Interview with Diane Griffin - BK Walker Books virtual book tour

As I continue to host the BK Walker Books Authors Promoting Authors virtual blog tour, today I welcome author Diane Griffin.

Welcome, Diane!

Please tell us about your current release.
The e-book guide is called Everything You Need to Know About the Security Clearance Process, But Are Afraid to Ask. It covers the process of obtaining and maintaining a security clearance. It is a lengthy process and people should know in advance what kind of questions will be asked. The United States is under constant threat of having individuals, fundamentalist groups, and foreign countries compromise the nation’s security. In order to combat this threat, the U.S. Federal Government maintains a process for identifying credible and trustworthy individuals, companies, and industries to assist with protecting our national interests and citizens. Obtaining a security clearance is a privilege, not a right.

What inspired you to write this book?
For this book, my inspiration was taken from my experience of working in the defense industry. I was asked the same question repeatedly and I thought it this would be a great book topic for those interested in obtaining a security clearance.

What exciting story are you working on next?
I have three books in the works, one is Can Cancer Be Cured by Alternative Medicines, the other is about workplace violence, and lastly about parents learning the meaning of the text codes that their children are currently using.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I really don’t consider myself a writer. Remember, this is my first attempt at writing and I have fallen in love. Some think it is just a phase, but I really enjoy it!

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
No, I do not write full time, I must say that I would love to have a full time career as a writer, but unfortunately, I have not sold enough books to have that dream job, so until that happens, I have a small security consulting company called Security First & Assoc. We help small to medium size defense contractors understand and stay in compliance with the rules and regulations of having a classified contract with the U.S. Government.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
While security is a dry subject, I tried to appreciate some humor injected into an otherwise humorless subject, plus I wanted to impress upon you that if you are afraid to ask questions, chances are that your questions are not any more outlandish than anything that I have addressed in the past.

Realize that it is far better to seek advice and have your questions answered before beginning the application process. Creating answers or avoiding questions puts you at high risk for delay or

Denial of your security clearance resulting in a loss of income. If you have questions regarding security clearances that I have not covered in this book, please visit my web site or contact me via email at sfa@securityfirstassociates.com

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I am going to date myself, in my day it was called nursery school teacher, today it is called daycare owner.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
When seeking advice, it’s common to go to people that you know to get the inside scoop. I bet that you know someone who has a security clearance or had one previously. However, if you ask them a question about their job or the security clearance process, you’re likely to get the response, "… if I told you, I would have to kill you...", or “…well, I got mine a while ago and the laws and process have probably changed..”. So where do you go to get your information? You could spend months researching your questions and all the while, you run the risk of unknowingly saying the wrong thing that could get you flagged as a candidate for rejection.

The more productive, safer, quicker alternative is to spend a couple of hours reading through this informative book loaded with questions and answers from more than 20 years of experience working in and with the system to help you reduce your risk and cut through the red tape delays that are inherent in the system.

Thank you for your time, Diane. This is an interesting topic and one I haven't seen covered before.


Readers, leave a comment to be entered into a drawing to win one of several gifts from promoter of this VBT, BK Walker. Gifts include: a $25 Visa Gift Card, book light,a free-of-charge virtual book tour, or one writing package which includes a journal, pen, book light, and book marker.