds legal thriller to his distinguished list. Tinged with action, suspense, romance, humor and more than a few unexpected twists, the new novel takes its 21-year-old lead protagonist, Brian Blaine, on a life-altering adventure that will dramatically change his relationship with his father and alter the course of his entire personal and professional life forever. 

We caught up with the author ahead of the release of First Line of Defense on October 1. 

Please tell us something about your book that is not in the summary. 
It can rightly be called a political legal thriller, but I mainly consider the book to be about a family - in this case, the First Family - and more specifically about a young man reconnecting with his estranged father. And because I had the opposite relationship with my late dad, Howard, Brian's turbulent rapport with the President through at least the first half of the book was the hardest part to write for me.

What do you most hope will be the reaction of readers to your book?
Like any author, I just hope people are compelled to keep reading, care about the characters, come across a surprise twist or two and enjoy the overall reading experience.

Why did you pick this particular subject matter to write about?
I hadn't written anything in the legal thriller genre and out of the blue had this wild notion of a President who's a former lawyer actually representing his own son in court. Not likely of course, but that's why it's called fiction!

What is your favorite scene in your book? Why?
Probably the meet cute scene when Brian first meets Emma; a later scene when the President catches a beet-red Brian and Emma after their first romantic encounter; the scene when father and son finally reconcile; and the "big reveal" at the end in the courthouse.

Writing a novel can be personal. Did you ever question whether to include or exclude any of your personal experiences or feelings?
Despite writing from a 21 year-old's perspective so long after I was in fact that age myself, I did include a lot of my own personal sensibilities throughout - being an only child like Brian, having a best friend who's like a brother (who is happily still very much in my life), possessing a self-deprecating sense of humor and more.

Please tell us something about yourself and how you came to be a writer. What inspired you to write your first book? 
My writing inspiration has been and always will be my father - a far better writer than I'll ever be. "First Line of Defense" was actually my first novel, but not the first one published, since I was fortunate enough to connect with IngramElliott after novelizing the screenplay of "TimeLock" my dad and I wrote several years back.

Do you have any advice for other writers?
Only the corniest of advice - never stop writing! Unlike being a dancer or athlete where you have a limited number of years to perform on the stage or on the field, writers can write at any age. My dad was working on a new novel at 92 and look how long it took me to have a book published, so keep at it forever.

Tell me a little about your book’s title and what it represents?
Nothing too subtle here, I'll admit, but "First" as in First Family and "Defense" since that's what the entire story is about.

About The Author                                                                  
Peter Berk has written six novels, three TV pilots and a dozen screenplays, including several with his father which became the basis for the TimeLock series of novels. The original TimeLock novel was named as a Distinguished Favorite in the TechnoThriller category of the 2024 Independent Press Award and was a Finalist in the 2023 Chanticleer International Book Awards for Science Fiction, Mystery, and Global Thrillers. TimeLock 2: The Kyoto Conspiracy was published in 2023 and the third book in the series, TimeLock 3: The Millennium Paradox, will be published in Spring 2025 by IngramElliott. Peter and his family live in Southern California.
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Connect with Peter on Facebook and Instagram @peterberk_author.

Author M.M. Cochran is more than a fiction writer--she spent early years in her career as a journalist and is no stranger to the frantic pace of getting a news piece out on time, long hours on the news floor researching a story, and the 'cold, ambiguous' atmosphere that a news room can generate. She's put all this moody experience to great use in her latest novel, a highly anticipated psychological thriller called The Button Collector. 

​Available everywhere books are sold September 17

A bone-chilling story set in snowy Chicago, this psychological thriller revolving around newspaper journalist Jessica Knight and the serial killer known for murdering Knight’s family members combines atmospheric drama with romance and mystery reminiscent of book-to-screen adaptations like Sharp Objects (HBO), The Last Thing He Told Me (Apple+), and Verity by Colleen Hoover (Amazon/MGM).

“This book’s aesthetic is very mysterious, with cigarette smoke, dark apartments, snowy streets, and police cars. It’s exactly what a reader would expect from a journalist on the run from a killer––and falling in love with a detective the whole time,” says author M. M. Cochran. “When a thriller lover picks up The Button Collector, I know they’ll be trying to solve the mystery from page one, and I’m really excited to see who can put the puzzle pieces together before the ending.”

Cochran’s award-winning debut novel--Between the Ocean and the Stars—was published in 2022 by IngramElliott Publishing and hailed by reviewers as “heartbreaking, poignant, and emotional.” The novel was named a Finalist in the National Indie Excellence Awards® and is available anywhere books are sold. Her fans are very excited about her second novel and can get signed copies at her book launch event in October. 

Cochran will be holding a book launch party for The Button Collector on Saturday, October 12, at Third Space Coffee & Bakery in Landrum, SC, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Third Space is located at 803 E. Rutherford St., Suite D, Landrum, SC. The public is invited to attend the party, where light snacks and refreshments will be served. Please bring your copy of The Button Collector for Cochran to sign at the event or purchase a paperback or hardcopy at the event. 

About the book
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Can Jessica button up this case on her own?
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When Chicago journalist Jessica Knight is linked to a string of odd murders happening across the country, her life takes a turn for the worse. She is left wondering why her relatives are the ones dropping like flies under the signature mark of a serial killer . . . why she can’t stop thinking about Michael Bradley, the appealing detective assigned to protect her . . . and most of all, why, despite being the Button Collector’s prime target, she’s still alive at all.

One thing she knows for certain: the killer is always watching.

As the line between truth and deception begins to blur, Jessica crumbles under the dense web of lies she’s trying to keep straight––especially once the police start questioning more than just her sanity. With pressure mounting, Jessica must navigate being under the watchful eye of the police––and the killer––while risking it all in a dangerous game to make up for the mistakes of her past.

Her days are numbered…one way or the other.

We caught up with the author in advance of the release of The Button Collector on Sept. 17. 

​Writing a novel can be personal. Did you ever question whether to include or exclude any of your personal experiences or feelings?
The Button Collector is full of personal experience. Obviously, I’ve never been hunted by a serial killer, but I was a journalist for five years (like my main character), and I’m currently in my mid-twenties just like my main character. I drew a lot of inspiration for this book while I was interning at a newspaper in my early twenties. In fact, a lot of The Button Collector was written in the conference room of that newspaper office. I hope my readers can really feel that cold, ambiguous aesthetic as they’re reading. 

Tell me about your book’s title and what it represents?
The Button Collector 100% represents the serial killer in the book, whose nickname was been deemed by media due to his wild calling card. Originally, I was calling this book “Blood Stains,” but after going back and forth with that one and “The Button Collector,” as well as pitching that name to my parents and publisher, everyone agreed that The Button Collector was the way to go. 

Who is your first reader? 
Typically, my first reader is always my mom. With The Button Collector, I knew I wanted my mom to have eyes on the manuscript first because she loves thrillers. I knew she’d give me honest feedback. It turns out that this is her favorite book of mine! 

The Button Collector is available September 17, 2024, in print and e-Book. Order your copy now through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, Rakuten kobo, Apple iTunes, and anywhere books are sold. 

About the author
​M. M. Cochran is an award-winning journalist and fiction writer. She is the author of young adult mystery romance novel Between the Ocean and the Stars, which was named a finalist in the 2023 National Indie Excellence Awards. She lives in the foothills of South Carolina and can most commonly be found watching sunsets, making homemade lattes, or seeking out the next adventure. Keep up with M. M. Cochran on @m.m.cochran_writer.

IngramElliott’s latest author, Jordan Berk, is more than meets the eye. He's a software engineer by trade, and a self-proclaimed "nerd by nature."  He also writes songs for piano, plays basketball, travels, and now . . . writes science fiction!

Tackling the mind-bending complexities, potential world-changing ramifications and confounding ethical quandaries associated with time travel, The Timestream Verdict not only spans several fiction genres, but finds an inventive new way to tell the classic story of an ordinary person thrust into extraordinary circumstances that is certain to resonate with readers of all interests and backgrounds. 

Is it in the genes?
Jordan has loved time travel stories for as long as he can remember, which is why it’s no surprise to those who know him that his first-ever novel would be in that genre. He also grew up around the world of writing, film, and television. Jordan is the grandson of noted screenwriter and novelist Howard Berk, whose credits included Columbo, Mission: Impossible and The Rockford Files. Jordan’s father is Peter Berk, co-author (with Howard Berk) of IngramElliott’s award-winning TimeLock series of action/sci-fi novels and the author of a political legal thriller, First Line of Defense, available October 1. ​

​Aaron Barnett falls asleep as an ordinary 1980s accountant and wakes up sixty years later as a juror for the trial of the century. As he soon learns, the utopian society of 2042 is grappling with the murder of the legendary scientist deemed the ‘mother of time travel.' And only this jury of inadvertent time travelers is equipped to reach an impartial verdict.

Once the shock of his situation begins to wear off, Aaron finds the world of the mid twenty-first century to be a paradise. Far removed from his monotonous life, he savors the advancements and luxuries that the seemingly idyllic future has to offer.

Unfortunately, Aaron’s initial euphoria is shattered once he uncovers the complicated, hidden truths behind time travel, and realizes that his own past, present, and future are suddenly at risk. Because the harsh reality is that Aaron and his fellow jurors may be ruling on far more than a lone case of temporal homicide. They may be delivering a verdict on the very nature of time itself.

Who is your first reader – who do you first show your work to?
On Father’s Day, 2022, I handed my dad an unmarked manilla envelope. Inside was the first
copy of the just-completed Timestream Verdict (though not yet with that name): the fully-formed version of a loose idea that he had pitched to me two years prior and had surely
forgotten about since. The idea always resonated with me, and after a few months of noodling on it, I started the long writing process, always with the intention of culminating with the gift. Other than my wife, nobody was even aware of the ongoing work; it was a surprise to everyone and especially my brother, who gave him tennis racket-shaped pasta. (Not that it’s a competition.) My dad and I spent the next couple months refining and expanding the book as collaborators, and also settled on the Timestream Verdict title together.
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What genre do you generally write, and have you considered other genres?
Time travel fiction of all kinds has always called to me; I find it to be the most compelling genre given the unprecedented level of storytelling possibility. It’s not a coincidence that my favorite movie (Back to the Future) and favorite novel (Replay) are both in the genre, and yet even these two examples are wildly different in how they use the device. However fictional it may be, it’s the only genre in which I feel qualified to write.

​Tell me a little about your book’s title and what it represents?
The title has two meanings. One is literal, as the protagonist is a time-traveling juror who must reach a critical verdict. The other cuts deeper into the core of the story, which ultimately is about how each character’s perspective on the mutability of the timestream dictates their choices and actions.

Writing a novel can be personal. Did you ever question whether to include or exclude
any of your personal experiences or feelings?
While it’s not intensely personal, I pulled in as much as possible from my own history. Aaron, the protagonist, shares many of my more introverted and antisocial tendencies, though he is ultimately braver and more affable than I’ll ever be. And bits of dialogue or humor were pulled from personal experience, to add relatability and realism, and because I’m not nearly imaginative enough to come up with it on my own.

Where do you find joy in life?
Anywhere I can! Beyond the usual and most important source – spending time with friends and family – I love to sit down at a piano and write songs. I can’t sing, and have never played with anyone else, but I find it peaceful and fulfilling. Beyond that, I play basketball as much as I can. I’m gangly, awkward, and can’t jump over a sheet of paper, but I’ve got a mean mid-range jump shot, and it helps a lot that I’m tall. I also love traveling, watching television, and of course: writing sci-fi!

What is your favorite scene in your book? Why?
I’m particularly partial to the jury deliberation scene that comprises the bulk of chapter fourteen. It was inspired by 12 Angry Men, and I tried to follow that beloved, classic film’s blueprint of one (or in this case two) jurors taking on the burden of convincing their peers of the correct verdict using logic, reasoning, and healthy skepticism. And, during the writing process, I intentionally avoided seeding the trial with little clues in anticipation of this chapter. Instead, I was making the same logical extrapolations that I wrote for Aaron as I went along. I also really like the defense attorney’s closing statement that comes shortly before. My mom always said I would make a good lawyer; maybe she was right?

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The Timestream Verdict is available September 10, 2024, in print and e-Book. Pre-order today at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Bookshop, and Rakuten Kobo or wherever books are sold.

​About the author
Jordan Berk is a software engineer by trade and a certified nerd by nature. He has loved time-travel stories for as long as he can remember, and The Timestream Verdict is his first contribution to the genre. In addition to writing, he enjoys basketball, technology, and amateur songwriting (even though he can’t sing to save his life). He lives with his wonderful wife and two kids near Los Angeles, California.​