Michael Callahan

Hi, I’m the newbie in this column. I’m the son of Tom and Colleen, now 17 years old and about to face the challenge of my young life in the award-winning fourth book. Fortunately, I have the help of my Irish girlfriend, Ciara Harrington, who makes both my life and this book worthwhile. 

The Irish Skateboard Club features all the thrills and intrigues of the adult Callahan Family Saga series with the added twists of young adult angst and major adult real-life dilemmas. All I wanted was to spend a semester abroad and pick up some of the Irish culture so I would fit in better with my adopted family, the Clan Callahan, back in Taos, New Mexico. I couldn’t even get out of the Dublin Airport without clashing with the authorities and it went downhill from there! Got into a fight (trying to come to the aid of Ciara, who did not need it—she’s as tough as my Mom who is a black belt!), bullied at school, friction with my Irish host family, kicked out of History class, and more! Thank goodness for the local skateboarders (and Ciara, of course!). 

Brinn wanted to bring up the subject of human trafficking so that today’s young people could learn about this terrible danger as they read an entertaining book. Many of the readers so far have been parents and even grandparents who also want to learn so they can have conversations about this difficult subject with their young people.  

Ciara and I lobbied Brinn to be included in his Book Five, currently lodged largely-unwritten in his laptop as The Panama Skateboard Club. If you read The Irish Skateboard Club and want more, please post a review and then badger Brinn into speeding up with his writing. Sheesh, you’d think the guy is retired or something… 

Ciara Harrington

Top of the mornin’ to ya! I’m Ciara, new to this Callahan array of books—I’m the only authentic Irish person in the whole series! There I was, happy in me life, studying hard, determined to get accepted to Trinity College Dublin, the best university in all of Ireland—my life’s ambition—and along comes this Yank chappie from New Mexico who turns my life upside down and inside out! And then, we stumble across a human trafficking ring—in Ireland of all places! Whew, life is certainly not boring around the Callahans! 

Like Michael, I am nudging Brinn to be included in the next book. I sat on his shoulder during his long morning walks thinking about this book’s plot line and I badgered him for more action parts for girls. Even made him change the book’s ending, didn’t I now? I’ve only been out of Ireland once in me life (Michael took me snowboarding in New Mexico) and would dearly love a summer spent in Panama–especially with Michael! 

Porter Nelson

Hi, I’m Porter Nelson, one of the protagonists in The Cochabamba Conspiracy, Homeland Burning, and Chita Quest. I am a Pulitzer winning investigative journalist and all-round nosy s.o.b. Lieutenant Colonel (later Colonel) Tom Callahan and his Australian-born wife, Colleen, are the main stars. Tom’s a shit-hot Air Force fighter pilot and Colleen, well, in my somewhat turgid prose she would be described as smart, statuesque, blonde, and beautiful—with the emphasis on the smart with a doctorate in international economics to prove it.

Tom saves my life in the opening chapters of Cochabamba and changes the lives of thousands of people, especially me. Cochabamba will thrill you and chill you. Lots of good flying scenes (I told you Tom was a great pilot!), mixed with international intrigue, action, Latin culture, great locations that you’ve never heard of before, and just a smidgen of sexual skullduggery.

I get a reprise in Homeland Burning, Brinn’s second book (in the series). It’s a classic! Brinn takes the plot right out of today’s headlines—wildfires consuming huge chunks of America’s forests—then inserts a world-class terrorist (does the name Kurt Wallerein ring a bell?) and presto—a major eco-terrorist thriller! I even get introduced to Michelle Duregger, a real kick-ass lady—what happens next is classified need-to-know…more aviation scenes…you’ll have to read this award-winning book to discover how things turn out!

We have an entirely different situation in Chita Quest, though again the emphasis is on Tom Callahan and his family. Of course, this all blows up into a major international event. Tom simply wants to discover what happened to his father who was shot down at the end of the Vietnam War and is still listed as Missing in Action. He enlists his younger brother, Brian, a former USAF pilot and Wall Street genius, and heads off to Asia. Colleen Callahan and Brian’s wife, Elizabeth, stay behind and are attacked by persons unknown.

I fly to Asia via Germany and eventually catch up with the Callahans in China. I try to dissuade Tom from what I consider to be a foolhardy and possibly suicidal venture. Of course, he won’t listen and proceeds to do exactly what he wants to do—that’s why he’s the protagonist and I’m only a secondary character!

Gotta go now. I’m meeting the Callahans, Colonel Brice Adams and his wife, Ruhi Talebreza Adams (they are major characters in Homeland Burning) and the gang for a wine tour in California. It starts at Brice’s vineyards and wanders through the northern part of the state over to Ukiah and the Seebass Vineyards. It’s going to be an epic vacation!

Colleen Callahan

G’day! I’m Colleen O’Kelly Callahan, wife, mother, athlete, and economist—but mostly I serve as advisor and “sea-anchor” for my husband who has a tendency to dive into the most amazing adventures! And to think, there I was at a pub in Sydney celebrating my new job modeling in London when this Yank chappie swooped in, punched out my ex-boyfriend and swept me off my feet (I hate that cliche’)…anyhow, the rest is history. Tom and I have traveled all over the world doing extraordinary things. I haven’t totally enjoyed the bits where people were shooting at me but I guess that comes with being a Callahan.

I really had a bad time in Homeland Burning. Fortunately, I have a wonderful friend and aviatrix, Ruhi Talebreza Adams, who is both brilliant and a “good stick” as my jet pilot husband would say—and that’s very high praise indeed, coming from him!

Brian Callahan

I make my entrance in Chita Quest. The best part of “The Quest” is my meeting Elizabeth– I get the girl in this book! I tried telling Tom how much better looking I am than him and got thumped (again) by Colleen. Later, I am shamed into helping Tom investigate what happened to our father so many years ago. We head off to Asia with me serving as Sancho Panza to Tom’s Don Quixote in an astounding quest. I get to see my big brother in an entirely new light on this journey. I wouldn’t have missed it! Beats the hell out of selling stocks on Wall Street!

I make a brief appearance in Brinn’s fourth book. I have lodged a complaint with him for some more action—including more flying time! Stand by for book five!

Tom Callahan

Hi, I’m Tom Callahan, the protagonist in Cochabamba Conspiracy, Chita Quest, and Homeland Burning. Or, I guess I should say, one of the protagonists. My oh, so lovely wife, Colleen, figures in there as does our good friend Porter Nelson. Just as meeting Colleen changed my life for the good, meeting Porter changed my life– sometimes for the good, sometimes not so good!

In the Cochabamba Conspiracy, Colleen and I are ripped from our very-close-to-comfortable lives in Arizona where I was set to take command of a F-15 squadron and sent to La Paz, Bolivia where I’ll be the new Air Force Section Chief in the U.S. Military Group-Bolivia. There we meet Porter and everything goes downhill from there!

Only kidding. We meet some great folks– the Navy Section Commander and his lovely wife become our best friends, as do the Army Section Chief and his wife. Then everything goes downhill. Seriously. Downhill.

I tried to make things go smoothly in Cochabamba but Brinn had something else entirely in mind. Eventually, I had to take over and work things through.

Homeland Burning starts off with a bang—or should I say a crash? Things really heat up from there! Lots of high-level political maneuvering in Washington. Our family really takes a pounding in this thriller, but we’ll recover. On the positive side, you get to meet a terrific cast—Michelle Duregger, WO-2 Beth Tafoya, and Ruhi Talebreza Adams.

In Chita Quest. Colleen and I are settled down in Georgetown– She’s at the World Bank and I’m at the White House– and Porter once again raises a spectre for me to unravel. Colleen and I go through some painful moments, lots of tears, and are forced to deal with demons that threaten our family (Brinn sure knows how to turn on the tears). More high-level political maneuvering, this time in Washington, Hanoi, Moscow, and Beijing.

Family figures prominently in book four, The Irish Skateboard Club. Our son, Michael, is now 16 years old (my, the years just fly past!), and is wrapped up in typical teenage angst, trying to find himself. Lots of good action and teenage adventure. Adult readers will enjoy watching Michael maneuver through an intellectual minefield as he struggles to deal with serious adult decisions.

In the upcoming The Panama Skateboard Club, the now 17 year-old Michael and Ciara are once again wrapped up in some international intrigue involving pirates, (both the old-style and modern-day) and Spanish treasure that appears to be way over their heads. But you’ll have to wait until we can get Brinn to stop fiddle-fartin’ around and get the book finished so we know how it ends! Stand by!

I recommend you pick up a copy of all four books. Anyone who enjoys intrigue, action, geo-politics, aviation, or travel should find some things interesting and worthwhile in each of the books. That’s all I can say for now. Stay tuned and stay in touch!