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Long cut: Sometimes the hardest thing about self-promotion is the...um...self-promotion. But, having said that, I have to comment on your reference to Forsyth. For the longest time, I have said one of my favorite books - and top three movies - was "Day of the Jackal". Way, way back I read and, like you, loved Forsyth's stuff. Now, fast forward....oh...just a few years...and I've been asked many times if I based my writing on anyone. For the longest time the answer was not really, not consciously, anyway. I've admitted to loving Clancy's multi-level plotting and some have mentioned Grisham (but that's because of the legal issues although my books are not courtroom dramas. The legal issues are mostly international). But, a couple of weeks ago I picked up "Avenger" and it was like coming home. I can honestly say that I didn't even realize it but the mix of fiction and fact and the international element - it had to be in here somewhere even if I didn't realize it at the time. Self-promotion notwithstanding, however, I'll leave it to others to decide how or if I can measure up to the master, though.

I won't deny, Forsyth's The Dogs Of War is influencing my thinking on my own book. I liked the movie, too, even though Christopher Walken was a horrible casting choice as Shannon, and it didn't really follow the book too well.

The other influences I'll freely acknowledge are the movies The Wild Geese and Dark Of The Sun, as well as Richard Hooker's original M*A*S*H* novel. I'm also a big fan of Carl Hiassen's novels, and I can say that his sense of humor is something I hope to come close to.