~A Personal Interview With Author N. Cognito~The author of the book, When Hell Becomes Your Home: How I Survived 14Years In Prison. Published by Lulu Publishing.

~11February2015~

~This is an interview conducted over breakfast on the cold morning of 23January2015 with Author N. Cognito , at the author's home.

~The author of this blog, having personally served closely with Mr. N. Cognito in the military and abroad, has decided to publish this exclusive interview with the permission of Mr. Author N. Cognito whom has recently published a self-help book based upon his past training and personal life experience with the intent of helping others.

~The following abbreviations 'Q' represent 'question' and 'A' represent 'answer' for the global community readers not familiar with the common use of 'Q & A' within the English line of inquiry.

~Q. Goodmorning. We both understand that your name Author N. Cognito is actually a pseudonym by which you've published this book for reasons of both privacy and personal security, is that correct my friend?

~A.  Yes, that is correct.

~Q. Is there a particular reason why you feel personal security is such an issue that you must publish your written work under such a pseudonym as Author N. Cognito? Or are you merely being overly cautious because of the times that we find ourselves living in these days?

~A. Actually I have legitimate reasons for preferring to remain outside of the spotlight, so to speak, for that is where I am most comfortable. And yes, there are other reasons of which I prefer not to recount. Reasons by which any sane individual would take the necessary precautions to remain as grey as possible. I believe that I once read somewhere, it slips my mind exactly where or whom said it, but that a man without enemies has never stood for anything. We shall leave it at that.

~Q. Roger Lima Charley...So can you tell us a little about the inspiration behind this 'self-help' book which you've recently published?

~A. Well, I was at a place in my life's journey where I found myself contemplating a vast many things concerning the past, present and future. But none more so than that of my son whom was  nearing manhood, having been born and grown in my absence, with troubling reports of his behavior weighing heavily upon my heart. The letters I wrote to him did not seem to be enough instruction while my fear was that he may someday find himself upon the same path to purgatory which had brought me down to a place of hell on earth. My instinct told me that, as difficult as it had been for me, he would not be so well prepared for such tribulations were he ever to find himself in the same shoes. So it occurred to me to draw from the well of my hard earned experiences and write down everything that was most crucial in order to set him up with enough knowledge, tools, and wisdom that he would not have to learn through trial and error but have the benefit of years of my hard earned experience. To provide him with an edge to survive the extreme hardships of life.


~Q. So can we ascertain that you initially wrote this book as a block of instruction for your son?


~A. That is correct.


~Q. What made you decide to share it with the public at large, or did you initially intend to share it with the public?


~A. Initially I did not consider sharing it with the public but after having let a few close friends read my manuscript they adamantly advised me that the information within my book could greatly benefit others, particularly individuals whom were struggling to survive in a similar environment, and they pressed upon me the need for this type of information to be shared with the public. Particularly with the subgroup of individuals whom have, or will have, found themselves as a prisoner within a detention camp, jail, or prison. Two of my friends also impressed upon me that the psychological nature of this manual, with it's many tools for stress and fear management, as well as the politics/criminology/criminal science aspects, could also be of great benefit to the civilian public at large and not just to the applicable subgroup implied. One of them asked me a profound question which was the catalyst for my publishing this information to the public.


~Q. Would you like to share that catalyst with us?


~A. Well, he asked me, "What good is the useful knowledge that you've gained through experience if you take it with you when you die?"


~Q. So realizing that we live in a very jaded world and some people can be very critical in a deconstructive manner, what would you say to those whom may or may not say that this book is written by a fraud or that because you use a pseudonym that you can not be checked out and verified as a legitimate authority concerning the knowledge you're sharing from your personal life experiences? (And I only ask this because there seems to be a fixation for some people these days to attack the credentials of anyone whom publishes a relatively successful book.)


~A. That is fine and I agree that we should question everything and pay attention to detail. I was taught to believe nothing you hear and half of what you see. Which perhaps is a jaded philosophy so I can somewhat relate to such distrustful individuals. My sincere answer to them, if there were such critics, would be that the information presented in my book, while being able to benefit the civilian public at large, was and is written more specifically for the benefit of 'at risk' youth and 'at risk' adults whom are either on a path to incarceration or have already been sentenced to incarceration. Such a target group, particularly the ones already having to survive within that world, will recognize the value and truth of the material within my book because they are the ones experiencing it for themselves. The public at large, unless they work within the penal system, will in fact not know for certain whether the information within the pages of my self-help manual are factual anymore than we can assess whether a cooking book is factual until we have tested the recipes and applied it to our specific needs. Veterans or active duty members with similar military training will read the information within the pages of my book and recognize it right away. For most civilians, and most veterans for that matter, having never received the same training and information found in a portion of this book will not, in fact, know whether the information is coming from a legitimate background. To put it simply, anyone whom has, or is having to, walk the same paths will relate to the information in this book and validate it's legitimacy. Those whom have not, are not, most likely can not because the rule of thumb, as my good brother once told me, is that unless someone has walked through it, or is currently walking through it, they can not relate to it. In my own words, "Real recognizes real." I'm out to help those whom are walking through it, or at risk to walk through it, and that is my target audience. If anyone else takes an interest in the viable information within the pages of this brief book than my hope is that something I've shared from my personal experience will positively impact their life...To help just one person, or even save a single life, would make it worth all of the effort I've placed into publishing this very personal work.


~Q. Having read both your manuscript and your published work I noticed that you don't speak very highly of criminal gangs or syndicates. May we assume that is also one of the reasons why you've published under a pseudonym?


~A. That assumption would be correct. Many authors, including the famous Mark Twain, published under pseudonyms for various personal reasons without any criticism from their readers so I see no reason why my readers would have a problem with this. Again, real recognized real and anyone walking through the same tribulations will understand right away the value of the information presented in this self-help book.


~Q. So can we infer that although your book was written to a specific target audience you feel that there may be other individuals within the general civil population whom may also glean valuable and useful information within the pages of this rather brief book?


~A. Yes.


~Q. Can you address a little bit why you chose to publish your book in paper back form and in the type size which it is written in?


~A. Yes, I wanted not only the public to have access to this self-help book but most importantly my target group which of whom many are being held prisoner within maximum security facilities which do not permit hard jacket books of any kind to come in through the mailing system. So it was important to publish this book with a soft cover for security reasons in order for everyone to have access to the information being shared. The type-size that it is written in was for economic reasons and most importantly to allow the book to be less intimidating to readers whom are put off by larger or thicker books. A smaller or thinner book is more compact and more apt to be read by individuals whom normally wont commit to reading a larger or thicker book. I wanted to reach as many people as possible and touch their lives in a positive way so a lot of thought went into how to make this book more accessible and less intimidating to my potential readers.


~Q. Is that also why you chose to offer it at such a low discount price with Lulu Publishing?


~A. Again yes, my intention was not motivated by monetary gain nor by self-promotion but by a desire to hopefully impact someone else's life in a positive manner by sharing knowledge gained through my education and personal experiences. I would have given the book away to the public if it were possible but the publisher must get their money back so we offered it at the lowest price available at Lulu Publishing. Let me also mention that it is more expensive if one orders it from the bigger name vendors.


~Q. Having mentioned that the initial motivation for writing this book was to share this information with your troubled son whom was approaching manhood, did you send him a copy as soon as you published it and did he read it?


~A. That is a rather painful subject for me but I will share that with everyone. I wrote this book while still serving a sentence for attempted homicide in prison but could not get it published from within prison without having outside help. So upon my release I began to work towards publishing my manuscript but within four months of my release from prison I lost my teenage son. He never got to see the book I wrote for him published so I was going to scrap the manuscript when a fellow veteran and dear friend advised me that I should still publish it and share this valuable information with the world in the hope that it may help someone else's child or love one. So after some procrastination that is what I did and I mailed a copy to my son's maternal grandfather. If he read it I can not say since we've drifted apart after the loss of my son, his grandson, and his daughter's remarriage.


~Q. Taking into account that there will always be trolls and destructive critics, What would you say to a pessimistic individual whom may or may not say that you've agreed to let me publish this interview in order to promote yourself or increase book sales for lucrative gain?


~A. Well first I would point out that if I wished to promote myself I'd have published my work under my real name in order to take credit and get my name in the spotlight. Secondly, if my intention were monetary success I would not sell it at the lowest possible price that Lulu Publishing would permit while including the largest percent-discount allowed by Lulu Publishing.


~Q. What would you like to ultimately see happen with the information in this book and why?


~A. I would like to get copies into every prison library, copies to everyone's relative whom is at risk or has recently entered the penal system, and get a copy to every corrections' officer for the purpose of positively impacting the lives of others and promoting a safer environment for both prisoners and corrections administrators. A great deal of violence ensues from a lack of psychological and emotional stress management, miscommunication, hopelessness, despair, and all around naivety to the inner workings of the criminal subculture. Knowledge saves lives while the ignorant perish for lack of knowledge. We all have something to offer that can help others and make this world a little better place before our time on earth is through. From dirt and manure springs forth beautiful flowers and nourishing plants if given proper cultivation, so everyone can take even the bad experiences of their life and use it to touch lives in a positive way and make this world a little bit better with our small contributions. I wanted to take lemons and make lemon-aid, then share it with those in need.
(End of Inquiry)
~Mr. Author N. Cognito, I wish to thank you for your time and for openly sharing so much with me and the readers of this blog. Hopefully anyone interested in reading your self-help book or those whom have already read it will have a better understanding of the author, thanks to this personal interview. There will be a link to your book from Lulu Publishing, because they are offering it at a much lower price than other book vendors, in case any readers wishes to acquire a copy for their self or a loved one.


~I must say that I've read Author N. Cognito's book and was very impressed at how much detailed information and practical knowledge was presented in such a short read. I believe it was only about seven brief chapters and a conclusion, making it a short read. But the amount of information to absorb and the interesting method in which it just flows spurned me to read it over several times while absorbing something new each time I read through it.


~Also, let me add that although the information presented maybe drawn from the author's tribulations within the penal system, while serving time for protecting his pregnant fiancée, and drawing heavily upon his military training, there was nevertheless much information and tools laid out within this book that one could find useful to daily life within our urbanized, exceedingly stressful, and tumultuous world of increasing criminality.


~My acquaintances from varying walks of life, including former convicts, current correctional officers, veterans of infantry special operations units, self-defense instructors, criminology majors, and even a catholic priest have expressed that the practical knowledge shared within this book by Author N. Cognito is applicable to both daily life as well as surviving extremely harsh situations from which the inspiration of this self-help book came. The target audience was blatant when I first began skimming over the first chapter of this book but the information was presented in such a flowing style that I soon found myself half way through the book. By the end I had realized that the information and principles presented by the author would benefit me in my civilian relationships, jobs, struggles and personal outlook on life.


~I've since purchased additional copies for friends and relatives while one of my long time friends has purchased several copies and had the vendor mail them to a prison library in the Northern United States.


~If you're interested in self-help books this one draws upon the author's elite military training and education in counter-detention, counter-interrogation/interrogation, battle-proofing the mind, self hypnosis, physical fitness, strategic thinking, self-defense, survival, psychology, political strategy, criminology, and criminal science, as well as personal testimonies of positive evolution and transformation than I would recommend this very brief and low priced book to you.
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~http://www.lulu.com/shop/author-n-cognito/when-hell-becomes-your-home-how-i-survived-14years-in-prison/paperback/product-21937195.html
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~11February2015.