I've been interested in the martial arts since I was a teenager, and I guess I have experience in a lot of different ones, although real expertise in none. I have a black belt in judo from the Kodokan International Judo Center in Tokyo, and I was about 20 years ahead of my time in realizing that wrestling is a martial art, with self-defense applications. And boxing. Boxers have known for a long time that boxing is a damn good martial art. A lot of people think if something isn't Asian and doesn't have foreign words to describe it, then it's not really a martial art. In fact, somebody who's really good at boxing and wrestling is a very dangerous person. I've also played around with aikido and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Show less «

The short answer is that Rain Fall was my first book. But the more complete answer is that I rewrote it so many times and so thoroughly before it was finally published that it might have been my fourth or fifth book by the time I got it right. Show less «

From 1989 to 1992, I had a covert position in the CIA. It was a fascinating experience and certainly key background for the Rain books. I only recently received the necessary "change of status" that enables me to publicly acknowledge it. Still feels a little strange, but I suppose I'll get used to it. I was in the Directorate of Operations (DO), which is where the spies live. There's also the Directorate of Intelligence (DI), which is the analysts. And the Directorate of Science and Technology (DS&T), where the techs make James Bond gizmos. And the Directorate of Administration (DA), which is support. I was trained in a variety of paramilitary tools and tactics, as well as the full range of spy skills. Show less «