- July 21, 2026
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Eighty-five-year-old Tom Bleakley wakes up every day at 3 a.m.
The Lakewood Ranch resident makes two cups of coffee, and opens his laptop to begin writing a novel. While the first 10 to 15 minutes are often a hurdle for him, he tries to complete one chapter a day if he can.
He starts with an outline of how he expects the story to unfold.
“That takes almost as much time as writing the book,” Bleakley said. “Then everything just falls into place.”
His writing is born from a life spent at the intersection of medicine, law and public advocacy. Initially, he started to pursue a career in the medical field, but he wound up practicing law for 50 years, specializing in issues involving pharmaceuticals.
He now uses his knowledge and experiences to write fiction novels. His most recent book, "The Preacher," was published in February. It is the fourth book in a series about Katie Hornsby, a young Detroit trial lawyer who specializes in handling legal disputes against the pharmaceutical industry (just like Bleakley did himself.)
“I try to make people aware of the dangers of drugs and how the drugs in our society, pharmaceuticals, are not as perfect as they are made out to be by the drug industry,” Bleakley said.
Rather than relying on stereotypes, Bleakley tries to ground his female characters through personal relationships and drawing from the real women he admires— his three daughters, four granddaughters and his wife, MaryEllen. He said they are the most remarkable people he’s met.
He was influenced by his granddaughter, Francesca, to use a young, female lawyer as his main character of the Katie Hornsby series because a greater number of women read and buy books.
“I hope I've been a good father and grandfather figure to my family,” Bleakley said. “That has helped make me a stronger person."
You can add Lakewood Ranch's Marcia Krajewski, who goes by the pen name of Marcia Lange, to the list of women that Bleakley admires. Krajewski has helped Bleakley in previous novels with ideas and earned co-author status in "The Preacher."
"All of Tom's books are based on his life experiences and I was not part of his life," Krajewski said. "But I think he thought I might offer advice or tips from a female's perspective — what females go through."
Krajewski also was quick to point out that Bleakley's integrity shines through in his books through his characters.
"I want to make sure your readers understand what a benevolent, philanthropic man he is," Krajewski said of Bleakley. "He always champions the underdog."
Indeed, Bleakley likes to include characters in his novels that rise above their circumstances.
"I spent more than 10 years doing pro bono work on behalf of the Detroit Public Schools where I saw young people successfully emerge to become leaders in all sorts of professional careers," Bleakley said. "That was in spite of major politicians attempts to destroy public school education."
"The Preacher" follows Hornsby as she defends a woman who is accused of killing husband, but along the way meets Spencer Hayward "The Preacher" — black suit, galero hat, biblical cross-examinations, undefeated record — who is a brilliant lawyer on a case the next courtroom over.
Hornsby becomes romantically involved with Hayward, and slowly learns that he is not the kind of man she envisioned.
"Spencer Hayward (The Preacher) is a psychopath," Bleakley said. "He is interesting because his intellectual prowess has moved him into the top rung of trial lawyers whereas his psychopathy, fueled by his mother's raising him, reveals him for what he really is, a dangerous misguided murderer."
Sal Giacona, Bleakley’s son-in-law and manager, said he understands his father-in-law's passion and he said he is an inspiration to the entire family. He said Bleakley’s books are compelling and insightful.
“Tom is so knowledgeable about the industry and having been an expert attorney in that area, he learned a lot about how the system works,” Giacona said. “A lot of injustices take place and it takes people like Tom who can stand up to the system and represent people who need the help.”
Bleakley’s writing career began with textbooks. His first one, “A Teaching Program in Psychiatry, Volume 1: Schizophrenia, Paranoid Conditions, Depression” was written with Peter Beckett. It was originally published in 1968 and was used in 40 medical schools throughout the country for about 10 years.
In his early work, Bleakley received feedback from the public that he was writing in a way that only doctors or pharmacologists could understand.
His last two books — "Conundrum" and "The Preacher" – were written with the help of Country Club’s Krajewski. Bleakley described Krajewski as his “right and left arm.” She started as a beta reader for him and he felt she needed to be bumped up to co-author.
“We think we're so smart sometimes,” Bleakley said. “You write something and feel like it's genius. Then your partner reads it and says you can't use this. Her inputs were so varied and so thorough, so pronounced, effective and thoughtful.”
“Tom writes with passion from the heart and has lived his life with the same spirit being dedicated to philanthropy with local charities and supporting those less fortunate in their time of need,” Krajewski said. “His readers will have their eyes opened to a part of life that might keep them awake at night."
