The Spring Thriller 2013

Welcome to the SPRING THRILLER Blog Tour, 2013 – a collection of blogs, books and authors who specialize in writing novels about murders, mysteries, espionage and terrorism which contain those crucial elements of character, tension, suspense, adventure, pace, action, realism and plot.
You’re invited to take part in ‘the thriller writers’ adventure by visiting and supporting the websites of authors involved in the tour and who are dedicated to turning out some of the best thrillers available today.
Each author named at the bottom of the page has been asked the same questions but the answers will obviously all be different. You merely click on the author’s name at the bottom of the page to see how they have answered the same question.
So, without further ado, here are the questions from THE THRILLER WRITER:

To JOSEPH BADAL:

Q. How long have you been writing and what life skills do you bring to your work?
A. I’ve been writing most of my life, but I turned to thrillers in 2000. This switch to writing fiction – and especially thrillers – was influenced by the works of Robert Ludlum, and by life experiences while serving in highly classified positions in the U.S. Army, including tours of duty in Greece and Vietnam. My novels are based on real life experiences, whether from military service, or from my extensive career in finance and banking. My Bob Danforth Saga (Evil Deeds, Terror Cell, The Nostradamus Secret, and the soon-to-be-released The Lone Wolf Agenda), for example, includes extensive references to actual experiences in the Army. My last novel, Shell Game, is a financial thriller based on current events in the banking and capital markets communities.

Q. Do you research content for your work and if so where from?
A. My books are based on personal experience as well as on on-location research and a significant amount of work in libraries and on the Internet. For example, before writing The Pythagorean Solution, I visited the Island of Samos to familiarize myself with the location of its many architectural and archeological wonders, as well as with local customs. In the case of Evil Deeds, much of that book is based on actual, real-life experiences. But the source of much of the information about Bulgaria in that book came from research on the Internet and from  libraries.

Q. Tell us about one of your previous publications?
A. My latest release, Shell Game (http://www.amazon.com/Shell-Game-ebook/dp/B008APK9SU/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1359996611&sr=1-2&keywords=shell+game), is based on the actual takeover during the past few years of hundreds of U.S. banks by Federal regulators, and the inequity and unintended consequences associated with those appropriations. The story is a roller coaster ride of action and suspense, replete with murder, mayhem, a love story, government corruption, and the actions of a sociopath. Not only is it an action-packed thriller, but it also explains in layman’s language what has happened to U.S. banks since 2007 and why the U.S. economy is still lagging.

Q. What are you currently writing?
A. I’ve just finished The Lone Wolf Agenda, the 4^th in the Bob Danforth Saga, which will be released this spring. This thriller involves CIA Special Ops, Delta Force, and the interdiction of terrorists who enter the United States through Mexico, with the assistance of one of the drug cartels. I am working on another novel, Ultimate Betrayal, which is a standalone thriller about a corrupt CIA official who hires assassins to murder the men he worked with while serving in Iraq with the U.S. Army during the first Gulf War. This novel marries characters from Special Ops, organized crime, and law enforcement as they work together at times and are in conflict at times, as the protagonist attempts to identify the perpetrator of the murders and the motive behind them.

Q. What is so special to you about the ‘thriller’ genre?
A. The first mass market fiction I read as a youngster was in the thriller genre. It was only natural for me to want to write what I enjoy reading. I also enjoy writing in a genre where the reader knows early on who the “bad guy” is, but has to wait until the end to see the antagonist pay the price for his/her evil behavior.

Q. How do you spend your leisure time?
A. What leisure time? Even when I travel, I am thinking about how the location I am visiting will fit into a story. Though writing is hard work, it is also my principal “fun” activity. So, I guess writing is both work and leisure. I know, I need to get a life. But I enjoy writing so much that I find it difficult to replace it with other “leisure” activities. I know, I know, I need to get a life.

Q. What is the most thrilling thing that has ever happened to you?
A. After meeting my wife, and the births of our two sons, and of our three grandchildren, I would have to say the most thrilling thing I’ve ever experienced was seeing my first novel on book store shelves. I still get the same thrill every time one of my novels is released and goes into distribution.

Q. Can you provide links to your work?
A. Of course, here they are:

Joseph Badal’s blogsite: http://www.josephbadal.wordpress.com

Joseph Badal’s Website: http://www.josephbadalbooks.com

Joseph Badal’s Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=joseph+badal

Joseph Badal’s Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/joseph.badal.5

See Joe's interview with Croak & Dagger, the Albuquerque Chapter of Sisters in Crime:

http://croakanddagger.blogspot.com/

Joseph Badal has worked for thirty-eight years in the banking and financial services industries, most recently serving as a senior executive and board member of a NYSE-listed mortgage REIT. He is currently President of Joseph Badal & Associates, Inc., a management consulting firm.

Prior to his finance career, Joe served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army in critical, highly classified positions in the U.S. and overseas, including tours of duty in Greece and Vietnam. He earned numerous military decorations.

He holds an undergraduate degree in International Finance (Temple University) and an MBA (University of New Mexico), and is multi-lingual. He graduated from the Defense Language Institute, West Coast, and from Stanford University Law School’s Director College.

Joe has had five suspense novels published, The Pythagorean Solution, Evil Deeds (Bob Danforth #1), Terror Cell (Bob Danforth #2), The Nostradamus Secret (Bob Danforth #3), and Shell Game. His 6th novel, The Lone Wolf Agenda, is the fourth in the Bob Danforth series, and will be released in spring 2013. He writes a blog titled Everyday Heroes, which can be viewed at http://www.josephbadal.wordpress.com.

His short story Fire & Ice was included in an anthology titled Uncommon Assassins, released in the Fall 2012.

Joe has written dozens of articles that have been published in various business and trade journals, and is a frequent speaker at business and writers events.

NEW!! EVIL DEEDS, the first book in the Bob Danforth series, was published in November 2012, after Terror Cell and The Nostradamus Secret, the second and third books, respectively, in the series, because of time sensitivity and historical issues.

NEW!! NEW!! Joe's newest novel, SHELL GAME, was released on June 12, 2012. It is a financial thriller inspired by actual events, including the heavy-handed policies imposed by federal banking regulators since the capital markets meltdown that began in 2008.

All of Joe's books are available in both print and ebook formats.

Sisters in Crime/Croak & Dagger Interview, June 2012: http://croakanddagger.blogspot.com/

Robert Bidinotto (author of HUNTER) Interview: http://www.bidinotto.com/2012/07/interview-with-suspense-author-joe-badal/ 

 CONTACT JOE: badalbooks@gmail.com