Scottsdale Book Publishing Announces Author of "Double T - Double Cross"

"Double T - Double Cross", the anticipated book from Scottsdale Book about the firing of former Texas Tech football coach Mike Leach, has a captain and crew.

Michael Lee Lanning is the author of the book, and he is working with a team of researchers to examine every detail and major event surrounding Texas Tech University’s decision to fire the most successful football coach in school history.

“Michael Lee Lanning's writing style provides an impartial insight of the facts and his ability to let the reader decide why Texas Tech would fire the man who brought victory and fame to their University,” said Scottsdale Book Publishing owner Dean Wegner.

Lanning and his research team are poring over an array of court documents and depositions, conducting interviews, and attempting to get reactions from key players in the firing.

“I have never been a big sports fan,” Lanning said. “But this fascinates me. There is depth to this story that will interest not only football fans, but people who value intrigue and what happens behind the scenes – especially when you consider all of this was happening at a university that gets taxpayer funding.”

His research team includes legal analysts, professional researchers and a sports journalist whose main responsibility is to get responses from key participants in the firing, including Texas Tech officials, the James family and companies who they contracted to shape public opinion about Coach Leach. Leach has already declined comment on the book and is not participating in its publication.

Lanning’s goal is to make "Double T - Double Cross" the definitive source that ties all of the complicated facets of the Leach firing into one publication.

"Double T - Double Cross" is just one more jewel in Lanning’s writing resume. He is the author of over 18 non-fiction books on military history, selling over a million copies in 15 countries. His work has been translated into 11 languages.

The New York Times called his book, Vietnam 1969-1970: A Company Commander’s Journal“, "One of the most honest and horrifying accounts of a combat soldier’s life to come out of the Vietnam War.”

He has also appeared on major television networks and The History Channel as an expert on the individual soldier and addressing the real life involvement of war.

Before becoming an author, Lanning served more than 20 years in the U.S. Army, retiring as a Lt. Colonel.

The projected release date for "Double T - Double Cross" is early fall of 2011. Scottsdale Book Publishing is taking pre-orders at doubletdoublecross.com. It will also be available at popular websites, including Amazon.com.

The green regime proved very effective with no new tumors or tumor growth for about two years. At that time the tumor in my right bronchial tube began to grow and block my air way collapsing my right lung and leading to pneumonia. Doctors in Phoenix gave me 2-4 months and said that I “already lived longer than I should have” with my disease. We went back to MD Anderson in Houston for a second opinion. A rigid bronchospopy (they put me under, go down my throat with a camera and laser and clean it out) cleared the airway—at least for a while. Over the next year and a half we returned to Houston for nine additional rigid bronchs. It worked—at least for a while.

Number 9 in early May 2010, with the addition of a stent, lasted less than a month before my lung again collapsed inducing pneumonia.

After bronch number 10, my doctor said the tumor would only continue to grow and that any more similar procedures would be extremely dangerous. He referred me to a thoracic surgeon who operated on June 30 to remove the lower and middle lobes of my right lung—and more importantly, the tumor as well. A month later and in another operation they removed my right adrenal gland. This was supposed to have eliminated all the threatening tumors but within days I became ill. I began to lose my sense of balance, hearing and sense of taste. Still another operation, a gamma knife laser, removed a tumor in brain in October. The first thing the doctor told me upon completion of the procedure was “you will write again.” After a lengthy recovery, I am doing well—and indeed writing again.

We are extremely happy with these advancements. The general policy for Stage 4 kidney cancer patients is to not to approve such surgeries because of the lack of confidence in the viability of the patient.

Despite the recent setbacks, I have had a mostly normal life over these past five years—a very good life with no regrets or apologies. If I have learned anything, it is: 1. Always seek out the best for treatment. 2. Only have them remove one of what you have two of. 3. You only get to give up once.

During this time we have also returned to the Bolivar Peninsula on the Texas Gulf Coast. Our home there was destroyed by Hurricane Ike in September of 2008. We have rebuilt and are happy to be back on the beach. Life is good.

Lee was notified in August that Hobby and Work Publishing Company has translated and published his “The Military 100” in Italian. His Italian grandmother would have been proud. This is the twelfth foreign printing and the eleventh translation of the book.