Prior to his literary career, Joe served six years as an officer in the U.S. Army, including tours of duty in Vietnam and Greece, from which he received numerous decorations.
After his military service, he worked for thirty-six years in the banking & finance industries. He was a founding director and senior executive of a New York Stock Exchange-listed company for sixteen years.
Joe is an Amazon #1 bestselling author with 18 published, award-winning suspense novels. He has been recognized as “One of The 50 Best Writers You Should Be Reading.” He was named Writer of the Year by the Military Writers Society of America, is a two-time winner of the Tony Hillerman Prize for Best Fiction Book of the Year, a four-time Military Writers Society of America Gold Medal Winner, an Eric Hoffer Prize Winner, a four-time “Finalist” in the International Book Awards competition, and a top prize winner on multiple occasions in the New Mexico/Arizona Book Awards competition, including “Best of Show” in 2021. He writes a regular column titled “Inspired by Actual Events” in Suspense Magazine.
Joe is a member of Croak & Dagger, Sisters in Crime, Military Writers Society of America, International Thriller Writers, Public Safety Writers Association, International Crime Writers Association, and Southwest Writers Workshop.
Everything to Lose pits New Mexico homicide detectives Barbara Lassiter and Susan Martinez
against a duo of mass murderers terrorizing Albuquerque, New Mexico…and then their arch-nemesis, Lisa French, targets the detectives for murder.
In this fourth book in his Lassiter/Martinez Case Files series, award-winning and Amazon #1 Best-Selling Author Joseph Badal brings back his female detectives as they investigate a series of murders in the Albuquerque area. Inspired by actual events, Everything to Lose is an edge-of-the-seat thriller built on a foundation of characters from previous books in the series, including Lisa French, a psychopathic murderer in her own right who has targeted Barbara and Susan.
This take-your-breath-away story will put you on a thrill ride of tension, misdirection, and surprise within the backdrop of New Mexico’s majestic landscape and unique culture. Barbara Lassiter and Susan Martinez, savvy ladies with real-life personas, are the best female detective duo since Cagney & Lacey. They will have you begging for more of their exploits.
What brought you to writing? Between a verbal story-telling tradition in my family and the influence of reading Robert Ludlum novels, I was motivated to be a writer, especially in the suspense genre. But I was pushed to focus on a more traditional area of study, which led me into a finance career. My desire to be a writer always simmered below the surface and finally became my focus when I was fifty-six. My first novel, The Pythagorean Solution, was published in 2003. I have been a full-time writer since then.
Tell us about your writing process: I write every day for at least four hours in a room sequestered from other household activities. When I begin s story, I generally have a main character and story concept in mind. But I do not outline my manuscript. Rather, I let my characters carry the story. I have no idea where my plot and characters will lead me. Sub-plots and characters arise as I write.
What are you currently working on? I am currently working on two novels. The first will be the fourth in my Curtis Chronicles series and will draw on current events around human trafficking. I have been involved with an organization that is combatting trafficking and want to make more people aware of this hideous crime. The second book I am working on will be the eighth in my Danforth Saga series. The story will be placed in France and Ireland and will pit Bob Danforth and other retired CIA officers against a Russia-funded assassin.
Has an association membership helped you with your writing? I have belonged to Southwest Writers Workshop for 30 years. SWW is a writers group headquartered in Albuquerque. Conferences and classes sponsored by SWW went a long way in teaching me about the writing process. Additionally, I met my first agent at an SWW-sponsored conference. I highly recommend that writers join a local writers group. It is a wonderful way to meet other authors and hone one’s craft.
Who’s your favorite author? In a way, this is a bit like asking me which of my children I love the best. I have many “favorite” authors. In addition to Robert Ludlum, who I mentioned above, I love the works of James Lee Burke, Tony Hillerman, Elmore Leonard, Bernard Cornwell, Sheldon Siegel, Douglas Preston, David Morrell, and many others.
Do you base any of your characters on real people? My characters are typically an amalgam of people I know. I have an extensive list of personality traits that I created based upon individuals I have known. For instance, I included the name of a person who is perhaps the kindest individual I have ever known. If I am writing about a character who has similar characteristics, I use the person from my list as a template for that character.
What kind of research do you do? I perform extensive research for all of my stories. I want my readers to relate to locations and want those locations to be as accurately described as possible. My intelligence/military novels require a great deal of research about current organizational structures, weaponry, technology, etc. Wherever possible, I travel to the locations where my plots are placed. For instance, the Danforth Saga novel I am working on takes place in Ireland and France. I traveled to Ireland and France this year to be able to see the scenes I will include in the books.
Do you have any advice for new writers? Probably the two most important things I can offer new writers are 1) to put their story on paper and 2) to challenge every word in their story. Too many aspiring authors get intimidated by the overwhelming process of writing, editing, publishing, and marketing. I recommend that they focus on the writing and not worry about the quality of that writing. That comes after they have finished the first draft. Then they should edit-edit-edit. They must challenge the necessity of every word in their work and eliminate every word that does not move their story forward.
How can our readers contact you and/or buy your books? To learn more, visit Joe’s website at www.JosephBadalBooks.com.
Having had the privilege of meeting Joe Badal and hearing him speak, I can attest that he’s a fabulous writer who knows the craft of writing very well. He’s also one hell of a nice guy. I highly recommend his books.