#Guestpost: Author Mike Sahno @MikeSahno on how his book, Miles of Files, came to be

I always enjoy very much introducing a new-to-me author, particularly when they’re also a member of the excellent Book Connectors group on Facebook. Miles of Files by Mike Sahno was published in March for kindle and in paperback: you’ll find it on Amazon in the UK and US (and through other retailers I’ll add below), and it already has an impressive number of five star reviews. I really liked too the description of Mike’s writing by Liz Rosenberg, author of Beauty and Attention: “Mike Sahno writes with blood and guts, with humor, heart, compassion, and a radiant energy all his own.”  I’m just sorry I wasn’t able to squeeze this one into my reading list.

I’m delighted though that Mike Sahno agreed to join me today on Being Anne to tell us more about how the book came to be…

Paul Panepinto finds out that his boss is stealing from their Tampa, Florida company’s retirement plan. Should he try to stop the criminal at the risk of losing his own job, or keep his mouth shut and try to live with himself?

I moved from Bristol, Connecticut to Tampa, Florida in 1994. Prior to that move, I don’t think I’d ever worked for a criminal…at least, not to my knowledge.

When you watch TV shows about crime, it’s amazing how often you hear the phrase, “…and then he went to Florida.” You look around this part of the U.S., with its beautiful beaches and tourist stops, and you just don’t think “criminal.” But in fact, Florida has a lengthy history of swindlers, scam artists, and even murderers from around the world coming here to do their dirty work, or just to relax and take a break from it all!

My first job in Tampa was for a mortgage company that went out of business six months after I left. The owners turned out to be criminals who did all kinds of shady financial stuff. The second job I had here, it was the same exact thing: they went out of business a few months after I left, and the owners turned out to be criminals who did all kinds of shady financial stuff. Seeing a pattern?

So it was no surprise that, by the time I got to my first job here as a writer, I was not very trusting of authority figures. When the owner of the company decided to “freeze” the company retirement plan for a year, so no one could take funds out or even put funds in…well, let’s just say I was a pretty unhappy employee.

Ultimately, our retirement plan was closed, and we were able to get our funds out. But I always wondered whether the owner had taken any of them somehow during that long, dark year. Once I left that job, I was somewhat unsurprised to learn that the owner of that company also had a criminal record, just like the last two places I had worked. Needless to say, I’m pleased to be working for myself since founding Sahno Publishing in 2015!

The germ of that experience led to my third novel, Miles of Files. I’m looking forward to finishing my fourth novel, but meanwhile, I’m offering my upcoming collection of short stories free to everyone who joins my email list at https://msahno.com.

Thank you Mike – and let me share those other purchase links for Miles of Files…

Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Kobo 

About the author

Born in Bristol, CT, Michael J. Sahno began writing stories at an early age. He obtained a Master of Arts in English from Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY at the age of 24, going on to become a full-time professional writer in 2001. Miles of Files is his third novel.

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