Ken Boehs's Blog
November 20, 2013
History of Spycraft: Part 1 (Ancient Egypt)
The spy trade goes a long way back…..as does the art of interrogation.
Two Hittite Spies Beaten by Egyptian Soldier
From Bible History Online
The Egyptians were some of the first people who used spies.
Expose disloyal subjects
Exploit enemy weaknesses
Gather information on competitors and enemies
The Egyptians were also some of the first people to develop an extensive use of poisons and assassins to accomplish their objectives.
November 18, 2013
Announcing the “Spies, Lies, & Undercover Surprises” Book Tour, Giveaways, & More
Tis the season for spies!
Finding a good book is not so hard to find. Finding a good spy book is…
Ken wants to make it a little easier for you.
Starting today (November 18, 2013), Ken is launching a series of promotions and activities that will spice up the dull moments during the holiday season.
Some of the planned activities include:
Sales for Black Friday & New Year
10-stop “Spies, Lies, & Undercover Surprises” book blog tour: Participants will be able to get a FREE copy of The Tilted Truth (eBook version) in exchange for a review of their choice (review, interview, character post, video review). For details and to enter click here.
Seasonal RaffleCopter giveaway (Upcoming)
Facebook & Pinterest contests for cash and other prizes
Chance to participate directly in our marketing
Opportunity to be a beta reader for the second book in the series!
Don’t worry, Electra will keep your secret!
October 3, 2013
Espionage Blog Tour
Paul Anthony Associates Book Blog Tour
Welcome to the Espionage and Crime Thriller Blog Tour: A group of authors entertaining their readers with some thrilling tales of criminality and spying, and tales of political intrigues, corruption and espionage. Lets’ find out what they are up to at the moment. The Spymaster wants to ask some questions. Indeed, they’ve all been asked the same questions as they introduce themselves and their work. So, let’s hear what they have to say. First up is Ken Boehs.
Q. Whereabouts do you live, Ken?
A. Santa Barbara, California where I do the creative part of my writing on the beach.
Q. Would you describe yourself as a full time writer or do you have another job?
A. I retired from a busy life in Washington D.C, you can learn more about my past in this INTERVIEW. Now I actively day trade stocks in the morning and read the day’s emergent news while I do it – to include tweeting comments on articles relevant to the CIA, FBI or sex, as necessary to build my social media presence.
Q. How do you spend your leisure time?
A. Mostly outdoors running, swimming or gardening.
Q. Do you have any particular hobbies or interests?
A. I’ve become a voyeur of life. I observe everything that goes on around me and visualize scenes in my mind. People have become interesting and amusing to me. I’m constantly entertained by life.
Q. Name three people you would like to entertain for dinner and why?
A. President Obama so I could tell him how disappointed I am in his inability to communicate (his strength) his administration’s successes to the people of the country. House Speaker Boehner so I could tell him what an idiot he is. Julian Assange so I could tell him that I agree with his activism on whistleblowing.
Q. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
A. I moved here from Washington, D.C. – I’m already where I want to be! Santa Barbara, CA
Q. If you had one wish, what would it be?
A. The end of war
Q. Describe yourself using only three words.
A. Smart, interested, learning.
Q. What is the difference between an espionage thriller and a crime thriller?
A. CIA/FBI vs. Police/Detective/FBI
Espionage gives me a larger sexier arena due to the international possibilities.
Q. Are you currently published or do you have a ‘work in action’ you can tell us about?
A. Currently published. The first book in my planned trilogy: Desire is a Vicious Mistress, is titled The Tilted Truth and it is available all over the web and some bookstores.
A short back cover description follows:
There are many surprising developments and plot twists in this action-packed narrative: The FBI is double-crossed and conned out of their money; a wily informant caught in his own web of deceit jilts the CIA; an extremely cunning woman seduces a prominent military general who has public office ambitions; and a business partner conned out of his life savings launches a vendetta against his associate.
The psychological underpinnings that motivate each character come into play in a maze of manipulation interspersed with the intrigue of clandestine operations and government entrapment, all ending in a diabolical turn of events.
Q. Tell us about your work and what influenced you to write in this exciting genre?
A. During my career in Washington, D.C. I wrote hundreds of analyses and reports, as well as proposals to the government in response to their solicitations for work. I had plenty of fodder to write a novel along with the knowledge of intelligence community operations from an insider’s perspective. And many times I considered writing one, but job time constraints kept me from doing so – it’s a major commitment.
Then I retired and moved to Santa Barbara, California. I started on The Tilted Truth, my debut fiction novel, in late August 2011 after sitting in a court room for hours on end listening to a convoluted case involving the brother of my life partner, Lauren. He was conned out of a lot of money by an old friend. When he suspected he was swindled, he went on a vendetta to recover it. But his quest took a bad turn. He was set up by an interlocutor, entrapped by the FBI and arrested.
Elements of the case stirred me. I had my own theories of what led up to his charges, considering that truth practiced by the prosecution’s witnesses seemed illusory. It was the catalyst I needed. The day the trial ended I started. Around my suppositions I created an expanded highly fictional story, developed characters and subplots from my imagination and experience, and then seasoned it all with years of intelligence world insight.
Q Do you have a particular character that figures consistently or are you in the stage of developing a lead character?
A. Electra. I liked the idea of a brother/sister pair of “bad guys”. Also, it gave me an opportunity to interject a controversial element into the novel. Electra and Barry Vador are half siblings with a common father. When they were teens they developed a sexual attraction for each other, consummated it, and in the story it becomes an important element in their relationship. Genetic sexual attraction (GSA) was first broached in Oedipus Rex, the Athenian tragedy by Sophocles, circa 429 BC…also found in Moll Flanders and Le Morte d’Arthur.
Q. As a writer, what is the most difficult obstacle to overcome?
A. Character development. I prepared detailed psychological and physical attribute profiles for each character on a three page form. Then I gathered up a few of our most insightful and creative friends, drank some wine, and based on the profiles, validated the psychological drivers I’d developed. We also dressed some of the characters and gave them unique gestures. It was a fantastic exercise that I’d recommend to any writer.
Q. Where can we find out more about your work?
A. My website is the best place to connect with me on the web, there are links to everything there. Http://www.Kenboehs.com
Check with your local bookstore first if not available you can find it all over the web.
On all the book sites including Amazon Barnes and Noble Itunes
Q. And where can we follow and support you on social media sites?
A. Facebook link
Goodreads: Goodreads Author Page
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KenBoehs
Book trailer and book signing talk: http://www.youtube.com/user/KenBoehs
Q. The Spymaster thanks you for taking part in this interview, Ken and wishes you good luck with your writing in the years ahead.
A. Thank you. Can I invite you to meet my friends in this wonderful world of writing? Just click on the names below and you’ll find yourself reading a different set of answers to the same questions. Please support my friends and fellow authors by visiting their sites and checking out their contribution. Thank you for joining me on my blog tour.
1. Kenneth J Kerr http://wp.me/p3lQub-af
2. James Bruno http://jameslbruno.blogspot.com/
3. Tom Reinhart
4. Dan Pollock http://danpollock.blogspot.com/p/espi...
5. Khalid Muhammad http://agencyrules.com/paul-anthony-a...
6. Paul Anthony http://paulanthonys.blogspot.co.uk/20...
September 17, 2013
Book Giveaway!
[promosimple id="2327"]
Official Rules:
1. Deadlines: The contest will run from September 17,2013 on 9:00 PM (Eastern) to September 24, 2013 at 12:00 PM (Eastern). Contestants will enter by entering their name and email address. The author and his marketing team will make final decisions on which contestants will receive the prize.
2. Guidelines: Entrants must be above 18 years of age and in compliance with applicable US laws. By entering the contest, entrants agree not to share or distribute content without the express consent of the author.
3. Prize: Winners will be announced September 25, 2013 and should receive a free copy of the book starting September 27, 2013.
Tilted Truth Book Giveaway!
Click here to view this promotion.
You need to enable javascript to enter this campaign!
Powered by PromoSimple.
Official Rules:
1. Deadlines: The contest will run from September 17,2013 on 9:00 PM (Eastern) to September 24, 2013 at 12:00 PM (Eastern). Contestants will enter by entering their name and email address. The author and his marketing team will make final decisions on which contestants will receive the prize.
2. Guidelines: Entrants must be above 18 years of age and in compliance with applicable US laws. By entering the contest, entrants agree not to share or distribute content without the express consent of the author.
3. Prize: Winners will be announced September 25, 2013 and should receive a free copy of the book starting September 27, 2013.
September 12, 2013
Autumn Author Tour with Paul Anthony
AUTUMN BOOOK TOUR BLOG from Paul Anthony Associates.
Welcome to the autumn book tour blog. Autumn in England signals the end of summer and a slow movement towards winter as the temperature drops and the nights get longer and darker. With less sunshine and a lost summer it’s also the time many authors get their heads down and historically write more than during any other season. But autumn in England is ‘Fall’ in America and ‘Spring’ in South Africa so you’re invited to discover how different authors approach this time of the year. Come and meet some of my friends who are writers who have either recently published works or are working on books that are likely to be available at the end of this wonderful season. Indeed, they’ve all been asked the same questions as they introduce themselves and their work. So, let’s hear what they have to say. Ken Boehs is next up.
Q. Whereabouts do you live Ken?
A. I live with my life partner, Lauren, in Santa Barbara, California where I do my writing on the beach.
Q. Are you a full time writer or do you have a regular day job?
A. I retired from a busy life in Washington D.C, you can learn more about my past in this interview http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khZA2z1GTgQ. Now I actively day trade stocks in the morning and read the day’s emergent news while I do it – to include tweeting comments for articles relevant to the CIA, FBI or sex, as necessary to build my social media presence.
Q. Do you tend to write more this time of the year or do you have a different writing schedule?
A. I’m like the seasons in Southern California, not much change. I tend to follow the same schedule throughout the year.
Q. When you’re not writing how do you spend your leisure time? Do you have any particular hobbies or interests?
A. I’m a fortunate guy, my favorite thing to do is to go to the beach, I also garden and workout at the gym, and do all sorts of things my darling plans for us. Here is what it is like at the beach dreaming up my trilogy: Desire is a Vicious Mistress
Q. What does Autumn mean to you?
A. Living in the Washington, D.C. area, prior to Santa Barbara, I have an appreciation for autumn as the pleasant interlude between humid summer and damp winter. Here, in California, the difference in the seasons is unremarkable.
Q. What part of the world would you most like to live in if you couldn’t live where you are now?
A. New Zealand has a special place in my heart.
Q. If you won a million pounds / dollars on the lottery, what would you do with it?
A. A marvelous house overlooking the beach.
Q. With regards to your writing who would you say has inspired you most in your career to date?
A. Ian Flemming, Tom Clancy, Barry Eisler
Q. What genre do you write in?
A. Thrillers-Erotic, Espionage, Suspense and Action
Q. Have you published anything yet or do you have a ‘work in progress’?
My first book in the trilogy: Desire is a Vicious Mistress is The Tilted Truth and it is available as both an ebook, and in print, now at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Itunes, etc. A short back cover description follows:
There are many surprising developments and plot twists in this action-packed narrative: The FBI is double-crossed and conned out of their money; a wily informant caught in his own web of deceit jilts the CIA; an extremely cunning woman seduces a prominent military general who has public office ambitions; and a business partner conned out of his life savings launches a vendetta against his associate.
The psychological underpinnings that motivate each character come into play in a maze of manipulation interspersed with the intrigue of clandestine operations and government entrapment, all ending in a diabolical turn of events.
Q. Tell us about your work. Do you have a particular character that figures consistently in your work or are you in the stage of developing a lead character?
A. The Tilted Truth introduces a heroic duo: the handsome and clever CIA agent Major Ben Kloes and the ambitious FBI Special Agent “Cat” Morella whose beauty and seductive ways are hard to resist. Together they turn an official in Hugo Chavez’s inner circle in Aruba, stop terrorists from using a suitcase nuke to destroy locks in the Panama Canal, and ensnare a murderous, criminal gang laundering money in a Nassau casino.
Ben and Cat come back in the second book of the trilogy, Desire is a Vicious Mistress, which goes by the working title Citizen Ignited. This story is about a secret rogue organization comprised of select CIA and FBI agents who embark on a vigilante mission to marginalize, or eliminate, those powerful and rich people whose agendas subvert the essence of our liberties, undermine the strength of our nation, and threaten the sustainability of our planet. They are my lead characters and it is my job to keep them busy solving crimes and protecting our country through the trilogy.
Q. What do you think is the most difficult obstacle to overcome in today’s writing world?
A. Standing out! My years associated with the intelligence community gives me an insider’s perspective that only a few other authors can claim. My skill is presenting a story by weaving information in a manner that comes across as realistic to the reader without undue reliance on acronyms and exhaustive detail common to many spy/thriller stories. I attribute this skill to years of preparing analyses and reports where the ability to succinctly write is a virtue.
Q. Where can we find out more about your work?
Excerpt of The Tilted Truth: http://kenboehs.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/The-Tilted-Truth-Novel-Excerpt.pdf
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/7102384.Ken_Boehs
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KenBoehs
Book trailer and book signing talk: http://www.youtube.com/user/KenBoehs
Amazon:
Thank you. Can I invite you to meet my friends in this wonderful world of writing? Just click on the names below and you’ll find yourself reading a different set of answers to the same questions. Please support my friends and fellow authors by visiting their sites and checking out their contribution. Thank you for joining me on my blog tour.
C C CHAMPAGNE
SILVER WOLF
EDDIE DE JONG
RUPERT DE CESARIS
CLIFTON COETZEE
CERI LONDON
PAUL ANTHONY
G.D. OGAN
C.C. COLE
September 10, 2013
AUTUMN BOOOK TOUR BLOG from Paul Anthony Associates
AUTUMN BOOOK TOUR BLOG from Paul Anthony Associates.
Welcome to the autumn book tour blog. Autumn in England signals the end of summer and a slow movement towards winter as the temperature drops and the nights get longer and darker. With less sunshine and a lost summer it’s also the time many authors get their heads down and historically write more than during any other season. Ken Boehs is next up.
Q. Can you start off telling us a little about yourself?
A. I graduated from Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania and then served as an Army intelligence officer in special operations engaged in surveillance and intelligence collection for the National Security Agency, NSA, and the Central Intelligence Agency, CIA, during the nineteen-seventies. After leaving the military, I was a private contractor to the government and performed analyses of command and control, communications, and intelligence systems programs. I live with my life partner, Lauren, in Santa Barbara, California where I do my writing on the beach.
Q. When did you know that you wanted to become a writer?
A. During my career in Washington, D.C. I wrote hundreds of analyses and reports, as well as proposals to the government in response to their solicitations for work. I had plenty of fodder to write a novel along with the knowledge of intelligence community operations from an insider’s perspective. And many times I considered writing one, but job and time constraints kept me from doing so – it’s a major commitment.
Q. Are you a full time writer or do you have a regular day job?
A. I retired from a busy life in Washington D.C, you can learn more about my past in this interview http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khZA2z.... Now I actively day trade stocks in the morning and read the day’s emergent news while I do it – to include tweeting comments for articles relevant to the CIA, FBI or sex, as necessary to build my social media presence.
Q. Do you tend to write more this time of the year or do you have a different writing schedule?
A. I’m like the seasons in Southern California, not much change. I tend to follow the same schedule throughout the year.
Q. When you’re not writing how do you spend your leisure time? Do you have any particular hobbies or interests?
A. I’m a fortunate guy, my favorite thing to do is to go to the beach, I also garden and workout at the gym, and do all sorts of things my darling plans for us. Here is what it is like at the beach dreaming up my trilogy: Desire is a Vicious Mistress

Q. What does Autumn mean to you?
A. Living in the Washington, D.C. area, prior to Santa Barbara, I have an appreciation for autumn as the pleasant interlude between humid summer and damp winter. Here, in California, the difference in the seasons is unremarkable.
Q. What part of the world would you most like to live in if you couldn’t live where you are now?
A. New Zealand has a special place in my heart.
Q. If you won a million pounds / dollars on the lottery, what would you do with it?
A. A marvelous house overlooking the beach.
Q. With regards to your writing who would you say has inspired you most in your career to date?
A. Ian Flemming, Tom Clancy, Barry Eisler
Q. What genre do you write in?
A. Thrillers-Erotic, Espionage, Suspense and Action
Q. Have you published anything yet or do you have a ‘work in progress’?
My first book in the trilogy: Desire is a Vicious Mistress is The Tilted Truth and it is available as both an ebook, and in print, now at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Itunes, etc. A short back cover description follows:
There are many surprising developments and plot twists in this action-packed narrative: The FBI is double-crossed and conned out of their money; a wily informant caught in his own web of deceit jilts the CIA; an extremely cunning woman seduces a prominent military general who has public office ambitions; and a business partner conned out of his life savings launches a vendetta against his associate.
The psychological underpinnings that motivate each character come into play in a maze of manipulation interspersed with the intrigue of clandestine operations and government entrapment, all ending in a diabolical turn of events.
Q. Tell us about your work. Do you have a particular character that figures consistently in your work or are you in the stage of developing a lead character?
A. The Tilted Truth introduces a heroic duo: the handsome and clever CIA agent Major Ben Kloes and the ambitious FBI Special Agent “Cat” Morella whose beauty and seductive ways are hard to resist. Together they turn an official in Hugo Chavez’s inner circle in Aruba, stop terrorists from using a suitcase nuke to destroy locks in the Panama Canal, and ensnare a murderous, criminal gang laundering money in a Nassau casino.
Ben and Cat come back in the second book of the trilogy, Desire is a Vicious Mistress, which goes by the working title Citizen Ignited. This story is about a secret rogue organization comprised of select CIA and FBI agents who embark on a vigilante mission to marginalize, or eliminate, those powerful and rich people whose agendas subvert the essence of our liberties, undermine the strength of our nation, and threaten the sustainability of our planet. They are my lead characters and it is my job to keep them busy solving crimes and protecting our country through the trilogy.
Q. What do you think is the most difficult obstacle to overcome in today’s writing world?
A. Standing out! My years associated with the intelligence community gives me an insider’s perspective that only a few other authors can claim. My skill is presenting a story by weaving information in a manner that comes across as realistic to the reader without undue reliance on acronyms and exhaustive detail common to many spy/thriller stories. I attribute this skill to years of preparing analyses and reports where the ability to succinctly write is a virtue.
Q. Where can we find out more about your work?
#Website: http://kenboehs.com/
Excerpt of The Tilted Truth: http://kenboehs.com/wordpress/wp-cont...
Blog: http://kenboehs.com/blog
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/public/ken-b...
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/7102384...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KenBoehs
Book trailer and book signing talk: http://www.youtube.com/user/KenBoehs
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00CUFMFCE
Thank you Ken,
Paul Anthony
August 25, 2013
Ken shares on video interesting tidbits about his military intelligence training and discusses his viewpoints
The Tecolote Book Shop in Montecito hosted a book signing event for Ken in July. In an intimate environment he read four scenes (2 action and 2 sex) and then talked about his past – being drafted as he graduated from college and then winning the trophy for expert marksmanship in army basic which set him up for subsequent special training. He went on to comment on “spy school” and fills in other interesting tidbits of his experience. In a discussion he gives his opinion about the NSA/Snowden news and talks about the second novel in his trilogy called Citizen Ignited, which he is currently writing. This is a story about a rogue group comprised of FBI and CIA agents that rises up to revolt against the rich and powerful whose agenda is to suck up the preponderance of the nation’s wealth, control the media, subvert constitutional liberties, and transform the population into dummied down consumers for products from their industries. This video of Ken’s book signing captures the key parts of his discussions and is professionally filmed and edited by Santa Barbara’s own Penny Little.
Or go directly to YouTube link below
Ken shares about his fascinating background
August 17, 2013
Some interesting conversations can happen over dinner.
Some interesting conversations can happen over dinner.
It still surprises me how the word “author” can change a conversation.
I was over at restaurant recently and I happened to have my book along with me. The Venezuelan waitress, whom my dinner partner knew, was serving us heard our conversation. She was more than beside herself when she heard that an author was in her midst and even more beside herself when that author had the book with him. After serving us, she collected some tips and came back to buy the book
I signed it for her and she told me and my dinner partner how excited she was because she was flying to Venezuela and was looking for a book. My dinner partner did the obligatory warning about the sex and violence in the book, and she didn’t mind. (She actually had a “bring it on” kind of attitude.
It was a special moment. I was happy, my dinner partner was happy. It was one of the first person who we weren’t friends with that we got to see so enthusiastic.
Just goes to show that, despite all of this social media and online stuff out there, a good meal and pleasant conversation about a book lead to something special.
Photo obtained through PhotoPin/Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/su-lin/2...
July 20, 2013
The Tilted Truth Casting Competition
My characters are very distinctive; if The Tilted Truth were to be made into a movie, who would you want to play them?
How to Win
Choose one character to cast and include the following information with an image of them:
Name of the character
Name of the actor
One of your favorite quotes of theirs from the book.
Then, post the image on my Facebook page (or email it to me – *protected email*) by October 15, 2013. The images will be posted on my Facebook page and the photo with the most likes – for being the best choice of actor for that character – will win a $25 Amazon voucher.
There will also be a prize for the most creative or interesting quote chosen from the book.
Rules
No inappropriate pictures please.
You may only enter once, so you’ll need to share the competition around and get as many family and friends to like your photo as possible.
If there is no quote provided with the image, you will not be eligible to win.
This is a competition of skill – the best actor choice with the most likes wins.
Competition entries close Tuesday, October 15, 2013.
Voting will take place between October 15 and October 30, 2013.
The winners will be announced on November 2, 2013.
Entries close Tuesday October 15, 2013
