Saturday, August 27, 2011

Walking Among The Dead by Ken Lang Is A Must Read For Book Lovers Of True-Crime


Author
Ken Lang
 Author and real-life Maryland State Police Department detective Ken Lang’s distinctively gutty, insightful, gripping, and informative ‘Walking Among The Dead’ was such an extraordinarily good read that I decided to read Mr. Lang’s incredible publishing debut a second time. As a best-selling author writing in the international espionage/thriller genre’, I am no easy pushover, and am quite frankly somewhat critical of other’s writings at times. However, Lang’s ‘Walking Among The Dead’ had such a unique pulse – a heartbeat, if you will – that called me back to this magnetic true-crime story … as I carefully enjoyed every delightful page as I was consumed and immersed in the perspective, views, ordeals, and humanity of the story’s characters, including the protagonist – Detective Ken Lang!

In an author’s world of writing, perhaps one of the biggest compliments of distinction one writer may give to another is the comments, “I enjoyed and learned so much in your novel, that I read it twice – with the second time carefully taking notes!” Well, that’s what I did – because Lang took me into the world of law enforcement in such a real, no-holds bar way and kept me there!

Walking Among The Dead
by
Ken Lang
In ‘Walking Among The Dead’, we move from one case to another in a rapid-fire way. And clearly very cleverly this was Lang’s point: the cases at times are whirlwinds in themselves, and reaction time for law enforcement is so limited that those who have dedicated themselves to good police work, live in such a fast-moving cyclone: there are limited transitions if any at all, but instead mountains of cases, each with unique issues and problems … all requiring a police officer to demonstrate a plethora of qualities and emotions. And that is where Ken Lang did something quite remarkable: he shared a series of interesting and disturbing cases in a way that allows the reader to become one with the police officers who are out there doing their job.

As a fan of true crime writing and fiction writers with great insight who focus in this area such as Michael Connelly or Patricia Cornwall, I have become accustomed to a certain level of quality writing. Ken Lang not only did not drop the ball to my high standards of reading pleasure, but in fact added a new dimension to my read as I felt the honesty and integrity of his writing so much so that I felt as if I was right there at the scene of a crime or in the squad room, or alone thinking about the many issues that go on when investigating a case.

Ken Lang’s ‘Walking Among The Dead’ is a page-turning true-crime thriller steeped in harsh and cruel realities that are so clear that readers will walk away with a new, deeper understanding of police work, and the human side of those who wear a badge. Equally as important is the fact that ‘Walking Among The Dead’ is a gripping story of realities written by a clever and witty detective whose writing flowed so easily and whose insights were so easy to connect.

I highly recommend to all readers Ken Lang’s ‘Walking Among The Dead’: after all, I read it twice because I thoroughly enjoyed Lang’s debut that much! And I will be the first to order the sequel to ‘Walking Among The Dead’. Well done!



Monday, August 1, 2011

THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN by PETER SENESE



I am very pleased to announce today the free E-book publication of THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN: International Parental Child Abduction by Peter Thomas Senese with special contributions by Carolyn Ann Vlk. 

THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN by Peter Thomas Senese with Carolyn Ann Vlk is an extensive resource guide presently 315 pages in length containing significant information and landmark reports and research studies that will be useful for all individuals, including targeted parents, law enforcement officers, courts, and lawmakers interested in understanding and preventing international parental child abduction or human trafficking.

What is dynamic about THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN outside of the fact that the content and material contained within the book is that THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN takes shape in the form of a virtual E-book that is intended to be updated with new content, information, and material as relevant material and information becomes available. In essence, THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN is the foundation for a very unique cyber-library with the intent of providing critically important information for all individuals in need of information regarding child abduction.

In keeping with my goal of being able to offer to the world-at-large relevant, timely, and important information that may protect innocent children targeted for international abduction, it was my desire to make this extensive publication free-of-charge to all who desire to read it. THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN is available online as a free download in a PDF file format. Both Carolyn Ann Vlk’s and my child abduction prevention advocacy is done on a volunteer basis.

Making THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN free of charge is similar to the free extensive documentary film series titled ‘CHASING PARENTS: Racing Into the Storms of International Parental Child Abduction’ I have created that continues to educate a substantial number of individuals from around the world on the growing epidemic of criminal child abduction.

On behalf of Carolyn Ann Vlk and myself, I hope that the information contained in THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN will be of help to you.




Sincerely,
Peter Thomas Senese

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Discussing THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN With Author Peter Thomas Senese

1. 'The Den Of The Assassin' is a real-world story of the geopolitical realities society faces today. You accurately cover with reader-friendly acumen very complex topics including the global financial
markets, global political and military instabilities, modern-day biological, chemical, and cyber-warfare, and issues evolving around global-citizenship and communication. How much research was dedicated into creating 'The Den Of The Assassin'?


Writing primarily in historical fiction requires a writer such as myself the need to pay great attention to the presentation of substantial fact in the context of the story being crafted. 'The Den of the Assassin', similar to each of my historical fiction novels, is steep in heavy research. I spend a great deal of time studying various subject matter to the point that I become confident I can take a heavily complex issue and present it in a highly technical, easy to understand, and entertaining manner without losing the complexity of the issues being presented.

Conducting the type of research required for one of my novels takes time, particularly since the multiple issues I address and write about are complex and sometimes the necessary information I am seeking is not so easily accessible.

Combining the fact that my stories always have multiple intriguing plot-lines weaving throughout the fiber of the characters' movements and that my reader-audience typically is highly educated, sophisticated, and quite knowledgeable it is critical that I present accurate, current, and meaningful information - foundations, if you will - in order to create the necessary platforms for my characters' to stand on. In 'The Den of the Assassin', I spent a substantial amount of time researching the complex and fascinating issues that are presented; however, I was also able to draw upon my own deep knowledge base and understanding.


2. Wall Street appears to be a central theme for many of your writings. Why is this?
I view Wall Street as the cradle of America, and one of the most fascinating places in the entire world. Many individuals do not realize just how important a role Wall Street had during the birth of our nation. For example, Federal Hall, which is directly across from the still-mighty New York Stock Exchange, was our great nation's first capitol and the location were General George Washington was inaugurated as America's first president. It is the location where the United States 'Bill of Rights' was first presented to Congress - and a place of many fascinating national and local political secrets! And of course, it is, and should remain the symbolic center of capitalism.

Whenever I put my foot on the 'Street', I feel the raw energy and determination that was instilled from our nation's Founding Fathers. Today, I see this attitude in many individuals who work in the financial markets, and equally viewed, that very same determination that makes a New Yorker a New Yorker. With its deep national and local New York history, Wall Street is in itself a living, breathing character that is hard to replicate anywhere, so it is only natural for me to include in my writing a place that is so unique, historic, current, and personally attached to me.


3. In 'The Den Of The Assassin' America and the free-world face very real and possibly cataclysmic possibilities at the hands of individuals hell-bent on destroying our way of life. How real are the threats of a biological, chemical, or cyber-attack on our nation's soil?

Very real. Modern warfare has changed dramatically with each passing year. And as scientists continue to place great energy and resources into the science of genetic engineering, our reality is that the capacity for a biological attack has made giant strides toward becoming a serious reality. Chemical warfare, and all of its evil possibilities will also continue to increase. However, what appears to be most concerning is the rapidly expanding threats of cyber-warfare. Countries such as China, North Korea, and Russia have extensive, well-trained cyber-warfare military divisions working endlessly to create and develop deployment systems capable of delivering malicious software code and viruses capable of attacking and shutting down a computer network system. Juxtaposing the concern associated with the ever-expanding ability of each of these and other nations' abilities to engage in a new type of potentially crippling warfare - cyber-warfare - and attack our nation's electronic infrastructure is the fact that as a nation, the United States has become reliant on foreign citizens living abroad to fulfill a variety of computer-design and software needs. So in reality we have, in a certain sense, given away the keys to our nation's central nervous system.

For example, one of the more commonly accepted cyber-warfare strategies involves the use of 'Botnets'. Botnets or 'Bot Networks' are made up of vast numbers of compromised computers that have been infected with malicious code, and can be remotely-controlled through commands sent via the Internet. Hundreds or thousands of these infected computers can operate in concert to distribute spam, viruses, or other malicious code. Because Botnet attacks are decentralized and do not typically have a cyber-warfare command center it is near impossible to defend against, while also having the capacity to easily go viral - and spread from one computer network to another at any given time. Imagine if a Botnet is initiated on a worldwide social network such as Facebook.

With hundreds of millions of users capable of downloading a malicious virus capable of shutting down or destroying for example our electric power grid or our telecommunication lines or our banking system, which is not unrealistic, any nation facing this type of threat would have extraordinary challenges on their hands.


4. What risks are associated with our nation's reliance upon foreign countries and their citizens to design and build many of the computer operating systems and software that we use today?

The risks are very straight-forward: we have given the keys to our nation's nervous system - our electronic arteries - without carefully vetting who in fact we have given the keys to. For example, how do we really know who a company located in Eastern Europe that is designing an online video game for a U.S. based company has actually hired to complete software that will be utilized in the United States? We don't. Nor do we know if and what dormant malicious viruses they have installed. This is a very serious problem, and one that will manifest itself as individuals become more connected via the Internet.


5. Russia?

An extraordinarily dangerous country no matter what title Putin gives himself within the pseudo-democracy he controls. Combining the former KGB officers monger-like mentality with the facts that prior to 1991 the Soviet's Bioprepreat had an anticipated 200,000 scientist working in their illegal biological and chemical warfare division - a unit that surely has not disappeared in the wake of genetic advancement, Russia's extraordinary oil reserves, and similar to China, a great desire to remove the U.S. currency as the world's primary currency ... Russia has as it has in the past, its own agenda, and that agenda typically does not line up with the intended policies of the United States.


6. The Arab Spring?

It was one of the most spectacular uprisings by an oppressed people at any given time in history. Clearly, the remarkable use of the Internet to educate, communicate, and mobilize others in the name of freedom and liberty accomplished what outside governments spent incredible resources unsuccessfully doing: planting sustainable seeds of democracy. I think we're only seeing the beginning of true reform in the Middle East and I anticipate that democracy and freedom's light will shine through the oppressive darkness created by dictators.


7. North Korea?
 
North Korea remains a serious problem in part due to its close relationship to China, a psychopathic ruler who has propped himself to be viewed as a God by the country's citizens, substantial warfare capability coupled with its close proximity to South Korea. In its delicate balance, the world's leading countries continue to be in a quagmire on how to deal with North Korea. Though China has come out on occasion condemning North Korea's actions or policies, in my view, Beijing's still very deeply connected to North Korea and the rest of the world knows it. Economic sanctions utilized to protest that country’s various policies have not truly worked because at the end of the day, the troll has such complete power over the nation's citizens that those who suffer most are the nation's neediest citizens.

And this gives the troll even more power because he is able to point to the west and say to his loyal followers that their nation's difficulties are due to the policies of foreign governments intent to take over North Korea.

Which has lead to that country developing a very dangerous arsenal of tactical weapon capabilities - including the creation of a cyber-warfare division that has been in existence for nearly 25 years - when they created the 'Kim II Political Military University', which is also known as the 'secret college' that enrolls over 100 world-class computer hackers, who after graduation, are assigned to the 'General Bureau of Reconnaissance of the Ministry of the People's Armed Forces'.

And with South Korea its neighbor, any type of military conflict with North Korea will cause massive loss of life - so in a certain sense, and due to China's protective eye, the world can do very little other than hope that perhaps we see something similar to the Arab Spring.


8. China?

China is deeply connected to the world economy, which is a safeguard against modern warfare. However, in my opinion two of China's primary political and economic agendas to which they appear to be hell-bent on achieving include removing the U.S. dollar as the world currency standard, and, they're continued investment and creation of infrastructure into Africa. Their activity in Africa, though extremely helpful for many African nations, appears to be taking place in order to mobilize the nation-states of Africa for China's own purposes. Previously, these nations initially became highly instable after the Cold War presumably ended. Combining these goals with China's extreme military build-up - for example their creation of anti-aircraft carrier missiles possibly capable of taking out a nuclear-powered aircraft is in fact changing the way the United States military and in particular our navy prepares for future combat. And China has formed the ‘Blue Army': a very unique team of cyber-warfare computer experts that makes the North Korean's 'Kim II Political Military University' look like a Montessori school for young children. We're talking about a very serious threat, though the size and capability of the Blue Army is not fully understood. What we do know is that they do exist and that they have tremendous resources at their disposal so they may implement their project goals and expand their capabilities.


9. In 'The Den Of The Assassin', the story's protagonist is a Wall Street banker who unexpectedly gets caught in the cross-hairs of a psychopathic former Soviet Union war monger's sight and evil intent to cause grave destruction against America and the free world. Why did you choose to use a banker as the story's protagonist?
 There are many reasons why Tyler Boxter's profession is that of an investment banker. First, the complex story that is 'The Den Of The Assassin' has a very realistic and fungible set of scenarios that require the insight and expertise of a Wall Street insider. And as much as this story takes place on capitalism's Wall Street, the little-often spoken political side of Wall Street was a critical symbol that underscored the antagonist's intent: to destroy all things American and our way of living, including our grasp on liberty and capitalism. And in my mind, Wall Street was America's cradle for both our democratic and capitalistic way of life. So inevitably the story's protagonist needed to be a part of the street - and so Tyler Boxter - the most unsuspecting of individuals soon realizes that the Wall Street he knows is 'The Den Of The Assassin'.


10. How vulnerable are our financial markets to a cyber-attack and how would other nations, including Russia or China benefit if our national grid and computer infrastructure were compromised?

I think any country which had a partial or complete shutdown due to an unspoken declaration of cyber-war would have serious and long-ranging difficulties. Our nation's various national defense agencies spend enormous resources and place mind-boggling effort into ensuring that we detect and isolate cyber-attacks before they spread and cause great damage to our way of living. These individuals are truly our nation's unseen, unspoken, and undetected heroes. And their important role in our nation's homeland defense continues to grow. As for other nations and their potential benefits of having our economy under attack, I think the one nation that would benefit most from this is China, particularly since China desires to remove the U.S. Dollar from the world stage.


11.You romance Wall Street's political history. Can you provide some insight about your love affair with the physical and metaphorical 'Wall Street'?

Before Wall Street was the world's financial market epicenter, it was the nation's first capitol. One of the most important words ever spoken by our nation's first president, the remarkable hero President George Washington, was that 'liberty was an experiment entrusted to the American people'. Those words were said by Washington the night of his inauguration, on April 30th, 1789. Over the years we have witnessed how liberty and freedom changed and expanded in our nation from a time when only white land owners had the right to vote to where we are today ... and our role in spreading liberty throughout the world. And that - liberty - is what Wall Street is about, and it is a romantic, enticing, and most beautiful of concepts and ideals.


12. New York City is clearly a character in its own right in 'The Den Of The Assassin'. Can you provide us with some insight on your New York City?

I think I can speak endlessly about New York City in the most positive of positive ways. I consider myself a New Yorker no matter where in the world I am. I believe New York has its own heart. It is a living, breathing, feeling, and thinking entity unlike any other place in the world. Though not perfect - the New York City I know is one that celebrates our differences, and that, particularly with millions and millions of people living here, is remarkable.


13. Ten words to describe 'The Den Of The Assassin'?

Fast-paced, eye-opening, educational, intriguing, magnetic, accurate, entertaining, current, historical, human.

14. Can you share a personal story about 'The Den Of The Assassin'?

Tragically, during the time of my research dealing with Russia's oligarch system, Paul Klebnikov, the editor of Forbes Magazine Russia was murdered gangland-style in Moscow. Paul died on July 9th, 2004: he was a great journalist and a great family man who was trying to bring to light the massive corruption of the new Russian nation due to the misdeeds of the oligarch system. There were also 21 presidents of banks in and around Moscow alone that were murdered during the time I was researching and writing this story.
15. Did you feel there was a risk associated with releasing 'The Den Of The Assassin'?

 
Yes.
16. What's next for Peter Thomas Senese?

I am busy. In the short-term future I will finally release 'Chasing The Cyclone', while also releasing 'The Den Of The Assassin' in both paperback and multiple-language E-book. 'Cloning Christ' will be released later this year in multiple-languages on E-book, and the sequel to 'The Den Of The Assassin', titled 'Predator's Games' will be released at the end of the year. So from a writing standpoint, I'm busy. I am also involved in some very important volunteer work in the area of child abduction prevention, including the upcoming worldwide release of a research project that I am highly involved with, and, seeking additional abduction prevention laws at a national level. Then there are certain film and television projects that I am substantially involved with that are extremely exciting. But most of all, I'm a father to a really great young son and a partner to an amazing woman - so my life is full, content, and meaningful. It is dramatically different than the times to which I was unexpectedly forced to chase the cyclone!
17. You volunteer a great deal of time supporting literacy programs for kids and are a visible international child abduction prevention activist. Why do you advocate for children's interests the way you do?

Reading and writing changed my life forever in the most positive of ways, so how could I not help support literacy programs or simply take the time on occasion and help a child understand the wonderment of reading - that's one of my favorite things to do - to spend time with one or a few children - and get into their heads - because somehow, I connect with them - and they eventually get it – they understand that reading is the key to everything in life. And as for my work in international child abduction prevention - well, read 'Chasing The Cyclone'.


18. Who did you dedicate 'The Den Of The Assassin' to?

Similar to each of my books, I write for one person: my son

Monday, June 27, 2011

Best-selling Author Peter Senese To Release Geopolitical Epic 'The Den of the Assassin' On E-Book


Author Peter Thomas Senese is pleased to announce his international espionage thriller titled The Den Of The Assassin will be released in e-book worldwide on July 14th, 2011 and will be available on all e-book platforms.

Critics have praised The Den Of The Assassin as an international financial espionage thriller steeped in the modern-day realities of our world, providing the story a visceral prescience teeming with realism and frightful possibilities of global terrorism, and Senese as a masterful writer of international intrigue.

Peter Thomas Senese commented, “For reader who enjoy fast-paced, multi-dimensional plots based upon historical events and plausible possibilities relevant to the world we live in today, The Den Of The Assassin takes audiences on a thrilling global geopolitical journey that evolves around New York City’s Wall Street.”

The Den Of The Assassin opens in New York City, where an unassuming investment banker, Tyler Boxter, is preoccupied with his all-consuming career that acts as a personal shield against the trappings of life that hide guilt and pain and memories he doesn't want.

A mysterious theft leads Boxter from the sanctity of his Wall Street office and thrusts him into the dark world of international terrorism -- where zealots stir in the brutal desserts of the Middle East, where dark, sunken eyes look into the abyss of Siberia's desolate terrains, where prisoners -citizens- who live on a remote peninsula in Asia would rather submit to isolationist cleansing than feel the wrath of a deceitful troll intent on destroying the ideals of the West. 



Unknown to Boxter, he is about to play a sophisticated but explosive game against a madman who is more savage and merciless than the winds of an atomic holocaust. From the current resurgence of former-KGB hard-liners in Russia and the corrupt oligarchs who control the black-market of the weapons trade, from the isolationist mountains of North Korea to the sweeping deserts of the Middle East, from the looming specter of biological warfare to the ways in which terrorists hide and wash their money, from the arcane methods by which corporate America funds itself to the inner workings of Wall Street's war rooms, to the secrets hidden behind the walls in Beijing, to the unthinkable intent of the once mighty Persian Empire, 'Den Of The Assassin' is an informative, compelling, spin-tingling international espionage thriller that will keep readers turning through the pages.

The Den Of The Assassin will be released in e-book on July 14th, 2011 and is presently available in hardcover form from traditional retailers and online merchants. The Den Of The Assassin was initially released in hardcover prior to the author’s unexpected race into the cyclones of international child abduction. Chasing The Cyclone, inspired by Peter Thomas Senese’s experiences in this area, will be released in hardcover later this summer.


Peter Thomas Senese in the author of numerous historical fiction novels. For more information on The Den Of The Assassin or Peter Thomas Senese, please visit http://www.petersenese.com/.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Child Advocates Peter Thomas Senese and Carolyn Ann Vlk Prepare To Release Global Report On International Child Abduction and Trafficking Related To Lax Passport Travel Requirements For Children.



Child advocates are expressing outrage over world governments' continued failures to protect millions of defenseless children targeted for criminal abduction each year by monsters who facilitate the unforgiving crimes of internationally abducting or trafficking children. International border-crossing policies often do not mandate that children traveling abroad present a valid passport to border agents if a child is traveling by land or sea. When a child is stolen and illegally removed from their country of origin by either a non-stranger such as a parent, or is a victim of a stranger abduction, that child has been criminally kidnapped. The traumatic consequences placed on the kidnapped child are severe. The majority of these defenseless victims will never recover from the physical and emotional abuse directed toward them. Some of these children are unable to recover: they are lost forever. Presently, international air travel by a minor requires the presentation of a valid passport. However, many nations including the United States permit the submission of a photocopy of a child’s citizenship papers such as a photocopy of a birth certificate as an acceptable travel document for a minor age 16 or younger when traveling abroad by land or sea.


Unquestionably, lax and reckless travel document policy requirements associated with minors traveling by land or by sea have created a colossal legal loophole - a black hole - for child-thieves and smugglers to criminally transport and remove targeted children from one country to another until they are inevitably gone forever. Undeniably, by the sheer size of the pandemic at hand, predators are utilizing these legal loopholes in alarming, yet relatively immeasurable numbers.


Inconceivably, many countries including the United States, Canada, and nations in the European Union have policies in place that allow for a child 16 years old or younger traveling abroad by either land or by sea to only present to border officials a photocopy of their proof of citizenship such as their original birth certificate.


Child abduction prevention advocates and researchers Carolyn Ann Vlk and Peter Thomas Senese, have previously published several landmark reports including 'International Child Abduction and Human Trafficking In The Western Hemisphere' and 'Crisis In America: International Parental Child Abduction Today'. They are currently leading a research team that will publish findings on the global epidemic of child abduction and child trafficking as it relates to legal loopholes and other related flaws associated with a child’s international travel documentation requirements. The highly anticipated report titled ‘Global Child Slavery and International Child Abduction Associated With Travel Documentation Requirements' will be released in mid-July, 2011.


Chasing The Cyclone
by
Peter Thomas Senese
‘Chasing The Cyclone’ author and child advocate Peter Thomas Senese commented, “It is disturbing to realize that various governments from around the world have turned their responsible eyes away from the most often used illegal border-crossing strategies implemented by predators involved in international abduction as well as in the trafficking of children: illegally transporting a child into a country by land or by sea using fraudulent documentation due to a senseless policy often implemented stipulating that a child does not need to present a valid passport at a border-crossing unless the child travels abroad by air. This is insane. Our children demand more from each of us. Any international travel documentation policy that does not include a child being required to travel with a valid passport is a policy that does not address the issues of the safety of children. The upcoming report ‘Global Child Slavery and International Child Abduction Associated With Travel Documentation Requirements' will not only demonstrate how outlandish these non-passport requirement policies are, but hopefully it will also educate judges, law enforcement, and policymakers about just how critical and widespread these issues are. Having such laws in place will also give judges and law enforcement personnel additional tools they need to prevent the kidnapping of a child before it occurs, as once the removal takes place, it is that much more difficult and expensive to remedy.”


In fact, many governments' immigration, borders, and customs agencies publicly and privately have voiced that excessive travel documentation fraud has given rise to dramatic and sweeping increases in the number of international child abductions and human trafficking cases around the world. According to law enforcement officials worldwide, the most effective means to determine if a child is legally traveling abroad is by checking the child’s passport. Nevertheless, even the presentation of a valid passport may not alleviate all illegal removals, particularly those connected to an international parental child abduction due to the potential issuance of a secondary passport related to a child’s possible dual citizenship. However, access to real-time government records associated with a valid passport provides border agents better insight into who is legally crossing into their nation's borders.

Unquestionably, travel documentation requirements that do not require a child to present a valid passport when traveling abroad by land or by sea have created a worldwide malignant epidemic that continues to destroy millions of lives each year. This plague is so wicked and ubiquitous that it is often acknowledged by governments and leading human rights advocates around the world as one of society’s greatest shortcomings. Undoubtedly, there is no one solution; however, it is evident to those familiar with international child abduction and human trafficking that one sure-fire way to turn the tide against the most evil of fates awaiting innocent children targeted for international abduction is to mandate that every child traveling abroad present a valid passport.


Carolyn Ann Vlk, drafter of the State of Florida’s landmark ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ and co-author of numerous research reports on child abduction commented on the need to conduct research on the global dilemma of abduction and trafficking as it is related to significant gaps in travel documentation requirements for children traveling abroad. “My volunteer advocacy in the area of child abduction prevention has allowed me an unobstructed view of the horror the families of a targeted child face. I've spent an incredible amount of time investigating and analyzing current legislation, policies, and trends relevant to child abduction and I have uncovered significant loopholes that are allowing children to be victimized through parental child abduction and human trafficking. In the report Peter Thomas Senese and I published concerning the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), we realize the policy was intended to prevent abduction and trafficking from occurring but in reality it facilitates the cross border abduction of children through its deficiencies. WHTI allows for the travel requirements of children to vary depending on if they are traveling by land, sea or air. In our upcoming report titled ‘Global Child Slavery and International Child Abduction Associated With Travel Documentation Requirements' we will publish our findings concerning travel documentation issues as they relate to child abduction and slavery issues. Our future published findings will demonstrate the urgent and critical need for uniform travel requirements for children, including a passport requirement for all modes of travel. Without uniform passport requirements, society will continue to embrace child abduction and child trafficking, and this is completely unacceptable.”



Janice L. Jacobs, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs stated in the ‘Report on Compliance with the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction’ previously submitted to the U.S. Congress that "Unfortunately, current trends reflect a steady increase in the number of international parental child abduction cases and highlight the urgency of redoubling efforts to promote compliance with Convention obligations and encourage additional nations to join the Convention." She also writes, "Very few options exist for parents and children who are victims of parental child abduction."

Florida lawyer Patricia Lee, a prominent, successful international family law attorney who is of counsel to the international law firm of Urban Thier Federer & Jackson, and who has substantial familiarity with international parental child abduction cases added, “As a family law practitioner who frequently deals with international issues, I see the risk of, and actual incidences of child abduction growing proportionately to our world shrinking. The failure, or inability, of courts to aggressively pursue reasonable precautions to proactively prevent such abductions is a crime in and of itself. Once an abduction has taken place, the left behind parent faces a morass of legal issues that are not only difficult to surmount due to language and cultural differences, but are also prohibitively expensive for the ordinary parent. The backlash is often permanent, and goes without any redress at all. Our best recourse is to prevent the removal of children at risk prior to it occurring, and we absolutely must have laws and procedures in place that allow us to do so. Anything less is simply irresponsible, and inhumane on a global scale. Children across the world deserve these simple safeguards from such abduction and victimization.”


Ernie Allen, President and CEO of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children previously addressed the crimes against children when he said, "The problem of missing, abducted, trafficked and sexually exploited children is large, growing, under-recognized and under-reported." In addition, Mr. Allen commented that, "Children are the leading victims of violent and personal crimes in this country, victimized at a rate twice as high as the general population." Continuing he stated, “Children are the single most victimized segment of our population. Even with all of the progress we have made, most Americans still don’t understand that basic fact. According to Justice Department research, more than 2,000 children will be reported missing in the United States today!" Mr. Allen added, "The numbers are staggering. The tragedies continue and too many children do not make it home."


San Francisco based Gloria Nyberg, who has dedicated several decades of her life to successfully and safely bringing home children criminally abducted abroad added, “Documentation falsifications is a consistent aspect of travel for children being transported from one country to another, particularly in South and Central America. Children disappear daily, where they are eventually sold and distributed around the world to beasts trading in the child sex slave industry, to drug dealers increasing their cartel’s presence, or are simply killed for their body organs. Without upholding passport travel requirements for children traveling from one country to another, we are in fact responsible for the monumental problem on our hands that has been partially created by our own failures to protect our children. It is time that we act responsibly as adult citizens charged with protecting innocent children. Indeed, we have an obligation to do our very best to prevent the facilitation of international abduction and child slavery. It is critical that each government adopt a passport-only travel documentation policy for children traveling abroad. Anything less than this is irresponsible.”


Pamela Michell, the remarkable founder of Survivor On A Mission and a leading global advocate spearheading public awareness of human trafficking and slavery issues stated, “Today, there are tens of millions of child slaves with no hope for a future. Kept silent through fraud, force or coercion, children around the world are stolen from their communities in epidemic proportion. Most are forced into slave labor, some caged for sexual exploitation, others await the harvesting of their vital organs, while others abducted live a life on the run...each enduring trauma and danger few will overcome. Strong action is needed now by all governments to protect our children’s' future. Critically we call upon the creation and enforcement of global laws that require a passport to be presented any time a minor travels abroad. Without this, the massive amount of travel documentation fraud that exists today that accounts for an inconceivable and incredulous number of innocent children to be targeted victims of abduction and slavery crimes will continue to rise. As global citizens, we demand more from our governments. Our children expect better from each of us."


International child trafficking and child abduction continues to grow at rapid, uncontrollable, and extraordinary rates. Alarmingly, there still remain achievable protective protocols that can substantially make a difference in the war against child abduction and slavery. One of the most important tools each nation has available to combat the evil of child abduction is to require all children to present a valid passport when traveling abroad. Peter Thomas Senese added, “What is at stake are the lives of millions of targeted children each year. Simply put, we must modify existing laws to include passport presentation for all travelers abroad regardless of age.”


The highly anticipated report titled ‘Global Child Slavery and International Child Abduction Associated With Travel Documentation Requirements' will be released in mid-July, 2011. To view the ‘International Child Abduction and Human Trafficking In The Western Hemisphere' report or for more information on please visit www.internationalparentalchildabduction.com



Saturday, June 18, 2011

Geopolitical Best-selling Author Peter Senese Announces E-Book Series Launch

Peter Thomas Senese

Best-Selling author Peter Thomas Senese is pleased to announce the upcoming E-book series launch of selected publications from the novelist's previously released and upcoming international geopolitical thriller genre' publications. The initial launch over a six month period will include a total of five E-book format releases that are intended to be translated and made available in multiple languages, allowing the growing number of readers who enjoy Peter Senese's novels immediate and affordable access to his written works.


The writer, filmmaker, and dedicated child advocate will commence his E-book launch by releasing 'The Den of the Assassin', the highly praised, spine-tingling Post 9-11 financial espionage and geopolitical thriller that catapults an unsuspecting young Wall Street banker, Tyler Boxter, into a world of incomprehensible possibilities and insane apocalyptic challenges. Peter Thomas Senese's intense, page-turning 'The Den of the Assassin' will be released in E-book format on July 14th, 2011.



                                                 
                   The Den of the Assassin Book Trailer

The gut-wrenching, inspirational theological thriller 'Cloning Christ' that jettisons readers to the spiritual and physical battlefront of good vs. evil in Peter Senese's electrifying, bone-chilling story of faith evolves around the global manhunt for Dr. Max Train, a once-devout, now faithless genomic scientist who may be in possession of the True Cross of  Jesus of Nazareth. Cloning Christ will cause heart-racing readers to contemplate the challenges between science and faith while contemplating physical and spiritual issues we all face today in our pursuit to enrich the human condition and experience.'Cloning Christ' will be released in E-book on August 15th, 2011.  

Peter Thomas Senese's deeply personal novel, 'Chasing The Cyclone', the critically acclaimed heart-pounding international legal thriller of a father and son's unbowed and unbreakable love and belief in one another in lieu of a wicked international child abduction as told in a way very few writers ever could, and that was inspired by Peter Thomas Senese's unimaginable experiences as a parent chasing the cyclone of international child abduction, will released in hardcover and E-book in mid-August, 2011.

                                             
  Peter Thomas Senese Is A Child Abduction Prevention Advocat
 'Chasing The Cyclone' Is Inspired By The Author's Experiences
                                     

Peter Thomas Senese's e-book series continues with the worldwide E-book release of 'The Production', a hilarious satire about the artful, zany, and often colliding storytelling worlds of filmmaking and publishing that has lovers of good storytelling laughing hysterically. 'The Production' by Peter Thomas Senese will be released on September 29th, 2011.

Soviet Scorpion Nuclear Submarine
'Predator's Games' the riveting sequel of 'The Den of the Assassin', that propels readers into the shocking and deadly world of alternative energy speculation and depicts the world's power-nations conspiring against one another in an extremely dangerous and potentially cataclysmic quest to control what was once the unthinkable unfolds as unique characters initially introduced in 'The Den of the Assassin' race into real and startling possibilities evolving around advances in alternative energy and mankind's greed. 'Predator's Games' by Peter Thomas Senese will be released during the Thanksgiving Holiday Season.


Peter Thomas Senese commented, I am extremely pleased to announce the E-book publications of selected novels that readers from all over the world have embraced. It is indeed a very humbling experience to have such a large and diverse number of book lovers from Anchorage to Los Angeles to Christ Church to Beijing to St. Petersburg to Athens to Oslo to The Isle of Skye to New York, and from Anchorage to Cape Town and places in between have interest in my novels.

Peter & Tyler at the Algonquin 
“I am, as I will continue to be, extremely grateful for the worldwide reception my stories have received. This interest and appreciation supports my strong belief that society continues to evolve into global citizens, and with each and every passing day, the concerns or interests that one person shares in one part of the world has relevance to another person living on the other side of the planet. I think this is truly remarkable, particularly since one of the primary undercurrents of each of my books is the value of global citizenship. The other undercurrent - and I once thought this was a secret only a few readers realized, but in time I came to know how much I have been mistaken - is that if you hear the voice attached to the words in my novels, you will hear the voice of a parent who deeply loves his child. As I now have come to understand, a substantial number of my readers have heard and indentified with that voice. So perhaps these are two of the reasons why my writing continues to be embraced and evolve onto the global stage."


Peter Thomas Senese's E-book series launch will initially release each title in English. However, 'The Den of the Assassin', 'Predator's Games', and 'The Production' will each be released in Spanish, German, and French within eight weeks of their e-book publication date. 'Cloning Christ' and 'Chasing The Cyclone' will be released in English as well as in Spanish, German, French, Italian, Mandarin (Chinese), Hindi, Russian, Portuguese, and Greek. With the expansive growth of consumers turning to e-book readers, the traditional distribution and delivery of an author's written works has vastly changed.


Geopolitical Novelist
Peter Thomas Senese
Sitting Above The Clouds
"As an author who embraces my publishing independence, and having had considerable success, including having several of my books hit and stay on various publishing-industry best-seller lists, the ever-expanding use of e-book readers will allow for good writers with important issues that they desire to share with worldwide opportunity to reach audiences via e-book publications. Over the course of the past years, I have purposefully delayed the electronic release of my novels until I felt comfortable with the evolution of electronic distribution of my writings, and that my readership audience, who was accustomed to reading my books in hardcover format, would support my E-book publication. After receiving an incredible number of inquiries from book lovers all over the world expressing their desire to have my novels made available in E-book format and in multiple languages, I have become extremely comfortable that now is the time to launch selected books I have written on E-book format. This is very exciting!


According to the Association of American Publishers, E-book sales represent the largest single format for book sales in the United States. Paperback sales is considered second, followed by hardcover book sales, both of which sales figures continue to decline. Mike Shatzkin, the founder and chief executive of the Idea Logical Company, which advertises book publishers on digital change said referring to the expansive growth of consumer demand for E-books, "This was a day that was going to come, a day that had to come." Shatzkin predicts that within a decade, fewer than 25% of all books sold will be print versions. Jeffrey P. Bezos, Amazon's chief executive previously commented on how the E-book has overtaken both hardcover and paperback sales on the online retailer's website when he said it is "Astonishing when you consider that we've been selling hardcover books for 15 years, and Kindle books for 33 months."



The Pelican Inn
Muir Woods
Surrounded by giant redwoods
Sitting next to the Pacific Ocean
Peter Thomas Senese is a storyteller focusing on messages in all formats that bespeak global connectivity. He is a writer of habit: each of his stories are written in part at the New York City Public Library's 'Great Reading Room' and 'Map Room', Butler Library at Columbia University, the Brooklyn Public Library at Grand Army Plaza, the Student Union at the University of Wiscnsin in Madison, The Pelican Inn located in Muir Woods, Paradise Cove in Malibu, and the Los Angeles Central Library. 




Commenting on his writing locations, Peter Senese added, "If you're going to do something, do something you relly love at places that you really enjoy. The diversity of my own writing settings allows for me to think carefully and clearly when creating what I consider to be rather complex storylines filled with an enourmous amount of relevant and accurate information. When I write, I literally and figutively go on an amazing journey. And God knows I love it!"




New York City Public Library
The Great Reading Room
He is actively involved in supporting issues that impact the lives of children, including demonstrative support to keep our nation's public libraries open seven days a week; and, actively engaged in numerous and extensive activities surrounding international child abduction prevention; and, actively advocating for new legislation that will protect children and others from malicious online impersonation








Paradise Cove
Malibu
To learn more about Peter Thomas Senese, please visit his official website or Peter's Official blogsite.