I do some part time consulting work for SAS – the analytics company.  A few days ago, SAS
published the following interview/review in their online publication; the SAS  Knowledge Exchange.  The link is
here: http://www.sas.com/knowledge-exchange/risk/fraud-financial-crimes/demons-of-gadara-terrorism-financing/index.html    The text of the interview follows:


SAS:  John, Congratulations on your new book.  What is it all about?
 
John:   Thanks!   Demons of Gadara is set  against a backdrop of the next intertwined Middle East crisis. A U.S. Special  Agent assigned overseas happens upon a terrorist plot.  Terrorists
are sent to Europe with plans to detonate a “dirty bomb” at an international economic summit that will also be attended by the President of the United  States. The Agent simultaneously battles the bureaucracy while racing to  intercept the attack. His only clue is to follow an underground “value trail.” 

SAS:  Why did you write it? 

John:  I’m very  concerned about what the US military calls “asymmetric warfare” and “threat
finance.”  After my non-fiction   books, I was searching for a new teaching medium.  I have found that some relate better to stories.   So  I decided to write an entertaining novel and at the same time surface important issues that I feel must be confronted in our on-going War on Terror.

SAS:  Was it hard to write a novel? 

John:   They always say “write what you know.”   I wanted to write something that was real and authentic.  I  knew the subject matter and I’ve lived or worked in most of the locations
described in the book; the Middle East, South Asia, and Europe.  Some of the events and characters are composites of what I have encountered.  In fact, the heroes, villains and cultures, including cultures of the bureaucracies involved, are all too real.    

SAS:  But this book is fiction.  

John: Yes.  And  initially that was the hard part.   During my career, I was trained to reports facts clearly, concisely, and in the first person. So, for  example, writing dialog was initially a bit of a challenge.   But when I decided to tell the story primarily from the vantage point of  the Special Agent, the story began to flow.  In fact, I found it was a lot of fun to develop the characters and plot.

SAS:   During the story, the need for advanced analytics becomes apparent.  

John:  The book  vividly describes real world challenges of proliferation and terror
finance.   I tried to combine knowledge gained primarily by being a former “street” agent assigned overseas with some of the things I have learned during my association with SAS.

 SAS:  For example?   

John:  Well in the US approximately 20 million shipping containers enter this country every year or
about 650,000 every day. Obviously, most of that is legitimate commerce. But some of those shipments could involve trade-fraud, trade-based money laundering, the smuggling of contraband, or even hiding a weapon of mass destruction.  The challenge for customs and law enforcement is to strike the right balance between facilitating  commerce and enforcement.  How do  we assign red flags? With limited resources, which container do you physically inspect?  Outside of human source
information or other forms of intelligence, advanced analytics is the only viable answer.

SAS:  You mentioned  following the “value trail.”  What do you mean by that?

ohn:   We   always talk about “following the money.”   That’s true.  But sometimes
money takes different forms.  For  example, it is easy to transfer value between a buyer and seller or an importer  and an exporter by over-and-under invoicing.  It’s simple invoice fraud.  This
is commonly done in business, tax and tariff evasion, and trade-based money  laundering.   In the area  where the story takes place, value transfer is commonly used to provide  “counter-valuation” in underground finance.   Criminals and terrorist organizations  commonly use this technique. Using  intelligence, data, and analytics we might be able to enter these underground
financial networks through the back door of trade.  

SAS:   So you  think analytics is the key for law enforcement? 

John:  It has to be.  Both law enforcement and the intelligence communities are struggling with being tasked to do more and more  with fewer resources.  Big data and sophisticated analytics, what SAS specializes in, is potentially our force  multiplier.  We are going to have  to turn to analytics just to keep our heads above water. 

SAS:   The   story is very realistic and entertaining. It’s a page-turner. I also learned a lot.

John:  Thank  you!   That was the  idea.

The “official” release date for Demons of Gadara is still a few weeks away.  In the interim, I have worked with CreateSpace to have Demons also converted to an e-format.   It should be available on Amazon’s Kindle by August 27.

I’ve been told by others that the younger crowd prefers to read e-books.  I’ve tried them but my preference is still flipping paper pages.  Anyway, at least there is an option.

I’ve got three advance reviews posted so far on Amazon.  I’m really happy with the ratings and the narratives.  It is always a little nerve wracking to get feedback.  I would love to hear yours!

John

August 12, 2013 

Is anybody else frustrated with traditional publishing houses and literary agents?

I was told that if I wanted to publish another non-fiction book that there would be interest.    However, I wanted to try to write a novel.

When I finished the manuscript for Demons of Gadara, I used an outside professional to help copy edit.   Then I dutifully did my research and identified a number of agents and publishers that accepted unsolicited query letters for the genre of action/suspense.   Out of about two dozen well-constructed queries, I did not receive one response or even acknowledgement.  I don’t care how busy somebody is, that just strikes me as rude.  I think the industry should do better.

So I decided to explore self-publishing options.  As opposed to just a few years ago, the stigma associated with self-publishing has about disappeared.

After more research, I finally decided to use CreateSpace; an Amazon company.   So far the CreateSpace experience has been a good one.   With CreateSpace, I chose the kind of interior format I wanted and gave the design team an idea for the kind of cover I envisioned.    After some back and forth with a couple of proofs sent to me for review, I think we are ready to go.  

The book will soon be available for both soft cover and e-version purchase via Amazon, CreateSpace, and other media outlets in the United States and overseas.  I’ll let you know how that works.

One frustration is that CreateSpace doesn’t allow for advance copies to send to reviewers, etc. 

I’m also going to set up a Demons of Gadara Facebook site.  I weighed hiring a publicist but was told by some friends that went down that route that afterwards they felt it was a waste of time and money.  So if anybody has some good ideas for marketing a new book I would appreciate hearing about them.  Thanks!   John

I’ve got a new book coming out in a few weeks so I thought I would share the experience.   I’ll be candid.  And I would appreciate your feedback.

When I wrote my first book Hide & Seek, I think I had unrealistic expectations.  I still think it is a very good book and gives a lot of insight into the “culture” of the bureaucracies that helped facilitate September 11.  The book is also kind of prophetic but it didn't get any publicity and never really caught on.  I thought my job was finished when the writing ended.    I thought the publisher would take care of the publicity.  I was  wrong.   However, within the “community,” Hide & Seek continues to get a lot of positive feedback. 

My next book, On the Tail of Terror Finance, is more of a text book and it has a niche market.  I do a lot of teaching at the federal, state, and local levels plus sometimes international.  There was a lot of confusion about terror finance.   So I wanted to write something primarily for law enforcement and intelligence professionals that was clear, straightforward, and concise.  I teamed with Avi Jorisch – a former Treasury official.  Although we have had some online sales, most sales have been at seminars and to government agencies and departments.  I’m happy with the results.

I know the word “passionate” is overused, but it describes my view about the importance of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist finance.  

I wanted to see if I could write a story and teach at the same time.  I've found some relate better to stories rather than text books.  I was also tired of reading unrealistic suspense or action novels that portrayed the world and the government protagonists in ways that I found contrived.  I wanted to write a realistic story, incorporate issues of concern and try to make people think. 

I never wrote fiction before.   The hard part for me was writing dialog.  Law enforcement and intelligence officers are trained to write their observations in the first person.   We report facts and observations.   So in Demons of Gadara I decided to tell much of the story through the vantage point of a Special Agent.  I also wanted to develop the characters of the terrorists and give their perspectives.

Once I got going, it was a lot of fun. I lived and worked in most of the areas described in the book.   Many of the characters in the story are composites of people I have dealt with.  They always say “write what you know.”   That’s what I tried to do.

If anybody out there has ever thought about writing a book, I strongly encourage it.  The discipline of writing is a great leaning experience.  Even if you just write it for yourself or for close friends and family, do it!  

More to come. . .