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Michael Hughes
Det. Ty Connell is a hybrid character based on several police officers Michael Hughes has known personally -- at the city, state, and federal levels -- and with whom he's spent man...view moreDet. Ty Connell is a hybrid character based on several police officers Michael Hughes has known personally -- at the city, state, and federal levels -- and with whom he's spent many memorable hours over beer, over lunch, over weapons at the range, listening and learning from everyday "on the job" working coppers.
Michael also counts as a reliable research source a formerly active member of one of New York City's major crime families who has since retired from "the Life." He works now for various police departments taking on-call assignments as a for-hire CI, confidential informant, and as a professional IC, an intel contact, someone who can develop his own leads and sources. In the Connell books he's called "The Ferret." In real life he has played a key role in cracking a number of disturbing front-page murder cases. (Strictly non mob related.). Again, many fascinating sessions over beer and a burger.
As a newspaper feature writer, Michael did a in-depth story on his city's jail system. To make it real he decided he had to get INTO jail. Michael shocked a judge when he said that he'd take the short jail term in lieu of paying a fine for a minor traffic offence and was sent to "the county bucket," a daunting hundred year-old block-and-stone institution that was more "prison" than "jail." It had a dank old maximum security wing which segregated those charged with the most violent crimes -- murder, rape, aggravated assault, drug trafficking -- while they worked their way through the court system for sentencing. The warden put Michael in that hard-core max wing for the first part of his stay to give him a dose of "what prison life is really like.".
Michael says about that experience: "They were the most hellish days of my life, living side-by-side with ticking time-bombs just looking for an excuse to explode. I was in fear every second of every day. Afraid to close my eyes, even at night. I barely slept. We were fifteen to a large communal cell by day, rage always simmering, then locked three to a stinking stifling closet-sized cell by night. The place went into total lock-down on a daily basis with sirens going off and doors clanging shut everywhere while guards rushed in with their armor and their batons, turning the place upside down, searching for metal spoons that went missing at meal-times (the only utensils issued) for sharpening later into shivs. I wondered many times if I was going to get though it alive." A useful experience when it came to writing mystery/suspense fiction.
In his career, Michael has been a court reporter, journalist, feature writer, editor, managing editor, columnist, owner/creative director of Michael Hughes Advertising & Promotions Inc., and owner/senior writer of Prime Time Media PR Services. He has previously written published biographies of two colorful sports/media personalities (details on request) and all three books of the TY CONNELL 'CUTTING IT' TRILOGY -- as well as a screenplay, JOEY BLANKS, a romantic "mob" comedy -- are currently circulating at option for film rights with his film/lit agent.
Raised in Battle Creek, Michigan, Michael became hooked on the world of mystery fiction when, at age fourteen, he discovered Conan Doyle and Dashiell Hammett. His first mystery short story done as a school project. He attended Laurentian University for a BA-English, and Humber College for Dramatic and Comic Script Writing. His idea of an escape from the craziness of it all these days is to slip off to that calming center of the universe, New York City.view less
Books by Michael Hughes
The Secret Power of Meditation: A Beginners Guide To Eliminating Your Stress & Anxiety In 20 Minutes a Day