THE INTERVIEW

Books and Authors Interviews Author W. Robb Robichaud Booksandauthors.net: Where did you grow up and was reading and writing a part of your life? Who were your earliest influences and why? W. Robb Robichaud: I was born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts and at the age of six moved to the small town of Lunenburg, Massachusetts. I'm the oldest of seven children. Interest in writing and reading began during my sophomore year in high school. My English teacher at the time, Mr. Robert Tapply “tapped” into my mind and released the thought of writing. Mr. Tapply took the time and initiative to work with me. It was my best year and class in high school. Reading from that time forward has been an important part of my life. The writing portion was always in the back of my mind and composition classes in college is where my talent was revealed. The college professors enjoyed my stories. In 1998, I decided it was time to start. I had a story to tell based on my life and world experiences. Booksandauthors.net: Your series "Executive Order" was started well before 9-11 -- I know you are asked this question over and over but where did the idea for this series come from? Talk a little about your experiences that have helped write this series. W. Robb Robichaud: You are right. It is one of the predominant questions asked me. I served in Vietnam as a helicopter gunship pilot and worked with some civilian intelligence liaison people (MACV) there. I also began reading any book I could get my hands on about covert activities, whether fiction or nonfiction. After Vietnam, I continued flying, owned a construction company and attended the University of Wisconsin. I also became an avid reader. Some of my favorite authors at the time were Ludlum, Koontz, Higgins, Cussler and Clancy. After college I worked as a pilot for the oil companies in the Gulf of Mexico. I was then offered the opportunity to transfer to the Middle East. During my tenure there, I experienced the Arab culture in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Arab Emirates etc. I learned quickly that even though we had good diplomatic relations with these countries, the average Arab citizen didn't like Americans very much. It was my impression that they didn't want us in their countries, but tolerated it because of the technology America offered. I also saw that the United States dependency on Arab oil was getting out of hand. Then I worked on a special project in Saudi Arabia. At the time, all exports of Saudi's oil and natural gas were from the port of Ras Tanura on the Arabian Sea (Persian Gulf). The Saudis became concerned with Saddam Hussein and Ayatollah Khomeini’s rise to power and the expulsion of the Shah of Iran. The Saudis saw that war throughout the Arabian Sea was on the horizon and decided to build a pipeline across Saudi Arabia to the Red Sea city of Yanbu. This pipeline would give them another means of exporting the black gold in the event of a war in the Arabian Sea. I worked on that project and flew all over Saudi. I was there in Yanbu with the engineers when the oil began to flow into the storage facilities. It was an enormous project and engineering achievement. While flying on the pipeline out in the desolate middle of the Arabia, I became friends with Arabs from Lebanon, Palestinians and Saudis at the desert work camps. They gladly expressed to me their opinions and views on America and what was happening in the terrorist world. Terrorist activity was high at the time in the Mediterranean countries. They also were concerned about the increase in terrorist attacks. I then began to study intensely why this was happening. World terrorism became my focus along with what the United States was doing to combat it. What I discovered was the U.S. was floundering and not making progress. Why? Here is what I discovered. Various U.S. government intelligence agencies were more interested in building their own dynasties. They were very protective of the intelligence data they acquired and wouldn't share it with the other intelligence entities. I realized this before 9-11 and firmly believe that this tragedy wouldn't have occurred if the intelligence community had shared all their information. Ironically, it seems like the government came to this realization after the fact. My thoughts were that the U.S. needed an agency that would oversee all the intelligence community. Hence my fictional evolution of Falcon Agency. In the 90’s, terrorism was on the rise and the major target was the United States. I then researched who and why these people were attacking the U.S.. Bombings of the World Trade Center, embassies in Tanzania and Kenya, along with military installations in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Israel occurred. The devastation and deaths became greater with each event. The body count was rising fast. I also followed the war in Afghanistan with the Soviet Union. That country has been at war forever and it became the only way of life. What was the reason for the Soviets determination to control this desolate country? One reason only. So they could build an oil pipeline through Afghanistan to the Indian Ocean. They had the cooperation of the Pakistan government. Afghanistan was the missing piece that the Russians needed to complete the task. Then more terrorist units evolved and the strongest were the Taliban and al Qaeda. I continued following the terrorism trail focusing on the atrocities the Taliban was committing against its own people and how Usamah bin Laden’s (correct spelling, it is not Osama) army of terrorists was growing. It was then I decided to write a fictional novel about terrorism. I also wanted the reader to realize that in every human there comes a time in person's life that when provoked, no matter how wealthy, intelligent or successful they are, they will take matters into there own hands. This is expressed in the main character, Daniel White. Booksandauthors.net: Where were you on 9-11? W. Robb Robichaud: I was driving to an appointment in north Denver on Interstate 25, crossing over the Broadway Street viaduct when I heard the report on the radio. I went to my appointment and when I arrived, everyone was glued to the TV set. I saw the first tower collapse and then drove home. I was devastated and knew before it was announced that Bin Laden and his Al Qaeda were involved. Booksandauthors.net: Talk a little about your main character Daniel White in "Executive Order Al Qaeda" & "Executive Order Afghanistan" & “Executive Order Falcon Agency.” Who is this guy and where did he come from? Who is The Falcon Agency? W. Robb Robichaud: Many people ask if Daniel White really exists. He does and doesn’t. He is fictional but the name is a connotation of someone special in my life, who passed away just before I started the trilogy. Three characters in the novels are a little bit of my personality. The fictional Daniel is successful in anything he undertakes. It started in high school and continued on into college. He is extremely intelligent, very handsome (not me) and always strives for excellence. But cross him or try to make him look like a fool, he becomes very aggressive to the point where he will kill with no remorse. Friends and relatives never see this trait and would deny he is this way. At the same time he is very humble, somewhat shy, kind, very considerate of others and a generous individual. Daniel will help anyone as long as they don’t try to screw him over. If they do try to take advantage of him the consequences are harsh. He does hold a grudge. After five years of college Daniel graduates Magna Cum Laude with an MBA. He is drafted by the Minnesota Vikings and becomes All-Pro. Married with no children, his wife becomes addicted to drugs, has a continuing affair with an actor and is killed by a drug lord. This is the turning event in Daniel’s life. With the help of his close ex-Navy SEAL friends, Daniel White becomes an assassin. The taste of making things right launches Daniel into the secret world of covert activities for the United States. Falcon Agency is comprised of seven individuals. Daniel White who rises to the leadership position. The six supporting cast members underlying purpose is to help Daniel along in his journey to lead the most powerful intelligence organization in the world. There are no inflated egos involved in this group. Four members are ex-Navy Seals that Daniel befriended at Northwestern University. They, as is Daniel, are all extremely successful, wealthy individuals. Merlin, AKA “Wizard” or “Wiz” Miles owns an electrical supply company and is the clown. He loves to have those around him happy. Laughter brings great joy into his life when he sees others laughing at his comments and actions. He also shaves his head, has a goat-tee and has large powerful arms, which he calls “my Popeyes”. He can be vicious though and again it has to do with others hurting the weak. He is Daniel’s right hand man and very proficient with knives. I have been told by many who have read the novels that they love Xi Xeng (Chi Chen). He is Chinese and his life is a story in itself. Xi has special powers that emanate from his oriental teachings under the Masters in China. He has dreams that give him insight into the future. Small in stature, he is a deadly Grand Master in Kung Fu. Xi doesn’t talk much, but when he does, he speaks in broken English for one reason. The listeners have his undivided attention and listen closely to Xi’s message. Raul Estavam is a lawyer. He and his family escaped from Chile when Pinochet started his campaign of murder and killed his brother. After the Navy, he paid his way through college and now handles all of Daniel’s personal business. Armando Hernandez and his family immigrated from Mexico when he was a child. He is a computer genius and after college built up a computer company in Silicon Valley. He was bought out and is set for life. He also loves playing with explosives and handles that part of the missions. Darryl Morgan is a retired Green Beret Army Colonel. He worked many years in the Middle East with Delta Force and is fluent in five dialects of Arabic. He teaches the others the Arabic language. He and Armando are the well built, tall men in the group. Last there is Kathy Starley. She is the Operations Coordinator and is referred to as “OPS”. OPS is the mother hen who takes care of her children, the Falcon men. She handles all coordination in preparing for and accomplishing the missions. The Falcon men stole her from the Air Force where she was an Operation Specialist Colonel. That is Falcon Agency with the exception of one other individual. David Pauls is the liaison officer between the president and the Falcon team. He has all the contacts with the military organizations, Arab governments and intelligence agencies. Booksandauthors.net: How is "Executive Order" series different from other terrorist/post 9-11 series/books? Where do you hope to take this series and why? W. Robb Robichaud: I haven’t seen any fictional terrorist books or series based on this time frame. Those that are out there are non-fiction written by those that were ex-military TV war experts on what happened. I haven’t seen or heard of any other fiction novels. The Executive Order 211 trilogy is fiction and non-fiction. All the locations actually exist. Do the research. They are there including all the locations in the Middle East. What I wanted to have the reader asking themselves; “Is this really a true story? Did these covert operations actually happen? I’ve been to that place. I want to meet this Daniel White and his group of associates.” An underlying theme is the United States intelligence community is the best in the world IF they were united as one, not as individual egotistical agencies. The other theme is that members of Falcon Agency have nothing monetarily to gain. Why would millionaires undertake such missions? Because they want to make a change in the world and hopefully help end terrorism and bring about world peace. When I began to write the first novel, I had no idea or plan to expand it to a trilogy. All I wanted to do was complete a book and be able to say “I did it”. Financial aspects never entered my mind. As I got deeper into the story, I saw that there was more to tell and maybe there was a second novel. Well, it ended up as three. Where do I want this journey to go? The first novel has been adapted to a screenplay by a multi-award screenwriter/director and producer, Mark Mc Quown. Those who have read the books, including Mark before he wrote the screenplay, say, “This has got to be made into a movie or mini-series.” The next step is convincing someone in the movie or television industry that it is. Time will tell. As far as the novels are concerned, I’ve received my Ph.D. in the Literary Agency and Publishing Industry’s pompous attitude and indifference to writers. They want the next well established best seller from the likes of Hemmingway to arrive at their door begging for help. When there is a knock at the door they could care less. They won’t take the time and effort to look around themselves. The next best sellers may be at their feet. I’m looking for a good agent and publisher who has passion for the novels. I’m at the point where all three are complete and self-published. It is time to get them out to the public. There’s a message here that many people want to read about. “Best Seller”? It’s not my goal. I just want to get the message out. Fame and fortune is not me. A little financial compensation wouldn't hurt though. Booksandauthors.net: What is about the history and settings of your books you enjoy? W. Robb Robichaud: I love modern day history and also the history of religions. It is funny how religions are based on peace and harmony but all wars seem to have a religious underlying theme or reason. All the settings are locations I am familiar with. Either I’ve lived, visited or worked in those locations. It is nice to be able to give detailed, true descriptions of settings in the story. It gives credibility to the author when the reader has been to those areas and can relate. Again it also puts the thought or question in the readers mind, “Is this true?” Booksandauthors.net: You say your research for this series started two years before 9-11 - How did you research then? How do you research now? W. Robb Robichaud: Back when I started, a lot of the research was pulling data out of my memory and organizing it. That took four months. Thick head. I also visited locations in the novels, like Washington, DC, Bethesda, Camp David’s location, the Washington Cathedral etc. The internet is such a valuable tool also but I believe in actual detailed research and have spent hours in the library. In addition, I have friends who work for the government. I use all of the above now. Booksandauthors.net: What do you hope to achieve with your books? What do you hope readers will take away after reading your book? W. Robb Robichaud: I want the readers to feel they have read a great story and understand the underlying themes. I want to see them to laugh at Merlin’s and Armando’s antics and Xi’s conversations; to cry when the character’s kindness is extended to the unfortunate and to see the problems with our country’s intelligence community. Most of all, I want the readers to laugh, cry, get angry and leap for joy while enjoying the journey. Booksandauthors.net: What has been your feedback from readers? W. Robb Robichaud: All positive. I want a negative response, just one but it hasn’t arrived yet. The readers have loved the story and want more. I have been compared to Tom Clancy and Clive Cussler when they were at their best, especially the descriptive action scenes. That is a nice compliment to receive. The other repetitive major feedback is, “This has got to be made into a movie or television mini-series.” We shall see. Booksandauthors.net: What's next? W. Robb Robichaud: Another book on the continuing exploits of Falcon Agency and Daniel White. I’m being pushed in that direction by the readers and I do enjoy writing about them. I feel I have another two, maybe three novels to go. Booksandauthors.net: What was the last book you read? W. Robb Robichaud: Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. An awesome novel that I couldn’t put down. He is great and is also from New England. It must be the air. Booksandauthors.net: Do you have any hobbies? What are they? How do they enhance your writing? W. Robb Robichaud: I am a Real Estate Appraiser, which I enjoy. I don’t think they are classified as hobbies but my best friend and wife of 35 years, four sons and my grandson are my life. Traveling is an expensive hobby but it aids my research and writing. If I had decide on one hobby other than my family, it would have to be writing.