PPWC 2014 Q&A - Pete Klismet

Pete Klismet, Author/Expert

1. What was the defining moment that made your realize you wanted to be an author?

I had so many experiences in 30 years in law enforcement, and had read some books by former law enforcement officers that made me think “I can write as well as he can.” It was a long process, but I finally found the impetus - a case I’d done a profile on almost 30 years ago in which 6 innocent people were convicted, and wouldn’t have been if only they had paid attention to the profile I’d done. My first thought was “This story MUST be told,” and that led to my completion of “FBI Diary: Profiles of Evil.” It’s one of several cases in the book.

2. What is the one thing you cannot work without? What is your creative vice?

I need two things: Privacy and mornings. The creative juices flow for me between about 8 am and 2 pm. My wife has learned to not engage me in conversation when she sees I’m writing.

3. If you could 'revive' any literary figure from the past for a one hour conversation, who would you choose?

He’s not truly a ‘literary figure,’ but Joseph Wambaugh who was a prolific writer of true crime stories and produced such shows as “Police Story,” in the 70’s and 80’s would be my guy. I’m also partial to Ann Rule who does extensive research into her true crime stories.

4. What is one of your more notable or unusual conference or convention experiences?

I’ve only attended two, the Public Safety Writer’s Ass’n, held in Las Vegas every year. Those have given me so many contacts and friends, plus being critical in getting FBI Diary published, so I think I’ll always be a member. I am really excited about this year’s PPW conference, both as a presenter and attendee. I’ve gotten to know some members and will be thrilled to meet others. I think authors have an immediate bond formed. Sorta' like cops!

5. If we asked your friends and family to compare you to a cartoon character, which would they choose, and why?

We just did some internet research on this, including a ‘cartoon character personality test,’ and the only thing that fit me was Tweety Bird. I thought it would be some type of a big cuddly bear, but it turns out Tweety was a perfect fit. Surprise.

6. What is one thing would you like aspiring authors to know about the road to success?

What is success? For me, it was finally getting a book published. That was a life-long dream. But, it involved failure along the way, writer’s block and finally a lot of persistence. It’s going to take some time. I wrote my first book about 30 years ago, and it was an egg. I attended a couple of writer’s workshops and found out ‘how’ to write. I was good at writing narrative police reports, but that didn’t translate into books. I had to learn how to make that paradigm shift.

About the Expert/Author: Thirty years ago, a small cadre of FBI agents were hand-picked by the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit (BSU) to receive training in what was then a highly-controversial and ground breaking concept, “Psychological Profiling.”  Pete was fortunate enough to have been chosen to become one of the original FBI ‘profilers.’  Before his retirement from the FBI in 1999, Pete received additional training, was temporarily assigned to work with the BSU in Quantico, Virginia, and put that training and experience to work in assisting state, federal and local law enforcement agencies in investigating violent crimes.  Pete served two tours in Vietnam on submarines.  (Submarines in Vietnam?  It’s the title of a chapter in his newly-released, award-winning book “FBI Diary: Profiles of Evil.”)  After completing college in Denver, Pete served as a police officer in Ventura, California for nearly ten years.  During that time, he earned two Master’s degrees from universities in California, and part of a third. He was named the 1999 National Law Enforcement Officer of the Year, and retired that year. For the next 13 years, he taught in colleges, and is now retired as a professor emeritus. He and his wife Nancy live in Colorado Springs.  He plans to release ‘a couple more books’ in 2014.

PPWC 2014 Q&A - Dan Leyman

1. What was the defining moment that made your realize you wanted to be an FBI agent?

There really wasn’t a “defining moment” for me. I wanted to be in law enforcement since I was in high school. Initially, I joined my local police department as a reserve member. The more I got to see, the more I realized I wanted to be in Federal law enforcement, and I set my sights on the FBI. Luckily, the stars lined-up, and I was offered a slot in a New Agents Training class.

2. What is the one thing you cannot work without? What is your creative vice?

While I know it sounds corny, the one thing I need for every crime scene, and most law enforcement endeavors, is logic. If I don’t apply logic to a crime scene, processing it becomes mechanical. As I apply logic to a scene, I start developing a theory of what happened. This also requires a degree of imagination, grounded in reality. I test that theory by looking for evidence in places that, logically, there should be evidence. If I find evidence there, that begins to support my theory. If not, I may need to revise my theory.

3. If you could 'revive' any literary figure from the past for a one hour conversation, who would you choose?

Samuel Clemens, because he seemed to have life broken down to the basics, focused on common sense.

4. If we asked your friends and family to compare you to a cartoon character, which would they choose, and why?

Taz, the Looney Tunes Tasmanian Devil, because I’m always whirling around from one event to the next, often grumbling about things I have no control over.

5. What is one thing would you like aspiring authors to know about the road to success?

The definition of success is different for each of us. Often, the road leading there is or seems never-ending. If you aren’t happy, the road will become an arduous, spirit-killing trek. Each person must find or make their own happiness and contentment, thereby making that journey an adventure.

About the Expert: FBI Special Agent Dan Leyman has been in Law Enforcement since 1984 and with the FBI since 1991. He has investigated or supervised nearly every crime the FBI investigates, from bank fraud to bank robberies to terrorism. From Police Academy to FBI New Agent Training, Special Agent Leyman had undergone extensive education in identifying, collecting and preserving evidence at a crime scene. When the FBI’s Evidence Responce Team (ERT) was founded in El Paso, Texas in 1995, Special Agent Leyman became one of its first members. His success and experience earned him his current position as Team Leader of FBI Denver’s Evidence Response Team.