Glenn “Hurricane” Schwartz’s “The Weathermaker” repeats as Milford House Press bestseller for February

MILFORD HOUSE PRESS - Bestsellers for February 2020 (by Revenue)
Rank Prior Title Author Category
1 1 The Weathermaker Glenn Schwartz Climate Fiction
2 13 The Ghosts of Saratoga Ossont & Dampf Historical YA
3 15 Miss Feezenschneezen Is Ill David Parmalee YA
4 3 Secrets of the Galapagos Sharon Marchisello Murder Mystery
5 NEW Deadly Roses Scott Stevens Crime Thriller
6 NEW The Eye of the Gargoyle Wendy Webb Murder Mystery
7 10 The Road to Lattimer Virginia Rafferty Historical
8 -- The Peacekepper Jess Steven Hughes Historical
9 -- Winter of the Metal People Dennis Herrick Historical
10 9 The Vatican's Vault Barry Libin Murder Mystery
11 NEW Twister Town Scott Stevens Climate Fiction
12 NEW Voyage to the Planet of the Giant Bugs Wil Falconer Science Fiction
13 -- Eden Waits Maryka Biaggio Historical
14 -- The Wolf of Britannia Part II Jess Steven Hughes Historical
15 NEW Murder at Henry's Fork Peter Gibbs Murder Mystery
His father warned him not to do it. Neil Stephenson can control the weather—but should he? He is already a rising star TV meteorologist in Baltimore. During a snowstorm that isn’t producing as much snow as predicted, Neil discovers his gift: he can make the snow increase or decrease and make it start or stop raining. The latest science shows that extreme weather has increased in frequency and severity due to climate change. Being able to prevent some of those disasters sounds great, but… weakening one hurricane in the Atlantic could strengthen a typhoon in the Pacific. Preventing floods in one country might lead to drought next door (“They stole our rain!”). Neil is torn between preventing disasters that save the insurance industry billions and saving lives from drought in Africa. The most famous actress in Hollywood seduces him so he will do the latter. The military and organized crime want to use him, too. He becomes a national hero to many. On the other hand, lawsuits, criminal charges, and even death threats follow his actions. The Weathermaker is a “cli-fi” genre-bending thriller, with the action aspects of Twister. It shows the tragic aspects of climate change (like The Day After Tomorrow) and “the cure is worse than the disease” (Snowpiercer). There is also evidence that controlling nature can lead to disaster (Jurassic Park). The added bonus is that the author is a meteorologist, and the science is accurate. Plus, 40 years on TV has given him lots of “inside TV news” stories. What Others Are Saying: Science doesn't only belong in conferences and textbooks. It needs to be accessible to the public. The climate and extreme weather affect almost every aspect of our lives, yet the only scientist that many people encounter daily is their favorite TV meteorologists. Meteorologist Glenn “Hurricane” Schwartz is a respected and acclaimed scientist and communicator that has offered up a fascinating fictional narrative anchored in science. It is sneaky, effective and entertaining way to share weather and climate science to the masses. -- Dr. Marshall Shepherd; Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Sciences and Geography; Director, UGA Atmospheric Sciences Program; Full Professor, Department of Geography The Weathermaker is both a cli-fi thriller and a who-dun-it, written by a professional TV meteorologist. In this age of eco-anxiety over floods, droughts and hurricanes, this novel is both a grippping read and an entertaining wake up call. -- Dan Bloom, editor, The Cli-Fi Report Glenn “Hurricane” Schwartz gives us that true rarity in fiction: an entertaining story that also has great meteorology. Tornadoes, droughts, hurricanes, winter storms, and how climate change may be affecting them are all featured as the hero meteorologist travels the world. And the Hurricane Hunters should definitely not repeat the type of hurricane flight featured in The Weathermaker! -- Dr. Jeff Masters, former Hurricane Hunter, co-founder of Weather Underground, and extreme weather and climate change writer for Scientific American People are fascinated by meteorological phenomena, and Hurricane Schwartz has taken explaining extreme weather to another level. The Weathermaker is not just a page-turner, it showcases the ability of a science communicator to help people connect the dots. -- John Morales, CBM, CCM, AMS Fellow Chief Meteorologist, WTVJ NBC 6, Miami, @JohnMoralesNBC6 It has been said that "Everybody complains about the weather, but nobody does anything about it”. In The Weathermaker, however, Philadelphia’s legendary TV Meteorologist Glenn “Hurricane” Schwartz spins an entertaining yarn about a meteorologist who does indeed do something about the weather. And in the process, Schwartz tells a cautionary tale about the threats posed both by human-caused climate change and perilous “geoengineering” quick fixes that have been proposed to deal with it. -- Michael E. Mann, Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Science, Penn State University and author of The Madhouse Effect: How Climate Change Denial is Destroying the Planet, Ruining our Politics, and Driving us Crazy The popular meme that truth is stranger than fiction often holds true. But in the increasingly strange world of long-term climate change and every-day weather -- and especially in the words of a masterful practitioner and communicator of both -- one can only hope that "Hurricane" Schwartrz's story-telling remains just that: engrossing and creative fictiion, with a clarity and sense of purpose that sucks the reader in with tornadic zest. If his Weathermakers really come to be, we'll all be in for far more than just stormy days ahead, but at least this wizened Philadelphia weathercaster will have given us a few needed laughs along the way. -- Bud Ward, veteran journalist and Editor, Yale Climate Connections About the Author:
Glenn “Hurricane” Schwartz is a Certified Broadcast Meteorologist, doing the weather on TV for 40 years of his 47-year career. His specialty has been in forecasting and severe weather, especially hurricanes. He co-authored the award-winning “Philadelphia Area Weather Book” in 2002 and was inducted into the Philadelphia Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame in 2010. He graduated from Penn State University with a B.S. in Meteorology in 1972. His first forecasting job was at AccuWeather. From there, he went to the National Weather Service at the National Hurricane Center, working with many internationally-recognized authorities. After transferring to the NWS office in Atlanta, his title became “Disaster Preparedness Meteorologist” for the state of Georgia. Glenn was recruited into TV in 1979 after doing a live interview on WAGA-TV in Atlanta as Hurricane Frederick approached. He has also worked in several other TV stations around the country. He covered Hurricane Andrew on his first day at WINK-TV in Ft. Myers and returned to his hometown of Philadelphia in 1995 where he has been a widely-recognized on-air presence in commercial television for the past 24 years. In 1985-86 he became the first “storm chaser” at The Weather Channel and was one of their designated “Hurricane Specialists.” He got his nickname in New York City after an anchor saw video of him being blown around during one of his hurricane chases. He lives in the Philadelphia suburbs with his wife, Sherry, and is a lifelong Philadelphia sports fanatic.
by Glenn Schwartz
MILFORD HOUSE PRESS
Trade Paperback - 6 x 9 x 1
9781620062586
194 Pages
FICTION / Action & Adventure
FICTION / Disaster
FICTION / Science Fiction / Apocalyptic & Post-Apocalyptic