This photo may or may not be authentic. It shows House Speaker Paul Ryan with a cutout of the late novelist Ayn Rand. The Speaker has been quoted as saying her best seller, Atlas Shrugged, is one of his favorites.

It is this relationship between a powerful politician and an author of fiction that inspired me to release my second novel in the Chronicles of Spartak series on January 16. Ryan is known for his antipathy to social programs, adoration of  tax cuts and deep belief in li...