Borders Publishes Tom Avitabile's 'The Eighth Day'

Borders will release "The Eighth Day," a thriller by first-time author Tom Avitabile, about a normally behind-the-scenes government official who is catapulted into the limelight while desperately trying to stop a series of bizarre and deadly terrorist attacks. "The Eighth Day" is the second novel Borders has published under its State Street Press imprint and will be sold exclusively at Borders and Waldenbooks stores and on Borders.com beginning Tuesday, Aug. 26.

As "The Eighth Day" opens, a series of bizarre and seemingly unrelated homegrown terrorist attacks are plaguing the nation -- a chemical engineer sets in motion a horrendous explosion killing hundreds of commuters and himself. Hollywood's hottest sex symbol assassinates a sitting Senator. A grandmother stages a sophisticated attack on a train causing massive damage. An airplane full of Silicon Valley's brightest is blown up while refueling. A series of random, deadly events or the unlikely start of an insidious new terror wave? Add to that the suspected tampering with a Presidential election, the use of the Navy's nuclear tipped rockets against California, the collapse of the stock market from within, and the ultimate "merging" of Hollywood and politics and you've got an incendiary mix that explodes across the pages. From the moment Science Advisor to the President William "Wild Bill" Hiccock sticks his foot in his mouth and is tasked with identifying and stopping the threat, he becomes the target of the "established" law enforcement agencies. While watching his back and watching out for the bad guys, he assembles a ragtag group of "out-of-the-box" thinkers-a famous novelist, a retired Navy Admiral, a wise-guy computer hacker sprung from federal prison, and his ex-wife, a leading behavioral psychologist-who must identify and destroy their elusive adversary who always seems to be a step ahead.

"The book's theme of a diabolical terrorist threat coupled with a compelling hero in 'Wild Bill' Hiccock, whom we expect to see more of in upcoming books from Tom Avitabile, makes 'The Eighth Day' a book that readers will find impossible to put down," said Borders Group's Executive Vice President of Merchandising and Marketing Rob Gruen. "This story features non-stop action and is so gripping that Borders has acquired the options for the film rights. That's how much we believe in it."

Author Tom Avitabile, a senior creative director at a New York City advertising firm, is a writer, director and producer with numerous film and television credits. He has an extensive background in engineering and computers, including work on projects for the House Committee on Science and Technology, which helped lay the foundation for "The Eighth Day," his first novel. In his spare time, Avitabile is a professional musician and an amateur woodworker. He is currently at work on his next novel featuring William "Wild Bill" Hiccock.

Borders will host Avitabile for book readings and signings of "The Eighth Day" at the following store locations:

Thursday, Sept. 4 at 7 p.m.
Borders
10 Columbus Circle
New York, NY 10019
(212) 823-9775

Saturday, Sept. 13 at 1 p.m.
Borders
290 Commons Way
Bridgewater, NJ 08807
(908) 231-0111

Thursday, Sept. 18 at 1 p.m.
Borders
100 Broadway
New York, NY 10005
(212) 964-1988

Sunday, Sept. 21 at 2 p.m.
Borders
1600 South East Road
Farmington, CT 06032
(860) 674-8110