This is an international suspense thriller that relates a story of ordinary people forced to become heroes in order to stop the building of the “narco-continent” in North America by organized crime (drug cartels and human traffickers.)

But this isn’t just an ordinary thriller, is it? Tell us about The Z Redemption‘s back story.
The Z Redemption  was born out of a personal loss of a friend in Mexico, but it became so much more than a way of remembering him.

Yes, my young friend and neighbor, Israel, was tortured and murdered when I lived in Monterrey, Mexico,  in 2009 and 2010, and there was no justice for this bright, innocent young man. He was alone and no one came to save him. It must have been horrible for him. Wanting to be a voice for him, I started my investigations into the activities of drug cartels and organized crime and thought I could scream for him by writing this novel, The Z Redemption.

But a couple things happened: One is that I discovered there were/are tens of thousands of “Israels” who have died or disappeared in this way in Mexico, and probably millions throughout the world. The other is that there are equal numbers of heroes who are fighting to bring this situation to the attention of people who are not bought by the cartels and mafias.

I never met a Mexican person who is not in love. These are the most affectionate people, so loyal and loving to their family and friends, and so inclusive when they know who you are. Their national character infected me.

So despite the subject matter of The Z Redemption, the novel is full of passionate love: the kind between lovers having affairs, the rooted love of best friends, the love between mentor and protege, and unrequited love that respects the loyalty of others. Many of the characters can do what they do in the novel, which is to become heroes, because they have the power and motivation of love behind them.

Israel was an intelligent and fun young man who was excited about his future. He died because he fell in love. Somehow I think he knows about this book, and now knows that all his friends and family would have gone to the mat for him if they had had the chance.

What kind of readers will it appeal to?
Readers who are fans of sexy, suspense thrillers filled with life vs. death entanglements, unexpected plot twists, lightning-fast action, and characters who live and love passionately will enjoy this novel of romance and danger in Mexico and the USA!

Introduce us to your cast of characters .
Ana Valdez: Mexican business woman who becomes a national celebrity fighting for victims’ rights and the families of disappeared persons as a result of the drug wars.

David Wilson James: Ex-CIA operative who becomes a hero in the United States and Mexico.

Enrique Santos: Dispirited young law student who finds heroism within him and becomes a leader of the Zs. Enrique is modeled after the real life roommate of Israel, my friend murdered by the drug cartels in Mexico.

Eduardo Ortiz: Powerful business man and back room politician in Mexico.

Roberto and Annie Ortiz: Children of Eduardo Ortiz. Mexican twins who live in Virginia during David’s adolescence and who alter the course of David’s life.

We should remember these names, because we’ll be meeting them again, won’t we?
I am writing the sequel to the current novel and hope to have it published by Christmas, 2013. Its title is “Corvette Nightfire.” It is a sequel in the sense that a few of the main characters continue in the new novel, but there are several new characters also introduced.

And we’ve met some of the characters before, haven’t we?
I have also published a short story called “Awakening from the Golden Sleep.” It is a stand alone short story of Ana Valdez’s childhood in Mazatlan, Mexico. Ana is the main character in The Z Redemption. This short story is supplemental to the novel and not in the book itself.

Tell us a bit about yourself.
I am a retired Certified Public Accountant who spent most of my career in the healthcare field.  For twenty years I was the CFO and then CEO of a Virginia hospital and nursing home in a large healthcare company. I wrote short stories as a young man, and at the College of William and Mary I really learned to write. I received my undergraduate degree in History there. Later I went to grad school at Virginia Commonwealth University, where I got a post baccalaureate certificate in accounting and then my Masters in Business Administration from the University of Dallas. I am a life-long lover of Corvettes, Las Vegas, and living on the edge. I am in love with my family, and I am passionate about United States and Mexican history, the Spanish language, and using social media.

I am fluent in Spanish and enjoy doing research for my novels in original Spanish sources. I spend a lot of time each day reading the articles about organized crime in El Norte and El Universal, the newspapers of Monterrey and Mexico City, respectively.

Do you have a website where we can keep up with your work?
Yes, my website has a lot of information about the novel and the current events of the drug cartels. I also blog from that website. I write book reviews and posts about writing, and I give progress reports on my activities and the sequel.

Please visit, like, and follow my blog/website at http://www.danielwetta.com.

How can we follow you on Twitter and/or Facebook?
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wettabooks
Twitter: @Cursillo86

What’s next?
After Corvette Nightfire comes out this Christmas, I will co-author a “prequel” to The Z Redemption with Bob Selfe, the most excellent editor of my books. That novel will trace the adventures in Latin America of the young David Wilson James in the times of Pablo Escobar.