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John DeDakis

Journalist and novelist 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 mystery-suspense novels featuring AP White House correspondent Lark Chadwick. His fourth novel, Bullet in the Chamber, is the winner of Reviewers Choice, Foreword INDIES, and Feathered Quill book awards in 2017. In his fifth novel, Fake, Lark battles "fake news" in the #MeToo era where facts are suspect and reporters are targets. In 2020, "Fake" received Honorable Mention for the Reviewers Choice Award and was a Finalist for the Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award. He is currently at work on his 6th novel, and a memoir. DeDakis is a writing coach, manuscript editor, and writing workshop leader. 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 lives in Baltimore, has taught journalism at the University of Maryland-College Park, and regularly teaches novel writing at The Writer’s Center in Bethesda, Maryland and at the Loft literary center in Minneapolis. He is also the host of the live-stream video podcast One-to-One with John DeDakis on Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn.