When sharing "uncommon" life experiences with friends, how many of us have heard the phrase ‘You should write a book.’ Having always considered taking on this challenge, I finally decided to dedicate myself to this monumental task. It has been a long, interesting journey so far, and I look forward to the trials and successes to come, as I continue on my writing/publishing career.

In the early 1990’s one of my entrepreneurial ventures led me to a great opportunity of working as a trade consultant in Hungary. At that time, the country was transitioning from a state to market economy and offered many business opportunities. In the 2+ years that I travelled there I met lots of characters in both business and political arenas. The Budapest night life could get quite crazy at times, if your ‘meetings’ and social engagements led you to certain places. It was always interesting for me ‘playing games with the faces’, as Simon and Garfunkle would put it. Sometimes my colleagues would identify people in a crowded room saying ‘I heard he is associated with the Mob’ or ‘she is one of the Organization’s women.’ It was these real life experiences that inspired me to write my debut fictional novel, The Budapest Experiment.

The book follows the journey of the protagonist, Michael Rousson, an adventurous but struggling American entrepreneur. While Michael shares a lot of the same traits as I did back then, most of his experiences in Budapest are quite different than what mine were. In the course of doing business he eventually becomes involved in the Russian Mob’s business operations that were centered in Budapest. Enticed and seduced by the Organization’s women, money, and power, he accepts what he thinks is a part time consulting position with the Mob.

While realizing the financial benefits of the ‘Mob culture,’ it also provides Michael a remote glimpse into the darker worlds of sex, drugs, and arms trafficking. His spirit, ravaged with guilt and betrayal, leads him to consider and confront two age-old philosophical dilemas: ‘At what price does one sell their soul?'and ‘What is the greater evil in the world? Those that profit from the vulnerable in society, or those of us that just stand by and watch, complacent to the plight and suffering of the human condition around the world.’ The experiences and encounters that the protagonist endures in the book are fictional and extreme, but these questions are ones that we face ourselves, to some extent, every day. How much of our time, treasure, and talent do we allocate to those less fortunate vs. what we keep for our own benefit and pleasures?

On I guess what you might call a lighter note, I should mention that there are erotica scenes in the book. As a newbie author, my decision to include these was a bit of a struggle. I considered ‘glazing over’ these scenes, but in the end felt it important to capture the intimacy between Michael, the ‘Mob Women’, and a flirty interpreter. My hope was that by including the details of these encounters, readers would better comprehend the internal conflicts of the main character, and also familarize themselves with the behind the scenes life stories of the women he encounters.

The Budapest Experiment is now available in Print and Kindle eBook. You can check it out here: http://amzn.to/1z1g09v . There are 3+ chapters in the “Look Inside” feature on the Kindle page to help you get acquainted.

You can gets lots more info including author profile, entry to win one of 15 free eBook copies on July 1, social media contacts, and much more by visiting my website www.mauricegmiller.com .

For those of you on Goodreads be sure to enter my second GR Giveaway of 3 autographed author copies going on until June 15th, http://bit.ly/1f1psB7 . You can check my Goodreads author profile http://bit.ly/1DO6y6k and while you are there please send a friend request.

As always, we welcome and encourage your questions and comments