Author: Chris Fox

Publisher: Hutchinson (The Random House Group Limited)

ISBN: 0091794994

The following  interview was conducted by: NORM GOLDMAN:  Editor of Bookpleasures. CLICK TO VIEW  Norm Goldman's Reviews 

To read Norm's Review of the book CLICK HERE

Today, Norm Goldman, Editor of Bookpleasures.co is pleased to have as our guest, Chris Fox, author of The Devil’s Halo.

Good day Chris and thank you for agreeing to participate in our interview.

Norm:

Please tell our readers a little bit about your personal and professional background.

Chris:

Like James Patterson and Ted Bell, I was an advertising creative director. There must be something in the water--or possibly the shaken-not-stirred martinis--on Madison Avenue driving us to write espionage thrillers. In my case, it struck me while I was partner in a film production company shooting commercials around the world. Standing in the mud of Tuscany one morning, waiting to shoot, I looked around at my crew. The people I had hired included a disgraced Paris banker, a former Russian special forces officer, and a pregnant runway model from Milan. It occurred to me that I was assembling characters for my first novel. So I got up two hours earlier the next day, at 2AM, and started writing.

Norm:

How did you get the inspiration for The Devil’s Halo? Did you have a hard time fleshing out characters initially?

Chris:

A few years ago, a U.S. Space Defense Commission warned of a “satellite Pearl Harbor” that could punish the American military for its reliance on space satellites. At the same time, Jacques Chirac scorched the ears of his European colleagues with the dire prediction that “failure to respond to the American domination of space will make our European countries vassals of the U.S.” I wondered what would happen if Europe took his warning seriously and joined with, say, Russia to knock the American Eagle off its perch in the high ground of space.

The Devil’s Halo’s protagonists came from the first book in the series--which I’m rewriting for the U.S. market as The Fly Girl. Terry Weston works as an economic spy for CIA, his wife Maria for DARPA. Neither are pumped-up special-forces types or assassins. But they wind up as the only wingtips on the ground in Russia and Europe, with the added jeopardy of their six-year old daughter along, when a sneak attack on the US military becomes imminent and they’re recruited for some rough action. The other characters—military, political, and criminal-- were composites of people I’ve known. Doing business around the world makes for strange bedfellows.

Norm:

How much real-life do you put into your fiction? Is there much “you” in there?

Chris:

Lots. The quotes in the book are all real. So is the history. Since the story is set in 2010, I think it’s a valid scenario because US and European objectives will conflict in the economic sphere. What happens to Germany in the book seems to be borne out in the last election there. Terry Weston shares my skepticism about the judgment of people in power on both sides of the Atlantic, and Maria my concern about unexpected consequences of offensive military actions in space. Military people may be can-do, but they’re also the ones who’ve studied the consequences of their actions more than their civilian leaders have. The problem with some politicians is that they may not listen to the military people who disagree with their agendas.

Norm:

When writing your book, did you ever have it in the back of your mind that you could turn it into a movie or television project?

Chris:

Sure. I’ve been fortunate enough to sell to Hollywood before. And Kirkus was kind enough to write “Jerry Bruckheimer, take note” in its review.

Norm:

Can you explain some of your research techniques, and how you found sources for your book?

Chris:

The web is a good start, but the real pay dirt comes from digging in person. Networking is the key. For instance, through the Air Force Association that I belong to, I attended a Space Warfare symposium with general officers of US Air Force Space Command for strategy sessions last year. You have to identify the people who know what you want to know, then step up and ask. But when dealing with people whose work is classified, you need to step carefully.

Norm:

What challenges or obstacles did you encounter while writing your book? How did you overcome these challenges?

Chris:

It’s risky to write a geo-political thriller because the world has become so grisly and unpredictable. My first Terry Weston novel, sadly, had an American plane attacking the Pentagon before that became a reality. That’s the one I’m rewriting. But if something catastrophic happens, your book is the least of your problems.

Norm:

How would you respond to potential readers who might be sceptical about the subject matter of the book - namely, the possibility of France and Russia attacking the USA?

Chris:

There’s a period of détente at this moment between President Bush and European leaders. But, to paraphrase Ronald Reagan, “détente is what a farmer has with his turkey before Thanksgiving.” This won’t last.

Europe’s interests and ours have split sharply. Their economies are stagnating. Their leaders are particularly reluctant to cede control of space to the US because their economic future also exists there.

Space satellites are the infrastructure of the 21^st century. They already create much of the order that let us communicate, travel, make financial transactions, and otherwise run our lives. By 2050, we hope to be mining isotopes on the Moon as a source of energy to replace fossil fuels on earth. Do you think our former allies would be happy if only Mobil-Exxon and Halliburton were permitted to mine because the US military blockades the space paths? That’s how they think now. They don’t trust our good intentions. Fear and envy of the US seethes in both Europe and Russia. And fear tends to breed aggressive thinking.

For example, the US makes its GPS global positioning satellite constellation free to everyone worldwide. It’s America’s gift to the world. So why would Europe need the carbon copy of our system they’re building called the Galileo GPS system? They don’t. Economically, it’s a ridiculous venture. The underlying reason is to have a system that the Pentagon will not control during a conflict. Our allies are no longer thinking like allies. We have never denied any of them GPS. In The Devil’s Halo, a European leader five years from now has brought Russia into a Greater European Union for its military and space assets. These leaders can only see the US as the kind of adversary that Japan saw in 1941, threatening their economic stability. But, of course, they can’t admit it. Their strategy is to strike without warning because nobody can stand toe-to-toe against the US military.

Norm:

You write with a very vivid and descriptive style. Do you use any particular techniques to help with your writing or to help flesh out descriptive imagery? Are there any writers you admire or look to for inspiration?

Chris:

I never studied writing. I just did it, from commercials to textbooks in my field to novels. Being a greedy reader helps, because I’m constantly learning from masters of this genre who I particularly admire. Forsythe’s Day of the Jackal and DeMille’s The Charm School are two of my personal favorites.

Norm:

Does your book have a broader mission than simply entertaining or storytelling?

The 1967 United Nations treaty banning nuclear detonations in space might be regarded by some military people, at least outside the US, as a quaint artifact of the Cold War. That’s dangerous. We tried it once and almost killed off our own space program. And it would be much worse today. Everybody would feel the effects. What happens in The Devil’s Halo definitely makes it a cautionary tale.

Norm:

You include some very detailed dialogues in the book, between the president and his colleagues etc. Where did that dialogue come from?

Chris:

From studying political and military leaders in crises, here and abroad. Minute actions by small players can change history. I once met the nurse who turned up the heater in the room before the 1960 Presidential Debates because Nixon was recovering from a cold. The heat made Nixon sweat through his makeup and voters took notice. People who listened to the debates on radio said Nixon won, but TV viewers said Kennedy did. Guess who got elected.

Norm:

Where do you see yourself with regards to writing in the next five years?

Chris:

I would like to continue the Terry & Maria Weston series. That will include “The CIA Café”, a prequel, and a sequel that involves a world-beating China.

Norm:

Is there anything else you wish to share with our readers?

Chris:

My next book, thank you.

Thanks once again Chris and good luck with all of your future endeavors.