Politikill is local novelist Timothy Sojka’s sophomore offering. Sojka’s been labeled a tight wordsmith, but his work invites different labeling; fast paced, thought provoking, twisty, and most often controversial. Sojka takes on big topics like the death penalty, PACs, and career politicians. His work encourages readers to pick a side, then forces them to get uncomfortable with their decision.
After Sojka took on the death penalty in his #1 Amazon Thriller, Payback Jack, the author turned his flaming pen to a murkier subject: Washington, DC, corruption.
KCM | Before we turn our attention to Politikill, how was your first novel Payback Jack received. |
Tim | Depends on the audience. According to Amazon, the book rates 4.8 out of 5 stars. With over 10,000 readers and 230 reviews ,that’s great. However, I received a veiled death threat from a Huntsville Prison. I assume he did not like the book as much. |
KCM | Does that worry you? |
Tim | Not too much. With good behavior, the guy will be out in 60 years. I’ll be 115 by then. So, I’m not too worried. Still, I took precautions for my family going forward. Let’s just say my digital footprint is smaller and harder to track. |
KCM | Where did the idea for Politikill come from? |
Tim | When I was a kid, in the ‘70’s. I remember watching the ABSCAM sting. The FBI and the Justice Department videotaped politicians taking bribes from a fake Arabian holding company in return to political favors.
I remember thinking how cool that was for our country. But I have not heard about that type of sting operation again. So, I started wondering, what is a private citizen decided to take on corruption in Washington? What if that private citizen was broken inside, but possessed the resources to track down DC’s most corrupt players? What if, to scare politicians straight, that citizen killed the corrupt politicians instead or turning their information over to government officials? That’s not the big question. The big question is …. Even if politicians were afraid for their life, could today’s DC operate the way our founding fathers intended? That’s the big one. |
KCM | Why did you turn your attention to career politicians and political corruption in Politikill? |
Tim | Because I love America.
Our government remains imperfect, broken even. Still, make no mistake, despite flaws, our government incubated the best qualities of this great nation. But I’ll say this out loud. Politicians have insured policies benefit politicians, not us, their constituency. I’ll paraphrase Politikill. Someone needs to open this dirty, stinking, puss-filled box of secrets in the corner. Every citizen knows about the box. Still, we turned away, holding our noses as we passed. Each of us knew the rich and powerful influenced, even directed, the political automatons. We can only pray influencers that shared our beliefs paid off our representatives. |
KCM | What’s your opinion of Political Action Committees (PACs)? |
Tim | Probably important to look at the difference between a bribe and the work of a Political Action Committee. Let’s peek at the definition.
Bribe: verb; persuade a person to act in your favor, illegally or dishonestly, by a gift of money or other inducement; Synonym—influence. Political Action Committee: noun; an organization that raises capital privately to influence elections or legislation, most commonly at the federal level. You spot the difference, right? Bribe is a verb. Political Action Committee is a noun. Again, to use Politikill as a reference. Okay, I understand a bribe is illegal. I also understand the government’s attempt—or to be honest, failed attempt—to regulate the movements of political action committees. Still, the line is blurry and often crossed. Lines are hard to see when you spend your life straddling them, like career politicians often do. Each definition shares a key word: influence. Just for giggles, try this exercise. Look up the net worth of politicians when they arrive in DC for the first time. Then look at the net worth of a career politician, ten to twenty years after they arrive in DC. Some are wealthy when they get there. Let’s set those aside, only because their financial rubric is harder to solve. Still other politicians, with no discernable income outside of their government salaries, net worth soars from almost nothing into the millions. It’s a miracle, I guess. But really, it all starts with PACs. |
KCM | Do you have an answer to regulate Political Action Committees? |
Tim | Not an answer really, several suggestions. I try to cover them in an entertaining way in the book. |
KCM | You’ve made your disdain for career politicians public. |
Tim | Yep. |
KCM | A lot of people are on that bandwagon. That’s not a controversial opinion. |
Tim | Fair, then why don’t – a lot of people do something about it? This book is my rallying cry. Again, from the Politikill.
Once, wealthy farmers or successful executives spent a few years away from their professions to fulfill their duty to this country by becoming short-term politicians or lawmakers. Over time, the unplanned and unwanted creation—the career politician—replaced successful farmers or business owners. Career politicians systemically embrace self-serving agendas. Our founding fathers did not put laws in place to stop career politicians because they could not predict the powerful toxin presented by too much time in Washington. I sincerely believe that many incredible people arrive in DC. The current system corrupts them. |
KCM | What can you tell us about the book? |
Tim | It’s fast-paced, even for a thriller. It’s got FBI agents, a Rice University professor, a mysterious British heiress and corrupt politicians die. How bad can it be?
But I’ll let early reviewers speak for the book. Here are some quotes from them. Thought provoking, quirky, and at times painfully realistic. I read this book in one sitting. Sojka has a way of drawing you in right from the start. You’ll want to read this book right now so you can say you were on the Politikill bandwagon before it was cool. When the movie comes out in a few years, you’ll say “I knew it when.” It’s a tangled web of characters, backstories, and motivations in the vein of a Stephen King epic. Is POLITIKILL a metaphor for present-day politics? It may be better thought of as a commentary on the eternal tendency for power to corrupt, and for at least one idealist to attempt to change the dishonest climate that may be the rule in some political circles. |
KCM | What’s your big close? |
Tim | Look, I’m so sure you’ll like it; you can go to timothygenesojka.com and download the first 30 for free.
So, no way to lose right? |
KCM | And where can people buy the book? |
Tim | Some local bookstores have it. So, you can ask. Or buy it here: BUY POLITIKILL
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09QHHTK7P/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0
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