Steve's a busy man. He lives on the Georgia coast, where he still practices law after 27 years. He's also active in local politics, having served on the Camden County Board of Education and, currently, he's one of five members of the Camden County Board of Commissioners. And, of course, he writes. Three jobs. Quite a busy man.
Steve has been writing since 1990, and though his undergraduate degree was in political science, and he's trained as a lawyer, it was Steve's interest in history that led to him writing international suspense thrillers. They were the kind of books he liked to read, so naturally they became the kind of book Steve liked to write. Steve doesn't adhere to the adage, "write what you know." Instead, he says, "write what you love."
He also credits the nuns who taught him in Catholic school with instilling the discipline needed to both craft a novel and find a publisher. It took Steve 12 years — 85 rejections over five different manuscripts — before Ballantine Books finally bought a manuscript. Like he says, "I'm the poster child for it can be done."
Steve's first two books, The Amber Room and The Romanov Prophecy were both national bestsellers. His next novel, The Third Secret, became an instant bestseller, debuting at #13 on the New York Times hardcover list and climbing to #5 on the Times paperback list. His fourth, The Templar Legacy, debuted at #4 on the New York Times list and spent eight weeks in the top 10. It also climbed into the top 10 on the USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and BookSense bestseller lists. The paperback became a #1 bestseller on the Publishers Weekly and BookSense bestseller lists. The Alexandria Link, debuted tied for #2 on the New York Times hardcover list, spending five weeks in the top 10. It also ranked in the top 20 for USA Today, and in the top 10 for the Publishers Weekly and BookSense bestseller lists. The paperback spent four weeks on the New York Times list, rising to #6.
His latest, The Venetian Betrayal, debuted in stores December 11, 2007, becoming an instant New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today bestseller.
Steve is also an international bestseller. His books appear in 43 countries and 41 languages. Nearly 7,000,000 copies are in print worldwide. Ballantine Books seems to like him, too. They've signed Steve for four more thrillers, starting in December, 2008 with The Charlemagne Pursuit.
