Stephan Zimmermann, professor of international business and economics at Webster University in Little Rock, today celebrated the release of his second novel, "The Christmas Strike."

"The offshore oil riches of West Africa are bound to be the next global hotspot, and we seem to be ignoring this vital fact. That's why I wrote the book," Zimmermann said in an interview. The novel was presented at an autograph reception at Camp David Restaurant in the Holiday Inn Presidential Conference Center.

In "The Christmas Strike" (ISBN 1-4116-1163-2), Zimmermann presents the premise of a United States in deep crisis, resulting from sharply divided opinions about overseas military intervention versus domestic economic disintegration. The story moves tautly within the time frame of a few weeks from the initial explosive opening in Sao Tomé to the final denouement above the skies of Omaha, Nebraska. The chief protagonist, a powerful Senator from California, openly challenges the President's clandestine military operations, threatening a crippling national labor walkout. Against this backdrop, a determined and sophisticated female terrorist in Vienna sets into motion what could be the deadliest attack yet against America.

The key question addressed by the fast-moving novel: can the U.S. survive domestic political and economic turmoil, engage in overseas military actions, and simultaneously anticipate and prevent a terrorist attack so carefully and quietly planned as to escape the vast American intelligence machinery?

Zimmermann, recipient of the Dow Jones Award in Economics, is a childhood refugee from the former Communist East Germany. He started his writing career as a political columnist with the Berkeley Gazette in the "Seventies. Following a career in international research and consulting, he now divides his time between teaching, writing and traveling. He was educated at the University of California at Berkeley, the Monterey Institute of International Studies and Cambridge University. Stephan Zimmermann currently makes his home in Little Rock, Arkansas.

"The Christmas Strike" © 2004 (ISBN 1-4116-1163-2) is published by Trillium Book Partners II, LLC . Trade format, 391 pages. Available in bookstores through Bowker or Ingram's or on the Internet at www.lulu.com.

Contact Details:
Stephan Zimmermann
Trillium Book Partners II, LLC
1818 North Taylor Street, # 305
Little Rock, AR 72207
website: www.panaxus.com