Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I've been writing since 2013, and have self-published 21 books — 15 novels and 6 short stories/novels. I write mainly in the thriller genre, although I have published 1 novel in the YA Fantasy genre, just to be different!
I have three main series — Adrian Hell (a deadly assassin with a dark sense of humour… think Die Hard meets Deadpool), GlobaTech (about an elite unit of operatives working for a private security firm), and Roach (a man trying to outrun his deadly past).
While the series stand on their own merits, they collectively form the "Thrillerverse", an interconnected story world in which all the series are set. Along with their own stories, there is an underlying story that links them.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest novel is Critical Strike, which is due for release December 21, 2021. It's actually my first crossover event — a large-scale story featuring all the characters from my thriller series. It's basically my version of the Avengers! It's been the biggest book I've ever written, in terms of word count and the sheer scope of the story itself.
It's the culmination of three years of storytelling across all my series — something I've been planning and building toward for a long time.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I tend to listen to a specific type of music called Binaural Beats. This is typically instrumental meditation music that is designed to trigger certain brainwaves. For example, I listen to one that triggers theta waves to help me sleep, as they are the frequency your brain functions at when you're sleeping. I listen to tracks that trigger alpha waves while I'm working, as that's the frequency for heightened concentration and productivity. I think they help…
That, and coffee!
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Lee Child is the king of my genre, and it's hard not to look to him as the benchmark. I've also met him a couple of times and spoken with him, and he's a lovely guy. Definitely an inspiration.
The book that made me want to start writing was "Lethal People" by John Locke. It was unlike any typical thriller I'd ever read up until that point, and it showed me I didn't have to follow convention to tell the stories I felt I needed to tell.
What are you working on now?
Having just finished writing Critical Strike, I'm taking a couple of weeks off! However, I am storyboarding the next six thrillers I intend writing, across all my series and including another crossover. That way, I can hit the ground running when I'm ready for a new project.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
As a long term strategy, self-publishing authors must embrace Facebook and Amazon (AMS) ads. I'm far from a master of them, but I've been doing them for a number of years now, and I sell enough books to replace the need for a full-time job, so I'll consider that a victory.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Set up a mailing list and promote it in your books. Your own list of readers should be your first port of call when promoting yours books.
Also, join writing groups on Facebook and get to know your fellow authors. Whatever question you might have, I can guarantee someone will have already experienced the same problem and found the answer.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
It's not necessarily related to writing, but probably the best piece of advice I was ever given was to invest in myself and prioritise your own future. In doing so, I picked up the following anecdotes:
– Set your own goals and plan to achieve them. One at a time. Life isn't a race. your only competition is yourself.
– Having money makes you rich, but having time makes you wealthy. You work to live, you don't live to work. Working for yourself should mean you work hard, but also that you should take some of the freedom it affords you to enjoy your life.
What are you reading now?
I don't actually read all that much. As I'm quite a visual storyteller, my novels tend to focus on dialogue and action, rather than narrative. As such, I find movies and TV shows tend to give me more as a writer than reading books does. A well-written show tells a compelling story through dialogue, which is what I take more inspiration from.
That said, when I do read, it's typically comics or graphic novels — for the same reason.
What’s next for you as a writer?
"Phase 1" of my Thrillerverse stories will be complete when Critical Strike is released, so the storyboarding I'm doing now is setting up "Phase 2". I need to plan out the direction each individual series needs to go in next, while also build toward them coming together again.
A writer's work is never done!
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
"Killing Floor" by Lee Child (one of the best thrillers I've ever read)
"Punisher MAX" by Garth Ennis (a graphic novel)
"True Conviction" by me! (to remind me of everything I've achieved)
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