We’re just a few short days away from the release of the next Caine: Rapid Fire adventure, SANDFIRE. This is my first collaboration in the Rapid Fire series, and I really enjoyed working with fellow thriller author Aiden L. Bailey. I’ve been a big fan of Aiden’s books for a while now, and I was thrilled to join forces with him to bring readers a new take on Caine and his mysterious past. I thought it would be fun to interview Aiden, and let readers see what it was like to dive into the shadowy world of betrayed assassin Thomas Caine…

ANDREW: Tell us about your experiences writing Thomas Caine. Did collaborating with another author change your writing process in any way?

AIDEN: Writing Caine was both an exciting and daunting process. On one hand Thomas Caine is such a great character and it was fun to put him through the adventure we created for him in Sandfire. I couldn’t say no to an opportunity like that. On the other hand, if I got it wrong, I’d be the guy who forever ruined the Caine series.

Caine’s character was the most challenging aspect for me in Sandfire. He’s a tough guy who brings justice to those who abuse positions of power. He’s also sensitive to the needs of people trapped in difficult situations and self-reflective to his own nature. It was about finding a balance between all aspects of his personality.

The writing process itself ran like a dream. We worked well together perhaps because we already write in similar styles and tell the same kinds of stories. We ‘got’ what each of us was trying to achieve with SANDFIRE. If one or the other didn’t like some aspect to the story, we just came out and said it. We always ended up going with the option that was best for the story and the character.
What was most helpful was watching how you revised and edited the drafts, making the language shorter, sharper and more succinct while refining Caine’s character. I’ve adapted that approach to my writing now, and I’m writing faster as a result. It was a great experience and I am grateful I had the opportunity to write in the Caine series.

On a final note, early reader feedback has been positive and encouraging, so hopefully I won’t be the guy who ruined Caine.

ANDREW: What do you think is the key to crafting a hard hitting, fast paced story in the novella format?

AIDEN: There are several elements I try to incorporate into every story I write — novels or novellas — to remain true to the conventions of the espionage action thriller genre. These included starting and ending the story with the main character so readers are immediately and always invested in the hero. End every chapter on a cliff-hanger or surprise revelation. Keep an underlying sense of danger and tension in every scene. Put the main character in situations that seem almost impossible to escape. Ensure all major characters have strong motives and that their own journeys aren’t always in alignment with any other character. Keep backstory to a minimum and when required bring it out in dialogue where I can. Lastly, transport readers into exotic locations and be creative with action sequences.

I’m never sure how well I do this, but with SANDFIRE, we worked hard to get as many of these elements into the narrative. Hopefully we succeeded.

ANDREW: Your next book, Blood Ivory, is scheduled for release shortly after Sandfire. What can you tell us about this new thriller on the horizon?

AIDEN: Blood Ivory is a short action adventure thriller novella featuring the hero Simon Ashcroft from The Benevolent Deception and The Assyrian Contraband but is set before both those adventures. There was also a strong emotional hook in the story that compelled me to write it.

Ashcroft is a former Australian Army soldier employed as a counter-terrorism officer with the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS). He’s tasked with identifying the links between Philippine terrorists and Tanzanian ivory smugglers. In East Africa he’s trying to stay dispassionate about the plight of elephants who are being slaughtered wholesale across the continent, but he can’t.

I’d seen elephants in the wild in East Africa when I traveled there, even came face to face with one in the bush without meaning too. They are incredible animals and you sense immediately that they are very intelligent and very emotional creatures, who feel and hurt and love as strongly as humans do.

In the past 100 years African elephant populations have been reduced by 97%. They are near extinction. It is such a tragedy that some people place greater value on dead tusks than they do on the value of living, caring elephants. This is the theme of Blood Ivory.

ANDREW: Tell us about your character Simon Ashcroft. What do you think sets him apart from other thriller heroes?

AIDEN: Ashcroft is an Australia soldier turned spy turned security contractor who across four books just can’t seem to find his way home to his family. He has two young daughters he barely sees and a job that is dangerous, working for incompetent people who don’t always have his back. Past missions have taken him to all the worst danger spots in Africa and Asia. But he’s not afraid to confront threats and deal with those who impart unjust misery on others. He’s a man of action often getting into difficult situation requiring creative means of escape. I like to think he has a sense of humour.

As to what sets him apart, I’m not sure. I’m probably too close to the character to give an objective view on that one.
Feedback from readers however is that Ashcroft is able to feel and express empathy but can lock those feelings completely down in dangerous situations. He isn’t haunted by his deeds like many other thriller protagonists evident in him being able to have a family despite his shadowy work. Readers have also said they find him charismatic, which is nice, and the complete opposite of the secluded stoic personality type common in this genre.

ANDREW: I’ve been a big fan of your Benevolent books since the beginning… what are your plans for this mind-bending techno-thriller series?

AIDEN: The Benevolent Series is an espionage technothriller that features Simon Ashcroft from Blood Ivory and The Assyrian Contraband.

In the first book, The Benevolent Deception, Ashcroft is assigned to find and protect Casey Irvine, a tourist on safari in Kenya. After saving her life, they discover wildlife poachers, corrupt police and even the local military have targeted Casey for assassination. She has no idea why and neither does Ashcroft.

As Ashcroft and Casey run for their lives across East Africa, a new global threat emerges. Cyberterrorists have unleashed a digital weapon known as ‘Shatterhand’. An insidious program that can command the world’s military forces, manipulate the media and impersonate the President of the United States.

The sequel and concluding novel is tentatively titled The Shatterhand Code. It’s written now and I’m going through the editing phase. There are several twists and turns to keep readers guessing right up to the last chapter as to what really has been going on over the two books. A conspiracy behind the conspiracy. I hope to release the full series towards the end of the year.

ANDREW: Both of our books feature lots of travel, and exotic locations around the world… what are some locations you plan to feature in your upcoming books? Any travel plans in your future?

AIDEN: Blood Ivory is set in Tanzania and Kenya, specifically the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Tsavo West National Park featuring shootouts with poachers and wildlife aplenty. Other scenes include an assassination in the Tanzanian city of Arusha and an confrontation at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro.

The Shatterhand Code features a chase through the slums of Mumbai, a perilous pursuit on the roof of a fast-moving train in the tropics of Western India, gun battles in the streets of Abu Dhabi, a dangerous journey across the deserts of Saudi Arabia and paramilitary action in the tropical scrub of northern Australia, to mention a few locations. I try to make exotic locations feel as real as I can, while simultaneously looking for what is unusual or unique about each place, then sharing those experiences with readers.

Although I have no travel plans for the immediate future, I do plan to return to Africa one day and see the places I missed last time I went. About half the ideas I have for adventure thriller novels are set in that continent, so it’s not really surprising I’m eager to return.

ANDREW: I know we’re both big Ian Fleming fans, and you asked me about my favorite Bond novel. Now it’s my turn… What is your favorite Bond novel, and what scene stands out for you the most?

AIDEN: While Live and Let Die was the first Bond novel I read in my teenage years, and it left a lasting impression, I would have to say Dr No is my favorite novel. The scene where Bond battles the squid was so unexpected, surreal and typically Bond. I don’t know why that scene hasn’t been adapted into one of the films yet, but I can see why in 1962 when the Dr No film was made it would be near impossible to do with the technology available at the time.
Incidentally, the squid scene heavily influenced a sequence in The Assyrian Contraband where Simon Ashcroft comes head to head with a bull shark.

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SANDFIRE releases May 22nd, and will be free in Kindle Unlimited. You can check out the other Caine books HERE.

You can learn about Aiden L. Bailey and his books at his website, HERE, and his Amazon Page, HERE.

Ty Patterson is the USA Today best selling author of the Warrior action-thriller series, featuring special forces operative Zeb Carter, along with a fantastic cast of quirky and fascinating supporting characters. Many of these characters have gone on to star in spin-off projects of their own.  Ty is known for having an amazing connection with his readers, and he seems to have a knack for writing exactly what they want to read next! I’ve been a fan of Ty’s writing, and his exemplary work ethic, for a long time. So, I’m thrilled and honored to present an interview with Ty himself. I hope you all enjoy it!

Tell us about yourself… how did you become a writer?  What other writers influenced you?

I have always been writing, short pieces of fiction or humor, that got published in various magazines. What pushed me into writing longer stories, thrillers, was a combination of events. I found myself spending a lot of time on social media, which got my better half to challenge me to put my time to better use 😊. The other was that, I had started writing bits and pieces of a particular story, which started coming together, and became The Warrior.

I am heavily influenced by thriller writers, which I guess is understandable, since I love and write in that genre. Joseph Finder, Vince Flynn, Brad Thor, Dashiel Hammett, Robert Crais. Greg Rucka, are some of my go-to authors. Your books, Andrew, are great reads as well, and I never fail to watch out for your latest releases.

Another author, Louis L’Amour, not strictly a thriller author, has been a great influence as well.

What led you to create Zeb Carter? As a character, What do you think makes Zeb so popular with your readers?

That’s a very good question. I was very keen to not create just another loner hero, when I started writing. Therefore, I made Zeb to be the lead operative of a team. I think what appeals to my readers is that interesting dynamic: Zeb is a loner, but heads a team. He is not much of a conversationalist, but his crew are witty, and love pulling his leg.

His intense loyalty to his team, and to his country, without being jingoistic, is also what makes him popular.

How long did it take you to become a best selling author? Did achieving that success change anything for you in terms of your writing process, or that kind of books you write?

A long time, Andrew 😊. I, like many new authors, was certain that The Warrior, my first book, would be a mega bestseller. I was confident that Hollywood would come calling in the first week.

Reality hit me a few months later. It made me realize that the power dynamic was firmly in the readers’ hands, not in mine. All I could do was write the kind of stories that they needed to hear.

I hit the USA Today Bestselling List, last June, with Zero. That was my eight book, a good three years after The Warrior.

I think a lot of authors think that indie publishing is a race. It isn’t. It is a journey.

What I write hasn’t fundamentally changed since I first started out. I still write action thrillers, but I have started releasing more often. I have a year long release schedule, which means there’s a new book by me, out there, every quarter.

It is the non-writing parts of indie publishing that I have had to learn. Professional book covers, a good editor, meeting deadlines, managing a reader list…. those are as important, if not more so, than the stories themselves.

In 2015, I also started a new series, the Gemini Series, featuring twins, Beth and Meghan Petersen. They are part of Zeb’s crew, but I wanted them to have their own stories.

Those books are more in the detective/private investigator genre. I wanted to attract a different audience with those books, and also not have all my eggs in the action thriller basket, which was why I started that series. Those books are coming along well.

Based your body of work, you must be an incredibly prolific writer! Tell us about your writing process… do you write every day? Do you set a word count target? What tools do you find indispensable for your work?

I write every day except on weekends and when on vacation. My word count target is 2k a day. That is an achievable target for me. I could write more, but that would have an impact on other parts of my work day. I self-edit as I write, so that when I complete a book, it is good to go to my external editor.

In terms of tools, I am pretty backward. I use MS Word for my writing, and that’s pretty much it!

When writing, I turn off all devices, except for the radio. Soft music in the background is my companion.

What do you think are the key ingredients of a page-turning spy thriller?  What do you look for when you read for your own pleasure?

I think in terms of three Ps. Person, Plot, and Pace.

Person – a protagonist readers can identify with. For me, that’s someone strong, but at the same time, sensitive. A protagonist who has a strong moral code but accepts that life isn’t black or white.

Plot – something believable. I like books which are set in contemporary times, and write on the same lines. For example, terrorism, financial fraud, cyber terrorism, those are all current hot themes anywhere in the world. The books I read have a lot of those themes.

Pace – this is what makes me continue reading a book or give up. I love books in which something happens in each chapter. In action or spy thrillers, the ‘something’ is usually a confrontation, a set back, a pivot.

Describing how paint dries, wouldn’t hold my attention 😊.

Which reminds me, I don’t like books that are crammed with technical details – such as descriptions of weapons, or rate of fire. I find such details interfere with the flow of story.

I go back to Louis L’Amour whenever I have to describe an ideal book. His Westerns had the three Ps in ample!

How did you get involved with self-publishing?  What do you think the future of publishing will be for independent writers like yourself?

I never even considered going to trad publishers or agents. I disliked the idea of sending hundreds of emails and waiting for someone to bite.

Indie publishing suits me. I am a person who likes to be in control of my own destiny. Self publishing allows me that freedom. I can choose which editors or cover designers to work with. I set my own writing schedule. I am beholden only to my readers.

I think indie publishing is here to stay. The line between trad and self-publishing are blurring. What I mean by that is, readers, now accept that there is a kind of author who publish their own work.

Frankly, readers are caring less and less whether a book is trad or indie publishing. It is the content that matters.

Now, what that means, is that indie authors will have to up their game. Market forces will demand that the books they put out look as good as what trad publishers release.

Covers, blurbs, proof-reading, editing – all those matter now.

The indie authors who neglect all those aspects will not succeed in the long run.

In terms of the long term, I think indie and trad publishing will co-exist. Trad publishers will not become extinct. They play an important role in the publishing eco-system. They can get books into physical stores – something indie publishers aren’t able to do as a group.

I also think indie authors will start getting more respect from our trad peers. After all, we don’t have a support system behind us. Our success is totally down to us, and not to a ‘brand name’ publisher.

You have an incredibly dedicated and engaged fanbase… what advise would you give new authors on building, nurturing, and engaging with their audience?

I don’t engage as much as I would like with my fan base. That said, my suggestion would be create a fan base in the first place. That starts with something as simple as a mailing list.

Then, cultivate that fanbase. Share exclusive content with those readers. Get them to engage in return. Conduct polls. Ask them to suggest character or place names. Acknowledge those readers in your book.

Believe me, if a reader can hold a book up and find herself or himself in the acknowledgements page – that’s gold dust. Those readers will go a long way towards supporting you.

No author should forget that, for all the Facebook ads we run, for all the sponsored mailing lists we can get on to, word-of-mouth is the greatest tool at our disposal.

If an author gets a dedicated fan base – that’s word-of-mouth multiplied several times over.

What’s upon next for you and your writing?  Do you plan to stick with action thrillers, or are there other genres you would like to tackle? Any other projects or endeavors you’d like to highlight?

I am thinking of starting a new SciFi series. The interesting thing is I don’t like scifi that deals with aliens or interstellar warfare. I am sure it will sound sacrilegious to many, but Star Trek does nothing for me 😊.

So my SciFi series will be action thrillers, set in the future. A bit like J.D. Robb’s In Death series, but without the romance, and with more action.

Right now, all I have got is a working title. I am still working on a release schedule. I am thinking of publishing either late this year, or early next year.

The title will be, The Last Gunfighter of Space 😊.

If you could be any hero of the spy thriller genre for a day, who would you choose and why?

Andrew, I used to repair large diesel engines, when I started my career. I sold tea to street-side stalls. I exported luxury leather products. I sold software. Now, I write thrillers.

The point is, my characters have their own lives, and I have mine. I don’t have much interest in living their lives 😊.

And on that cop-out answer, thank you so much for interviewing me.

I’d like to thank Ty for making the time for this interview.  He’s a great writer who has earned his success, and a fantastic guy as well!  If you’d like to learn more about Ty Patterson and his books, please visit his website HERE.