Frequently Asked Questions for Sonny Hudson, author of "Let the Truth Be Told"

Let the Truth Be Told: Frequently Asked Questions A lot of readers have asked questions about various scenes, characters, etc in my new novel, Let the Truth Be Told. I thought this might be an appropriate forum to answer those questions for everyone. Don’t see an answer to what’s on your mind? Just send an email to sonny56.cox.net and I’ll try to answer in a future FAQ. QUESTION: What are your writing plans going forward? ANSWER: I have started work on a sequel to Let the Truth Be Told, and hope to have it completed by the end of 2009. The working title is "The Trust", and all of the main characters from the first novel will be back again. Without giving too much away at this stage, "The Trust" is going to be another political-action thriller and will focus on global economics and economic terrorism.1. QUESTION: How much is the main character, Dr. Keith Bryant, like you? ANSWER: Not a lot, actually. I tried hard to make him different because I didn’t want people that knew me to read too much into the character as they read the book (but it still happens). Whereas Keith is a PhD, a Naval Academy graduate, former military, and a successful entrepreneur, I’m really none of those thing. He’s also younger, much better looking, and a lot wealthier. There are some similarities, though: we both like cooking, good food, good wine, and boating (although his boat is MUCH bigger and MUCH more expensive than mine). 2. QUESTION: You expressed, through your characters, a lot of political opinions. Are those your opinions? ANSWER: Somewhat. That is, I’m pretty much of a centrist -- which actually means you’re a liberal in most people’s eyes. But like Keith, I have voted and supported Republican candidates in the past and I subscribe to many of the values that they USED to have. In the story, though, it was important that Keith and Loren (and many others) be more liberal and less trusting of the current Republican administration and leadership. 3. QUESTION: Are your beliefs regarding the events of 9/11 the same as your characters? ANSWER: No, not at all. I’m not a believer in this conspiracy, or any others, for that matter. That doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy reading about them and studying some of the theories that have been put out there regarding 9/11, the assassination of JFK, and others. That is not to say that I don’t hold out the possibility that there is more to the events of 9/11 than what we’ve been told, especially if one were to ‘follow the money’. I am a big believer in the fact that, when any kind of crime/tragedy occurs, the money trail is probably the single most important clue to follow. 4. QUESTION: Are the characters that make up the conspiracy group, Let the Truth Be Told, based on real people? ANSWER: No, none of the characters from the Let the Truth Be Told conspiracy group are based on real people. Their names, their locations, their backgrounds, etc. were all made up. 5. QUESTION: Are the characters in your book based on friends or people you know? ANSWER: Only one - the character of David Ward is based loosely on one of my closest friends. The rest of the characters are all fictitious. 6. QUESTION: You used Charlottesville, VA, Annapolis, MD, and Northern VA for some of the scenes in your book, including a lot of places that ‘locals’ might know but tourists won’t. How did you find these places? ANSWER: I have some really close friends that live in the Charlottesville, VA area and I’ve spent a considerable amount of time with them over the past 15+ years. Many of the restaurants, retail locations, etc. come from my time (and many great times!) there. I’ve also spent a lot of time in Annapolis, MD, enjoying the restaurants and bars there, as well as the fall US Powerboat Show, and I have lived and worked around the Northern VA area off and on for almost 20 years.