Interview with Avi Perry, author of "72 Virgins"

About the Author:

Avi Perry grew up in Israel. As a teenager and throughout his college years, he was a professional musician. He financed his student life with numerous gigs, playing with his Israeli band, writing songs, playing the various keyboard instruments, and enjoying listening to his performances on the Israeli radio (there was no MTV in late 60s Israel). He still plays and writes music, but as a hobby (at home), rather than as a line of work. During the Six-Day-War in 1967, he served in the Israeli military, in the field intelligence unit, and gained valuable and relevant experience in covert communications technology and a variety of spy craft and methods.

He has spent the past four decades in the US, first as a Ph.D. student, then as a professor at Northwestern University, a Bell Laboratories – distinguished staff member, and finally as Vice President at NMS Communications. He signed for early retirement in 2004 with the intention of writing a technical book. The title Fundamentals of Voice Quality Engineering was published by Cambridge University Press in 2007 and became very popular. Readers praised the book for its thoroughness and for my refreshing, unique and entertaining writing style, atypical among technical writers. Throughout Avi´s tenure at NMS, he wrote many short (humor-packed, peppered with company culture) satires, technical reports, white papers (published on company website), press releases, and more.

One may find more information on his websites (www.aviperry.org and www.aviperry.com ).

Avi´s latest book 72 Virgins is built on 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.

About the Book:

72 Virgins is a novel about Jihad terrorism and the security agencies´ struggle to thwart its stratagem and trounce the perpetrators. 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. Stanley Cramer is an FBI agent on a hunting mission, seeking to place both Abu Musa and Arik within his crosshair. The FBI, the Israeli 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 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 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 was able to combine reality with fiction in a way that has made the book—one to remember. Perry's style and approach, makes for a great, entertaining read, in addition to being suspenseful and intriguing, from start to finish".

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 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 was able to combine reality with fiction in a way that has made the book—one to remember. Perry's style and approach, makes for a great, entertaining read, in addition to being suspenseful and intriguing, from start to finish".

I was lucky enough to get the author to agree to an interview. This is what he had to say

Where are you from?

I was born in Israel. I grew up in the port city of Haifa, where I spent my younger years all the way through high school. After serving in the Israeli military I moved to Jerusalem where I completed my BA and Masters degree at the Hebrew University. I served again (as a reservist) in the six-day-war in 1967 fighting on the Golan Heights on the Syrian front. During that period and the two years that followed, I served (periodically as a reservist) in the military intelligence unit, where I learned a great deal about spy craft, techniques, and covert communications.

When and why did you begin writing?

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 wrote long handouts for the students, explaining complex mathematical concepts and algorithms by employing stories filled with humor and analogies. The learning by the students seemed to improve as a consequence.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

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 the every trial I wrote a trip report. These reports became hot email-forwarding hits within the company. They were well written, filled with juicy descriptions of the technical 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. At first, I thought it would be an extension of my technical writing, legacy of my NMS tenure, but, throughout the writing, it developed into a considerable manuscript. The book was supposed to be a dry technical reference, nichy (new word derived from niche) and boring otherwise, but I turned it into a fun read, the kind you would never find inside an engineering textbook. I realized that my true talent was waiting to be discovered—by no one other than myself, and when my engineering book was published, I decided to move on and try my hand at fiction writing.

What inspired you to write your first book?

I was always an educator. As a professor at Northwestern University and as a Vice President at NMS Communications I was coaching, teaching, and motivating my students, customers and reports. It´s in my DNA, I guess. The engineering textbook I wrote was another way to fill a void and offer education to those I would never meet in person.

Do you have a specific writing style?

I definitely have a unique writing style. That is one important ingredient, which makes my writing interesting. I employ a great deal of sarcastic humor, one that made my earlier technical writing a hot read with my technical audience.

How did you come up with the title?

I believe that the title tells those who are into the politics of Islamic terrorism what the book is all about. I wanted to have a short, expressive, descriptive title.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

There are several messages. The first one has to do with the nature of suicide bombers. The Western media, liberal politicians and other public figures want you to believe that these terror acts are committed by desperate people who have nothing to lose. This notion is erroneous and misleading. Suicide bombers are selfish people. They believe that their act is martyrdom; it will buy them an express ticket to the pleasures of Heaven, next to Allah´s throne, where they will be nurtured by 72 virgins. The second one sends a message about the nature and the truth of the Palestinian refugees, the UNRWA. The third one is a warning to US Intelligence agencies—enough with your turf battles. The fourth explains how easy it is to devise and employ WMD based on chemical weapons. There are more.

How much of the book is realistic?

The story is very realistic. It tells a story about a hypothetical state of affairs that could happen in today´s world. Places, events, and personalities are fictional, but they borrow from actual incidents and occurrences.

Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

My own life experiences, in the Military Intelligence Unit of the Israeli military, were an important information source. Also, growing up in Israel and living in close proximity to Palestinians (one of whom was my roommate at the Hebrew University´s dorms), helped me understand characters, and motivations. Working in large organizations (Lucent Technologies) helped me understand turf battles.

What books have most influenced your life most?

Fiction: The Godfather by Mario Puzo, The Firm by John Grisham, Most of Joseph Finder books, most of John Lescraurt books. Non Fiction – O Jerusalem by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre, Battleground by Shmuel Katz, Vengeance by George Jonas

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

Joseph Finder

What book are you reading now?

Daniel Silva´s Moscow Rules—3 out of 5 stars, next on the list is Ben Mezrich´s The Accidental Billionaires, next is Joseph Finder´s Vanished.

Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?

I have read many new authors´ books—mostly non-fiction type —the only book they have ever published.

What are your current projects?

I am thinking about my next book—a sequel to 72 Virgins

Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.

My publisher

Do you see writing as a career?

Yes

What do you think makes a good story?

As far as I am concerned, it has to be real and believable. It could happen. It must be written well; it should be spiced with humor, romance, and properly engineered. Book engineering is Key. It´s similar to the final cut that a film director must go through in the studio when he/she put it all together as a perfect and final package.

Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

Practice makes perfect—that´s what they say, and they are right. I learned a great deal about book engineering. This term may be foreign to people who have never written a complete book. It has to do with plotting, rearranging order and length of chapters, starting and ending scenes, maintaining tension, resolving tension, injecting humor and spice even when the story or scene is tense and grim, making people visualize the scenes, step inside and participate in the action. The engineering part is the most challenging part.