Note: This post was automatically generated from John’s weekly newsletter, The Daly Grind. If you encounter broken links or images, you can go here to read from the original newsletter: Read More
Hi everyone.
It’s been over a month since I checked in, but not because there hasn’t been much to share or weigh in on. On the contrary, I’ve been busy with a number of projects lately, including a fun little development that came out of left field.
My fourth novel, “Safeguard,” and some of the photos taken while I was researching it a few years back, will be part of an upcoming exhibit at the Greeley History Museum in commemoration of the real-life Cold War era missile silo in West Greeley where the story takes place.
I’m pumped up about this, being that the rich history and intrigue of the silo is what inspired the novel (along with some stories relayed to me by the facility’s former caretaker).
The 140+ high-res photos were taken by a photographer friend of mine for reference purposes, as I wanted to describe the setting as realistically as possible in my writing. I figured that visual aids would be far more helpful for that than my memory from a couple of visits, and I think this excerpt from the book may just prove me right:
Sean stepped to the side of the doorway, exposing a circular pedestrian tunnel about eight feet in diameter. Along its ceiling were some bright caged bulbs, which Sean had neglected to turn off the night before. They lit up about thirty-five feet of ribbed metal walls and a paved walkway. At the end of the tunnel was a concrete wall where a poster with a blue emblem and a burgundy background hung.
The scouts chattered with wide eyes. Big Mike wore a grin as he peered inside. Even Budweiser Mike stood with both eyebrows raised. Sean was used to the reaction from new visitors. The tunnel held an ambiance of intrigue and importance that made one feel as if they were entering a portal into a covert world that few had laid eyes on. That was certainly how Sean had felt the first time he’d entered the compound in the midst of his job interview.
In a way, the gateway reminded him of an old television show he used to watch back in the ’80s called The Equalizer. It starred actor Edward Woodward as a former US covert operations officer. The title character lived in a shoddy apartment building in a bad area of New York City, but once the door to his apartment was opened, the living quarters were revealed to be lavishly decorated with expensive art and contemporary furniture. No one would ever confuse the missile silo for a swank pad, but the reception was similar.
Sean led them all inside, his voice echoing off the walls as he explained how the facility’s crew would enter and leave through that very tunnel. When they reached its end, the group stood in front of the poster. The emblem at its center matched one of the murals painted beside the blast door outside: a steel fist clenching three lightning bolts and an olive branch, in front of a pair of clouds. Below the shield, fancy lettering spelled out “Strategic Air Command.”
In case you haven’t figured it out, I was describing the tunnel pictured at the top of this newsletter.
A number of the photos turned out really well, including one that ended up on the cover of my book:
I should probably note that the fellow with the pistol was not in the original shot. That was added through some magic by my publisher’s cover designer.
Once the writing was done for Safeguard, I didn’t do anything with the rest of the photos beyond a little marketing. I certainly never thought they’d have some historical significance. But as it turns out, they do.
Weld County has owned the facility (and the 13 acres it’s on) since the 1970s, and for years they would only grant a small number of scheduled tours of the silo. The county shut the silo down entirely during the Covid-19 pandemic… and it never reopened it.
I’m sure county employees continue to use it for storage, including as a records archive (a function I describe in the book), but members of the public (including the museum staff working on this year’s exhibit) haven’t been allowed inside for five years. The facility has likely further deteriorated during that time, and been filled up with more material. I’m not even sure if the electricity is still turned on over there.
In other words, my photos may well have been the last (and probably some of the only) high-quality ones taken inside the silo. Thus, I was more than happy to share them with the museum.
In addition to the exhibit, which will open sometime in the spring, I’ll be doing some author events at the museum. Additionally, it sounds like copies of Safeguard will be sold in the museum’s gift shop, which is pretty cool.
I’m excited to be part of it all, and will keep you all in the loop.
The Hullabaloo
In January, I had a lot of fun talking about storytelling and the writing process with a high school writing group at the Midnight Oil Bookstore in Downtown Greeley. Their teacher, Mr. G, is a longtime Sean Coleman fan (and a heck of a nice guy) who I found out the other day subscribes to this newsletter (and especially likes the “Obligatory Dog Shot” feature).
Thanks for the invitation, Mr. G! It was good seeing you and the students.
Also last month, I did some fun interviews on the Daly Express podcast, including with Ian Kalman, founder of my favorite greeting card company, Bald Guy Greetings…
… my friend, Kimberly Ross of the Washington Examiner…
… author and former Hollywood actor, Mark Steven Porro…
… and novelist, Harry Pinkus.
You can watch the full video episodes on BernardGoldberg.com, or listen to the full audio podcasts on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Random Thought
Obligatory Dog Shot
I’ll have what they’re having.
Catch Up on the Sean Coleman Thrillers
All of my Sean Coleman Thriller novels can be purchased through Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Books-A-Million, and wherever else books are sold.
That’s all for now. Thanks for reading today’s Daly Grind.
Want to drop me a line? You can email me at johndalybooks@hotmail.com, and also follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads, and now Bluesky! If you haven’t subscribed to this newsletter yet, please click on the “Subscribe now” button below. Doing so will get these posts emailed directly to you.
Take care. And I’ll talk to you soon!
