Andrew Warren

Thriller Author

The Real Book Spy: Interview

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For thriller fans, the Real Book Spy needs no introduction… Ryan Steck runs the world’s #1 site for thriller reviews, and interviews best-selling authors like Mark Greaney, Brad Thor, Kyle Mills, and countless others.

For as long as I’ve been writing, it’s been a dream, of mine to be featured on his site. Well… this year, the dream came true! Ryan was kind enough to feature me and the Thomas Caine boxed set on his website. Spoiler alert… he liked it!

“I was captivated by his Thomas Caine books, which read like a cross between Mark Greaney and Barry Eisler, with a bit of Steve Berry thrown in there for good measure.” – The Real Book Spy

I had a blast chatting with Ryan about thrillers, the writing process, and some of my inspirations for Thomas Caine. You can read the whole interview here:

THOMAS CAINE THRILLERS: FIVE QUESTIONS WITH ANDREW WARREN

And the Thomas Caine boxed set is available from Amazon, HERE:

And be sure to check out The Real Book Spy for the latest and greatest in thriller news, reviews, and interviews.

Cold Kill’s Iron Wolf

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Sometimes even writers find themselves at a loss for words. Such was the case when UK artist and Caine reader Marc Atkinson reached out to me on Twitter.

After reading Cold Kill, Marc found himself inspired to create a unique piece of art that reflected the savage villain of that story. Piotr Zasko, known as the Iron Wolf, is a brutal Russian special forces commander, who wants to take a bite out of Thomas Caine… literally! And Marc perfectly captured the Iron Wolf’s savage appeal and chilling allure in his stunning 3D artwork.

The Iron Wolf lives…

When he sent me photographs of the piece, I was blown away. When he told me he was shipping me the actual wolf itself, I thought he was joking! But it was no laughing matter when the Iron Wolf appeared on my doorstep…

The Eyes of the Wolf…

To be honest, this post has been long overdue,… frankly, I wasn’t sure there was anything I could say that would do justice to Marc’s generosity, or his incredible talent. I am honored and humbled to have played a part in its inspiration. The Iron Wolf now hangs in a place of honor above my writing desk… reminding me to get back to work, and keep writing!

So without further ado, let’s hear from the master himself… presenting an interview with artist Marc Atkinson:

Tell us about yourself… When did you first know you were an
artist?
When I was about 7 years old my grandad would save me the comic strips out of the papers, Garfield, Charlie brown etc and I would copy them until I found I could draw them myself, He also had hand illustrated nature books, so I started trying to draw wildlife, looking at colour and shadow and light, then I didn’t understand what I was trying to replicate, I just did it and learned for myself.


Are you self-taught or did you have a formal education in art?
I did art at school but didn’t do too well, I was more into mechanics and technical illustration then. My dad used to fix cars and I was fascinated by mechanics and I started to look at H R Giger and bio-mechanical stuff, after that I went to art college where a tutor told me that I would never make a living as an artist and should stick to music, this was mainly because I wanted to paint and draw my way, I did find a love of Vincent van Gogh there that has inspired me all my life, Picasso and Dali also clicked with me because they made it up to suit themselves. After college I became a tattoo artist and did that for the next 20 years.


How would you best describe your style of art?
A lot of my stuff is what is known as steampunk, mechanics and antique thinks, neo-Victorian I suppose, my painting is impressionist in style and my drawing lends itself to a Japanese tattoo style, I mix things up and see what happens. My sculpture pieces I call junk art cos I make it out of anything I find.


What is your favorite medium to work in, and why?
Acrylic painting, It dries fast and covers well, I never got the hang of oils, my 3D work starts with anything I can find all glued together and then painted to look like old metal, rust and corrosion. I have tried to reproduce impressionist painting style on skin and it can be done but it is a long process and obviously gets sore for the client, canvas doesn’t swear and jump so it’s a little more relaxing. Pascal Jarrion know as the tattoo artist bugs does this beautifully http://www.bugsartwork.com/ is really worth a look, he such a nice guy too.


What drew you to the character of the ‘Iron Wolf’?
When I read the Thomas Caine books it’s usually at night, and that’s also when I get some great ideas too. So as I was reading Cold Kill, there was this guy called the Iron wolf, he seemed like a man of honour and standards… Proud and strong but you then learn that his standards are his own, his honour is just his pride and he is a ferocious man. A true psychopath with the front of a gentleman. Really a wolf in a military uniform. It makes you think, he hunts humans for sport but then has this pretense of standards, what sort of truly messed up person does that. It’s vivid and chilling.

Yes, it even lights up!


What other things influence your work? Music, writing, etc?
I played in a few bands, old rock and roll stuff, Elvis, Johnny Cash and the like. I love a lot of different styles, in the gym its new York hardcore like Biohazard, sick of it all, real aggressive stuff, my usual listening is more Social Distortion, rancid to stuff like Jack Johnson and Oasis. Books I like were mostly horror in nature, Stephen King to the classics like Lovecraft and Poe. As a change of pace I found the Thomas Caine books and got hooked on that, so thank you! England holds a lot of influence to my style because there is such old stuff around us, in the north we had mining and shipbuilding, huge scale engineering. That and I love motorbikes and cars and that all feeds into this mechanical style.


What other projects are you working on now?
I’m working an a portrait of Steve Mcqueen, I.ve just finished one of Boba Fett from Star Wars, I’m writing some songs for a new music project ‘Deadwood Rattlesnakes’ think ZZ top and Waylon Jennings. Like most things in life I kinda just make it all up as I go.


Where can readers find more info about you and your work?
I have my page www.facebook.com/inktindustries and I’m on social media sites as my business, Inkt Industries.


Anything else you’d like to add?
Never listen to anyone who says you can’t do something, if anything do it more, never be afraid to do it your own way!

Marc, thank you again! This is truly an amazing piece of art. I love it, and I promise you this: If I can figure out a way to bring back the Iron Wolf in the books, you’ll be the first to know!

Where in the world is Thomas Caine?

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Click on the Map for an Interactive Tour of Thomas Caine’s Deadliest Missions…

There’s one thing we know for certain about betrayed assassin Thomas Caine… The man sure gets around!

My Depth Charge Co-Author Aiden L. Bailey very kindly put together this incredible interactive map of Thomas Caine’s missions.

Who is Thomas Caine? His background is classified. His past is a mystery. Until now… Just click on the map above, then select a book cover to to access the interactive PDF, and discover more about who Caine’s past, and what missions (books) you might not yet be aware of.

Normally, Thomas Caine doesn’t like being followed. But in this case, he’ll make an exception…

Depth Charge: Location Report 1

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THE COUNTDOWN HAS BEGUN…

Depth Charge, the new thriller in the Caine: Rapid Fire series, is launching soon! In my latest collaboration with author Aiden L Bailey, we had a blast taking Thomas Caine to more international locations than in any of our previous books.

While a standalone story, Depth Charge is set a short time after the events of Sandfire. Many of the characters introduced in other books in the Thomas Caine series are also brought together here for the first time.
What has been particularly exciting about this book is most of the locations have been places either Aiden or I have visited. I drew on my travels in the United States, China, Colombia and Indonesia, while Aiden drew on his experiences in Bolivia, Peru, Hawaii and Indonesia. We’ve peppered the story with scenes and sights we experienced first hand.

With the book launch only a few days away, it’s time for Part One of the Depth Charge Location Report (you can read Part Two on Aiden’s website) …

Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China

Formerly a British colony, Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China located just across the bay from Macau. This vibrant, densely populated and modern city is where Caine escapes after a close brush with death against the MSS.

Hong Kong is often considered the center of espionage because of its unique legal and immigration system. No visa is required for travelers from more than one hundred countries to enter Hong Kong, and unlike mainland China, there is no laws in Hong Kong that define espionage as a crime.

Caine meets up with CIA Case Officer Rebecca Freeling, and the two might have just discovered that six months of secret operations against China might just have been blown wide open.

 

Baltimore, United States

Baltimore is an important coastal city of America and located 60km northeast of Washington DC. Due to the city’s proximity to the Federal Government and the CIA headquarters, Caine has made Baltimore his home. In Depth Charge, for the first time we get to see Caine in a domestic setting, cooking a meal for the special someone in his life in his minimalist apartment. Of course, the evening doesn’t turn out how Caine expects it to…

 

Amazon, Peru

Caine and Tyler take a quick trip across South America, via a small plane piloted over the Amazon rain forest. Covering an area of 5.5 million square kilometers, the Amazon is the largest rain forest in the world and renowned for its biodiversity. Caine and Tyler spend the night in an isolated airfield in the heart of the Peruvian jungles, sharing a bungalow with thousands of insets and a python.

 

West Virginia, United States

West Virginia is famous for its beautiful pine forests and rugged mountainous terrain. The isolated nature of the state, despite its close proximity to Washington DC and the CIA’s headquarters in Langley, make it an ideal location for remote safe houses.

In Depth Charge, one such heavily secured safe houses becomes home to a Chinese defector. It is not long before the defector feels isolated, and realizes she might have just be in over her head. Rebecca Freeling has a tough job convincing the uneasy young woman that she made the right decision.

 

Xinjiang, China

The largest and remotest region in China, Xinjiang is located in the far west of the country. The landscape consists of rugged mountain ranges, sandy deserts and vast grasslands. It is home to a number of ethnic groups, including the Uyghur people who are being oppressed by the ruling Community Party, and incarcerated Chinese in ‘re-education’ camps appearing across the region.

Separatist conflicts and radical Islamic groups have plagued the region in recent years, as has terrorist attacks and clashes between the separatist and government forces.
Into the tumultuous environment, Rebecca and Tyler illegally enter Xinjiang on a rescue mission, but soon find themselves betrayed and incarcerated by the Chinese authorities.

 

Singapore

Singapore is a modern island nation in South East Asia on the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. It is a technological, logistics, entertainment, tourism, shipping and finance hub and a global leader in so many aspects of modern life. The cultural diversity and security of the nation make Singapore, like Hong Kong, an ideal hub for international operatives like Caine.
Caine reunites with Rebecca and Tyler in Singapore after their grueling adventures through Asia and South America. But the dynamics of their relationships have changed, and not everything is as it seems…

These are only half the amazing locations we visited in Depth Charge! At nine countries and three continents in one book, we realized this is a new record in frequent flyer mileage for Caine. To read the other half of this location report, visit Aiden L Bailey’s post at his website, www.aidenlbailey.com .

Have you read the other exciting book in the Caine: Rapid Fire series?  grab the first box set here, and get all three volumes for a bargain price!

Depth Charge launches Dec 11th, at all your favorite online ebook vendors.

Techno-thrills with Aiden L. Bailey

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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.

SANDFIRE launches May 22nd…

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Thomas Caine returns in SANDFIRE, launching May 22nd. But as a special “Thank You” to my readers, you don’t have to wait that long for a taste of the action! Please enjoy this sneak-peek of a mission from Caine’s past…

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CAINE PUSHED ON HIS POLES and kicked his skis, gathering speed as he headed down the trail. He followed Argyle’s tracks as they disappeared down the steep mountainside. She had escaped down the opposite side of the trail he had taken to reach her. If he could catch up, he might still convince her to turn herself in. But first he had to escape the helicopter and its soldiers.
Gunfire chattered around Caine. Snow exploded from the compacted drifts.

He pushed harder, increasing his speed, following the fresh ski tracks in the snow. His body curved into an athletic stance, with his knees and elbows slightly bent, and his body leaning forward into the wind. Soon he was parallel skiing, shifting his weight from one leg to the other as he gathered speed. He must have been doing forty-miles-per-hour or more.

Caine stayed on Emily’s trail. He had no idea what lay ahead, but he knew he had to follow, or risk losing her. Sharp cliffs and rocky outcrops leered along either side of the trail. There was only one safe route down the slope, and it was growing steeper and steeper the longer he followed it. Yet he had to trust Emily had already scouted a safe path out of here. That was what he would have done.
When he reached a straight stretch, Caine took the opportunity to look behind.

The three soldiers were also skiing hard after him. They too had planned ahead, and they were gaining.

His fears realized, he squatted closer to the ground and leaned hard into the descent.

Fifty-miles-per-hour.

Suddenly the open stretch disappeared, and he plummeted through the air.

He hadn’t seen the cliff in time.

He was falling.

Caine held his breath and tensed, until he realized that was the wrong approach. He had followed Argyle’s tracks and she had skied off the same point. There was a snowfield below him. He relaxed his knees, letting his legs absorb the impact as he hit a steep slope ten yards below. He crashed into a snowdrift, barely managing to retain control as he again picked up her trail.

At the last second, he noticed Argyle’s tracks veered to the right. So Caine did too.

He churned snow in a fast stop, realizing he was only a few feet away from propelling himself over another sharp cliff. Once he was steady on his feet, he looked down, feeling the vertigo as he did. The next drop was over five-hundred-feet at least, and ended in deadly, jagged rocks. There would be no surviving a fall here.

A sudden whooshing noise caused Caine to turn and look behind him.

One of the pursuers had jumped the same cliff edge Caine had.

He was bearing down fast on Caine, so Caine pushed off with his skis, sliding out of the way.

The foe landed behind Caine, close enough to touch. He stumbled for a second as he struggled to regain his balance.

Caine saw his opportunity. He reached out, grabbing the assailant’s assault rifle, and twisted the man in a circle across the snow. The soldier lost his balance, and tumbled over the five-hundred-foot drop. His screams echoed through the cold mountain air as he plunged into oblivion.
With the M4 carbine in his grip, and his ski poles hanging by their wrist cords, Caine spun around and fired towards the cliff. The two remaining pursuers had not jumped the cliff above. They stood perched on the edge, preparing for a clean shot when they thought Caine wasn’t watching. They hadn’t expected Caine to return fire so rapidly. One took a bullet in the chest and tumbled down the cliff. The other was fast enough to duck back out of sight behind the drifts of snow.

Caine took off again, skiing fast along the top of the cliff. He followed the narrow snowdrift Emily had taken between both the rising and falling cliff faces. The route offered little room to twist and turn or to control his speed. One wrong move would end in a high-speed collision into the rock edge on his left, or a long fall to his death on his right…

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I hope you enjoyed this excerpt from SANDFIRE, Caine: Rapid Fire Book 3. SANDFIRE launches May 22nd… see you all then!

PS: If you’re a Goodreads member, could you please add SANDFIRE you your “Want to Read” shelf? Just click here: https://goo.gl/Xwvf7G

Thank you!

Andrew Warren