Show lost history. And he is also the host of decoded. We although why you are here, with out further do lets welcome mr. Brad meltzer. [cheering] [applause] stomach or having fun now just you all know, cspan is here but you know what that means questioning that means all of us book nerds are being watched by her fellow book nerds. That that were altogether one place. [applause] we have as many viewers as espn right now. [laughter] that joke does not work in sports places. I love coming to virginia, obviously the washington d. C. Area was our home in a beautiful place for us where we had our children here, we had our lives here. We started writing here. Its especially important today, todays the day my dad died. And we mark today. And i know it seems like something sad part by loved my father specially loved biggins barnes noble because my father used to go into our local barnes noble, and he would always go yes im here for brad meltzers to but he is my favorite author. And they would always say mr. Meltzer, we know leisure son. But my mom and be like what you mean that john grisham is in the front window . Not anymore. [laughter] brad meltzer is in the front window parts we honor my father tonight for the other person, ive a couple thank you pseudo local bitter big ones and fun. Start critic character beecher in the inner circle part i know my friend trevor is here. He help me invented beecher. Come on out. This is a guy who helped with the national archive. People say al hansen beecher, thats it. And jim dey and sharon people helpless online under kate on site you stored this year for probate i went as we walk up last year when his. [inaudible] theres no costumes old tub of course would decide the week before halloween. I went on to it are nice and can anyone help move this cost them . Doctor k came at total stranger and said ive got a costume for you it is homemade. And it was hers. My daughter were, thank you, appreciate that. [applause] this is the biggest thank you all. Im a man of my word, hope at all times. But three ago made a promise. And the promise was that if i was looking teacher in 11th grade needed a kidney. She was dying. And they put a notice on facebook that said can you help me find a kidney for my teacher . If you help me find a kidney for might teach roe put you in my next book. That was my bride. And where are you amy come appear chimera. Sue met dont clap yet i havent told the story done anything about her. Heres what happened. As amy writes to me and said i volunteered to be the donor for your teacher. I just what you do know, i didnt hear back from her purse and dwelt for a volunteers. And i say my arm going to embarrass you. But dont worry i dont know what possessed me by call number teacher or someone who volunteer i know you get a lot of them but check this when upward and it wound up, but all the people who volunteered amy was the match for my teacher. Came down to florida are we a year or two years spent over two years. Came down to florida, as the hospital and they gave out of surgery. She gave her kidney you are looking at a one kidney woman right here. When heres the thing dont clap for you have not dont the starbright heres the best part is starboard the best part of the story is this. When she was having surgery one of the reporters that was there and asked where the original email was sent and she looked it was in spam and if i never wouldve called that day, it was just gone forever. And so come being a man of my word, you will see the character amy wags in this book. And finally she is immortalized as a hero she should be. So thanks amy. Stomach she does the most amazing thing she actually reddit already showing to make shredded maker jerk. [laughter] so again i cant do any of that anywhere else. Its only in virginia actually get people to make costumes the ability i would say you know what, how do i get better . When do i do my best work . What was my best book . It was over 20 years which of the best ones . I went back. Look i picked out which books of mine were the actual best. What i realize they had in common was they are the ones that had this amazing character. You need a character that just drove it. I love all the books have written and proud of every one. These have my favorite characters. I said thats whats going to be my motive at this time prethats what im going to do. So was on six years ago at a uso trip with the middle east. Entertaining our troops. I can always tell you when we were there is a dallas cowboy cheerleaders right before sprayed the enemy fighters, and then us, the authors. [laughter] my friend said to me can you tape the audible sigh when you walk in the room and they realize after the dallas cowboy cheerleaders they have you . [laughter] was greatest among we went out to visit our troops. How many of them came up to us and said i love the country singers that come. Im i love all the amazing people that come through here whether its the mma fighters are the cheerleaders paid but this is the first group thats it for me because i am a reader. And that is fantastic to me, right . We can find a fellow nerd, yes lets be friends. I love doing uso to her prayer but it was on the uso tour that i finally comment really learned about Dover Air Force base but we all know dover. Pulsing sadly those flight cover coffins that come out of the plane we all know that too well. But he didnt know is dover also handles the biggest cases. When the Space Shuttle goes down those bodies go to dover. When 911 happened, the pentagon victims went to dover. Nones was to know better know their identity they go to dover to that means dover is a place and holds secrets and mysteries. You Better Believe that i wanted to get into that place. And so i went there part i thought you know what, this is what i did attend the secret tunnels below the white house but have done that hidden labyrinth below the capital. I know when i go in im gonna write my book in that house going to be. I was humbled when i got there. Because when i saw the care that these men and women it dover, what they took for fallen soldiers, theres nothing id ever seen like this. This was bigger than the white house it was bigger than any place i had been. Because you realize the families of those that have fallen troops and their families, they didnt believe what happens into this out with their own eyes. To the people there will rebuild for 14 hours someones cheekbone and then smooth it out modeling clay so family could get one last look at their child will rebuild an entire hand because the mother specifically said i want to hold my sons hand one last time. Work country right now. Whatever your politics are on both sides are starving for heroes. Heres where the real heroes were prayed this is the best of us working on the best of the best of us. And i knew it right there that i had to tell the story. This was what i knew i was going to be so i started by, i always bring it to the people im talking as if heres what i want to do i want to see if i can have a body. The escape artist opens with this. Its one of my favorite characters ive ever written named nola. Noel is dead. The government says shes dead, she died in a plane crash. And when her body is brought to dover, our hero, zig, he pulls down the sheet and realizes as he opens up that there is a secret note hidden inside of her body. And the note says, nola you were right keep running. And he realizes no is not dead, shes on the run she is the escape artist. I had that general plots part i gave it to one of the people, i worked there with people and they left their them all the same things, how could you hide a secret note on her body . In one of them said to me, if you are on a plane and the planes going down, if you the timing is right depending on when you eat it, the liquids in your stomach connection protect the notes. And that had actually happened. I was blown away by that. Right . And i knew in that moment there was the plot. And i know what youre thinking right now print because every time i fly in a plane, i think of what is in my notes, right . [laughter] notate every time youre on a plane right now and you had that turbine should not be thinking of me. You can think of brad. Please dont make your note to me. I think when you write a note like that when that happens in real life, you are reaching out. And i knew in that moment i wanted to take that and put in the book prayed with no is looking for theres like no keep running. Noel is live. That wouldve made a much better version of what happened. In this sad story. But thats where i started. And i knew i had zig. I knew he was a divorced guy he was missing many things in his life pretty was really upset. He has a hole in his life he needs to fill. Thats a big important part of him. And thats one of the characters and then we are filming the history we were looking for the 911 flag. Were actually here in virginia. We were filming their pride we are happy to find the flag it was great i didnt tell anyone at the time is that they gave me auteur of the base. And were Walking Around this army museum. Nic there show me paintings of adolf hitler prayed there showing me these paintings file these amazing military artistry i said why does the government what is the army of some chart . Explain to me that since world war i, the u. S. Army has had a painter, actual painter on staff who was in charge of painting disasters as they happen. Whether storming the norton engine beaches in normandy, with his going on vietnam, whether a 911, that currently exist there is a painter, a war artist they called the artist in residence at still on staff or is it youre telling me, everyone elses racing with guns blazing, you are telling me that someone is running in with nothing but pencils and paintbrushes in their pockets . Thats the craziest person in the whole world ive got to meet him and they said no, no. You need to meet her. Her. I was like oh its a woman. Of course its a woman. Shes amazing, right . And i knew right there without even meeting her i knew nola. That was it and instantly i got her. Its a woman who can go out there and see things that no one else can see said brad after meeting you now know so much more about you. I rattled off a list of all these tics that i have and that i do that i dont even realize i do. Im time but the obvious want but things was like wow see the world different than idea. The great Graphic Designer, we see a stop sign he sees the greatest representation of Graphic Design ever created they can be read in any language, he sees the world differently than we do. And there, nola was born. Is this woman my girl the Dragon Tattoo part of course i love the peoples not therewith to the growth the dragon kept tattoo battle take the complement at any day. Shell look at your belt buckle of crows get on what i because youre a hunter nessie i aim with. She will see every time you walk past a Reflective Service you check yourself, you are vain perch he sees her weakness. What nola sees. She has so many herself and she has hull in her life shes trying to fill. Give these two characters. When you have this plot. Noel is dead, shes going to be racing out of their prayed thats the plot for 20 years ive been doing it i can always figure out how to build the vote lime sailing the vote. But to me i said dont do it. Weights. Dont start the book until you have nola. Until you have zig comments until you have it all. It will make a better book. And then i had this. In 1898, a man named john Albert Wilkie is put in charge of the u. S. Secret service. He is a magician pretties actually friend of Harry Houdini loves to do magic tricks himself but its the only time in history that a magician was in control the secret service. I love that, right . [laughter] thats a good detail. A couple books have been trying to figure how to use it for it i just couldnt figure it out pretty just dont want to force that in there its not just vomiting up information part has to makes sense. I couldnt use a configured out. And then i started looking into houdinis life right houdini had his own secret service. Harry houdini had his own secret service which is a fantastic idea. Thats how we used to do so many of his tricks. He is going to virginia they would come in the secret service would come first the week before prayed they would figure out what kind of handcuffs the police use, what have blocks from the jail door, i need come to town say lock me up with their handcuffs and put me in jail and i will get out. Guess how he got out, he always had the inside information. His secret service gave him the answers. And i was like i need secret service i want my own too. Harry houdini was also obsessed with death. Never got over the death of his mother, never. When i looked at houdinis life, we own of the escape artist shows the lockman something looks like he skidded diana gets out. Thats the escape artist. But the other part of the shows i didnt realize is where he spent time defrauding and showing what fakes these mediums were and people who did seances were. This is a time after world war i, we admit lost many sons in the war. I know it sounds so silly now, but there are people who say your son sent me a message from beyond the grave. I did was to talk to you if you just pay me 5, right . It sounds so obvious. The back then they didnt know. People were being taken advantage of. Its called spiritualism there taken advantage of all the time. Harry houdini hated it. Contractors by the beyond the grave he hated parades a part of his show was always dedicated pulling out these people who did seances and showing they were frauds. One of the things i love is Harry Houdini was so obsessed with death he gave secret code words for his family and to his friends that if they died and there is a sands and they came back as a ghost that he would notes them. So is really like i dont believe any of this nonsense, but in case i am wrong. [laughter] heres your codeword. The secret code word that Harry Houdini gave to his mother, the womans his death he never got over was supposedly simply this, this one word. Forgive. Forgive. Its such a simple idea. And i knew that i had zig had this hole in his life. I had nora the artist with a hole in her life or at heres Harry Houdini the hole in his life. All this, every person here every person watching has someone that puts him in that hole. It may be addiction, it may be abuse, maybe the loss of a loved him. We also that moment we get kicked down, we are in that crater weve gotta get out of that crater, we have to come back to life. Truly come back to life. And who is Harry Houdini who taught at best do it. Forgive. Especially starting with yourself. And when i learned that, then the escape artist, new all the puzzle pieces fit together and formed a picture, thats when i started the book. Thats where the escape artist comes from. Meets obvious to the book thats relevant i love i can talk about it. Twenty years in we can learn what we take away . Can talk about my dad will have her rituals. Well have our rituals the things we can do. I want to tell you that for 20 years now, this is my ritual. Twenty years. When asked first writing here in washington d. C. , and sent out my first book with 22 rejection letters 24 submissions. We are waiting for number 23 and 24. Have a good news was the two editors said to me that they like the book. Actually went and met with them they really liked it. My agent told me at the time go and sit at your places your presale points, we buy the phone and talking to both of them today from going to call you at whatever time it was part and im going to tell you what their offers are pretty think theyre going to bid against each other were going to have a real bidding war. Im thinking to pick up the phone shes gonna tell me how rich i was gonna be right . I was in debt at the time i was in college debt from michigan i thought this is it, this is my moment shes going to tell me. And i will never forget, the phone rang, is all excited to hear how well we did. Picked up the phone and will never forget she said sorry kiddo, and every day for 20 years, every day i sit down to write i sit everyday before i touch the keyboard before i did anything. I repaint the entire moment part i repaint what kind of phone i was holding as well as old clear seethrough ones you could see the wires insides and 80s that was hightech but right . I picture the formica desk on my left and the swivel lamp at every college kid has because that goes with cheap desks. I picture the bed that was on my right, had no headboard or anything as a bed and mattress because thats what we had. I picture the little terrorist in washington d. C. It looked over. The parking lot. And its a fire station that i was staring at which had three doors. I picture them every day predict say those words to myself. Sorry kiddo, sorry kiddo, sorry kiddo. Twenty years and going. Because every single day i want to be as hungry as i was when i was 24 years old living in this town. And i never, ever, ever want to think i am done or that i made it. The moment i think i made it im finished. I always want to be so hungry that i always put on my best work. Thats how you can learn pride we can all do the same things we do in life every day. Many of us are so good at our jobs. We are so good at doing it. But he wants in same thing over and over . Like a magician, we need to reinvent herself sometimes. We need to have that moment will reset then it this way im going to get even better. You dont have to change it but you have to think about it. Sorry kiddo. Sorry kiddo. Sorry kiddo. Sitting is aptly tying the person i was with a story. You cant even make this up. And we happen to, just because the way were going throw pass that fire station as i was telling the story. Listen i am staring at the fire station right now. Here it is for the one i picture this morning at five and when i woke up this morning, thank you kiddo and i love that part a love that this town brings that back to me. I love i get a new look at it and id love they change the doors in the last two years on that fire station. But is still the old ones every day in my eyes in my minds eye. So with that said, that is the introduction to the escape artist read what i would love to do is take questions pretty because i will always inspire more talking. You can ask about anything. You can ask what the kids books, will give you a quick update on the kids book. One interesting thing that happened and for those that dont know, do this line of kids book with chris ellie opelousas the amazing artist. I was tired of my kids thinking of loudmouth sports people we i am Abraham Lincoln, i am rosa parks i am Jackie Robinson for him. Hennessy do not hear is not so in his scores lead appoint spirit here is Jackie Robinson this is w