Navy SEAL to Big Ten Linebacker: Tom Hruby & James Pomerantz | Inside The Breacher's Playbook.

Navy SEAL to Big Ten Linebacker: Tom Hruby & James Pomerantz | Inside The Breacher's Playbook.

1:01:09 Oct 13, 2025
About this episode
This week, the writing community chat show hosted former Navy Seal, MMA fighter, and American football player, Tom Hruby & seasoned author James Promerantz.The authors of the explosive thriller, The Breacher’s Playbook: A Deklan Novak Novel.If you are looking for an inspiring story of determination, or simply want the secrets behind writing high-stakes, authentic action, you cannot miss this episode.Tom Hruby’s life reads like a blockbuster movie: a decorated Navy SEAL Breacher who served four combat deployments, an undefeated MMA fighter, and a walk-on Northwestern Wildcats Linebacker in the Big Ten—all before becoming a successful author.Co-author James Pomerantz brings the literary precision, leveraging his own wild background from writing biographies to navigating the world of Chicago nightlife (including a memorable business partnership with action-star Steven Seagal!).In This Episode, We Breached the Playbook:Here are just a few of the high-impact stories and writing secrets the authors shared:* From SEAL to Student: The unbelievable transition Tom made from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan to walking onto a Division I football team at the age of 34, and how that relentless drive fuels his writing.* The “Breacher’s” Philosophy: What the term “Breacher” means both tactically and psychologically, and how Tom’s philosophy of breaking through barriers shapes the protagonist, Deklan Novak.* The Art of Collaboration: How two men with such wildly different life experiences successfully merge authenticity and narrative craft to create a seamless, high-velocity story.* Endorsement by a Champion: We discuss the amazing testimonial from former Chicago Bear Jim Morrissey(World Champion 1985), who called The Breacher’s Playbook a book he “simply could not put down.”Praise for Tom Hruby and the Book:“A true warrior in every sense... The book is all about determination at the highest level and the inspirational message that anything is possible.” — SEAL TEAMMATE OF TOM HRUBY“The Breacher’s Playbook: A Deklan Novak Novel”Deklan fought his demons in the combat zones of Iraq and Afghanistan as a Navy SEAL breacher and now in Chicago as a special agent for the FBI’s Violent Crimes Against Children squad.That grit will be what he leans on in his new role as a tough FBI agent tasked with unraveling the disappearance of two children from a daycare center owned by his mother in this first installment.This debut narrative, the first in a planned three-book series, is a fictional account based on Hruby’s real-life story.The mystery thriller lays the groundwork for what the authors describe as a recurring character who is hard, fast, and mean as a razor wire. Deklan’s life path is one of determination and sacrifice in the face of defeat. That grit will be what he leans on in his new role as a tough FBI agent tasked with unraveling the disappearance of two children from a daycare center owned by his mother in this first installment.“The Breacher’s Playbook sh
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