No Remorse

Please Welcome Ian Walkley author of No Remorse.

Ian will award a $50 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Don't forget to leave a comment. a $50 Amazon GC would be great!

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

http://www.ianwalkley.com

http://www.facebook.com/ianwalkleyauthor

http://www.twitter.com/ianjwalkley

Ian will award a $50 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Oh yeah, Don't forget to leave a comment.