Larry’s Comments (group member since Oct 31, 2011)

Larry’s comments from the Q&A with Larry Kahn group.

Thanks, Suzie. Have a happy holiday.

Hi, Suzie. I did a lot of research before I met with anyone personally--reviewing the FBI website, reading memoirs of retired agents, and communicating by email with an FBI liaison in DC HQ. I then met with Special Agent Stephen Emmett at the Atlanta Field Office for the better part of a day. He answered all of my questions and gave me a tour of the office, on the condition that I obscure some of the office details for obvious reasons. I also spent about an hour with another agent in the Cyber Division, who helped me with some of the details of a cyber investigation like the one featured in King of Paine. Special Agent Emmett's interview was particularly compelling because he walked me through, step by step, a bank robbery scenario in which he was shot in the thigh. Coincidentally, an earlier version of King of Paine had a scene where my protagonist was shot in the thigh. The visceral details Emmett provided would have been perfect; unfortunately, that scene got axed as I pared the story down into its final form. But at some point in one of my stories somebody is going to get shot in the thigh--keep your eye out for it!

Thanks for your support and interest in my writing, Lori, Ellie and Stacey. If you have any more questions, please feel free to leave them here any time, and I'll answer them from time to time.

Stacey, thanks again for hosting me on The Write To Make A Living. It's a fantastic blog.

Happy holidays, all!

HOSTILE TAKEOVER will be a financial/political thriller set primarily in NYC and Washington. I may have a story line set in China but have not yet decided. If I do it, I will insist on authenticity, which will require some great sources or maybe even a trip to visit.

Bye, Lori!

Stacey-I did more of that in my first novel, The Jinx. My protagonist, Ben Kravner, was ten years younger than me at the time, but otherwise an idealized version of myself. With Frank Paine, I wanted to create a character who is very unlike me. I thought that would be a greater challenge, make me a better writer. But in some sense, every trait and emotion my characters exhibit has to come from some part of me, even if it's only my imagination. Somewhere inside of me must be a real jack*ss.

I think I just heard my wife laughing. Maybe it's not buried all that deeply. ;)

Ellie-I write what I like to read. I enjoy the fast pace of thriller/suspense novels, and they provide a perfect vehicle to incorporate social themes. I don't think I'd be very good at writing romance novels even though I enjoy writing about love; there always needs to be something bigger involved to keep me intrigued.

Lori--I've tended to stick with locations I know or have been able to easily walk through--NYC, Atlanta and Washington, DC for the most part, with a few other locations thrown in.

Hi, Stacey. Thanks for stopping by. Stacey is one of my favorite bloggers--and people--I've met on the tour. She always had a kind word and, naturally, she loved the book. ;)

Lori-maybe you should follow the advice of the blogger who shall remain nameless and start your own book blog.

Ellie-I get my inspiration from different places, but it's usually a plot point or a social theme that grabs me first. Above all, though, I don't want to write something that's been written before. I strive to find original inspiration, an idea that can help me take readers to the brink of reality to imagine a better world.

Thanks, Lori. Your comments on the blogs have always been insightful. I think we've only seen the tip of the iceberg, though. There are a lot of book blogs out there.

HOSTILE TAKEOVER is still in the outline stage. My protagonist discovers a conspiracy by Asian sovereign investment funds to acquire vital U.S. companies and subvert the government. If I stay true to the genre, he will likely take heroic action to save the American way of life (after overcoming several life-threatening obstacles, naturally). I hope it remains fiction and doesn't turn into a true crime drama by the time its ready for publication. ;)

Hello, Miss Ellie. Thanks for joining us.

The blog tour has been great. The book blogging community is loaded with such warm, helpful people who want writers to succeed. The tour has been successful in that my goals were met--the many excellent reviews King of Paine received convinced me that I've got a book many readers will enjoy, and they've given me a platform to market to a wider audience.

Lori, I'm going to declare this a bust. No need for you to waste a full hour on here. I'll do a bit of work and keep an eye if anyone shows up, but you've done your share as a loyal fan. ;)

There were a few other "yes" responses, but most people simply didn't respond. That's been my experience generally with the few events I've created on Goodreads.

There's a trade paperback edition but no hardcover. The paperback is available at Amazon and B&N, among other online retailers.

Thanks, Lori. I'm thinking the turnout will be low again. This format was a shot in the dark, but it doesn't appear to have hit much. Some ideas work, others don't.

Hi, folks. It's almost 7PM, and I'm eagerly awaiting your questions. Anybody? Bueller? Bueller?

Well, it's after 2PM. Thank you, Susan and Lori, for giving this format a whirl this afternoon. I'll be back at 7PM EST to give it another shot. I appreciate your support!

Larry

Thanks again for showing up and for your support all along. Hopefully, I'll get a better turn out this evening, but two isn't bad!