“Who would have thunk it, that I’d write this crazy book. This book has changed our lives forever,” said author Mike Ramsdell in a telephone interview regarding his book “A Train To Potevka.”
Ramsdell grew up as a poor farm boy in Bear River, Utah, and would have never imagined himself as a well-known author.
“I talk about gifts, and how all of us have talents and gifts, and here I’m 60 years old and I finished my career from working in the covert world in Russia,” he said.
Ramsdell served 30 years in counterintelligence for national intelligence services, and when he and his wife Bonnie returned to Layton, Utah, to live, he had an experience that changed his life drastically.
“I’m an avid racquetball player,” he said, noting that two days after his return home he was at Hill Air Force Base “trying to remember how to play the game, and running I slammed head first into the wall and fractured my neck.
“I was knocked unconscious. I was so angry with the world and the Lord because it partially paralyzed me. I was so angry and despondent,” he said.
After approximately six weeks Bonnie brought him a laptop and said, “Mike, why don’t you write a little story for the grandkids about what you did in Russia.”
“It made me so mad, I don’t write. There I was, partially paralyzed, but I had nothing else to do, so with two index fingers, the magic started to happen,” said Ramsdell. “All of these memories of my career flooded back.”
“I never ever thought I’d write a book, or market it,” he continued, but he worked on it a couple of hours a night for a year and got the manuscript the way he wanted it.
He then tried to get 12 copies printed to give to his family.
“Bonnie found a printer in Tennessee who would print 100 copies,” so that’s what they did. He gave about 60 away to friends and family, and found that people kept calling and asking where they could get copies.
“I took 10 to Tremonton, the only bookstore in Bear River Valley, and asked Mrs. Feldman to sell these 10 books on consignment,” he said.
Her response was, “Cowboy, be back in a week and pick them up.”
Ramsdell replied, “Yes, Ma’am.”
Two days later she was out of books.
Ramsdell got what he described as the mother of all phone calls asking how many books he had, which was nine. He was asked how soon they could get copies. The call was from Costco. He had no idea what it was, but soon learned and “that was the beginning,” said Ramsdell.
His book has been in the western states for five years and he has done many book signings. A movie with a $400 million budget is being made of “A Train to Potevka.” It will be released in late 2012 and a sequel too will be released after that.
Ramsdell’s second book, “Potevka’s Gifts,” is a collection of short stories and will be out this fall.
“When you work in the spy world, one of the cardinal rules is that you can never ever tell anyone what you did. The most difficult thing I ever did was what I had to do every day,” said Ramsdell. “You’re risking your life working in this covert world every day.”
“I mainly lamented about how much I loved America and how much I appreciate this country, because I lived abroad many years and saw what they didn’t have that we have in America,” said Ramsdell.
He will be sharing the fascinating story about his time as an American spy in Russia at the end of the Cold War when he visits Snowflake this month.
He speaks to people of all ages. He touches on the effects of drugs, and the fact that when a man or woman applies for a position such as he had with the government, the first question asked is have they ever messed around with drugs.
“If they have, the interview is over” said Ramsdell. “We expect those men and women to deal with national security information, deal with peoples lives… we could just not take the risk.
“When I speak, I try to instill in the audience that I’m just a common old cowboy from Bear River and if these good things can happen to me, they can happen to anybody, especially young kids. We’ve all got to have dreams and goals for young kids. Be the best you can be–reach for the stars.”
Ramsdell and his wife were in New York on Sept. 11, 2001, the morning the planes hit the Twin Towers. The first plane woke him up and he saw the second plane hit. They stayed on for three months as volunteers.
“It’s going to be hard for me, but I have so much I want to share with people and I seldom ever talk about our New York experience, but I think it was an experience that changed the world forever,” he said.
“I will tell the audience what we went through.”
That will be Ramsdell’s topic at a fireside scheduled at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 11, at the Snowflake Stake Center, located at 175 W. Ninth St. Everyone age 12 and up is invited to attend.
He will also hold a book signing from 5 to 8 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 12, at 1346 Lobo Trail in Snowflake (off Seventh South on the east end of the golf course and the temple; turn right on Tumbleweed, then take the first right after Jake’s Crossing). Bring your copy of “A Train To Potevka” to be signed or you can purchase one there for $10. Everyone is invited to attend.
Mike Ramsdell
