Chris Allen's Blog - Posts Tagged "hunter"

DAY THREE: TWELVE DAYS OF HUNTER

On the third day of Hunter, my inner agent said to me: "Alex Morgan is Back".

I remember the 1970's, sitting in a old cinema in sleepy old Perth, my home town, around about this time of year, watching the latest Bond epic - starring the longest serving 007, Roger Moore, sitting through those final end credits, awaiting those familiar few words: "James Bond will return". It seared into my memory - just as much as the enduring, action-packed stories Fleming himself created: the other-worldly villains, the extraordinary women, and the dark, brooding, tragically flawed Bond who took me to so many exotic places.

It was destined then to be, that at the end of my first and second novels I would inevitably place "Alex Morgan will return" on my final pages. Now that the baddies in Operation Defender have been given their comeuppance, and those villainous creatures in Operation Hunter brought to justice, I am more certain than ever that my creation, Major Alex Morgan, is also here to stay.

Some have even said he's about to embark on his next adventure: Operation Avenger. But don't tell anyone!

So...

DESIGN #3: ALEX MORGAN IS BACK

You can view a full range of "Alex Morgan is Back" Intrepid gear on Zazzle here.

http://www.zazzle.com.au/intrepidalle...

If you missed it, here's what happened on the first two days of Hunter.

The first day of Hunter: There's a New Agent in Town

http://www.intrepidallen.com/blog/201...

The second day of Hunter: Intrepid Agents Kick Ass

http://www.intrepidallen.com/blog/201...

Remember, it's all just a bit of fun. Enjoy!

Cheers, Chris

PS If you want to help get my action adventure books out to an appreciative audience, here's another way you can play an important part. We'll give you twelve different ways to help, one each day.

Spreading the Word Tip #3

Email us (gday at intrepidallen dot com) to order your personally inscribed, beautifully wrapped copies of Defender or Hunter as special Chrissy gifts for those who'd love a heart-racingly good read. RRP $20.99 plus postage; or for those lucky residents who live in Sydney we'll deliver your action thriller gifts at no charge.

ABOUT THE TWELVE DAYS OF HUNTER

The team at Intrepid HQ have created an entire IntrepidAllen range that will be available exclusively from Zazzle online, and you can find out more about Zazzle and their print-on-demand methodology here. It's our intention to support a number of charities as we move forward and we'll start off by donating 10% of IntrepidAllen profits from every item sold from the Zazzle online range to the British Parachute Regiment Charity.

Valentine's Day. Two words that leave people in a hot flush, or a cold sweat. The pressure of finding the perfect gift, arranging the perfect dinner or just getting the card right for the person you fancy can be, well, challenging (unbearable).

Usually I'm rushing around at the last minute, eventually picking up a favourite bottle of bubbles for my Sar before we settle into a romantic picnic together somewhere. Of course, this year, we'll be joined by our boys, Captain Morgan and Baby Rhett, and the trampoline in the backyard will most likely be the 'romantic' spot.

So, if, like me, you don't succumb to the commercialisation of February 14 but still want to acknowledge it with a stylish but not excessive hat-tip to Saint Valentine, here's what you do this year: promise that special someone - him or her - some real action!

Of course, I'm referring to action of the armchair variety. Because, clearly, after wining and dining your muse, you'll be looking forward to a rip-roaring action thriller... right?

Here's how you get that special someone's pulse racing:

1. PLATE IT UP

Set the scene: table, candles, music, rose in vase, etc. Then, just as you're pouring the bubbly, gently place Defender: Intrepid 1 on your muse's place-mat and announce that tonight, they get Alex Morgan / Arena Halls / Victor Lundt on a plate (depending on their preferences, of course).

2. IF MUSIC BE THE FOOD OF LOVE, PLAY ON

Create a playlist for the evening - kicking things off with Dance Me To The End Of Love by Madeline Peyroux (Arena Halls would be proud of you) and then suggest that you each do an interpretive dance to the song that best suits your mood at the time :) I recommend against Til The End by The Living End, even though Alex Morgan would be happy, not such a good pick for Feb 14... unless you want to end up with whiplash! (Just incidentally, both these songs appear in Defender: Intrepid 1 ).

3. BRING OUT THE BIG GUNS

Nothing says romance like heart shaped foods, I've always thought, and turns out everyone on Pinterest agrees! I particularly like this tasty morsel - such a sophisticated take on bacon and eggs - and it would go down a treat with the Mr or Mrs at dinner. Perhaps more so with the Mr than the Mrs. Anyway, simple is best and you can spend the all time you saved washing pots and pans doing something a little more intimate... like reading Hunter: Intrepid 2 aloud to each other.

4. BUBBLE BUBBLE

Now, it just wouldn't be very Intrepid-esque to leave your options at just dinner and dancing. Why not draw a decadent bubble bath for your muse. Don't leave anything to chance: candles, flowers, music - perhaps something classical that would appeal to Charlotte-Rose Fleming, you get the idea. You're all set so, when your loved one desires, guide them into the water, close the door, then pad back down the hallway, pour yourself a healthy Shiraz and sneak in a few more chapters of Alex Morgan's latest, allowing your muse a few precious moments to soak.

5. BLUE MOON

Perhaps you're more of an outdoorsy type. No problem. Everyone loves the moon, especially when it's full. So, why not serve a nice dessert wine and cheese platter outside? Then, to maximise your time, pre-arrange for head-mounted flash lights so that you don't miss out on a good reading session once the sun does go down and the cheese platter is all gone. I mean, seriously, what else would you do?

6. SHOW US YOUR THRILLER

Finally, for those with an exhibitionist streak, there's always the chance to Show Us Your Thriller. Why not choose just the right moment during the course of your romantic evening together and pose with your copy of Defender or Hunter - or both - maybe even acting out one of the scenes described above. Post it onto my Facebook page - then, after a popular vote, one lucky person will be immortalised with a character in my next adventure story: AVENGER: Intrepid 3!

Now that you and your muse are guaranteed a thrilling time on February 14, here's how to make it a sure thing. Of course, I'm talking about an inscribed, signed, bookmarked and beautifully wrapped copy of Defender and Hunter for $40 plus $12 postage Australia-wide. Or you can get Hunter for $25, Defender for $20 plus the same postage cost.

If you prefer, you can give the gift of an eBook to your loved one and it's dead easy to do on Amazon if your girl or guy has a Kindle. Just go to the page for Defender on Amazon or Hunter on Amazon and select the 'give as gift' option. Our good mates at Momentum Books have also written this blow-by-blow account on how to gift eBooks to other people with all types of eReaders, helpfully titled The Lazy Person's Guide to Gift Giving (http://momentumbooks.com.au/blog/the-...). If that doesn't make you feel good about yourself, I don't know what does.

There you have it, folks. Oh, I forgot to mention - signed copies are best for Australia-wide only, otherwise the postage gets ridiculous; email gday@intrepidallen.com to order; and last drinks (orders) are due by this Sunday evening 10 February so we can get them delivered by Thursday.

Let's make your next Valentine's Day the most thrilling yet: full steam ahead.

Chris

ps. Still not sure if this is the kind of action they want? Check out the latest reviews about the action thriller stories at http://www.intrepidallen.com/reviews

OR: HOW TO START PUBLISHING YOUR BOOK

Recently, following a writers' talk at the Lake Macquarie Fellowship of Australian Writers, I received an email from one of the attendees asking me how long I should expect a book will take to write and publish.

My first thought is "how long is a piece of string?" It's a valid question though and one I'd like to address right here, on this blog, to spark thought and discourse with any other aspiring or practicing writers.

If you ultimately seek a successful writing career (and there's nothing wrong with that!) then you may need to do what I did after completing my first book, and drastically alter your writing approach - especially if you ever wish to enjoy the fruits of your labours. The idea? To embrace a shorter but more productive writing timeframe; learn the ropes of the digital revolution in full swing; and take control of your publishing destiny.

The following advice has been prepared on the basis of my personal experience and should be taken as my own journey and therefore may or may not be of assistance to you. The Boss - aka my Sar - suggested I add that particular disclaimer, as there is already a plethora of authors out there providing marketing and publishing advice, and while we all have learnings to impart, no one person is the holy grail. ​That said, Sarah has done a great course recently - led by one particularly cool fellow - that is worth checking as his advice was incredible and, importantly, based on success that was hard won.

Now, back to the basics.​

PREPARING YOUR BOOK

There are a couple of approaches to consider.

Firstly, you may wish to self publish it as I did initially and, thereby, 'test the waters'. If you do, you can: (1) engage some of your writing colleagues and ask for their genuine feedback - this will help you get a sense of what's working or not, then either (2) find and pay for an editor who is experienced in your genre and will work with you to make the manuscript 'publishing ready' - many available online if you look hard enough, or (3) pay for a complete publishing/editorial package which will essentially give you a one-stop-shop to keep the process simple and, relatively, expedient. In this regard, I would recommend researching the Amazon publishing arm CreateSpace - the people I used when I self-published Defender of the Faith.

If you don't want to self-publish then you'll be on the look out for a publisher who specialises in your genre. That could be a mainstream publisher who is looking for writers producing work in that area, or it could be a genre-specific publisher. This will take research and I wouldn't limit your research just to Australia. Spend some time hunting across the internet and look for writing groups, bloggers, reviewers who are focused on that genre - listen for the buzz on whose work they are reviewing, what they are saying about the biggest writers in your space, and use your sleuthing skills to discover who publishes their work, who agents for them, and so on.

KEEP WRITING

Now, all of the above is something you should be doing while concurrently getting started on the next book!

Publishing is a business. Publishers are looking for writers/books that they feel will sell and that they can market and turnaround reasonably rapidly. Your work is a 'product for sale' in the big bad world. So, you need to be prepared to change your writing approach if you wish to be picked up by a publisher and see your books on shelves in stores or online.

These days, with the explosion of eReaders and eBooks and reading a plethora of stories on all manner of technological devices and (gasp) books, you've gotta keep writing to up your chances of success as an dollar-earning author. A publisher could be looking for a six month turnaround from you if they are looking to publish one of your books per year. That gives them time to undertake the full editing process - structural/copy/final etc, followed by the actual production process and then, obviously, marketing ahead of the release date.

THINK SERIES-LY

My experience has been in writing a series, so I'm going to stick to that. Map out your entire series so that you have the full adventure planned and organised into the various volumes i.e. Book 1, Book 2, Book 3 etc. Once you've done that, then get started on book two. That means planning your personal writing process around a certain word-count per day or week (up to you). To me, it's all about word count. Books in my genre of action / thriller / espionage normally average around 100,000 words. It would be wise to find an average word count for books in your genre so that you have an idea of what to aim for. Then, it's simply: creativity + maths = book delivered on time.

No one can tell you exactly how to execute this, especially the creativity part. However, I would advise against paragraph-by-paragraph perfection and stay focused on the entire story. Remember, the book will go through a very detailed (sometimes excruciating) editorial process once you have it finished. Honestly, just get the story down. It's your story and your characters that will win over an audience. They won't be too concerned with every single word and paragraph.

I'll leave it there for now. Do you have a view? Leave a comment below.

Best,​

Chris

I’ve got to tell you how particularly chuffed I am that it’s Intrepid Month right now at That Book You Like (http://thatbookyoulike.wordpress.com/).

The act of writing stories can be less than glamorous – it’s more endless cups of tea and crumbs piling up on the keyboard in a darkened room (aka my writing mancave) than back-to-back launches and book signings with pen poised and a glass of red by my side. So, an entire month that celebrates the fruits of my humble artistic toils through a group Book Club read and Facebook chat is very welcome indeed!

Those days when I am holed up in the mancave, churning out chapters of the latest Alex Morgan espionage adventure as fast as my clumsy two-finger typing skills can manage, I’m not consciously thinking about what makes a cracking thriller. It’s creating my own mix of preferred reading and viewing tastes, past experiences, a reasonable dash of instinct, and an intense need to extract the story from my head and get it onto the page. Then, of course everything is honed during the editing process with my publisher.

Once the books are put out into the world, there does seem – on reflection – to be some shared elements I recognise between my work and those of the other thriller writers I have grown up enjoying.

So, here’s ten elements of a cracking thriller that are important to me when crafting or getting into a new action & adventure yarn. I wonder if you enjoy these or different tactics when you’re getting into a story?

1. A plot that keeps you guessing

The plot has to keep you going at a micro and macro level. I like to write and read stories that keep the narrative moving ahead quickly. Before you know it, you’re well and truly committed to the story because the author has you hooked from the outset.

2. Action that compels you to keep reading

You’ve got to need to keep the pages turning. When I hear that someone has missed their train stop or their bus because too busy reading what Alex Morgan is up to, then my job is done. I love to read books that can achieve that for me, too! The idea is to keep the forward movement of the action as relentless as possible. The reader should be almost out of breath at the end of a major action sequence.

3. Characters that you care about

This is something that I am exploring as I immerse myself into the Alex Morgan series. I’d like to let my readers know more about Morgan and other principle characters. There are many writers who are great at this in the action/adventure arena – including my favourites – Fleming, Conan Doyle, Maclean, Higgins, Cussler. Of course, including a little beguiling love interest in each story doesn’t harm the reading experience either.

4. Enough realism to make you wonder, enough escapism to help you forget

I like stories that make you think, ‘maybe this has really happened’. For instance, when I created the fictional agency Intrepid, I wanted to give it a sense of real world gravitas but setting it within Interpol, while adding the connection to other major international agencies such as the UN Security Council. In truth the two are not connected but it’s not a stretch to believe that they are, and it also adds a sense of scale to the grand narrative I’m constructing across the series.

5. Enjoyable the second time around

The proof is in the pudding when it comes to great books. You know, the ones that are your favourites because you keep going back to re-read them time and again? I have my favourite stories that I return to and in years to come, I hope to provide that experience for my own readers. Ideally, the aim is to have people enjoy it enough to put a copy on their bookshelf – which is an achievement in an age of eReaders.

6. Classic but contemporary

In my view, the more that an action writer can make something that’s been made a thousand times over seem new and fresh, then the closer you are to achieving that balance between classic and contemporary. Provide the reader with a familiar setting but give them completely new characters and stories to enjoy.

7. Not so much about mass carnage

One thing I’m learning – and it’s a significant lesson – is that readers need more from their characters than their plots. Movies can easily deal with carnage and death on a mass scale, but finding innovative ways for both protagonist and antagonist to outwit each other on the page – in the classic good vs evil struggle – is a complex process. Readers need to be stimulated to be engaged, otherwise they’ll just skipping over the pages until they find a bit that draws them back in. And, if that takes too long, you’ll lose them.

8. An ass-kicking pace

You’ve probably guessed by now, I love action stories. I grew up on them, I’ve read hundreds of them and now I write them. To me, the ultimate adventure is fast paced and furious from beginning to end, but that doesn’t have to just be about the action. The narrative overall must be the literary equivalent pushing a large boulder over the crest of a steep hill. Nothing is going to stop it as it gathers speed and momentum every inch of the way until it comes crashing to a stop at the base of the hill, leaving nothing but anticipation of more to come.

9. The power to take you places

As a boy my favourite writers transported me from Rossmoyne, our sleepy little corner of Perth, and with the flick of a page landed me on foreign shores in the midst of incredible adventures. I’ve always loved that about books because our imagination drives our experience of the story. It’s up to the author to provide you with the prompts and triggers to enhance that experience.

10. Flawed characters

We can’t all be perfect, and especially not our heroes. There needs to be some level of mystery and uncertainty about our protagonist. We expect the villains to be flawed but writers can focus too much on the baddies while keeping the hero on a pedestal. I’ve become conscious of this as a writer. Heroes must be at their core, human beings and their lives, attitudes and actions need depth and context. If I can be as objective as possible, sometimes Alex Morgan is so firmly established in my mind’s eye, I have a tendency to allow the baddies live more on the page. That’s all about to change in Avenger…

What are your thoughts? What’s important when you’re reading a story? I’ll be taking your questions in a live Facebook Chat on Monday 24 June from 7.30pm AEST so would love to get your feedback then (Join up at https://www.facebook.com/events/33521...). Or leave a comment below and we might reference and discuss it on the night!

Interested to get reading? Here’s how you can also get involved in the Book Club read, Defender & Hunter, for Intrepid month: http://www.thatbookyoulike.com.au/ind...

***

Read the guest-post at That Book You Like: http://thatbookyoulike.wordpress.com/...

A few blogs ago, back in January, I participated in the blog equivalent of a chain mail letter, an online challenge called The Next Big Thing. In it, I mentioned a couple of actors that I’d like to see play my characters in Defender.

Now this week, for Tia at The Serious Reader blog, I've thoroughly enjoyed putting together a short and snappy ‘Hollywood Star Cast’ for my second action thriller in the Alex Morgan espionage series, Hunter with descriptions of the characters included.

You can read it here: http://www.theseriousreader.org/1/pos...

In this post I will be further explaining why I think these and other actors would be the perfect fit to play the following five of the main characters in Hunter. They are by no means the only actors who could play these roles but I do like to have people pegged in my mind as I write - it helps me bring the characters to life.

As you’ll read in The Serious Reader guest-post, my stand-out to play Alex Morgan has for some time been Australian actor, Alex O’Loughlin. I like O’Loughlin because he’s Australian and he’s also done well on US TV playing Steve McGarrett in Hawaii 5-0. What I like about his portrayal of McGarrett is he’s really captured the essence of a former service man. He’s not a bulldog but he’s a definite action man. He has empathy and respect at the same time as being completely mission-focused. He doesn’t play a robot soldier, he plays a thinking soldier and I really like that about him.

But a new kid on the block for the Alex Morgan role has to be Henry Cavill, the British actor playing Superman in The Man of Steel. He's the perfect age, he has a strong 'good guy' look about him that really captures what I want for Morgan. Men want to be him, and women, well...

Meanwhile, a hands-down favourite to play General Davenport is Pierce Brosnan. Brosnan has just turned 60 and he carries his age and the integrity of his age well, especially given that General Davenport is a former decorated SAS officer before becoming an expert in the rules of war and humanitarian war. It would be easy for an audience to associate Brosnan with an action man past given that he is the last actor to play Bond before Daniel Craig. Above all, Davenport is an old-school gentleman and I think Brosnan would convey that well.

I would like to see Emily Blunt play Charlotte-Rose Fleming. I like the Englishness about her. In the book, Charlie is a child of an American mother and an English father. Blunt has a strong presence on screen while possessing feminine vulnerability. The most important thing for me is that the female leads convey intelligence and resourcefulness. Blunt would be perfect for that.

The one to play The Wolf is Olivier Martinez. The Wolf needs to be someone who conveys a very dark side while also being appealing on the surface, because that’s what The Wolf relies on; his strength is in being able to flout the law and present himself as something other than what he really is.

Rade Šerbedžija is the guy that I’d want to play Drago’s character. I first saw Šerbedžija in The Saint movie with Val Kilmer and he has been in many others since, including most recently in Taken 2. He is an incredibly strong actor and I even used him as inspiration for the description of Drago in the story. He has a physicality and presence that I absolutely hope to convey with Drago's central character.

It is a dream for any author to have movies made of his stories and I'm no different. While I use some of these actors in my mind while writing the third in the series, Avenger, there are new characters in the latest story that are not covered here.

I'd also love to find out any actors you can see playing any of the characters in my thriller novels - just leave me a comment!