Guest Post: Author Henry Mosquera + Giveaway

Filed in Giveaways , Guest Post , Henry Mosquera , The Latin Lover Posted on October 25, 2011 @ 6:00 am 6 comments
Please join us in welcoming Author Henry Mosquera to BLI today. Mr. Mosquera is here to celebrate the release of his first novel Sleepers Run, which has garnered a number of rave reviews. He enjoys researching his novels extensively, including gaining first-hand knowledge of some of his characters’ skills. Mr. Mosquera currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife, dog and cat. He also has a background in Graphic Design. 🙂
Write about what you know, but if you don’t know…
I loved researching “Sleeper’s Run.” Well, I love research, period. Granted, many of the themes portrayed in the story are of general interest to me, so not only did I have a good running start, but it also made the process more enjoyable. Piles of non-fiction texts, documentaries and articles informed me about history, politics, military units, tactics, technology, espionage and other topics. My life-long affair with martial arts definitely came in handy. I’ve been exposed to a wide variety of martial arts throughout my life, even becoming an instructor for a few years. The fighting systems involved in the plot were not randomly chosen. Needless to say, a lot of care and technical savvy went into to the fight scenes/self-defense situations in the story. I also drew from my knowledge of rock climbing, scuba diving, interest in Special Operation Forces and passion for history and traveling. Yet, that wasn’t enough for me.
When we think about a writer, one pictures some disheveled hermit wearing an old robe with socks and sandals, ie. Johnny Depp in the “Secret Window.” There’s some truth to that, but how many authors do you know spend a day escaping a team of trackers after having been kidnapped?
That was the final exam of an urban survival class I took in the name of research. The course taught me how to pick locks, do social engineering, disappear into a crowd and other cool skills that came in handy when writing Sleeper’s. That and it was also a popular topic of conversation at social gatherings. “Come here and entertain us with your stories of urban survival,” someone asked me at a recent friend’s wedding. Tactical shooting, knife self-defense and a few flying lessons also became part of the repertoire of things I chose to experience first hand.
Make no mistake I’m a weekend warrior. In no way do my forays into these exciting worlds put me anywhere near in the same league as my protagonist, the true professionals he represents, or the people who spend their lives dedicated to their respective disciplines. Curiosity and personal edification aside, this type of research informed me of the mechanics and psychology required to represent Eric Caine’s abilities as realistic as I could. In some instances it even changed the way I looked at certain things, and it made me gain a whole new appreciation for the work of those who have to use this knowledge in the real world.
These experiences also put me in front of people who have to learn those skills as part of their job: federal agents, the military, law enforcement, etc. and of course, their instructors. I spent those priceless encounters trying to pick their brain as much as I could respectfully do.
I always say “Sleeper’s Run” is a fiction novel built on a solid non-fiction foundation. Research was a lot of fun, in fact, it still is. I can’t wait for the next adventure, whether it’s a class, book, person or a trip that will inevitably find its way into my work. Keep on running!

War on Terror veteran, Eric Caine, is found wandering the streets of Miami with no memory of the car accident that left him there. Alone and suffering from PTSD, Eric is on a one-way road to self-destruction. Then a chance meeting at a bar begins a series of events that helps Eric start anew. When his new job relocates him to Venezuela–the land of his childhood–things, however, take an ominous turn as a catastrophic event threatens the stability of the country. Now Eric must escape an elite team of CIA assassins as he tries to uncover an international conspiracy in which nothing is what it seems.

Purchase Information:
Amazon, Kindle, Nook, Barnes & Noble, Kobo

Where To Find Henry Mosquera:
Website
Twitter
Facebook
Meryl L. Moss Media Relations, Inc.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~*~*Giveaway*~*~

Meryl L. Moss Media Relations has generously offered 3 copies of Sleepers Run to three lucky commenters! 🙂

All you have to do is leave a meaningful comment about the post!
(You can read our full giveaway policy here)

Please leave us a way to contact you.
(Email in blogger profile or twitter name – no way to contact you – no entry).

*Please note this giveaway is open to Canadian & USA Entries Only!*

Giveaway ends on Saturday, November 5, 2011; and we will announce the winner on Sunday.

Good luck!

About Lea


Lea is an animal loving, tree hugging vegetarian who lives in Toronto, Canada with her family, which includes three dogs. She is a prolific reader and has been blogging and reviewing since 2008. Lea is a contributor at the USA Today HEA Blog and an active member at Goodreads.

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6 Comments

Join the Discussion
  • Aurian October 25, 2011 at 11:14 am

    Not entering the giveaway, as I am an international follower.
    Just wanted to say: good luck with your new book!

  • Karen C October 25, 2011 at 11:28 am

    Interesting post; I enjoy hearing about how the author does research – thanks for sharing.

    I like to read thrillers and Sleepers Run sounds right up my reading alley. Thanks for the chance to win it.

    kacbooks(at)hotmail(dot)com

  • Estella October 25, 2011 at 2:24 pm

    That's a lot of tough research! I love this type book.

    kissinoak at frontier dot com

  • Jen B. October 25, 2011 at 7:28 pm

    I saw this book on Goodreads and it caught my attention. Thanks for the post here with some of your information. How funny that you call it fiction with a solid non-fiction foundation. Thanks for the giveaway.
    jepebATverizonDOTnet

  • Tore October 26, 2011 at 8:20 am

    It is interesting to read about how an author does research. Please enter me in contest. Tore923@aol.com

  • Bookwyrm369 October 28, 2011 at 12:48 pm

    Very interesting post! I never knew there were urban survival courses – sounds like a lot of fun 🙂

    smaccall AT comcast.net

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