A Story of Political Peril
Date Published: 09-10-2026
Publisher: Mission Point Press
country when the wrong people have too much money and power.
The Vote is a political thriller built around a conspiracy among powerful
political actors, billionaires, and party operatives who seek to manipulate
the constitutional amendment process in order to permanently reshape the
structure of American government. The mechanics of American politics,
particularly the Article V constitutional amendment process, is the framework
that informs the central premise of the novel. The current political landscape
of the country lends credibility to the story and gives the narrative an
interesting and timely foundation.
The manuscript opens with a series of interconnected storylines involving
political figures, wealthy conspirators, and emerging state-level candidates.
These threads gradually reveal a coordinated effort to gain control of state
legislatures and Congress as part of a broader plan to fundamentally alter the
country’s political system. The concept itself is ambitious and grounded
in recognizable political realities.
Excerpt
Rudolph Conover fumed as the jet he’d sent to convey Aldon Powers
to the Conover compound in Southern Illinois sat idling somewhere in Texas. No
sign of Powers. No explanation. No apology. The plane should have left hours
ago.
For Conover, meetings such as today’s were a carefully choreographed
dance, designed to shape an opponent’s mental disposition and ultimately
their amenability to whatever it was he wanted from them. Everyone was an
opponent in Conover’s world and everything was meant to intimidate, from
the jet’s amenities to the obsessive focus on secrecy to the quirkiness
of his compound. When dealing with men like Powers, it was his way of
reminding them of his preeminence in the hierarchy of billionaires. On rare
occasions when someone dared to play by their own rules, he did not take it
well. Today was one of those occasions.
Conover’s wife, Marcia, slipped into the war room where he sat. The
meeting was scheduled to begin shortly. “Any communication from
Powers?” he asked, irritated.
She shook her head.
“How can he be so disrespectful?”
She put her hand on his shoulder, “You have every right to be upset.
I’ll go see if there is any news.”
Conover knew Powers was difficult and unpredictable but it was impossible not
to respect him. A modern-day Edison, he was a daring visionary and the most
technologically disruptive man in a century. His companies had mastered space,
the Earth’s outer crust, and the ocean’s depths. The man had
become so indispensable that some feared him as a veritable government unto
himself, unfettered by borders and the normal rules of behavior. Everybody
needed something from him that only he could give. Conover wanted to be a
warlord. Powers wanted to be God.
About the Author
received a degree in political science from the University of Puget Sound and
an advanced degree in foreign trade from the Thunderbird Graduate School of
International Management. Between degrees, he served a stint in the United
States Navy.
In 1981, he founded Daavlin, a medical technology company that eventually grew
into a prominent player in the field of dermatology. As part of his career, he
stepped foot on every continent and dipped his toes in every ocean on earth.
Reading, writing, traveling, acting, and directing live theater are his
favored pastimes.
He’s also a lifetime political junkie. As this book goes to press,
Swanson is a candidate for the Ohio House of Representatives.
