My major work influences have been my time in the U.S. Army and as a private contractor in Iraq.  My educational influences have been West Point, where I learned the value of "Choosing the Harder Right Before the Easier Wrong," a passage from the West Point Cadet prayer and a key component of my novel; the University of Texas at Austin, where I earned a MS in Technology Commercialization which influenced the technology aspect of the novel; and Texas A&M University, where I earned a Master of International Affairs degree and which influenced the national security aspects of the novel.