Don't miss a thing from Dedicated. You can subscribe to the show on YouTube at Dedicated with

Doug Brunt to watch the latest interviews and clips from the show as well as watch me make the

drinks for our guests in studio. You can also subscribe to Instagram, X, and Facebook to keep up

with all the latest news, pictures, and updates from the show. Welcome to Dedicated with Doug Brunt.

You have just gained access to an exclusive insider's look at the live. Welcome to Dedicated with Doug Brunt.

You have just gained access to an exclusive insider's look at the lives and works of some of your favorite authors and hear conversations with the world's greatest writers as they discuss their writing lifestyle, creative process, latest work, and behind the scenes revelations welcome to dedicated i'm your host

Doug brunt today we're with brad melzer he is the number one new york times best

selling author of fiction nonfiction children's books he's hosted shows for the history

channel and on top of all that he is the first ever two-time guest of dedicated. We are

thrilled to have Brad back with us. Welcome. I actually think, because they told me I was the first

two-time guest, that everyone else you have drunk under the table and this cowards would not return,

but I returned to conquer. You know who was the most fearless drinker on was Patricia Cornwell. You told me that the first time. You said she was, and I fully respect that because I feel like I do think that as you get older, you're just like, I just want to have fun on my book tour now, so just give me another drink. That's right. Yeah, she was great, and in fact, she was like off to News Nation for a hit after that, and so she was, you know, that's why I say fearless. Eric Larson and I were here and we had to make a break for the bathroom. It sort of did a little show interruption. But as we did last time, we're going to sip some aniejo tequila. I've actually upped the quality of the tequila since you were last year. This is... Last time it was the foul...

No, no. I'm sure it was good. But this is fancy. Look at it. Look at the bottle. The bottle. We were just discussing this little family trick of yours. You can have the bottle afterward, actually, and you can just refill this. Yeah, so I will explain to everyone listening that in my family, my grandfather apparently used to, according to my dad, used to take fine bottles of

alcohol when they were done, which he would never buy or maybe bought once, and then fill

them with cheap alcohol, and you can see one of the characters in The Viper does the same. It is not

research. It is just my family's cheapness. It's just Meltzer history. That's Meltzer Lour.

At least he wasn't, you know, giving away his gifts. Well, we don't give anything away. Cheers. It's great to see you again. Congrats on the book, which is awesome. The Viper. Yeah, that's nice. Pretty smooth. Yeah, that is really smooth. All right. Tell me the name again?

Asambroso.

Asimbroso, the Vipertor brought to you by the Asimbroso Tequila Company. Right, this show needs a sponsor. How do you not have an alcohol sponsor? I keep thinking like the Luxardo Cherry Company. I mean, I put Loxardo Cherries almost everything. Pick whatever you like and just talk about it, and you'll have a sponsor.

All right, except I can't talk smack about Casamigos, which I just was. I heard allegedly, reportedly, that they put stevia or some sort of artificial sweetener in their tequila, which is like, this has been a tequila scandal. Oh my gosh, the rocking the tequila world. Well, on to our new sponsor then. Assum Rosa.

Assum Rosa.

Now, so for the audience who was interested in Brad's background, how he went to law school, nearly became a lawyer, then became a writer, endured multiple rejections until his big breakout success.

...