The Twenty-Twenty Players — Jim Lynch

When sexy singer Gina Struben encourages her husband Senator Josh Struben to run for President in 2020, not only does she miscalculate the impact that Chinese globalist Sun Feng, the world's wealthiest man, will have on the outcome, but she also underestimates the impact that domestic and global terrorism will have on her family. The Twenty-Twenty Players is a fictitious account of the 2020 US Presidential Election. It deals with three interwoven plots: the election itself; domestic terrorism; and international terrorism. Along the way the plot interlaces the fortunes of several vivid characters, including Presidential candidate Josh Struben and his wife, singer/activist Gina Struben; Chinese industrialist, Sun Feng; CIA Operative, Catherine Cauley; Islamic terrorist, Faraq Hussein; and Kenneth Brady, the bi-sexual host of the network news talk show, “The Brady Focus.” Other colorful supporting characters invigorate the plot that covers the 12 months of January through December 2020. There is also a rich back-story that deals credibly with the intervening years between 2011 and 2020. The Twenty-Twenty Players are the characters who each undergo a major personal transformation during the title year. Not only do these four-dimensional characters jump out of the text to illuminate the storyline, but they also permit thoughtful access to their individual spirituality as they cope with conflict or accept opportunity. The final 6 months of 2020 are fast paced, and unpredictable. However when the story ends on New Years' Eve, 2020, the reader feels hopeful and invigorated about the stretch of years yet to unfold. The Twenty-Twenty Players has appeal to anyone who has ever felt, love, sorrow, fear, regret, lust, hatred, or hope. But there are several more specific audiences who will find additional meaning as the plot unfolds. Political junkies will sink their teeth into debates about Globalism, American Exceptionalism and the ongoing erosion of the middle class. Questions are asked and answers are proffered. Some of these questions include: Will there be a female president anytime soon? Is the US ready for its first gay president since James Buchanan? Will Dictator Dominoes lead to theocratic unification and sovereignty? How long will the USA remain dependent upon others for its energy sources? Can a third party candidate have a fair shot at becoming President? Will Puerto Rico become the 51st State? How will the Hispanic Vote impact the 2020 election? How much of the population will be able to vote via the Internet in 2020? How will the USA/China relationship evolve? Does the media's role in the political process expand or contract? What is the role of the US military in the Twenty First Century? What is the USA's new Manifest Destiny? What impact will space exploration have on globalization? Embodied in the back-story of the novel are assumptions about what transpired between 2011 and 2020. Some specifics include; another US based terrorist attack which takes place in 2017; the US military occupation of northern Mexico in 2015; the passing of the 29th Amendment to the US Constitution that has a fascinating and positive impact on the American political process. There are many more surprises, but all of them are plausible; some might even seem probable. However, first and foremost, The Twenty-Twenty Players is a novel about people. What keeps the reader turning the pages at an enjoyable pace is the primitive curiosity at how the lives of the characters will unfold. Will sexy pop icon Gina Alvarez-Struben help or hurt her husband's chances at election? Why doesn't incumbent President Elder want to run for a second term? What impact will political pundit Kenneth Brady and “The Brady Focus” have on the election? Who will cause the most chaos in 2020, American terrorist, Robert Day or Islamic terrorist Zafar bin Zahid? And finally, what difference can 12 months make on history????