Author Interview with Joseph Kassabian
Please welcome Joseph Kassabian to my blog today, author of nonfiction / war memoir “The Hooligans of Kandahar”. Welcome, and thanks for answering my interview questions.
Author Interview
When did you know you wanted to be an author?
I think it was first real career choice as a kid, slightly after “Astronaut” and “Professional Hockey player”.
What inspired you to write this book?
There is a TON of books about the Afghan and Iraq wars out these days, not as many as romances centering around vampires and werewolves, but still a lot. Nearly all of them are totally identical though. Heroic, patriotic dude kills a bunch of terrorists, plants an american flag, and returns home as the magical hero. I’ve read a bunch of them, and they are well written. But I couldn’t help but think after reading them after nearly 10 years of military service and multiple combat tours, that they are absolutely nothing like what the normal soldier experiences. I felt like people were glorifying our military into all being like those heroic, patriotic dudes from the books and movies rather than being normal people. I felt like that did the military as a whole an injustice.
What is your editing process like?
thankfully I had a huge helping hand during editing thanks to the wonderful Amy Good. We both probably read through the rough draft a dozen times. Not to mention taking the cliff notes that I wrote while in Afghanistan and making them into something a civilian could understand was harder than I thought it would be. I also had a lot of help proof reading and fact checking from the guys who served with me.
Your book is based on true events. What was the hardest part about writing about things that had truly happened for you?
easily the hardest part of writing a true story like this one is telling the whole story, even the things you don’t want to talk about. Nobody wants to admit when they are wrong, but I had to force myself to do that over and over again in chronicling my actions during a war. Hindsight is 20/20, as they say. Reliving violent and horrible events and writing them down in painful detail is not something most people want to go through.
Did you set any writing goals for 2017?
My goal was to get The Hooligans of Kandahar finally done and out there, as it’s editing process was a slow and painful one. Now my next goal is to finish the editing on my next novel.
Are you working on something now?
Yes! I’m actually super excited about two things i’m working on. My first fiction novel, a military sci fi novel called Citizen of Earth is close to being finished and a collaborative effort between myself and Amy Good on a graphic novel titled Basil’s Crew which is in it’s illustrative phase now.
Yes! I’m actually super excited about two things i’m working on. My first fiction novel, a military sci fi novel called Citizen of Earth is close to being finished and a collaborative effort between myself and Amy Good on a graphic novel titled Basil’s Crew which is in it’s illustrative phase now.
About the Book
Title: The Hooligans of Kandahar
Author: Joseph Kassabian
Genre: Nonfiction / War Memoir
During the peak years of the Afghanistan War, a group of soldiers is dropped by helicopter into the remote mountains outside of Kandahar City. Mismanaged and overlooked by command, how they survive is largely up to them. In the birthplace of the Taliban, some men lose their sanity, others their humanity. They are The Hooligans.
Written in the months and years following his deployment, Joseph Kassabian recounts his time in the isolated and dangerous country of Afghanistan. Pulling no punches, The Hooligans of Kandahar is a sobering, saddening, and often sarcastic first-hand account of America’s War on Terror.
Links
Amazon (eBook)
Amazon (Paperback)
