Yep, I’m rolling with Stephen Hunter

Published on by Stan R. Mitchell

One of my favorite authors (by far) when I served in the Marine Corps was an author named Stephen Hunter.

I’ve read almost every book by Hunter, and his sniper character known pretty far and wide among the military community as Bob Lee Swagger (aka Bob the Nailer) is one of the greatest fictional book characters ever created in my opinion.

Stephen Hunter was a huge influence on my writing, and several readers and reviewers have compared my book Sold Out to his books — especially Point of Impact, an all-time favorite book of mine, and it’s this book that the movie Shooter with Mark Wahlberg was based on.

I know, I know. You’re screaming get to my point.

Well, my point is I had an acquaintance email me this tonight!

Sold OutYes! You see this correctly. My book — Sold Out — is placed above the book by my idol Stephen Hunter. Even more amazing, the name of the email to her was “Sold Out.”

I couldn’t get the entire image figured out as far as saving it as a JPG, but it had a total of seven books on it. (Oh, and did I mention Sold Out was the on top? Ah, yes, I did. Sorry about that.)

Anyway, I’m still in shock about this and I hope it went to a gazillion people, and not just a couple dozen. (I’m think the latter scenario is the most likely one, but still: To have my name and book even anywhere near the name of Stephen Hunter is a feeling that I can’t possibly describe. It’d be like getting to have a front-row seat to your favorite band, and getting backstage passes afterward. Although now that I think about it, it’d probably be more like getting to perform before them, on the same stage. And then being treated like an equal afterward, though to be clear: I am no equal to Stephen Hunter. The man is a storytelling genius.)

Keep moving,

Stan R. Mitchell

Oak Ridge, Tenn.

P.S. Please accept the greatest gift I can give, a book I believe to be worth $10,000.

P.P.S. Thanks to all who continue to make my novels a success. I seriously couldn’t have done it with everyone’s support. Thanks to your help, Little Man, and the Dixon County War  has gone as high as No. 16 on the Amazon UK Paid List (see here and here)! And my second novel, Sold Out, has also done well, going as high as No. 81 on the Amazon Paid List for the category of War (see here and here)! Thanks a million to my awesome friends, and if you’ve stumbled on my blog, you can learn more about both books here.

16 thoughts on “Yep, I’m rolling with Stephen Hunter”

  3. Stan, you *are* The Man. You are indeed rubbing elbows with the winners. You’ve earned the right to a swelled head. Or are you still our very own Humble and Lovable Dawg?

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    1. Aww, Nancy, you know me: No swelled head here. I’ve been too blessed and owe too many people to think I’m even responsible for half of the things I’ve been lucky enough to pull off.

      About the only thing I can take credit for is dogged persistence and youthful ignorance. : )

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  5. That. Is. Awesome. Been a Bob Lee Swagger fan since I read Point of Impact, way back in the 90’s. And I just finished Mr. Hunter’s latest, when are we going to see another one from you? SF.

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    1. How was his last one? I started it and worried it was too much mystery and too little action — some of the reviewers said this, as well.

      And I should be dropping down my latest offering no later than this weekend. It’s a World War II short story — about 70 pages — told from the German’s perspective at the end of the war. Brutal. Cold. Pure pain.

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      1. I loved “The Third Bullet”. But then again, I have enjoyed all of his stuff. I, as well as Bob Lee, have gotten older and consider myself more of a thinker than a fighter. Yeah, right. There’s enough shoot ’em up stuff for me, the whole thing is a page turner. That’s Mr. Hunter’s style of writing. And keep us posted on your work. Don’t know about anyone else, but I anxiously await it. SF.

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        1. Great. Glad you said this about the book — not sure why I ever doubted him. I’ll buy it tonight and smoke it so fast even Bob the Nailer gets caught by surprised.

          And appreciate the words about anxiously awaiting the book. Your support and encouragement over the past year or so has meant so much.

          SF!

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    1. Thanks, Jack, for the kind words, but I’m not sure I’m being “compared favorably,” but I’m definitely stoked to even be on the same list as him.

      I figure the only reason my book was above him was because of some of the books she’s read before. Maybe mine was more similar in length or something. Who knows.

      How’s the writing coming these days?

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Comments are always welcome!