| Reston
Author Writes of Fictional Attack on America |
By Sabrina Enayatulla
Observer Staff Writer |
| In 2002, Paul McMahon took a leave of absence from his government
job and traveled to Salamanca, Spain. McMahon had an affinity
for studying Spanish and lived with a host family for three
months while he familiarized himself with the language. When
he came back, McMahon was armed with a stronger hold of Spanish
grammar and an idea for a book. |
| "As soon as I got back I started writing," McMahon
said. "I guess I just had nervous energy." |
| The Washington, D.C. sniper attacks made headlines while
McMahon was in Spain and his imagination began working overtime.
|
| "I thought there could be something very interesting
and possible about an American based terrorist group,"
McMahon said. "The rest of the story just flowed."
|
| In January 2005, McMahon published "The K-7 Directive,"
a story about an alliance between The Aryan Front, an American
white supremacy group, and Al Qaeda. |
| The two groups used a Jewish Web site as a means for communicating
hidden from government officials. The novel unravels the story
of twin brothers, one of whom is recruited to help spread
a virus attack on the United States. The brothers, who were
estranged for many years, find more than they bargained for
when one brother decides to reconcile ties with his long-lost
twin. The plot thickens as the brothers are pinned against
each other in a fight to save the country. |
| McMahon, too, grew up as a twin. He and his twin sister
were the youngest of five children growing up in Vienna. McMahon
has lived in Reston since 1996. He said he and his siblings
always had healthy imaginations growing up, especially when
it came to role-playing in games as characters they made up.
|
| "We didn't have video games back then," he said.
|
| As he wrote his book, McMahon found himself feeling the
emotions of the characters he wrote about. He was surprised
at how absorbed he became in his own fiction. |
| "I used to laugh when actors said it happened to them,"
McMahom said. "But when it happened to me it felt real."
|
| McMahon attended the University of Virginia where he studied
biology. He later went on to the University of Maryland and
earned a master's degree in agronomy in the molecular biology
of soybean genetics. McMahon said his background in the sciences
helped when it came to using the make-believe K-7 virus as
the focus of terror in his book. |
| McMahon worked in computers for a while after finishing
school, though he soon learned he couldn't see himself in
a government job permanently. He later ventured into the private
sector and now works as a consultant for the Department of
Justice. |
| Though McMahon said he saw himself as a teacher or possibly
working in research, he always had an interest in writing.
A failed attempt at publishing a children's book came prior
to his success with this novel written for a mature audience. |
| Problems with a literary agent and trouble with various
publishing companies led McMahon to contact a "print
on demand" company. While they printed his writing, McMahon
said he was fairly clueless when it came to marketing himself
and his new book. |
| Another challenge was to write beyond the 100-page marker
he set for himself. He wrote a little each day, even if it
was just a sentence. Setting incremental goals for himself
helped keep writing from becoming a chore and one year and
three edits later, McMahon's 286-page book was published. |
| McMahon, who has been compared to Tom Clancy, said he is
flattered but unsure his writing matches Clancy's caliber.
McMahon has always been fond of Robert Ludlum. |
| McMahon said a sequel to "The K-7 Directive" is
in the making but this time he won't rush things. He said
he may chose to go the more traditional route the second time
around and may even give a literary agent a second chance. |
| McMahon said much of his creativity came from traveling
and while writing his second novel he may take another trip
to Europe. |
| Despite the positive feedback for his book, his writing
is not for the fame or money. Regardless of the critics, McMahon
said he will continue to let his imagination soar and pursue
his passion of novel writing. |
| "My mom liked it," McMahon said. "So I think
that's all that matters." |
| Visit www.PaulMcMahon.com. |
