Darin Gibby

Can wine really make you live forever? Yes, if the grapes are an ancient varietal---or so the members of the Vintage Club believe. Made up of some of the world’s wealthiest industrial magnates, the club conducts secret scientific research to discover what has eluded humans throughout history: the elixir of life. Their quest hits a snag when scientist Walter Trudell is murdered. The prime murder suspect is his godson Reggie Alexander, a patent attorney whom Trudell once saved from a life of poverty in northeast Washington, D.C. As soon as news of the murder spreads, Reggie goes into hiding---soon after his wife and son disappear. After being chased by mysterious assailants, beaten unconscious, and planted with a bug, Reggie must come to grips with his own private demons while figuring out how to save his family. The Vintage Club is a thriller that both explores the ancient Christian symbolism of wine and imagines ways that modern nanotechnology could be used to discover the fountain of youth.

The Vintage Club

A thoughtful look at our history of innovation, the problems with the patent system, and the prospects for America’s future. America loves innovation and the can-do spirit that made this country what it is—a world leader in self-government, industry and technology, and pop culture. Everything about America has at one point or another been an experiment and a leap of faith. And one such experiment—upon which all others depend for success—is the US Patent System. Why Has America Stopped Inventing? takes a close look at why this experiment appears to be failing, and why America has all but stopped inventing. Our belief that we are the most innovative people on earth is mistaken. Statistics show that today we invent less than half of what our counterparts did a hundred and fifty years ago. Where are the groundbreaking inventions comparable to those from the Industrial Revolution? Why have we been using the same mode of transportation for over a century? Why are we giving trillions to hostile foreign nations for imported oil when we have the talent to solve the nation’s energy crisis? We don’t have these desperately needed technologies because regular Americans have given up on inventing. This book explains why, comparing the experiences of America’s most successful nineteenth-century inventors with those of today and sharing fascinating historical anecdotes: Jefferson refusing to waste any more weekends examining patent applications; Whitney being robbed of his fortune while the South’s wealth exploded; the patent models that kept British soldiers from burning Washington’s last-standing federal building; the formation of Lincoln’s cabinet; and Selden crippling the entire US auto industry. It also tells the story of the Wright brothers’ airplane monopoly, the Colt revolver’s role in the Mexican American War, the Sewing Machine wars, the last six months of Daniel Webster’s life, and the fraudulently created Bell Empire.

Why Has America Stopped Inventing?

Twenty years before, high school coach Gil Gilbert gave up his dream to play professional baseball so he could marry his pregnant girlfriend, Keri. When he miraculously discovers that he can pitch with deadly accuracy and speed, he must choose between his successful career and comfortable family life.

Darin Gibby

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