Roman Canlas is the author of ASP.NET Core 5 Secure Coding Cookbook, we got the chance to sit down with him and find out more about his experience of writing with Packt.
Q: What is/are your specialist tech area(s)?
Roman: Application Security, Secure Code Review, Static Application Security Testing, ASP.NET, C#
Q: How did you become an author for Packt? Tell us about your journey. What was your motivation for writing this book?
Roman: My job entails providing remediation guidance for software engineers and developers on how best to fix security bugs in their code. I realized that I could collate the knowledge I have into a book and share it with everyone. I reached out to one of Packt AE’s and presented this book idea, and it has been a swell of an experience ever since they have given the green light.
Q: What kind of research did you do, and how long did you spend researching before beginning the book?
Roman: There’s not much research done for this book since most of its content is stock knowledge from being a former ASP.NET web developer. I’ve used Microsoft’s online documentation as a go-to reference, but I’ve presented the information further into coursework that a reader can easily follow.
Q: Did you face any challenges during the writing process? How did you overcome them?
Roman: I was lucky enough to face only one obstacle, which is true with any other project – time management. The whole experience wasn’t perfect without any problems except getting delayed and not hitting the target date for a few days. The Packt team was graceful to accommodate, and in the end, we were still able to achieve the goal on time.
Q: What’s your take on the technologies discussed in the book? Where do you see these technologies heading in the future?
Roman: ASP.NET as a web application framework will improve more in its security features. Still, as with any other platform that runs on code, security flaws will be unavoidable, and security researchers and hackers will be able to find ways to exploit.
Q. Why should readers choose this book over others already on the market? How would you differentiate your book from its competition?
Roman: Readers should pick the ASP.NET 5 Secure Coding Cookbook because it is unique, and there is no other book like this in the market. It is the ONLY book that offers a step-by-step guide on fixing the most common security bugs in ASP.NET Core web applications.
Q. What are the key takeaways you want readers to come away from the book with?
Roman: Like I mentioned in my book’s dedication, I hope that, at the very least have piqued their interest in writing secure code.
Q. What advice would you give to readers learning tech? Do you have any top tips?
Roman: Nothing beats practice. Practice hones your craft in tech. Practice writing secure code to achieve mastery.
Q. Do you have a blog that readers can follow?
Roman: Yes, please read my blog posts at https://romancanlas.wordpress.com/
Q. Can you share any blogs, websites, and forums to help readers gain a holistic view of the tech they are learning?
Roman: Writing secure code is just a small subset of Application Security. Learn more about AppSec by reading the resources provided by Security Journey at https://www.securityjourney.com/resources-overview and take courses delivered by Jim Manico of https://manicode.com/.
Q. How would you describe your author journey with Packt? Would you recommend Packt to aspiring authors?
Roman: Packt has the most amazing and nicest people making the whole writing experience awesome. I advise you to send your book ideas and proposals first to Packt!
Q. Do you belong to any tech community groups?
Roman: Yes, I’m a member of the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) community. I encourage you to be a member too by signing up here https://owasp.org/membership/.
Q. What are your favorite tech journals? How do you keep yourself up to date on tech?
Roman: I follow Dark Reading’s Application Security section to keep myself abreast of what’s happening in the AppSec world https://www.darkreading.com/application-security.
Q. How did you organize, plan, and prioritize your work and write the book?
Roman: Like most people, I used an app to jot down my to-do list and calendar to mark the schedules.
Q. What is the one writing tip that you found most crucial and would like to share with aspiring authors?
Roman: Be consistent. Start with small steps that will help make writing become progressively a habit.
You can find Roman’s book on Amazon by following this link: Please click here
