Perspective, i want to thank all of you out there for all of the incredible support that you show the writers everywhere in the very, very difficult time that we are all facing. All of us at the Miami Book Fair are thinking of you and really helping that you and your families are safe and healthy. We are presenting the series, not only with the Miami Book Fair because they like family to us and we have always wanted to think them and we do think them for all that they do and a lot of people have been asking about the book fair and we will be mounting a book for this year whether its virtual, physical or combination of both, its a little too early to tell. We also want to think to sponsors, one is a literary hub. Com and also my very own culture crusaders. This evening, we are thrilled to welcome our good friend brad meltzer, to celebrate the publication of his new book the lincoln conspiracy. This is a phenomenal book and we have been with brad just about for every one of his books, we will not let any virus get in the way. We are so thrilled to have him with us tonight. Everyone knows the story of Abraham Lincoln assassination in 1865. First youre aware of the original conspiracy which was to try to kill him four years earlier in 1861. Literally on his way to washington, d. C. For his first inauguration. As brad says, this is a story few people know, one that set from a time of deep Political Division in america. It shows us what good leaders can do in times and strive and is perfectly where we are today in this country. Brad as all of you know, every one of his books is a number one New York Times bestseller, hes the author of the escape artist, as well as thrillers, as well as the amazing books for kids and the people change the world. He is not only worked in operated and hes also one of the most well read bestselling writer of comics as well and maybe we can talk about that and is also the host of glad enter brad meltzers decoded in history, on top of that, he is also premiered on pbs, based on his ordinary people change of the world series. A wonderful show for kids. He lives in south florida with his wife and family and its a thrill to have them with us. Another friend of the story, someone who made an huge impact, he is the ceo of the chamber of commerce, a position he has held for the past 14 years, he also is awkward to let this virus get between him and helping all the businesses that exist here. He is the chief Association Executive from the daytoday success of more than 1600 member chambers. He works to volunteer leaders that are engaged in the chambers longterm business, Development Strategy and community initiative. The chamber ranked as the second Largest Chamber and south florida according to the 2019 Business Journal book. I know with all the good work mark is doing, he will make sure that this Chamber Still ranks as high as it always has, he will not let any of us go out with virus or no virus. On behalf of the books and all thats out there, i want to welcome mark and brad to this very, very special event tonight. Mark . Thank you so much and its an honor to be with you in books and books, you are truly one of the iconic businesses, independent, familyowned and thriving even in this moment of coronavirus. I want to thank all of you who have made time to join us tonight as we have an opportunity to talk with brad meltzer i want to introduce him on the crown cast and i are here because it is my 52nd birthday i am honored to spend no with my friends and celebrating my 52nd, Abraham Lincoln as he was traveling to washington to be inaugurated was also 52. I feel there is a bit of a personal connection, i have been a lover and traveled to springfield with my family for a family vacation. Since that time, ive done Everything Possible and consumed Everything Possible related to lincoln and it tonight is no different, i want to think brad for bringing us the conspiracy, most important i also want to thank our partners of books and books, the Miami Book Fair. In our chambers are crossed partners as well. We have been part of this community for the last 95 years and right now were very much engaged in working on a relief, reimagination, reopening and Recovery Plan and christina from the team and others are actively engaged in her business recovery. Stay tuned for more on that as we get ready to reopen in a careful and thoughtful and healthy way. Most important, even in a remote way we will hope you will continue to support small businesses, your local restaurant, your local retails, and take a state case in the summer to support all of our local hotel partners. As you heard from mitchell, a great introduction to brad, we will bring him on now and remind you he will give us a few comments about the lincoln conspiracy and ill be back to ask him questions. You as an audience are encouraged to ask a question and add that into the chat of this crowd cast. Its my pleasure on behalf of books and books on the chamber of commerce to welcome brad meltzer. Youve done it again. Let me show you the funniest part, i want to do a chapter, you cannot make this up. 69, dont think a bit of a dirty way, i know youre thinking but i did open 69, which i possibly say, there is no nerdier place to be on a friday night than where we are right now. We could be doing not much of anything in the world and nothing is nerdier than a friday night at a bookstore, this is a bookstore as far as im concerned. I personally would not be anywhere but here, thank you, thank you for showing me you are as nerdy as myself and it is proof that i tell you, we are not alone. It feels like it, were always in our weird huddled down but just know you are out there and it means a lot to me. I hope you feel that, our hero tonight spending his 52nd birthday, he saw all your nerdiest because its my birthday and then eat out nerdy that and said Abraham Lincoln was the same age. Thank you for joining us here tonight, especially because you had to pay to be here tonight, i know the price to get you the book and let me tell you why, it is awesome. We are doing one thing this next week and another one in atlanta and dallas and they all get the signed books that will be stuck in the thing. And youre the only people in the whole country who will have a signed copy of this and it will come to my house on sunday and im going to write in it, whoever you want me too write to or sign it, youll have the only one in you can sign across the country, not this time, our favorite bookstore, this is it. They give it to me free and they thought i wear all the time, its my way of saying christina and mitchell i love you, i love everyone here. I have been here and every single book i have done, every single one, this is no exception. Even the virus could not keep us away. Thank you to books and books and mark to be in the host. He will come back and not just because he is a stunning amazing and lively funny person, and not because i loved him when i met him all those years ago and we hit it off. We want this to be different, we dont want this to be the standard event, you pay good money for this, will get to the book but we wanted to be special. I bought surprises, i dont care what other event i do, im not going to show you tonight. I promise you that, i had no money when i was growing up so im spiteful for anyone who does it for free, theyre not getting what youre getting right now. I am very happy about that. Where are we going to go, lets talk quickly about the lincoln conspiracy. At this point we all know the john luke story, we know how he ended Abraham Lincolns life and his presidency. This is the first secret plot to kill Abraham Lincoln, it was at the historic of his presidency and truly before it began. Why does it happen, Abraham Lincoln is going to raise his right hand and become the 16th president of the United States, the only way he can do that is he must take a train, he must go from his home in spring filled and then he will go to washington, d. C. , if that looks right. Its probably the backward way. He asked to go to washington, d. C. And the only way to get from illinois to d. C. Is you have to go on any train, no matter which one you take you have to go to baltimore. Baltimore at the time, maryland was a slave state. The plot of the book is very simple, the secret society is planning to kill Abraham Lincoln and ambush him when he comes to baltimore in his presidency before it ever begins. And i think its the action. In a speeding through the middle of the night, there is four on there, one of them, theres a businessman, two of them i should say and then theres a woman and she has a brother who is hunched over. None of them are who they say they are. One of the business then is Alex Pinkerton of the Detective Agency and will talk about him, the woman is kate worn, americas first female private eye and shes amazing and will talk about her, her socalled brother, its not her brother and hes not invalid because its Abraham Lincoln and hes wearing a disguise and they give them a code name and i love the fact that they are going on the train, speeding in the middle of the night to avoid the secret Society Planning to kill him, i just ran chapter one of the book, youll have to read chapter one, it is done i set it for you. But i just ran chapter one. Thats how the book opens, we open on that scene. And joshua is my brother, you will see his name on the cover of this book, when you meet someone named josh, you have to work. Those of you laughing and getting that joke right now, that joke does not work in alabama as well as it works in south florida. In south florida, that joke kills. But josh is my cowriter, i met him and loved him and we worked on two books together, we did the first conspiracy together. Josh and i, the reason we love working together, we love, you have to find the best parts. How do you find the best parts to get people for history. The best part is like the Supreme Court definition of pornography. You know when you see it. And for me josh and i always have the same best parts, my favorite thing in the book is when Abraham Lincoln finally told there is a secret plot to kill them. What happens is, lincoln is in a hotel room and hes exhausted, hes been shaking hands all day and he said sir there is a pot, theyre coming for you, will we know you have a big event tomorrow we want you to skip the event and get you out of here early and save your life. Lincoln is like im not missing my event in philadelphia. And there like what is in philly. And heres what lincoln is doing in philly. Abraham lincoln is in philadelphia because he is there to honor, they will raise the flag in philadelphia and honor Abraham Lincolns heroes, a man named George Washington. In no way is Abraham Lincoln missing George Washington. Sure enough, the next day Abraham Lincoln goes to philadelphia risking his life to be there, raises the flag at Independence Hall and at Independence Hall, its where the declaration was signed in these talking about the declaration how everyone in america deserves an equal chance and he says god bless, this is the actual quote that lincoln says in his speech that day. He says if we cant save the country without that principal and Abraham Lincoln pauses and i was about to say, i would be assassinated on the spot then surrender. And i love the fact that Abraham Lincoln says those words that id rather be assassinated in knowing full well that there is a plot to kill him at that moment. And he means it, he pauses and hits him. And what is fantastic about that moment, soon after the moment happen is when they whisk him out of there, i wont tell them how you see it in the book, all spoiled it and say we know he lives, you will see how they get him out of there in the codename that they give him and its one of my favorite parts in the book and those of the moment so we love, weird into debating doing this book it was very important, we found the secret plot to kill Abraham Lincoln even though theres been books written. Here were going to tell you about it. What was far more interesting to josh, we have plenty of stories and we had all these different thoughts we were looking up and the reason we take this one is because the context of when it was happening. You can see the civil war unfolding in front of us and you can see that the country, whatever side you are on you hate the other side. And you think that the other side are horrible awful people, does that sound familiar to you . That is exactly where we are right now. And what i love about the book, what josh and i every single page wanted to get through to anyone who reads it is that this is not just a story of Abraham Lincoln in the plot to kill him but its a story of what great leaders actually do in that situation. That is where we are right now. Abraham lincoln does not come in and yell everyone and meet everyone with a fist. He meets him with open hands and an open heart and open mind. Far more powerful than a fist. , he is so heated at the time, he is so hated that in ten states, they dont put Abraham Lincoln on the ballot because they hate him so much, they did not vote for him in those states, they said i dont care fees a rightful nominee, were not putting his name on the ballot. Three days after his election, three days as long as they give him, South Carolina passes a revolution, they hate him so much that they pour into whole disaster. The Abraham Lincoln, and by the way they are plotting to kill him and murder him. Abraham lincoln knows it and he rises a week and half after the plot is spoiled and he gets to d. C. At a time when he should hate everyone back. And you know what he says it is inaugural address, we should not be enemies, we should be friends. He said we should defer to the better angels over nature, thats what we need to be right now. This week i have been on fox news with my friends on fox news, ive been all my friends with mpr, you know everyone says in the green rooms before in my ear when i waiting to go on, the one thing that both sides actually agree on is the way that we talk to each other right now. It is disgusting. We are doing it wrong. We are doing it wrong. We need to do better in different to the better angels of our nature. I will leave you with one last thought and we will answer any questions that you have and will talk about new things as well. One thing that is also very important as we put together the book, you get to see we know Abraham Lincoln at the end of the story, we know after the innocent patient confirmation and he wins a civil war, when he takes a bullet in the head, it becomes even more so. What i love about the story, this is Abraham Lincoln at the beginning of his story, he is making mistakes, you will see him doubt himself, you will see when he gets the nomination to be president , you know what hes doing, hes in an alleyway playing handball, he is just the guy and i love him for that. I love that he goes to see one of the last things he does, he goes to see his home and his fathers rave and his stepmother. He goes to see his stepmother andy such a big guy that he walks into her house and she sitting in a rocking chair, this little woman in a rocking chair and he so big that he physically puts his arms around the rocking chair in the woman and he hugs them both because he so much more massive. I love that image, she cries and he starts to cry and then she says when he leaves, i am worried that i will be assassinated, i am worried i will never see him again. She is absolutely right. But when you see Abraham Lincoln as a human being, i will always say, it is to me a belief that right now in america we build great statues to her heroes and we worship at their feet and we do them a huge disservice. Because we are treating them like theyre not human beings anymore. We need to remember that they were. Whether was Abraham Lincoln, rosa parks, George Washington, they have moments where they were scared and terrified. They did not know if they could go on. But they continue to march forward. I hope that this book provide you proof when you see Abraham Lincoln that he is not the perfect person who does everything, they lose the inaugural address there so disorganized. Someone misplaces it. But it is proof the Abraham Lincoln like all of us, we are all terrified and we are brave and we are scared and we are an amazing, all of us in the same day and some of us especially these days, look around, we sit and all of our partners in houses and wherever we are, i dont think thats a bad thing, i think its a beautiful thing, is proof or all human. That is a very quick overall idea of the book, we are going to bring on mr. Mark who will magically appear. There he is. Well done my friend and thanks for the invitation to join back again. I also opened your book to chapter 69. We promise that every book comes with 69. Thats a promise remaking today. That and the signature. Opera can have a car, we give you something better. I love the all you dirty mind people are thinking the most horrible things. You have your thoughts and enjoy it, its friday night, have a