Michael R. French has authored 23 published titles, including fiction, biographies, adaptations, art criticism and children’s  books, over a 30-year career.  French’s work has been warmly reviewed in the New York Times and been honored with several literary prizes. 
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Pass the envelope.  And the winner is…the voter.  
        Specifically, millions  of new voters, many of whom were in their teens and twenties, stormed the barricades.  The #neveragain and other movements of the last four years were great motivators.  In my generation, most of us didn’t vote  until our thirties, if  then, finally figuring out that politics matter.  So what was different this time?    Metaphorically speaking, a lot of us of all ages and races felt that democracy had come down with COVID,  and unless we voted, no one could be sure it would survive.   The  65% voter turnout was, I believe, a record for an American presidential election.  May the tree of democracy continue to grow.   America used to be known principally for its military and economic might.   Now, there is additional power to harvest for the world to see. One voice, one vote, to start the list. 
   
In my modest new novel Cliffhanger, it’s 2030 and America is going through tough times again. An 18 year old young woman, running for political office,  makes her voice singular, irresistible, and unsinkable in a sea of anger apathy.  In history, so often it’s one person who makes the difference.