I did the same with the 9/11 conspiracy theories—which, depending on what variation you choose, point to Big Oil, Wall Street, Dick Cheney, or the New World Order as the string pullers behind the attacks. I pushed them a step further: An organization bigger, older, and more evil than anything you can imagine was the real instigator, and they’ve planted false clues and bogus evidence to keep investigators and conspiracy theorists looking in every direction but the right one.

Fortunately, he didn’t go there. If this book is any indication, F. Paul Wilson has very strong feelings towards the events of 9/11. Like most Americans, he is enraged at the senseless violence perpetrated on innocent victims. His own story isn’t really about the terrorists, but just connects at a high level to weave it into his existing stories.

I would question the wisdom of marketing the book by associating it with the twin towers, but some believe any PR is good PR. There’s nothing objectionable between the covers, but if the cover gets you to talk about the book, so much the better.

Perusing the Truther scenarios unveiled all sorts of mysterious and fascinating events leading up to that day. Did you know that just a week before the attacks the Chicago Options Exchange saw huge spikes in puts on American and United—the airlines used by the hijackers? A few people seemed to know that their stocks would tumble and were trying to cash in. I wove a lot of tasty bits like that into GROUND ZERO.

I didn’t want to break any eggs in regard to 9/11. Even after all these years, an enormous storm of emotion still swirls about that event, and rightly so — people lost thousands of friends, relatives, and loved ones that day. I respect that. I would not in any way diminish or denigrate their losses. People told me not to go there. But 9/11 is part of our history. I’ve written about Pearl Harbor and Hiroshima. Why can’t 9/11 serve as the linchpin of a novel?

Much of my fiction plugs into an uber-conspiracy theory I’ve developed over the years called the Secret History of the World. When I realized that a tale about the secret history of 9/11 would fit right in, the book began writing itself.

I don’t think anyone who approaches Ground Zero with an open mind will be offended. Closed minds are another story. The novel was published mid-September last year (I swear it’s pure coincidence that the street date was only a few days after the anniversary) but before it hit the shelves, people — 9/11 Truthers among them — were incensed that I dared to meddle with the backstory. They hadn’t read the novel, only heard about it, but somehow they were offended. I love email, pro or con, from readers, but the operative word there is =reader=. Read the book, then we’ll talk.