I wandered the earth a mercenary, daring the gods to kill me but surviving because part of me was already dead. Barry Eisler More Quotes by Barry Eisler More Quotes From Barry Eisler The National Surveillance State doesn't want anyone to be able to communicate without the authorities being able to monitor that communication. Barry Eisler surveillance-state communication want The most important guideline when it comes to argument is the golden rule. If someone were addressing your point, what tone, what overall approach would you find persuasive and want her to use? Whatever that is, do it yourself. Barry Eisler yourself someone you important I'm not sure why I'm so drawn to heroes who do bad things and to villains who think they're the good guys, but I do find that moral ambiguity and conflict makes for great characters. Barry Eisler great good think conflict The difference between being a victim and a survivor is often a low level of situational awareness. You can't be a super-spy, watchful and paranoid every day. But I am more watchful than the average American. Barry Eisler every-day i-am day you When I was in college, I became interested in various aspects of foreign policy and international relations. Even as a kid, I was interested in what I call, loosely speaking, forbidden knowledge. Barry Eisler kid foreign-policy college knowledge I was with the CIA for only three years. I worked in the Directorate of Operations, which is now called the National Clandestine Service. It's the part of the organization where the spies live. I didn't have much experience beyond the training. Barry Eisler live service training experience I've loved thrillers and spy stories since I was a kid. It's probably not a bad rule of thumb to write the kinds of stories you love to read. Barry Eisler loved bad you love The Internet is a limitless library at your fingertips. It's a great place to start with the acquisition of knowledge. My process is to go to a place when I'm writing about it. Nothing captures the essence, feeling and flavor of a place better than when I'm actually there and doing the writing. Barry Eisler feeling great library knowledge What I care about is readers because without readers I can't make a living... And I think it's a bad thing for the world if people don't read anymore. I want people to read a lot. Barry Eisler think care people world I want to position my books as premium-priced versions on the reasonably-priced scale, if that makes sense, to find a sweet spot between the high-end of what my brand can support and the low end that results in impulse purchases and maximum sales volume. Barry Eisler brand end support sweet Publishing, legacy or indie, is a vehicle, and you can't opine about whether someone has chosen the right vehicle if you don't know where she intends to drive it. Barry Eisler drive someone you legacy I read pretty eclectically - fiction, non-fiction, and poetry - and I've been inspired and influenced by a number of writers. Barry Eisler pretty inspired poetry fiction Stephen King has inspired me with his humor and honesty, and his admonition that the author's job is to tell the truth. Barry Eisler king me honesty truth There's an awful lot of corruption in Japanese business and politics, corruption of the sort that can make for great setting for a spy story. Barry Eisler great corruption politics business When I think of a story, somehow it just always seems to come out involving spooks and spies and government skullduggery. Barry Eisler story think always government Books are my art. The movie is someone else's art. But it's great marketing for books. Barry Eisler someone great marketing art Action fiction is driven more by what than by who. Put that ticking nuclear suitcase under Manhattan, and it's relatively easy to create suspense. Literary fiction is driven more by who than by what. Barry Eisler create suspense easy action
