Plot Twists: A Memoir on Writing and Living

by John DeDakis

352 pages, Paperback

Published September 10, 2026

About the author

Journalist, novelist, and writing coach John DeDakis is a former Senior Copy Editor on CNN's "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer." DeDakis (pronounced deh-DAY-kiss) is the author of five novels in the Lark Chadwick mystery-suspense-thriller series.

His fourth novel, Bullet in the Chamber, is the winner of Reviewers Choice, Foreword INDIES, and Feathered Quill book awards.

His most recent novel, Fake, is a winner of the 2020 Reviewers Choice Award. In Fake, Lark is a White House correspondent dealing with “fake news” in the era of #MeToo.

During his award-winning 45-year career in journalism (25 years at CNN), DeDakis has been a White House Correspondent and interviewed such luminaries as Alfred Hitchcock, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan.

DeDakis has taught journalism at the University of Maryland–College Park, and American University in Washington, D.C. He now regularly teaches novel writing online, at literary centers, writers’ conferences, and bookstores around the country and abroad.

He is currently at work on a memoir, working title: Pivot Points: A Life of Plot Twists

In his spare time, DeDakis is also a jazz drummer.
Website: www.johndedakis.com