Change Is Inevitable
A Real Collusion follows a mid-level ad guy who looks back on his best friend’s wild rise and fall as a grassroots political candidate that took on America’s two-party system. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I’ve been frustrated and angry about the US government’s dysfunction and the broken two-party system for a long time. Leading into the 2000 election, I consulted with the Committee For A Unified Independent Party on their fundraising and also wrote a song called “Bush And Gore Suck.” My band, Channeling Owen, played at a rally in NY for John Haglin, a third-party Presidential candidate. Somewhere along the way, I guess I started wondering what it might take for a third-party candidate to really get traction, and it occurred to me that it might need to be a mistake or an accident…..
The novel suggests that systemic change is incredibly difficult. How did you balance storytelling with the book’s more exposé-like elements?
That’s kind of my thing. I get excited about fighting injustice, and if there’s any truth to the pen being mightier than the sword, perhaps it can make a difference. In my previous book, The Organ Broker, I painstakingly explained how the organ donation system in the US is broken, what I believe caused it, and what I think the remedies could be. Rather than provide an academic paper on that (although I did write a magazine article for Everyday Health), I explained it through the eyes and experiences of a character named New York Jack. In A Real Collusion, I have tried to explain and dissect the dysfunction in our government through the eyes and experiences of two regular guys who almost take down the system.
How did your background influence the authenticity of the media and political scenes?
In 2005, I launched a natural soda brand, which I ran as CEO for six years. I also briefly ran a social-mobile technology company, and learned a bit about marketing and, in particular, digital marketing. I suppose that informed the scenes at the marketing agency but frankly, in my mind I think I imagined the look of it to be akin to the boardrooms I worked in when I first started my career on Wall St. The political scenes—as well as the discussion, policy statements, etc.—were born out of my genuine and passionate interest in political reform and the things I learned when doing some work for an independent political organization twenty-five years ago. Shit, I’m glad you asked. I thought I had just made it all up!
Do you see A Real Collusion as a warning, a mirror, or a conversation starter?
I think it is all of those things. I actually love what your Editor and Reviewer said about the book, making him feel, “Sad, angry, but also weirdly hopeful.” That is exactly how I feel. Like so many Americans, I feel angry about the broken system, the way politicians are self-serving and also choose party over country. I feel sad, and even exhausted, when it seems to never change. Yet, I do think that not only can things change, but that change is inevitable. The problem with change, or long-term evolution, is that it sometimes moves too slowly to be seen easily, or to benefit an individual within his or her own lifetime. I try to think about the timeline being humanity’s, and not my personal one of 80 or 90 years, and I continue to hope that things will get better and we will end up with a system of true and free democracy, with a government whose genuine goal is to serve the interests of the collective citizenry.
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From the author of the bestselling novel, The Organ Broker, (hailed by Lee Child, New York Times # 1 bestselling author of the Jack Reacher series as, “Exciting and thought-provoking–the perfect package”) comes, A Real Collusion, a stunning political thriller and expose.
A Real Collusion is a David Vs. Goliath(s) story about a man who accidentally becomes the leader of an independent political movement that nearly takes down the two-party system in America, while exposing a conspiracy that affects the results of the 2016 election. It explores universal and deeply human themes of loss, and the tension between justice and power. In the opening sentence the narrator points out that, “Ordinary people often do extraordinary things.” The characters in the book do, and the action is driven by the fantastic events of a unique political satire. It is also the heartfelt story of regular people struggling with lost love, alienation and nearly universal disaffection who find strength in enduring loyalty and friendship
This is the story of John Campbell (a regular guy from the lower east side of Manhattan) as recounted by his friend Skip Winters. Skip becomes John’s campaign manager and later, a congressman in his own right. He narrates the stunning-but-plausible story of how John Campbell and The American Coalition race to popularity, raising over a hundred million dollars from grassroots contributors—and become a threat to the political duopoly of the Democratic and Republican parties. The book sprinkles in references to real events from recent history, and real political leaders including Trump, John McCain, and more. This imbues the novel with a sense of realism, albeit one of an alternate reality. Skip discovers a deep-seated conspiracy within our political system whose leaders orchestrate a murder, destroy his friend and tip the scales of the election. The novel turns out to be Skip’s exposé of the secret collaboration between the two major political parties in our country—a cooperation to protect the duopoly that is, in part, real.
Posted on February 21, 2026, in Interviews and tagged A Real Collusion, author, book, book recommendations, book review, book reviews, book shelf, bookblogger, books, books to read, Conspiracy Thrillers, Contemporary American Fiction, ebook, fiction, goodreads, indie author, kindle, kobo, literature, nook, novel, Political Thrillers & Suspense, read, reader, reading, story, Stu Strumwasser, suspense, thriller, writer, writing. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.
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