Zach Greenlee is watching a childhood dream unfold. The former Oakdale Mustang, turned Coast Guard, turned paramedic, turned Physician’s Assistant, business owner and missionary may now add ‘published author’ to his list of accomplishments.
“Lucky’s Hand,” by Z.D. Greenlee published by Illumify Media is the first in a five-book series and was released in mid-June. The book can be found on a number of book hosting websites including Barnes and Noble, Amazon and Greenlee’s own website sandwellerseries.com.
“It’s all I wanted to do,” Greenlee said of his passion for writing a book. “I started writing probably at about 12 years old. I just always write. I have stacks of old journals; I had never journaled. I just wrote stories.”
As a sort of foreshadowing of his current accomplishment, the author shared from then to now he’s probably written a dozen books, which haven’t seen daylight. However, his journey from then until now, by way of career and connection has helped with both inspiration and insight for his first fiction novel.
“If I look back at everything I’ve done in my life, since I was a kid, it has always been I want to experience something so I have something to write about,” he shared.
And while he will be the first to share it is not his personal experiences which helped shape his current novel, it is the experience of some valued friends which helped “Lucky’s Hand” take shape.
“This book was kind of in the works for a little over a year now. The idea was kind of pitched to me by a friend of mine, who is a combat veteran, former Navy Seal,” Greenlee shared.
“I’m not a combat veteran and I’m thankful for that,” the author shared, noting eight years of service in the US Coast Guard, “but a lot of my friends are. I have friends all over the special operations community, special forces within intelligence and they were kind enough to lend me their thoughts, feelings, expertise and experiences to draw on.”
The launching point which helped shape the book, the author shared came when he picked the brain of his colleagues and asked what they felt was missing the most from military thrillers. Time and time again the feedback he received was a desire to be left with hope at the end of a novel.
“The violence feels gratuitous and it’s not sensitive to the guys who have actually had to commit the violence in combat,” he said of the common trend in the book’s genre.
Greenlee wanted to write a story which speaks to the issues of the day: battlefield trauma; severe life altering injuries; the mental effects that combat has on a soldier; as well as relationships professionally and personally.
“I wanted to really kind of hit on the topic of, explore where hope comes from in situations that feel kind of hopeless,” he said.
He described the book as a “less military and more mercenary pirate” kind of military thriller.
“Basically it’s a global transnational business has gained so much capital and international influence that they themselves have almost become a global super power,” Greenlee said of the book’s story line, focused around Percy, the main character. “As a result, they capitalized on the growth and development of artificial intelligence the point of singularity, which we hear a lot of people talking about now.”
The author further shared that main character Percy has had a dramatic effect from battle, which will be further explored in his second book.
“I actually have multiple story lines going on in the same book and I don’t intend to tie up all the loose ends at the end of every book,” he stated. “The final book is the plan where everything is tied up.”
There is still a lot of ground to cover, however.
“I’m unproven in every sense of the word, so we’ve got a long way to go to find out if it’s going to do any good,” Greenlee said of his first novel, adding that while he had little to no expectation of the initial book, he has received a good reception thus far from fellow service members, first responders and even church friends.
“It is not intended to be introspective at all, but with that said there is enough subtext to the book for it to be. That’s what I was shooting for,” he confided.
Of the inspirations which helped shape the book, as well as the series, Greenlee noted his friends and what they have been through as combat veterans. He added that thanks largely to their trust and candor, he feels he can tell their story in a general way without telling their story specifically.
“One was just how prolific AI has become,” he said of his additional inspiration. “We’re just seeing it develop rapidly and kind of exploring where that could potentially lead. It’s kind of a cautionary tale in that way.”
While the positive feedback is appreciated, the bigger goal and accomplishment he said was to have it resonate, appreciated and connecting with his target audience.
“I know the guys that are reading this,” he said. “My target audience is men and women who are first responders and veterans and they know the evil that actually exists in the world. They want stories of hope. They don’t want stories that’ll keep them up at night or that will remind them of past traumas or past calls.”
And though happy to have that first book in hand, the author said there is more to come.
“I was happy to see it,” Greenlee said. “I’m glad that chapter is done, but there’s no grand sense of accomplishment. I think it’s the way I’m geared. I never feel like I’m done with anything and the series isn’t done.”
As the second book is unfolding as “Lucky’s Hand,” is being promoted, Greenlee shared, “My mind is just always busy. It’s got a broader appeal than I was even anticipating. I’m truly grateful for that.”
