Please Welcome Ian Walkley author of No Remorse.
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No Remorse
by Ian Walkley
INTERVIEW:
1.
What or who inspired you to start writing?
I guess when I was in my late teens and was reading Wilbur Smith and
Robert Ludlum and Alistair Maclean, and I’d dream about being able to write a
story like that. Maybe even earlier with Jim Kjelgaard’s Wild Trek. But when I
was young writing fiction was not really considered a career. (Actually, it’s
still not, really).
2.
What elements are necessary components for this genre.
I wrote No Remorse to be
an action thriller. To me, this means action in every chapter, very few
down-times, so the reader basically has to keep reading. My readers tell me
about how they stayed up all night to finish it, or their husband wouldn’t pay
them attention until they had finished. It is a great airplane read. A second
key element in this genre is high stakes. There are high stakes throughout, but
the potential for disaster for either the hero or the other characters is
always high. Sometimes they escape by luck or the environment, and other times
through their own actions, but even when you think they’ve been saved, you might
be in for a surprise. Other elements include suspense, a potential romance,
conflict, and a villain who is realistic with understandable motivations.
3.
How did you come up with your idea for your novel?
I originally had a concept of Saddam’s missing WMD’s, but as I
researched and wrote drafts the story morphed into a search for two kidnapped
girls who were sold to a billionaire supporter of terrorism. In my research I
discovered that human trafficking was a huge global industry even in western
countries, and that people are even today being sold for sexual slavery and
their body parts. The plot developed from there, and I added the big
conspiracy, like a Ludlum thriller.
4.
What expertise did you bring to your writing?
I have a background as a market and social researcher, so I have
some understanding about motivations and behavior. Apart from that, I’m
learning to be a storyteller like most new authors. I’ve seen authors with
great backstory expertise who have written fairly mediocre plots.
5.
What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be
in your bio?
I’m a fairly quiet, family type, but I love talking to readers at
book signings and the like. But I’d prefer to be writing my next book than
writing on Facebook or Twitter.
6.
As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?
I am currently half way through my second novel, which is about a
female vigilante who takes her dying husband to the country to look after him,
only to encounter an American she was in love with two years before she met her
husband.
7.
If you could be one of the characters from this book, who would it
be and why?
I would like to be the hero, Lee McCloud. He is a no-nonsense sort
of guy, not always politically correct, but basically with good intentions. He
is determined, and loyal to his friends, and can be a loose cannon to get his
own way. That’s me, pretty much. But Lee is the peak of fitness and physically
strong. I spend too much time at a computer, typing.
8.
Can you give us a sneak peak into this book?
No Remorse is a fast paced action thriller. The independent Kirkus Reviews
described the book thus: “Walkley’s beefy
prose and rousing action sequences deliver a thriller to satisfy any adrenaline
addict.”
A top Amazon reviewer said of No Remorse:
"It has more action, more adventure and more thrills per page than any
novel I have recently read."
While it is primarily a plot-driven romp, the
novel also considers a number of topical themes, from slavery to corruption in
the global financial system, terrorism, and the illegal arms trade.
The story follows Lee McCloud (Mac), an
ex-soldier and Tally, a female computer geek, in the search for two teenage
girls kidnapped in Mexico. They find themselves caught up in a global network
of slave traders and terrorists, and a conspiracy that sees them as disposable
in a much broader plot.
EXCERPT
Tony and Rosco were watching them like it was a
boxing match and one of the contenders was about to get knocked out of the
ring. Mac sliced his swordfish steak and tried to ignore her. She was quickly
getting under his skin. Still, with his training, he knew he could get the better
of her. She’d be the one to lose her temper first. And then he wouldn’t need to
work with her.
“To the glory of war!” Tally held up her glass in
a mock salute, and took another gulp.
Mac held his emotions and lifted his eyes to meet
her gaze. “No soldier thinks there’s glory in war. What you armchair critics
don’t understand is that war is never totally in control. It’s frequently
unfair… But then, life’s not fair either, is it? How fair is it that innocent
people get killed when a plane’s flown into the building they just happen to
work in?”
Tally stopped eating and shot a look at Wisebaum.
There was more than a hint of color in her face.
“Tally’s parents were killed in the North Tower
on 9/11,” Wisebaum said quietly.
There was a few moments’ silence. Mac glanced at
the others, could see that he’d maybe gone onto shaky ground. He hadn’t been
briefed on these people, so how could he be expected to know? It still didn’t
excuse her attitude about servicemen and women.
“Nice fish,” Tony mumbled.
Tally quickly recovered, pointed her knife at
Mac. “You think we’ve beaten Al Qaeda? Afghanistan’s more dangerous than ever,
even post Bin Laden. And I’m not an armchair critic. I know what the military
does. It screwed up the soldier I went out with.”
Mac swallowed his mouthful of fish. “You sure it
was the army that did that?”
Tally’s mouth dropped, and she uttered a
spluttering cough. Her face and neck flushed and she glared at him like he was
the guy who couldn’t find Obama’s birth certificate. For a moment, Mac thought
she was going to storm out. Good. That would solve his problems.
Wisebaum almost choked. He pulled off his
glasses. “Guys…”
But clearly Tally wasn’t about to let it go at
that. She spoke softly, but with an aim as devastating as a sniper. “So, what’s
the military done for you, Mac? Where are your friends? Has it helped you to
buy a home? Has it helped you get a wife and family? Your file says your former
fiancée dumped you while you were serving with the Rangers. Ended up marrying
your brother. That must have been tough. Then, of course, there’s the Mexico
fiasco. I guess we shouldn’t be surprised you accepted Derek’s deal to get you
off the hook. Terribly sad about those two little Mexican girls who—”
“Enough!” Mac slammed his fist on the table.
Tally’s glass tumbled off the table and shattered
on the floor. Several customers turned towards the source of the commotion. The
bouzoukis played louder. Rosco and Tony sat like frozen Arctic explorers.
“See how easily he loses it, Derek? I can’t work
with this guy.” She stood up and walked out.
There was a moment’s silence. Mac reached over
and stabbed his fork into the carrots on her plate. “No point letting them go
to waste.”
9.
Do you belong to a critique group? If so how does this help or
hinder your writing?
I keep in contact with other writers and we swap work for comments.
But I’m not part of a formal group for critique purposes. I give my manuscript
to some book clubs for reader feedback before publishing. I think any feedback
is great, even the occasional jaundiced critique. But remember, it’s your story
in the end.
10. When did you first
decide to submit your work? Please tell us what or who encouraged you to take
this big step?
I went to a writers’ workshop and an editor from Tor Forge told two
of us that we had storytelling potential. I submitted to him, but the MS was
not good enough. In the end I decided to engage an editor myself and publish
the book because I was impatient with the publishing industry. It is very slow
moving, but in some ways I wish I had submitted to more agents and publishers.
1 11. What is the best
and worst advice you ever received? (regarding writing or publishing)
The best advice has been from my editor, Jodie
Renner. She helped me improve the MS a great deal. The worst advice was from a
MS assessment agency. It was useless drivel.
12. Do you outline
your books or just start writing?
I try to outline, but I find the writing takes over and every 10,000
words or so I have to plan ahead again. I know the beginning, the ending and
the subplots, but I don’t find it easy to plan the order of things. Hopefully,
it will improve with time.
13. How do you
maintain your creativity?
I read lots, watch movies, go for walks, and spend some time each
week on exercises for things like sentence structure, use of metaphors or
vocab. Writing is a craft and you need to practice in different ways.
Creativity isn’t always about imagination, sometimes it is about different ways
of expressing an idea.
14. Who is your
favorite character in the book. Can you tell us why?
Anastia – she is a Bulgarian assassin. Cool, precise, deadly. But
with a moral compass. I’d like to write a book with her as the hero sometime. I
like her because she’s tough but human.
BLURB:
Two men, exiles from their respective
societies, take conflicting approaches in the quest to regain their place and
self-respect, and find themselves at war over a kidnapped girl.
Lee McCloud (“Mac”), a special forces soldier facing trumped-up charges of
murder, is forced to work for a mysterious government outfit operating outside
the law.
Khalid Yubani, cast out of Saudi Arabia for an offence against another member
of the Royal family, seeks revenge through ruthless acts of evil. Engaged in
the worst forms of human trafficking, Khalid buys Sophia, the daughter of Mac’s
best friend, who has been kidnapped in Mexico. With time running out for
Sophia, Mac enlists the help of a beautiful computer genius, a British SAS soldier
and a Lebanese fixer to try to find Sophia and save her from the terrifying
fate that Khalid has in store.
Although starting the quest as a man with no remorse, Mac gradually discovers a
side of himself that he suppressed after witnessing the abduction of his own
sister years before.
Dodging assassins, corrupt generals, evil medicos, Mossad agents, corrupt
bureaucrats, and sharks, Mac ignores the order to stay out of trouble and
follows Sophia’s trail from Mexico to Paris, London and Dubai, and the island
of Andaran, where Khalid and his henchmen are waiting…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT:
The girls’ fathers, Bob and
Marvin, each carried a briefcase full of cash with a tiny GPS tracker hidden in
a false bottom. They were both taller than the kidnappers, and through the
scope Mac could read the pain on Bob’s face. The behavior of the kidnappers was
still bothering him, but there was nothing he could do except watch. The leader
held out his palm and waved his pistol like it was a flag. He addressed the
fathers in accented English.
“You’re late. We think
perhaps you do not want your daughters back, eh?”
“Sorry,” Bob said, his
breathing short and sharp. “We took a wrong turn coming into the dam. The signs
were confusing.”
The man grunted and glanced
at the one with the knife. “Check them.”
Knife Man patted them down,
searched their pockets, nodded the all clear.
“You have our money?”
“Of course.” Bob’s voice
came through deep and confident in his earpiece, although the armpits of his
shirt betrayed his anxiety. Be courteous but strong, Mac had advised him,
otherwise they won’t respect you. Being a basketball coach undoubtedly helped.
“And you have our daughters,” Bob said. A statement, not a question. He held
out the briefcase. “Here’s the money. We didn’t contact the police.”
Several kidnappers gave a
hearty laugh.
The leader smirked. “We
wouldn’t be here if you had, gringo. But your daughters would be. With bullets
in their heads.” He gestured to a kidnapper wearing a red bandana around his
neck. “Abrirlos,” he ordered, and the
man took both briefcases and unclipped the locks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Ian Walkley has had a career in social and
market research, and has been writing novels, short stories, travel articles
and copywriting since 2008. He has co-authored two publications on small
business and his first novel, No Remorse, was published in 2012. Ian's
screenplay "Deniable Justice" placed fourth in the Writer’s Digest
2011 Competition for best screenplay. Ian has travelled extensively and
researched his subject, and brings a knowledge of location and technical detail
to the exotic settings and big screen thrills. Ian lives in Brisbane with his
wife and three children.
LINKS
Ian will award a $50 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Oh yeah, Don't forget to leave a comment.
