PageOneLit.com: Where did you grow up and
was reading and writing a part of your life? Who were
your earliest influences and why?
Avi: I was born in Israel. I grew up
among many of the character-types depicted in my latest
book 72 Virgins.
During the 1967-Six-Day-War I served in the Israeli
Defense Forces and gained valuable and relevant
experience in military intelligence, where I
acquired a great deal of knowledge about
spy craft, techniques, and covert communications—
expertise that breathed authenticity into
the setting of the story in 72
Virgins. I came to the US in
1969 as a Ph.D. Student. After graduation, I
became a professor at Northwestern
University. I moved on later to work in Bell
Laboratories as a distinguished member and a manager,
and subsequently, as a Vice President at NMS
Communications—
a hi-tech company.
I am also the author of
Fundamentals of Voice Quality Engineering
in Wireless Networks,
published in 2007 by Cambridge University Press.
I don’t remember the exact moment when I
launched my writing career. I do recall, however, that
as a professor at Northwestern University in the early
70s, I put together long handouts for the students,
explaining complex mathematical algorithms by employing
stories filled with humor and analogies. The learning in
the classroom improved as a result.
When serving as Vice President in NMS
Communications during the years 2001-2004, I was in
charge of field trials of our telecom equipment as part
of my job. At the conclusion of every trial, I wrote
trip reports. These reports became best email-forwarding
hits. They were well written, filled with juicy
descriptions of the battlefields, packed with humor,
entertaining and educational. I named them—edutainment
pieces. My audience’s reaction convinced me that I
should take writing more seriously. I started writing
political articles, and submitted them for publication
in the Jerusalem Post, and then, a couple of years
later, following my retirement, I ventured into the
writing of my first book.
Once I became a published author, I was
infected with the writing virus. There was no escape.
The subject of Islamic terror had been on my mind for
many years. Because of my background, I had a deep
understanding of the culture that had given birth to
this odd phenomenon of human behavior. I felt a strong
urge to explain and analyze it—not through a
non-fiction, analytical manuscript, but rather by way of
a story, a thriller, a medium I call edutainment.
PageOneLit.com: Why do you write?
Avi: I have strong opinions about world
affairs, politics, and economics. I feel a need to
educate as many people as I could reach. Writing is the
best vehicle.
PageOneLit.com: Briefly discuss your new
novel 72 Virgins.
Avi: 72 Virgins
is a novel about Jihad terrorism and the security
agencies’ struggle to thwart its stratagem and trounce
the perpetrators. The story combines the themes of
unrest in the Middle East, espionage, intrigue and
romance with in-depth character development to deliver a
story about terrorism and its effect on the world.
72 Virgins
focuses on a group of Jihad extremists that are
targeting the United States in their latest terrorist
campaign. It explores Jihad’s obsessive culture and
commitment to homicidal crusades.
72 Virgins is
based on true accounts of terrorism and uses real-world
locations to create a picture of what a future terrorist
attack on the U.S. might be like.
From Israel to Bali, to Germany, to
Canada, then to the United States, the players in this
international thriller never stop. Abu Musa is an
Islamic Terrorist with an agenda, a ticking bomb inside
the US. Arik Golan is an Israeli who tries to bring him
down and pull the plug on his terror organization.
Although Arik, a major in the Israeli Defense Forces, is
hoping to retire and marry his fiancé, Rachel Levy,
others have different plans for Arik and will stop at
nothing to "persuade" him to pursue terrorist Abu Musa
and stop him at all costs. They accomplish their goal
during Arik’s disastrous trip to Bali where he and his
fiancé are kidnapped by Al-Qaeda operatives. Arik
escapes his abductors’ clutches only to be recruited, in
the wake of the apparent death of his betrothed, to
infiltrate terror cells in the United States. Shedding
his identity,
Arik becomes Qassem al-Nasr and
insinuates himself in a group of dangerous jihadists who
operate out of a Brooklyn mosque. Before long, Arik has
gained a reputation as a ruthless terrorist and becomes
a fugitive from the law. Abu Musa sees Arik, known by
his cover name “Qassem al-Nasr” from Egypt, as an
organizational competitor to be either overcome or wiped
out.
Things get really dicey when Abu Musa
decides to attack high priority Western Christian
targets (St. Patrick’s Cathedral during major religious
events) with both fertilizer bombs and individual
suicide bombers carrying explosive that will produce the
deadly chemical warfare agent known as Sarin. Arik must
help stop the attack.
Stanley Cramer is an FBI agent on a
hunting mission, seeking to place both Abu Musa and Arik
within his crosshair. This time, the terrorist plans are
so diabolical, just the thought of the targets and the
weapons to be used are heart-stopping. From one
dangerous encounter to another, 72 Virgins is a non-stop
thriller. The FBI, the Israeli Foreign Intelligence
Service—the Mossad,
the US-based Iranian clandestine terror network, and the
Islamic Jihad
fraternity are engaged in a timeless
conflict, playing out to a crescendo that comes to a
head before the dramatic conclusion.
The story draws on current world events,
politics, cultural divisions, international intrigue and
religious fanaticism. It paints a dim picture of the
ethics of the Intelligence community, whereas the
brutality of the terrorists is played in counterpoint to
their total disregard for human life— both their own and
their victims’. The three main women characters play a
crucial part in the overall plot. It is masterly
plotted, thrilling, captivating, replete with stealth,
and above all, enlightening.
The story offers an ample dose of
realism, a cast of intense characters who engage in
love, lust, and violence. It portrays the
Jihad culture
with its rationale and the volcano that breeds an
irrational obsession with death. Moreover, it builds on
the Jihadists’
motivation for targeting so many
innocents and exploiting the victims’ massacre as a
stepping-stone to their dream of eternal paradise next
to Allah’s
throne.
The real question is not whether
Jihad
terrorists’ plots will ever cease to emerge – there is
no chance of that. The question the book seeks to answer
is—will the next one be stopped before it’s too late?
72 Virgins
is built on my life experiences that combine technology
know-how, familiarity with spy craft and human
intelligence (HUMINT), understanding of Middle Eastern
cultures and history, a great sense of humor, and a
talent for writing—all breathe authenticity into the
setting.
Although 72
Virgins is a
suspense-thriller, focusing on a countdown to a terror
attack on US soil, it is, nevertheless, highly
instructive. The story and its associated subplots are
fiction, but the setting is real, the places where
conspiracy is instigated are fictional, even though
they're based on genuine events; the characters are deep
and distinctive, while at the same time, they embody
their unmistakable cultural heritage. Ronald L. Donaghe,
Winner of the 2008 Jim Duggins out-standing Mid-Career
Novelist Award.,
characterized it best—"Perry's style and approach, makes
for a great, entertaining read, in addition to being
suspenseful and intriguing, from start to finish."
PageOneLit.com: 72 Virgins has a solid
plot that actually parallels current world events,
politics, cultural divisions -- Did you research for
this book and if so what did you do?
Avi: Those who have never attempted their
hand at fiction writing might not realize that a good
quality novel requires a great deal of research,
sustaining many of the fine points that shape the
characters, the atmosphere, the scenes, the scenery, and
the plot as a whole - keeping it real.
In today’s world, where Google is King,
research has become a much less time and labor intensive
compared to what it was only ten years ago. Historical
events, biographies, description of places, and almost
anything an author could do with, as far as background
information required for decorating a scene, can be
accessed, brought into play and integrated into a plot
by letting your fingers do the walking on your
internet-connected notebook. Still, an author should not
rely solely on his/her online expertise, and if he/she
does, than the picture would not become an original da
Vinci masterpiece, but rather—a cheaper imitation.
There are many fine points that a good
fiction draws on via an original observation, unsullied
imagination, new thinking and accurate depiction, which
makes the story stand above the tall grass and be
noticed.
In my recent writing project, much of the
information imparted through 72
Virgins required profound
knowledge, some aspects of which had not been within my
grasp before moving the plot
to the fore. In particular, story
elements, pertaining to law enforcement and intelligence
agencies, types and attributes of chemical weapons,
particular locations, places and modes of worship, as
well as aspects of science and technology that inspire
modern spying techniques—were building blocks I
brought into play, with the help of added
insight from qualified mavens. And I was lucky to have
generous people, connoisseurs in their particular field,
who were enthusiastic about parting with their expert
advice and more than willing to share some of their
knowledge and information with me.
As part of my research for
72 Virgins, I
interviewed FBI personnel, a
Mossad member, and a chemical
weapons expert. I applied my own expertise in
telecommunications technology, and knowledge of
middle-eastern cultures and geography—
building blocks I could not do without.
Another important element crucial to an
authentic and accurate depiction of locations, work
protocols, moods and atmosphere, are
experiences—personal and not public. Impressions that
one would not find on the Internet, the unique and
original nature of which could elevate your writing to
levels worth spending money for. You must emerge out of
your author’s cave and explore, scrutinize, analyze and
absorb. These personal experiences, integrated into your
story are critical to the quality you strive to deliver.
I have done so before and throughout the
writing of 72 Virgins.
My depiction of the various places—in Israel, Germany,
New York, Dearborn, Bali, and the particular places of
worship mentioned in the book were based on personal
impressions—some of which I lived through in the past,
while others I visited throughout the writing when
realizing a need for more inside information that I did
not possess at the time.
When you begin working on your novel you
may not possess sufficient information required for
delivering an authentic and believable experience. You
may not have realized what you were missing before you
were closing in on chapter 5. Still, it’s never too
late. You may acquire additional knowledge by getting up
and leaving your warm chair, visit with experts, take a
trip and enjoy the outdoors of the real world you tell
your audience about.
Don’t be lazy. Your book will benefit
from a little breeze and some additional sunshine
brought in from the outside of your den. It’s important.
It’s the difference between authenticity and
superficiality
PageOneLit.com: In your opinion, what
makes 72 Virgins different from
others in the genre of
Jihad terrorism?
Avi:
The story borders on the real thing. Many
critics characterized it as “scary” because although
it’s fiction, it could have happened, and maybe it had
already taken place. What’s more, I put through great
efforts in making sure that the story is believable.
Many thrillers on Jihad terrorism tend to create
invincible “good guys” who never make mistakes, are
capable of “missions impossible”, can take down a bunch
of heavily armed big “bad guys” with their bare hands,
etc. My heroes are human. They make mistakes; they are
not perfect; they are believable. Most books on Jihad
terrorism are factual, non-fiction characterization. I
have created a story filled with actual events and
places where conspiracy had taken place. It’s
enlightening and entertaining at the same time. It’s
edutaining. (educating and entertaining =
edutaining).
PageOneLit.com: Who is Abu Musa? Who is
Stanley Kramer?
Avi: Abu Musa is a major “bad guy”
Jihadist character, who plays a key role in the story.
He is a leader of a Jihadist movement. The story takes
him from Gaza to Sudan, Egypt, Germany, Canada, and the
US, where he conspires to commit his greatest feat on
the 9-11 magnitude.
Stanley Cramer is an FBI agent in charge
of counter-terrorism. He does not like Muslims. His
politically incorrect sense of humor is reflected in one
of his encounters where he claims: “Unfortunately 99% of
Muslims give a bad name to the rest…” He is on the hunt
for Abu Musa, always one or two steps behind. Will he
catch him? Will he stop him? We don’t know unless we
read the book all the way to the end.
PageOneLit.com: As the author what did
you learn from writing 72 Virgins?
Avi:
When doing research before and during the
writing of 72 Virgins, I learned a great deal about the
FBI, the Israeli foreign intelligence service—the Mossad,
the details behind the makings of chemical weapons, the
various modern spying technologies and methodologies,
forms and places of Islamic worship.
PageOneLit.com: What do you hope readers
will say after reading 72 Virgins?
Avi:
“I learned a great deal about Islamic
Terror, it’s roots and characteristics.” And of course,
I hope they say they enjoyed the story.
PageOneLit.com: What do you hope to
achieve with 72 Virgins?
Avi: I hope people learn about Islamic
Terror, and become less naïve about ways to confront it.
PageOneLit.com: What was the last book
you read?
Avi:
I read Joseph Finder’s—Vanished.
PageOneLit.com: What's next?
Avi: The final line in the book provides
hints as to what’s next—it must be a sequel.
PageOneLit.com: Do you have any hobbies?
What are they? How do they enhance your writing?
Avi: I like to read both fiction and
non-fiction books. When reading fiction I pay attention
and study the technique employed by the author; I learn
from it. I am a musician. I used to be a professional. I
had my own band; we had recordings, topping the Israeli
hit parade on the radio. I write for the Jerusalem Post
newspaper. Writing makes for better writing, just like
practice improves a skill.
