Andrew Warren

Thriller Author

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Books
  • FREE BOOK

Thomas Caine returns in… CODE GREEN!

December 11, 2021 by Andrew Warren Leave a Comment

Whew! Well THAT took longer than I planned. I know many of you have been waiting a while for this one. For that, I apologize. Between the general craziness of the last year, some personal triumphs and challenges, and life getting in the way, the next book in the Thomas Caine Thriller series hit more than a few snags.

I also had some major life changes occur this year… All good stuff, that I can’t wait to tell you about in a later post. But the important thing is this:

The wait is finally over…

January 2022, Thomas Caine returns in… CODE GREEN.

CODE GREEN… Coming this January!

From Singapore to Vietnam… From the towering heights of a luxury hotel, to the submerged depths of the world’s largest cave… Thomas Caine races against time to stop a deep state conspiracy from infiltrating America’s intelligence community.

A few long-time readers took an early look at the manuscript, and all agree – it may be the most action-packed Caine novel yet! In fact, I’m happy to say that the pre-order has already burst it’s way into Amazon’s Hot New Release List! I certainly wasn’t expecting that, but I’ll take it. Caine fans kick butt!!!

The book will go live on Amazon January 25th. I’d recommend pre-ordering now to ensure you can start reading the moment it is published. You can pre-order your copy here:

PRE-ORDER CODE GREEN ON AMAZON

In the meantime, to thank everyone for their patience, I’d like to present a sneak peak at an early chapter in Code Green. In fact, it’s the chapter that explains the meaning of the title, and why I chose it. I hope you enjoy, and I hope you’ll join me for Thomas Caine’s next adventure, January 25th, 2022…

______________________________________________________

Paulis took a sip of coffee. “Frankly, I’ve never seen anything like it. A privatized intelligence network. HUMINT, SIGINT, Spec Ops… Grissom can pull off anything from boots on the ground to sophisticated cyber-warfare. And despite your efforts, the Senate Intelligence Committee still doesn’t seem to grasp the threat that’s been sitting under their nose.”

Caine stared back at him. “So if you believe me, why the third degree? Why the armed men on the hill, and the cameras, and all these damn tests. What more do you want?”


Paulis leaned back in his chair. “Isn’t it obvious?”


Caine laughed again. “Enlighten me.”


The older man pointed a finger at him. “See, I think that’s part of the problem right there. You’ve been working on your own for so long now, you can’t see it. Hell, even your last few years in active duty in SAD/SOG, you were under Bernatto’s thumb. A secret division within the CIA, carrying out unsanctioned operations. Missions you hid from Rebecca, and anyone else in the official command structure.”


“I paid the price for that, didn’t I?”


Paulis set his coffee cup on the table and steepled his fingers under his chin. “Maybe. But at the end of the day, what I need to know is, can I trust you? And more importantly, can you trust me? Or anyone, for that matter.”


“Trust? Afraid that’s in short supply these days, Director.”


“Indeed it is. More than you know. I understand Rebecca briefed you on the raid Grissom arranged in DC.”


Caine nodded. “To set up something like that… the men, the planning, the firepower… Takes a lot of money. And the right people in your pocket.”


“Based on your reports, and what little we’ve been able to uncover, Grissom’s influence reaches into the highest levels of this country’s intelligence apparatus. He’s been able to compromise high ranking NSA officials, the former Director of National Intelligence, countless private military contractors and local officials… Hell, even operatives within China’s MSS.”


Caine clenched the side of the table with a white knuckled grip. “So why are we sitting here and talking?”


Paulis gritted his teeth for a moment, then sighed. “If I send you after Bernatto, Grissom, or anyone else… Well, like we used to say in JSOC, it’s ‘Weapons Free’ out there. I have neither the time nor the inclination to babysit you. I can’t micromanage your every move. If I can’t trust you to make the right decisions, if you’re permanently damaged and broken by the things Bernatto did, the betrayal you suffered… If you can’t trust, you’re useless to me.”


Caine stood and placed his hands on the table. “You’ve had me caged up here for months. That’s months of Bernatto and Grissom doing who knows what out in the real world. So don’t talk to me about trust. I trust Rebecca. I trust DuBose. As for you, if you want my trust, maybe you should try earning it for a change. I don’t give it blindly anymore.”


Paulis looked up at him. “Sit your ass down, or you can go back to your room.”


Caine glared back at him, but said nothing. He remained standing.


Paulis shifted in his chair and cleared his throat. “DuBose is part of the reason we’re here,” he continued. “All the doctors and psychological tests in the world don’t mean shit to me, Caine. I need to look a man in the eye before I make a decision like that.”


“And?” Caine growled.


The Director stared back at him.


“According to the staff here, you’re suffering from classic PTSD symptoms. Paranoia, nightmares, mood swings. You lash out at anyone and everyone who tries to get close, because you don’t want to remember what happened to the people you used to give a damn about. How am I doing? Sound familiar?”


Caine returned the man’s stare. “Why do I feel like there’s a ‘but’ coming?”


Paulis gestured to the chair. “For the love of God, Caine, will you please sit down!”


Caine slid into the chair. “Well?”


Paulis slid the folder of papers out of the way and rested his hands on the table. “Clayton DuBose is down. He’s alive, but he’s not returning to active duty anytime soon. And given Grissom’s track record of infiltrating US Intelligence agencies, that narrows down the list of people I can trust to exactly three… My D/NCS, an FBI Special Agent who’s barely able to contact me… And you.”


Caine narrowed his eyes. “What happened to DuBose?” he asked, unable to hide the note of surprise in his voice.


Paulis pushed the bridge of his glasses up with one finger. “While you’ve been cooling your heels in debriefings, Walter Grissom has been systematically wiping out loose ends. Anyone who could hurt him or his organization, or that could be vulnerable to CIA pressure, is winding up dead. Or missing, without a trace. We sent DuBose as an undercover observer on one of Special Agent Zavala’s operations. The raid in Texas. They took down a warehouse belonging to a Blackwing front company called Agromex.”


Paulis slid another folder across the table. Caine flipped it open, and held up a picture. He whistled when he saw the satellite photo of the obliterated warehouse.


“What the hell did this?”


“Some kind of high-grade explosive, military for sure. We believe the building housed a massive data server for Blackwing. The FBI Cybercrimes unit is sifting through the rubble, but there obviously isn’t much left. They haven’t released their findings yet, but whatever was on those servers, someone clearly didn’t want it to be found.”
“Which begs the question,” Caine muttered. “How did you know it was there?”


Paulis grunted. “An asset in Singapore tipped us off…. He used the codename ‘Larkspur.’ For obvious reasons, we’ve been keeping his identity classified.”


Caine continued flipping through the photos of the obliterated warehouse. “Larkspur, huh? Apparently his intel was good. So who is he really?”


Paulis tapped the table with his fingers for a moment, then sighed. “His real name is Andrew Seng, a financier Grissom used to launder money. After you blew up their operation in South Sudan, I guess Seng saw the writing on the wall. He wants to cut a deal, protection in exchange for what he knows. He contacted my office and revealed the location of that warehouse, to establish his bona fides. Then he turned himself over to the Internal Security Department in Singapore.”


“Which means he’s probably next on Grissom’s hit list.”


Paulis leaned forward and stared at Caine. “That’s right. Unless we get to him first. So I don’t have time to read a stack of reports about your nightmares, or a list of your physiological anxiety symptoms. I can’t make sure you’re eating properly. ”


“I’ll save you the trouble,” Caine replied. “The food here is shit.”


Paulis adjusted his glasses. “You suffered. You were betrayed. I get that. But right now, my only link to Blackwing is holed up in another country, with a target painted on his back. So I need to you to look me in the eye and tell me… Are you code green or code red? Go or no-go. That’s the only answer that matters to me right now.”


Caine closed the folder and looked up at Paulis. “Honestly? I have no idea.”


Paulis stared at him in silence for another few minutes. Then he stood up, gathered his folders, and marched towards the exit. “You leave Dulles Airport in three hours. Car’s waiting outside. Pack light clothes. Gets hot in Singapore this time of year.”


He closed the door behind him. Caine remained in the chair. He looked up at the ceiling.


Code Green… Go or no-go…


“Guess we’ll see,” he muttered to himself.

_______________________________________________________

PRE-ORDER CODE GREEN ON AMAZON

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Email

Filed Under: Caine News, Thrillers, Uncategorized

Thriller Author Interview: DV Berkom

December 2, 2021 by Andrew Warren 1 Comment

DV Berkom is the USA Today bestselling author of action-packed, fast-paced thrillers. Known for creating resilient, bad-ass women characters and page-turning plots, her love of the genre stems from a lifelong addiction to reading spy novels, action/adventure books, and crime thrillers. I’ve been hooked on her Leine Basso series of thrillers for a while now, and I thought readers might be interested in learning more about the woman behind the words…

Tell us about yourself… how did you become a writer?  Did any other writers influence you?

I’ve written short stories since I was a kid, but didn’t tackle a full-length novel until 2005. A fantasy/satire, no less. That one took a year to write, and although it’s still in a virtual drawer, once completed, I was hooked on long-form writing. The next book, Touring for Death, which ended up being the third novella in the Kate Jones thriller series, took four months to write and over a year to edit as I learned the craft. I showed the finished manuscript to a friend who suggested I write a prequel to explain how Kate got to where she was. At the time, news reports of drug cartels and their growing influence were beginning to trickle across the border into the media. Having lived in Mexico for a time I was horrified at what was happening, so I wrote that into the storyline. That book became Bad Spirits, the first novella in the series. Bad Spirits was published by an online publisher in 2010 and sold well. I wrote three more novellas followed by a full-length novel in the same series. In February of 2012 I released the first Leine Basso thriller (now book #2), Serial Date. Both series did well enough that I was able to quit my job that summer. I haven’t looked back.

As for influences, there are several. One of my favorite authors is Carl Hiaasen. His books showed me that you can write an entertaining story while still tackling social issues. I don’t use quite as much satire or scathing social commentary as he does, but I still like to keep a hand in—subtly, of course. Thrillers tend to be a tad more…serious. Another author, Ken Follett, was one of my early influences—his WWII-era novel, Eye of the Needle, was an epiphany for me, and introduced the first gutsy heroine I could identify with. I devour Michael Connelly, Daniel Silva, Joseph Wambaugh, Gregg Hurwitz, John Sandford, Vince Flynn, Lee child, etc. You name it, I’ve probably read it. I also really enjoy your books—there’s a certain cinematic quality to your stories that allows me to get lost in the pages.

DV Berkom

What drew you to the thriller genre? Are there any other genres you’d like to write in someday?

Thrillers, especially spy novels and action adventure stories, have always been my go-to genre. I love the immediacy and the excitement of racing the clock, the fast pace and the life-or-death situations, the double-crosses and setbacks, the weapons and the fight scenes. Growing up, there was a dearth of great female role models in the books I read, so when I started writing I set out to create a female character I would have loved to read. All three of my main characters were created with that in mind.

Recently, I wrote a series of novellas set in the Wild West that feature a woman who loses everything, then learns how to navigate in a “man’s world” by becoming a gunfighter (the Claire Whitcomb Western Series). She gets to meet Doc Holiday and Wyatt Earp along the way, and a bunch of other historical figures, which was great fun to research. Claire, the main character in the series, is a witness to the gunfight at the O.K. Corral with Doc’s mistress. Turns out, the mistress wrote a memoir in real life and mentioned that she and a friend watched the gunfight from a boarding house window. She never named the friend, so I took the liberty of placing Claire at the scene.
I’ve thought about trying different genres, but keep coming back to action-oriented stories. I tend to get bored with books that don’t immediately capture and hold my attention, so I’ll most likely continue writing in the same vein.

Leine Basso Book 11

Leine Basso is one kick-butt thriller heroine…. What inspired you to create her? And what do you think makes her so popular with readers?

Leine Basso is a kick to write, too. I think that’s one of the biggest reasons readers love her. The books are fun to read (so I’ve been told.) Another is her unshakeable sense of justice. She’ll have your back as long as you do right by her. She’s trying to atone for her past by righting wrongs and defending those who need defending. She’s got her flaws, too. Throughout the series, she’s had to deal with guilt, PTSD, her unusual parenting skills, and a whole host of other issues. One astute reader/reviewer pointed out that in the last book, A Plague of Traitors, Leine was dealing with her own trauma by helping another character with hers.

The inspiration behind the character is bizarre in its own way. I woke up from a super vivid (and bizarre) dream involving serial killer Charles Manson and a reality show, which became the kernel idea for Serial Date. I needed a strong female character who could go toe-to-toe with a serial killer, so I bounced a bunch of ideas off my husband and came up with a former assassin who was trying to atone for her early life. I thought the interplay between a serial killer and an assassin would be super interesting—how would one play off the other? Would one killer understand the other, even though their motivation for killing was different? How would that affect either killers’ agenda? I ended up writing the book in record time. It’s a bit different in tone from the rest of the series, incorporating more black humor and satire than the others, but it’s still a thriller.

Serial Date was supposed to be a one-off, not the start of a series. But several readers emailed and messaged me on social media, asking for more. The next book materialized after I went to a child sex-trafficking documentary at my local college. The subject matter made me so angry that I decided to dedicate the next book in the Basso series to raising awareness of such a heinous crime against children. That became Bad Traffick, and launched Leine into a new role that incorporated her particular skillset in eradicating anyone who got in her way of protecting the innocent. Eleven books in, and she’s still going after traffickers, along with terrorists, gun-runners, and lots of other villainous targets. I tend to write about subjects that piss me off—the angrier I get, the better the story ☺

Kate Jones Book 1

Leine travels to some fascinating (and sometimes dangerous) locations. Have you done a lot of traveling yourself? And how do you research locations you haven’t visited personally? Where do you (or your characters) plan to visit next?

I LOVE to travel, and I curse the pandemic. Luckily, my parents liked to travel, so I started early. That being said, I have based several of the Basso books in countries I’ve never visited, like Libya. And although Google Earth and the internet are both fantastic resources, it’s not the same as being there. I’m fortunate to have friends who either live in or have traveled to places I’ve never been, and am able to mine their experiences in a “boots on the ground” way. I also have several military and law enforcement advisers—one in particular has been a long-time collaborator in regard to weapons and military actions. Their expertise help make my books so much better. And last but not least, I have an eclectic group of kickass advance readers who have a ton of life experience from which to draw. As for new scenarios, I have several ideas for different settings in the works, so stay tuned.

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?

Definitely fast-paced action. For example, it’s super irritating when a writer slows down a fight scene to explain exactly what the characters are doing and/or thinking. I don’t need so much detail—e.g.: what a certain move is called or what the character thinks about their opponent, unless it’s pertinent to the plot. There’s a fine line between giving too much information and showing the reader what’s happening in broad strokes. Keep the pace going. In a fight, you’re laser-focused on your opponent’s next move and your survival. I also think you need plausibility, to a point. Yes, most readers will suspend their disbelief, but you gotta make them think it’s possible. On the other hand, give the reader a pause in the action on occasion, let them catch their breath. Not too long, mind you. It’s all about pacing. Use the downtime to reveal something about the plot or character(s). Two more ingredients to a page-turner would be plot twists and end-of-chapter cliff hangers. Keep the reader guessing and you’ll keep them reading. I also suggest not having a major cliff hanger at the end of the book. Tie up the main conflict or your readers are going to be pissed.

As for what I look for when I read, it’s easier to tell you what I don’t like. I skim over dense paragraphs of description. I know plenty of readers who enjoy descriptive prose, but I’m not one of them. I’m also not a fan of the slow burn. Grab my attention from the first page, and I’ll keep reading. Give me action, action, action, a dash of humor, and a hero/heroine who can get the job done, and I’m there. I’d rather read about a flawed character who knows their shit than one who’s perfect or bullet proof. And don’t get me started on the authors who skim the surface of their characters. Telling me a character had a crappy childhood is not the same as showing me his/her character because of their childhood.

Claire Whitcomb Collection

What’s up next for you and your writing? Any new projects or endeavors you’d like to highlight?

I’m currently plotting/writing the next Leine Basso. One of the best parts of writing for me is creating secondary characters. I’ve got a couple new ones in this one that I really like. Who knows? I may just spin them off into a series of their own. Then, who knows? I rarely plan too far ahead of time. Usually, I’ll read something in the news that pisses me off or inspires me, and I’m off to the races. Keeps things fresh!

I’d like to thank DV for taking the time to answer these questions, and share her insights into writing, thrillers, and kick-butt heroines with me! To find out more about DV and her books, visit her website, dvberkom.com.

Her latest release, A Plague of Traitors, is available now on AMAZON.

You can also get two FREE books in her pulse-pounding Leine Basso series HERE…

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Email

Filed Under: Interview, Uncategorized

Fresh new look. Same killer action…

September 3, 2021 by Andrew Warren Leave a Comment

Out with the old, in with the new… After the year we’ve all had, I felt like it was time for a fresh start! It’s been a while since I posted to my blog here, so I wanted to take a moment to share what I’ve been working on with everyone.

First of all, I decided to reexamine my currently published books and rearrange a few things. When I first wrote Devil’s Due, it was intended to serve as a prequel to Tokyo Black, the first Thomas Caine novel. Later, I added to the story with Cold Kill, another prequel set between those two books.

When I launched the Rapid Fire series, focusing on Caine’s early years with the CIA, I thought it made sense to put those books together, since they were all short, action packed novellas and they were all prequels. But over the years I’ve noticed a lot of readers get confused about the reading order of the books. I try to make them as stand-alone as possible, but I know some people really want to read them in the “correct” order. And the fact that the books jump around in time made that difficult.

So as I said… time for a fresh start!

Moving Forward, Devil’s Due and Cold Kill will remain in the main series as prequels. And the Rapid Fire series will focus solely on Caine’s early missions with the CIA Special Activities Division.

And to celebrate, I’ve given them brand new covers, to keep the look consistent… Feast your eyes on these gorgeous new duds!

But that’s not the only new change coming. Next time I’ll fill you all in on another important development. Until then, stay safe, enjoy life, and thank you for reading!

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Email

Filed Under: Thrillers, Uncategorized

Where in the world is Thomas Caine?

December 8, 2018 by Andrew Warren Leave a Comment

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…

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Email

Filed Under: Caine News, Location Report, Thrillers, Uncategorized

Depth Charge: Location Report 1

December 3, 2018 by Andrew Warren Leave a Comment

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.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Email

Filed Under: Caine News, Location Report, Thrillers, Uncategorized

Techno-thrills with Aiden L. Bailey

May 19, 2018 by Andrew Warren Leave a Comment

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.

<<<< >>>>

 

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.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Email

Filed Under: Interview, Thrillers, Uncategorized

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • Next Page »

Recent Posts

  • Thomas Caine returns in… CODE GREEN!
  • Thriller Author Interview: DV Berkom
  • Fresh new look. Same killer action…
  • The Real Book Spy: Interview
  • Cold Kill’s Iron Wolf

Recent Comments

  • D.V, Berkom on Thriller Author Interview: DV Berkom
  • film izle on Cold Kill’s Iron Wolf
  • Andrew Warren on CAINE: RAPID FIRE
  • kevin on CAINE: RAPID FIRE
  • Cheri Gerhardt on Thriller Author Interview: Ty Patterson

Archives

  • December 2021
  • September 2021
  • October 2019
  • June 2019
  • December 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • February 2016

Categories

  • Caine News
  • Fire and Forget Location Report
  • Interview
  • Location Report
  • Red Phoenix Location Reports
  • Thrillers
  • Uncategorized

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Copyright © 2023 · Author Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in