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Welcome to a new series of blog posts that I am working on.  It is the intention of these interviews to bring a human side to the technical author.  I feel that each author has a story to share , and I wanted to provide them a way to share that story. 

Our first author for this series is Peter V Southwick whose latest book is Juniper Networks Warrior published by O’Reilly Press.

Author Name: Peter V Southwick

Book Title: Juniper Networks Warriors

Book Publisher: O’Reilly

Author Social Media Handle/Web Site/Public Contact: Linked-in: Peter V Southwick /peter@proteus.net

Other books authored: Juniper Enterprise Routing 2nd ed. (O’Reilly); ISDN Systems and Services 3rd ed. (MCGraw-Hill); Telecommunications A Beginners Guide (Osborne); Handbook of Local Area Networks (Auerbach); JNCIE-SP Workbook (Proteus Press)

 

  1. Tell us a little background on yourself; is there anything unique about you that you would like to share that people might not be aware of?

    I’m a fourth generation telephone brat. My great-grandfather started the Champlain Telephone Company, which he passed through the generations. My brother and 1st cousin both still work for the company.

  2. What kind of non-technical books do you read and enjoy?  Any titles that you would want to encourage people to read?

    My leisure reading take me in two different directions either action fiction or history. I have a full library of biographies of the revolutionary war and have read through series by Clancy, Patrick O’Brian and Frank Herbert.

  3. Are there any authors that inspire you?

    I guess that I am easily inspired, I enjoy the talent of writing in any form. No single authors stand out, all have talents that I enjoy.

  4. What do you like to do when you are not working?

    I have two seasonal hobbies that take up a majority of my non-technical time. I love to ski in the winter and Sail in the summer. Every weekend can find me in one of those two venues.

  5. What are your three favorite movies and, briefly, why?

    Kelly’s Heroes; Top Gun; Monty Python and the Search for the Holy Grail

  6. What was your favorite cartoon as a child, and why?

    Bugs Bunny and what does being a child have to do with anything? He was always one step ahead.

  7. If you could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

    I’ll skip this one – my only thought would to have dinner with a dead person, they would not eat much??

  8. Do you have any inspirational phrases that you would want to share with the readers?

    nope – other than “Drive fast – take chances and a beer for the road”

  9. How and why did you get started in this field?

    As stated prior I was born into this field – I accepted this inheritance and have never had an issue with it.

  10. What influenced you to write this book, or was this something that you wanted to do?

    I have always kept detailed notes of each professional services engagement, I was talking to the editor after the Juniper Enterprise Routing project and sent him an example chapter (chapter 6). He thought it was a good idea and I thought that it would be an easy project. So my influence was the acceptance of the idea and the availability of the content.

  11. How long did it take you to write this book, and where did you write it?

    I wrote the book over a 12 month period in any location where I was engaged in professional services (from NJ to AK)

  12. What challenges did you face in writing this book?

    The verification of the device configurations – I did not always have access to devices on the road.

  13. What was your favorite part of writing this book?  Any special chapters or topics that you enjoyed more than the others?

    My favorite chapter is the Layer 2 migration chapter. The actual engagement was special and the content was vetted in a classroom prior to being used in the book.

  14. What is your advice to others who want to write a book?

    Find a champion and let them help you – don’t try to go it alone.

  15. Any new books on the horizon, if so – can you share what they are?

    I am in the process of creating the next Proteus Press workbook. Darien Hirotsu  and I are doing the security exam workbook, a project that I started 18 months ago and never finished.

  16. Any closing words that you would like to share with the readers?

    It is an honor to actually be in this position, I thank all of you for your recognition.

Below are some of Peter’s books that you can purchase on Amazon.Com or via Proteus.Net.

[AMAZONPRODUCT=1449316638]

[amazonproduct=1449398634]

[amazonproduct=0072127996]

[amazonproduct=0072225491]

Jncie-sp_workbook_cover_pageJNCIE-SP Preperation Workbook