Connick draws from his work as intelligence agent

Consigned Books in Ironton continued its series of signings by local authors on Saturday, with a visit by a Huntington writer who specializes in spy novels.

Michael Connick says he worked in the U.S. intelligence community for 15 years and draws from that experience for his work.

“It was half my working life,” he said. “I write spy novels about the Cold War, and they are very historically accurate and about the trade craft.”

He released his first book in 2016 through Amazon’s Create Space for self publishing.

“It’s great,” he said. “I can track my sales day-by-day. I can see the impact from an appearance immediately”

He said his work is a trilogy of books, with the first being almost autobiographical.

Settings include Iran and Vienna, which he describes as “the spy capital of the world” in the 1980s, during the Cold War. Other areas that form the narrative include Afghanistan and the Soviet-Afghan war, where the U.S. supported the native Mujahideen guerilla fighters against the communist occupiers.

Connick, originally from New York City, said he moved to Huntington about 10 years ago.

“I researched it and found West Virginia offered me what I was looking for,” he said. “I think this area is an undiscovered jewel.”

Connick is the latest author to appear at the shop, located at 221 S. 3rd St. Others have included Kathy Cannon-Weichmann, of Cincinnati, whose book, “Not On Fifth Street,” was set around the 1937 flood in Ironton, and Quintin Gleim, of Franklin Furnace, an illustrator who has won national awards for science fiction.

Owner Cindy Black said the store also hosts a Fiction Writing 101 class every Monday at 1 p.m., featuring local author Cat Shaffer.

More information on the store, which opened in 2016, can be found at www.consignedbooks.com.