January 1, 2014 theFoothillsfocus.com
The Foothills Focus
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page 11
Scottsdale man retires from FBI, pens book
When Arthur Kerns retired from the FBI, he embarked on a 20-year quest to have a novel of his appear in print. The Scottsdale resident reached that milestone in 2013 when Diversion Books published his debut novel, “The Riviera Contract.” While learning the craft of writing, Art traveled to more than 65 countries as a security consultant for U.S. diplomatic
establishments throughout the world. His travels are reflected in his novel, an espionage thriller set on the French Riviera. He enjoyed writing in high school and knew he wanted to write fiction, but said that he “really didn’t have anything to say.” He went to college, spent 3 years in the Navy, and then joined the FBI where he spent most of his
career in both counterintelligence and counterterrorism. Following retirement from the FBI, foreign travel as a consultant opened his eyes to a new world. Some of the countries he visited were off-limits to tourists, so Art was in a good position to shed light on interesting locals. “After work, in some exotic country, I’d record my impressions in a journal,” he said. Those journals have proved to be solid resources for his current novel and its sequel, “The African Contract.” Both feature the CIA operative, Hayden Stone, combating international terrorists and occasionally romancing beautiful women. Having his first novel published was no easy task. Art attributed his success to attending good writing classes, having good
teachers and finding supportive critique groups. Additionally, Art entered as many short story contests as he could; twice winning awards, including the Coyote, for his fiction at the former Cave Creek Film and Art Festival. Art said that the major hurdle in his writing career was finding an agent. “For most authors, finding a well-connected, encouraging agent is the key to getting published today,” he said. He kept an Excel spreadsheet listing the agents he sent query letters to. “I sent 40 to 50 letters out to agents before Liz Kracht of Kimberly Cameron Associates agreed to pick me up,” he said. “She is the reason I’m in print.” Art’s agent contacted a number
of publishers until she negotiated a contract with Diversion Books in New York City. The novel was released in March 2013, but the Scottsdale author said that his work was by no means done. “The effor t doesn’t stop there,” said Art, explaining how publishers expect their authors today to market their books. The year has been taken up with speaking engagements, writing conferences and book signings. “I can’t wait to get back to writing.” Art and his wife, Donna, lived on McCormick Ranch in the ‘80s, moved to Washington, D.C., then returned to the ranch 10 years ago. Donna, an artist, does the illustrations for the novels. The sequel to Art’s novel, “The African Contract,” is scheduled to be released this spring.