December 2006 Issue

The Internet Writing Journal
ISSN No. 1095-3973
Volume 10, Issue 7.

In This Issue:

Interview: Triple Cross: A Conversation With Peter Lance
Five-time Emmy award-winning investigative reporter Peter Lance is back with the third book in his bestselling nonfiction series about terrorism, the FBI and the gross negligence of U.S. intelligence agencies in the years leading up to 9/11. In his new book Triple Cross (Regan Books) Peter reveals the shocking story of how top Qaeda spy Ali Mohamed was able to infiltrate the Green Berets, the FBI and the CIA, all while planning the African Embassy bombings and training the terror cell that bombed the World Trade Center in 1993. Lance also explains how the Department of Justice and federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, known to most Americans as the investigator in the stalled Valerie Plame leak case, failed to stop Mohamed although he had multiple opportunities to do so. In this exclusive new interview, Peter talks about Ali Mohamed, the damage he caused to U.S. interests, why the FBI failed to catch him and whether or not the information he has uncovered will trigger a new investigation into the events leading up to 9/11.

Articles and Author Essays:

Article: The Short and Long of It by Alex Keegan
Many writers believe that they are only a short story writer or only a novelist, that kind of thinking can limit a writer's true potential. Alex Keegan explains how great writers write in many multiple literary styles -- short stories, screenplays and novels. Keegan asks us to consider what if poet James Dickey had not written Deliverance or if Charles Dickens had never given us A Christmas Carol? Find out more about his intriguing premise in Alex's new article, "The Short and Long of It."

Article: Songwriters Anonymous: Part 4 by Mary Dawson
Some of the best songwriters in history are almost totally anonymous. But these songwriters, who cared more about writing a hit song than recording one, had very interesting lives. In this fourth article in her ongoing series, Mary Dawson looks at the writers behind two famous holiday songs: "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Baby, It's Cold Outside." The story about how Robert May came up with the Rudolph concept is truly remarkable and one that no aspiring songwriter should miss.

Author Essay: On Writing The Sweet Life by Kate Zuckerman
Kate Zuckerman, the famed pastry chef at Chanterelle in New York City, wanted to write a book about creating delicious pastries. But she ran into a challenge: how was she going to explain how to create complex dishes that rely on visual and other clues by the chef? It's difficult enough to whip egg whites with the correct consistency for a soufflé, but how would she explain the process to a reader without being their to look over her shoulder? To find a solution faced by many cookbook writers, she began studying the chemistry of the pastry kitchen. Zuckerman also says that writing her book The Sweet Life helped make her an "immeasurably better pastry chef."


Book Reviews


Children's/Young Adult

Endymion Spring by Matthew Skelton (Delacorte Books)
The End (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 13) by Lemony Snicket, Brett Helquist (Illustrator) (HarperCollins)
The Palace of Laughter: The Wednesday Tales No. 1 by Jon Berkeley (Julie Andrews Collection)


Fantasy/SF

Children of Chaos by Dave Duncan (Tor)
Dead Man Rising by Lilith Saintcrow (Warner Books)
Echelon by Josh Conviser (Del Rey)
Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder (Luna)


Lifestyle

On Becoming Fearless by Ariana Huffington (Little, Brown)


Mystery/Thriller

The Book of Fate by Brad Meltzer (Warner Books)
Girl in a Box by Sujata Massey (HarperCollins)
Messenger of Truth by Jacqueline Winspear (Henry Holt)


Nonfiction

Triple Cross: How bin Laden's Master Spy Penetrated the CIA, the Green Berets, and the FBI and Why Patrick Fitzgerald Failed to Stop Him by Peter Lance (ReganBooks)


Romance and Women's Fiction

Dark Celebration by Christine Feehan (Berkley)
Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning (Delacorte Press)
Edge of Darkness by Cherry Adair (Ballantine Books)
Miss Understanding by Stephanie Lessing (Avon Trade)


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