Alan J. Murray
Alan J. Murray holds a
bachelor’s degree from Saint Michael’s College. 
A career military officer, he has piloted
numerous Air Force jets and Army helicopters,
including the T-33, EB-57, AH-1, UH-1, and
UH-60. Among his many assignments, Murray
served with distinction as a UH-60 Blackhawk
battalion commander and was awarded the
Meritorious Service Medal.
The author retired from the military in 2000 and
now divides his time between writing and
aviation interests. He is an FAA certificated
flight instructor with an instrument endorsement
(CFII) and holds an Airline Transport Pilot
(ATP) certificate. A member of the Order of
Daedalians and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots
Association, Murray currently makes his home
near Dobbins ARB in a northern suburb of
Atlanta, Georgia.
Visit Alan online at
http://www.enemyofmyenemy-book.com
PageOneLit.com: Where did you
grow up and was reading and writing a part of your
life? Who were your earliest influences and why?
Alan J. Murray:
I was raised in Ripton, a small town in rural
Vermont—and I mean small. This may come as a surprise,
but this is how small it was: I attended a one-room
schoolhouse for the first four years of my formal
education. Here’s an even bigger surprise: in addition
to being the lone student in my grade, my mother was the
town’s only schoolteacher!
Although a bit too young
at the time to realize its significance, Ripton’s most
famous part-time resident was poet Robert Frost.
Frost’s visits hardly went unnoticed, especially since
his cabin was less than two miles from my home. I can
vividly remember his white shocks flowing in the summer
breeze as he and his hired hand rode horseback along the
dirt road that passed by our house. I own several books
of Frost’s poetry and frequently, reread many of his
poems—I love his style. My favorite is “Stopping By
Woods On A Snowy Evening.”
As
I youngster, one of my favorite reads was The Hardy Boys
mystery stories penned by Franklin W. Dixon. I can’t
say that I read all fifty-eight titles in the series,
but I can say that I read some books more than once.
They were popular with other boys in my age group and I
couldn’t wait until the checked out copies were returned
to the local library.
While in college, I began to write poems and short
stories. Most have been lost in various moves from
place to place. However, I still have a tattered old
manila folder filled with a few of my surviving
favorites tucked inside. Periodically, I’ll pull the
folder out and leaf through the poems, reading one or
two for old time’s sake.
PageOneLit.com: Why do you write?
Alan J. Murray:
Believe it or not, it’s fun! I enjoy putting words on
paper and get immense satisfaction in seeing my stories
take shape as the characters come to life and interact.
The art of story telling is an old one. I describe it
to people as painting a picture with words. Being able
to use words to convey feelings and emotions, create
empathy or dislike for a character, or construct an
image of a place or thing in the mind’s eye is a
powerful tool and foundation of the writer’s craft. I
view my work as an intricately woven “magic carpet” that
can whisk my reader anywhere I want him or her to go
with the stroke of my pen (okay, keyboard).
PageOneLit.com: Briefly tell us about your new book
"Enemy Of My Enemy."
Alan J. Murray:
Think about the dozens of strangers you encounter
everyday. Now imagine that several of them were
biological time bombs carrying a deadly disease for
which nether you—nor anyone else—were protected
against. What if that scenario was part of an elaborate
terrorist plot intended to cripple America? In my newly
published book, Enemy Of My Enemy, (ISBN
0-9799120-3-2, trade paperback, 342 pp, 5 x 8, $15.95,
released February 4, 2008) I explore that as one of
today’s most frightening terrorist threats.
In Enemy Of My Enemy I
take my readers on a razor-sharp foray into the
shadowy world of bioterrorism on an around the globe
chase to unravel a deadly bioterror plot. CIA analyst
Allan Anderson and his reporter sister, Susan Anderson,
find themselves at the heart of a deadly game played out
in hidden places of power across the globe, from a safe
house in the wilderness of Iran to a U.S. Navy nuclear
submarine in the Atlantic. Allan and Susan draw on
everything they have—including their quick-thinking and
fast-acting friends—in a high-stakes chase to stave off
a sinister alliance concocted by a startling alliance
of adversaries that threatens the very existence of the
United States.
What makes this book different
from any other is the way I draw on a wide range of
factual information and historical insight to weave a
compelling nightmare scenario grounded in the
political and technological realities of today. For
me—and no doubt my readers as well—the worrisome aspect
of this fictional plot is the possibility it could
become a reality in today’s uncertain world.
PageOneLit.com: "Enemy Of My
Enemy’s" two main characters Allan and Susan Anderson
are brother and sister -- In your opinion how does this
brother/sister bond/relationship enhance the plot?
Alan J. Murray:
For
many stories, the classic “boy meets girl” element of
the plot is developed early, with the hero coming to
rescue the damsel in distress, or perhaps the two of
them combining forces to trounce the villain in the
end. Enemy Of My Enemy’s main characters have a
different relationship indeed: they are brother and
sister. I suppose it is a bit unusual, especially since
Susan is romantically involved with one of the other
principal characters (U.S. Navy submarine commander Bill
Murphy) and Allan is not romantically involved in any
way during the story.
However, I believe that many readers who share a similar
close relationship with one or more brothers or sisters
can appreciate the strong sibling bond that exists
between Allan and Susan. Allan’s view of himself as
Susan’s protector is based on that bond. That is
precisely what drives him to board a commercial
airliner, fly half way around the globe, and then sneak
into a foreign country—a country which his own
government, the very same government that he works for,
prohibits travel to—in order to rescue his sister.
Whether Allan’s decision was a rational one or perhaps
one that was blinded by his emotions is left for the
reader to decide.
In
my opinion, the strong bond between Allan and Susan
enhances the plot by adding to the intrigue and
suspense. It provides a way to introduce other
characters and develop the central plot and subplots as
well. As the old saying goes, “blood is thicker than
water,” which is precisely what I’m capitalizing on
here.
PageOneLit.com: "Enemy Of My Enemy" deals with
Bioterriorism and takes the reader all over the globe -
How did you research for the places and events?
Alan J. Murray:
That’s a great question. I spent two and one half years
writing Enemy Of My Enemy. The reason I took so
long to complete it was that I was striving for
technical accuracy and careful detail throughout. I
believe that aspect makes the entire story more
convincing.
Although I did visit a handful of the venues, I couldn’t
travel to many of the locales in the story for one
reason or another—Cuba due to U.S. State Department
restrictions, for example—so I had to employ another
approach. Suppose you looked out the window and then
described for me what you saw. If you paid attention to
the details when telling me, I would then have a clear
picture in my mind of what you just saw by listening to
your words. If you took a photo instead and allowed me
to study it carefully, I could reverse the process and
describe that same view for you—or a reader, in this
case—using words and carefully crafted sentences.
To
facilitate this process while writing Enemy Of My
Enemy, I reviewed countless maps, photos, drawings,
blueprints, diagrams, satellite imagery, and a variety
of other open sources specific to each location. (Don’t
forget, I was an Army Plans, Operations, and Training
officer for many years.) Searching for just the right
snippet or fact, I sifted through numerous books,
magazine, articles, and journals, much like one of my
main characters in the story, CIA analyst Allan
Anderson. By doing so, I was able to pull together
enough elements and combine them in such a way that they
would accurately recreate the appropriate image in the
reader’s mind.
I
am fortunate to have received many comments from readers
about the accuracy and realism of the settings, which
tells me that my method worked!
PageOneLit.com: What do you hope readers will say
after reading "Enemy Of My Enemy?"
Alan J. Murray:
“Wow! That was a great book. I just couldn’t put it
down.” All kidding aside, I believe the scenario is
plausible, and that’s what makes this a story a real
page-turner. Our sworn enemies will stop at nothing to
inflict harm. No one knows what the next plot will be
or when such an attack will occur. One thing is clear,
though: the world is still a very dangerous place. Many
readers have commented on the realistic nature of such
an event calling the story an “off the shelf” plan.
That could well be. However, I suppose those who wish
to do us harm have discussed dozens—if not hundreds—of
possible scenarios. Perhaps by beating them to the
punch with the publication of Enemy Of My Enemy,
if it ever was under consideration, it’s long since been
scrapped.
To put it in perspective,
speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos,
Switzerland, on January 27, 2005, then U.S. Senate
Majority Leader William Frist said, “The greatest
existential threat we have in the world today is
biological.” He added the prediction that “an
inevitable bio-terror attack” would come “at some time
in the next 10 years.” That statement by Senator Frist
is what gave rise to the main storyline in Enemy Of
My Enemy.
PageOneLit.com: "Enemy Of My Enemy" would make a
great film - If Hollywood called today and asked you to
cast the movie who would you select and why?
Alan J. Murray:
A number of my
readers have also said that Enemy Of My Enemy
would make a great film. As you know, a
good cast can make or break a film and I’ve already
given it some thought. I’m no casting expert, but here
are a few possibilities for some of the main characters:
Cdr.
Murphy - Scott Glenn or Michael Cudlitz
Allan Anderson –
Gary Sinise or Kevin Zegers
Susan Anderson –
Naomi Watts or Gillian Anderson
Col. Stanton –
David Morse or Dean Norris
Dr. Vega – Andy
Garcia or Anthony Garcia
Angel Rivera –
Viggo Mortensen or Carlos Gomez
Peter King – Jon
Voight or
Frank
Langella
President
Brewster – John Cusak or Ray Liotta
Phillip Reeves – Dennis Leary or Ewan McGregor
My
rationale? It’s simple. My suggestions are based on
physical appearance, meaning they all “look the part;”
what previous or similar roles they have played; how
they carry themselves and come across in speaking parts,
and whether that is authoritative, powerful, confident,
inquisitive, supportive, and so on.
PageOneLit.com: What did you learn from writing
"Enemy Of My Enemy"
Alan J. Murray:
I learned three things. One is that there are no
new stories, simply the same stories being told
differently. What we have here with Enemy Of My
Enemy is a modern day version of the Trojan Horse.
According to Eugene O’Neill, “There is no present or
future, only the past happening over and over again –
now.” To put it another way, tactics don’t change; the
only thing that changes is the time and place of their
employment.
Second, all fiction is based on
nonfiction. Much of what is in Enemy Of My Enemy
is factual. Some, however, is my own invention. I
purposely blurred the line between real and imaginary.
That’s the way life often is. It is very complex and
usually never black and white, rather it is varying
shades of gray. So too, it is with deception in
politics and world affairs, varying shades of gray
resulting in a blurring between what is real and what is
not. Recalling the inscription on Kryptos, the metal
and granite sculpture on the grounds of CIA
headquarters, “BETWEEN
SUBTLE SHADING AND THE ABSENCE OF LIGHT LIES THE NUANCE
OF ILLUSION”
Lastly, it is clear to me that
ordinary people can do extraordinary things. Take Dr.
Vega, for example. Here’s a modest man, a physician by
training, who risks his life to help warn the United
States about the bioterror plot he uncovers. He may not
be a main character, but by his actions, he is certainly
one of the story’s several heroes.
PageOneLit.com: What's next?
Alan J. Murray: I’m
currently working on my second book, which is a
follow-on to Enemy Of My Enemy. I can’t reveal
too many details (you’ll have to read it when it’s
released!), but it has a similar theme (terrorist plot
against the United States) and features many of the same
characters. One thing I can say is that like Enemy
Of My Enemy, this story also has a couple of good
twists. If I were to estimate my progress, I would say
I’m about half way there. My goal is to have the
manuscript in the printer’s hands by late summer. I
hope my readers will want to pick up where Enemy Of
My Enemy left off.
PageOneLit.com: What was the last book you read?
Alan J. Murray:
The last book
I read was “Confessions of an Economic Hit Man,”
by John Perkins. Before that, it was “Assassin”
by Ted Bell. Another recent read was Dear Professor
Einstein, edited by Alice Calaprice. It was light
and entertaining, revealing a side of Albert Einstein
that I never knew existed. I’d recommend it to anyone.
On my “read this book next” list is David McCullough’s
Pulitzer Prize winning work, 1776. I like a
steady, but varied diet to satisfy my appetite for books
and authors representing many genres.
PageOneLit.com: Do you have any hobbies? What are
they? How do they enhance your writing?
Alan J. Murray: Amateur radio
and flying. I took up ham radio and flying as a
teenager in high school. As you know, I made a career
out of flying in the military. I have owned several
airplanes over the years. The most recent was a fully
restored 1946 Piper J-3 Cub, which is what I learned to
fly in at age 16. I sold it in 2001—Atlanta’s airspace
is too big and too busy for a small tail dragger like an
old, yellow Cub.
Ham radio is
a bit like writing—it is part conversation, part story
telling, and part adventure. Even with today’s cell
phones, there is still something exciting about keying a
microphone and speaking to another person half way
around the globe, whether they are in a large city or a
small country village. I have made many friends over
the years and had some interesting contacts, or QSO’s in
ham parlance, too. I remember speaking to a ham
operator at the U.S. research station in Antarctica
during their winter as he described winds of 100 miles
per hour whipping past the facility with an outside
temperature of –70 degrees Fahrenheit. During another
QSO years ago, I made a phone patch to the Midwest for a
U.S. ham operator who worked for an oil exploration
company and was on a drilling site near the headwaters
of the Amazon River in South America. Being able to
describe surroundings and events over the radio by
spoken word isn’t really that much different than doing
it with words on paper. As a ham operator, you never
know who will answer your call. Similarly with writing,
you never know who will pick up your book.
As
for other interests, at one time, I played golf and
while growing up, was an avid angler, particularly
fly-fishing. My two younger brothers and I spent many a
lazy summer afternoon trout fishing the small rivers
near our house. I’ve considered taking up fly-fishing
again. I enjoy being in the outdoors—it’s a great place
to think and get those creative juices flowing—and the
north Georgia mountains remind me of my boyhood home in
the Green Mountains of Vermont. Perhaps this summer,
after I finish writing my next book, I’ll by an Orvis®
fly rod and head for the hills!
