Author: Mark Russinovich

ISBN: 978-0-312-61246-7

Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books (St Martin's Press)

Today, Norm Goldman Publisher and Editor of Bookpleasures.com is excited to have as out guest Mark Russinovich author of Zero Day. Mark is a Technical Fellow at Microsoft. He is also the co-author of the Windows Internals book series, a Contributing Editor for TechNet Magazine, and Senior Contributing Editor for Windows IT Pro Magazine. Mark is recognized by many as the world's leading expert on the Windows operating system.

Good day Mark and thanks for participating in our interview.

Norm

How did you decide you were ready to write Zero Day? Did you write from your own experiences? How do you know when your book is finished?

Mark:

I had the idea for Zero Day for several years before I decided to write a novel about it. It was early 2005 when rootkits, a type of sophisticated cloaking malware, started becoming popular with virus writers. Things were escalating and terrorists using malware was a threat that seemed obvious to me, but that was being overlooked. A thriller portraying a possible scenario would be fun to write and a great way to highlight the risk. Computer security had been a focus of mine for many years, so I decided to make the book as realistic as possible and drew from my knowledge of both the malware and security research communities. I always think that there’s room to improve anything I write, but I decide something is finished when I feel I have accomplished what I set out to and any improvement I can imagine would require more change and risk to the work than the potential benefit.

Norm:

Was Zero Day improvisational or did you have a set plan?

Mark:

Before I started writing I sketched both the major plot points and the key characters. That gave me the framework to start with. As the book unfolded new characters, subplots and twists came into focus. The final book was roughly what I had outlined, but the differences flared out more toward the end.

Norm:

How did you go about creating the characters of Jeff Aiken and Dr. Daryl Haugen?

Mark:

As I said, I sketched the biographies and personalities of all the major characters in the book. I wanted characters that were realistic for their professions, but at the same time had hero qualities that made them stand out.

Norm:

In fiction as well as in non-fiction, writers very often take liberties with their material to tell a good story or make a point. But how much is too much? As a follow up, how much of the Zero Day is realistic?

Mark:

I took some liberties with the level of sophistication and the reach of the malware created by the terrorists. I think that some of the critical infrastructure the malware manages to penetrate would require hard-to-come-by specialized knowledge of how those systems operate and how they’re secured. The Stuxnet virus that attacked Iranian nuclear centrifuges last summer showed me that I wasn’t stretching things as much as I had thought, though.

Norm:

What was the most difficult part of writing Zero Day?

Mark:

All the revisions. Every phase of the publishing process, from getting an agent to finding an editor, brought feedback and suggestions to improve the book. I had to weigh the input carefully, decide if I agreed, and if so, how much incorporating it would impact the book overall. I was very stingy with changes and that caused some tough conversations with my editor and agent.

Norm;

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in writing Zero Day? What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

Mark:

I can’t say that I learned anything surprising while writing Zero Day. The most surprising thing I learned while getting the book published, though, was that the publishing business is still operating in a pre-computer mode. I’ll never forget the feeling of incredulity I had when a copy of the manuscript in a manila envelope and marked up with red pencil showed up in my mail box.

What I enjoyed most about writing the book is seeing the characters I imagined come to life and become real.

Norm:

Where can our readers find out more about you and Zero Day?

Mark:

The book’s WEB  SITE. I’ve got a blog there where I’ve written about the publishing experience, from origins of the idea for Zero Day through to getting the blurbs for the cover.

Norm:

As this interview draws to a close what one question would you have liked me to ask you? Please share your answer.

Mark:

What was the most exciting experience you had writing Zero Day? There were several key points during the process that stand out for me. Having Bill Gates agree to write a blurb when I asked him during one of our meetings, signing the publishing contract with Thomas Dunne books, reading the first review and the relief that it was positive, and holding the first copy in my hands are the ones I’ve had so far. I’m hoping that signing a movie contract is one in my future.

Norm:

Thanks once again and good luck with all of your endeavors

Mark:

Thanks for the opportunity to connect with you and your readers.

Click Here To Read Norm's Review of Zero Day

Click Here To Purchase Zero Day: A Novel