George Vercessi, a retired U.S. Navy captain residing in northern Virginia, developed and co-produced the MGM/Showtime film, The Silver Strand, starring Nicolette Sheridan and Gil Bellows.

He has written We the People, a fast-paced drama in which Navy commander Paul Henly finds himself battling Washington's power elite in a sinister plot that winds its way through Congress, the Pentagon and ultimately, the White House.

His second novel, SEAL≈Test, is an explosive story of revenge blended with a sadistic scheme to manipulate a weak and flawed President. Tension builds from the opening scene, when a class of midshipmen are kidnapped from the U.S. Naval Academy. Thereafter, it's a plot that can go in only one direction: a hold-your-breath, winner-take-all showdown between two warrior SEALs.

Murder, revenge and long-past jilted love are woven into the fabric of Romney, West Virginia, (pop. 2,200), the site of Alma's World, Vercessi's most recent novel. In this idyllic, but tight-lipped mountain hamlet, Molley Moore must find the source of her husband's life-threatening illness before it's too late. What she uncovers, will leave you wondering just who the real villains are.

Vercessi, who also lectures on the subject, is the author of An Author's Guide to Publishing on the Internet, a handy reference work for writers seeking to have their books published with dot-com publishers.