Chris Allen's Blog, page 6

December 13, 2012

SUPER INTREPID STYLE

DAY FIVE: TWELVE DAYS OF HUNTER

On the fifth day of Hunter, a secret agent said to me:

SUPER INTREPID STYLE

How can anyone go past the infectious enthusiasm and energy of PSY's 884+million viewed video on YouTube, Super Gangnam Style? Released in the middle of July this year, it went 'gangnambusters'!

I must admit, it wasn't me, more my other half Sarah who suggested this painfully hip version. I wasn't going to knock it back though, because these Intrepid designs are all about having some fun. And Super Intrepid Style, if it existed, would be a fun move.

As I write this, Hunter: Intrepid 2 is sitting at #2 on the Crimes and Thriller Best-Seller List on iTunes. I'm elated. Let's just say, if it hits #1, I might just film a quick video of some kind of interpretive Super Intrepid Style version of the Gangnam dance!

You can view Super Intrepid Style gear on Zazzle here.

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.

Spreading the Word Tip #5

Order an eBook copy of Hunter: Intrepid 1. On iTunes, for your Apple device. Right.... here.

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.
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DEAR SANTA I NEED SOME ACTION

DAY FOUR: TWELVE DAYS OF HUNTER

On the fourth day of Hunter, a secret agent said to... well, you'll get the idea:

DEAR SANTA,
I NEED SOME ACTION. SEND ALEX MORGAN.
XX

One for the ladies? Enough said.

You can view a full range of "Dear Santa" Intrepid gear on Zazzle here.

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.

Spreading the Word Tip #4

Have a drink with us at the Commodore Hotel this Saturday 8 December from 12 - 5pm. It's my birthday, plus we are giving the books an unofficial launch. You can pick up a signed Defender, order your signed Hunter (we'll deliver this for Sydney-ites in time for Christmas) or just order a beer. Hope to see you there.

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.
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December 3, 2012

ALEX MORGAN IS BACK

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.
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Published on December 03, 2012 03:34 Tags: 12-days-of-christmas, action-adventure-novel, alex-morgan, hunter, intrepidallen-com, zazzle

INTREPID AGENTS KICK ASS

DAY TWO: TWELVE DAYS OF HUNTER

If you missed my blog yesterday, to celebrate Hunter: Intrepid 2, my latest Alex Morgan adventure being launched, we're kicking off an exciting new range of Intrepid gear, with twelve fresh designs in twelve days.

On the second day of Hunter, my inner agent said to me: "Intrepid Agents Kick Ass"!

So...

DESIGN #2: INTREPID AGENTS KICK ASS


Well they do, don’t they? At the risk of stating the obvious we wanted to establish that Intrepid agents are international, have street cred, and, most importantly, they can kick some serious criminal butt no matter what the odds!

Feel free to check out some Christmas gift ideas for yourself or someone else from the new IntrepidAllen range on Zazzle: for that person in your life who does a lot of driving, maybe they'd like a trucker's cap; for the Urban Hipsters there's the ultra cool iPhone cover; for those of you, like me, who drink lots of tea & coffee, there's the travel and at-home coffee mugs; there are t-shirts for dogs, notebooks for writers, postcards and even mousepads.

View the full range of Intrepid Agents Kick Ass gear here.

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

It's all just a bit of fun. Enjoy!

Cheers, Chris

PS If you want to help get my 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 #2

Now that you've downloaded Defender, the Book of the Week on the iBookstore for your Apple device, Facebook, email or text your friends this link http://bit.ly/YzNlEF so they can download it for free too!



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.

If there's something you'd like but cant see, like a cover for your brand of mobile phone, please email your request through.

I hope you like the second offering in the Twelve Days of Hunter.
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Published on December 03, 2012 03:31 Tags: action-adventure-novel, chris-allen, intrepid-agents, intrepid-merchandise, zazzle

TWELVE DAYS OF HUNTER

Today, Hunter: Intrepid 2 has been released into the big, bad world, and I'm happy to report that it debuted at #5 on the iBookstore Bestsellers List under Crimes & Thrillers.

As promised, to celebrate the launch of my latest Alex Morgan adventure, we're kicking off an exciting new range of Intrepid gear.

TWELVE DAYS OF HUNTER

Now, I'm sure you all know the famous 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' carol, about a series of gifts given from Christmas Day onward. Well, in that spirit, the team at Intrepid HQ have come up with twelve new designs based on my Intrepid action thriller novels. Aimed at having some fun and being quality, useful products, each design comes in a range of gift ideas for the Intrepid agent close to your heart.

We'll be unveiling a new design and talking about each one every day through to December 12.... starting right now! So, here we go...

DESIGN #1: THERE'S A NEW AGENT IN TOWN

This is just a bit of fun. I was interviewed for a newspaper article a few years back and when the story ran it began with the line 'There's a new Sheriff in town'. Now, with that in mind, along with the release of the latest Bond movie - and my very high expectations for Intrepid's star agent Alex Morgan - it seemed a fitting design to kick things off with.

The team at Intrepid HQ have created an entire IntrepidAllen range that will be available exclusively from Zazzle online. 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.

Feel free to check out some Christmas gift ideas, including tees, travel mugs, notebooks and even a whiteboard. If there's something you'd like but cant see, like a cover for your brand of mobile phone, please email your request through.

Check out the full range of Christmas gift ideas here.

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

I hope you like the first offering in the Twelve Days of Hunter.

Please keep sending me your feedback as you read the book - I love receiving it!

Until next time,

Chris

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

Starting with this...

Spreading the Word Tip #1

Download Defender free for your Apple device while it is Book of the Week on iTunes - then sit back, read and enjoy!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/hunt...
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Published on December 03, 2012 03:27 Tags: 12-days-of-christmas, action-adventure, intrepid-merchandise

November 28, 2012

GLAMOUR, HUMOUR AND CHARM: SKYFALL REVIEW

If, like me, you’re an Ian Fleming fan first and a Bond movie fan second, mark my words: you will love SKYFALL. If however, you prefer the vodka martinis, the cheesy one-liners, or the gadgets and gimmicks of earlier Bond films – the exploding pens, invisible cars and so on– don’t despair. The essential ingredients of the 007 franchise – glamour, humour, charm - are still front and centre in the long-awaited 50th anniversary 23rd film directed by Sam Mendes, but they’re present in a way that is much more a reflection of our times and tastes. The requirement to suspend your disbelief still holds strong and there’s just enough of the old tricks & gadgets to remind you of the rich history behind any Bond film. Besides, I’d be a hypocrite if I decried any story that presents such a perfect balance of gritty realism with a liberal dose of escapism!

I was more engaged by Daniel Craig this time around than I was in his last outing, QUANTUM OF SOLACE, in which I found his Bond surly and arrogant. For the record, he was incredible in CASINO ROYALE - I saw that film half a dozen times at the cinema. Back then, Craig convincingly portrayed the raw material that would become the secret agent – the wet-behind-the-ears new boy under immense pressure to prove himself worthy of Double-0 status. A nice parallel given that Craig’s appointment as the new 007 met with a fierce backlash from diehard fans. Craig had as much to prove as Bond himself. His hunger to prove the detractors wrong was palpable in CASINO ROYALE and in SKYFALL he has very successfully channelled that hunger again.

In his performance, the core elements that drive the man to act so selflessly and under any circumstances on behalf of his country – loyalty, integrity, devotion to duty – are not affected, they’re just there. The relationship between Bond and his boss, M, once again played with such conviction by the inimitable Judi Dench, is an obvious metaphor for everything we have come to expect of the character – the quintessentially tenacious British Bulldog. In his devotion and loyalty to M, the lofty ideal of serving Queen & Country as courageously and unreservedly as 007 does, is presented perfectly in a very intimate and familial way which makes the entire premise utterly believable. This is underpinned by the majestic yet understated performance of Javier Bardem in the guise of agent-gone-bad, Silva. In fact, Bardem’s opening scene involves an extremely challenging sexually charged situation involving Bond. It was unexpected but brilliantly done and the confidence, reality and humour conveyed by both actors is priceless.

Unlike many of his predecessors, Silva is no megalomaniac. His motivations and objectives are significantly more clinical, more personal than the Blofeld-Stromberg-Drax variety of the old days and this is what is so engaging. He has been personally wronged, he has suffered intolerably as a result and he is hell bent on revenge at any cost. We’ve all been there, right? More than anything Silva is flawed (obviously), vulnerable (disturbingly so) and damaged (beyond repair). But what makes this film so great is that these traits are equally true of Bond and M. The history and volatility that connects this unlikely threesome - 007, M & Silva - is the centrepiece of the entire narrative and its strength and plausibility is achieved by the outstanding performances of all three.

If you haven’t guessed already, I absolutely loved this movie. This is not the Bond of Connery, or Lazenby, or Moore, Dalton or Brosnan. Daniel Craig has indisputably captured the Bond who clung protectively to Gala Brand under a shower while the tiles blistered and boiling water rained down upon their bodies, as an atom bomb launched just metres away through a blast wall in MOONRAKER, 1955. His Bond is the guy you can imagine, swimming through Caribbean coral at midnight to rescue Solitaire, with spear gun in hand and a limpet mine strapped to his chest, running the gauntlet of sharks and barracuda in pitch darkness only to be dragged down to the edge of death by a murderous octopus in LIVE AND LET DIE, 1954.

As a fan who first discovered Ian Fleming & James Bond as a teenager back in 1977, I feel as though the franchise has finally gone full circle. The earliest films – DR NO, FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, GOLDFINGER & THUNDERBALL – all remained reasonably true to the original novels. After that it was pretty much a free-for-all in terms of outlandish plots and spectacular stunts. With Daniel Craig’s entry to the series, CASINO ROYALE began the process of returning us to the raw material, QUANTUM OF SOLACE was a bit try hard, but now SKYFALL has absolutely hit the mark.

In SKYFALL Daniel Craig returns 007 to the world imagined by his creator, his family seat, his history and his heritage.

It is unequivocally the Bond of Ian Fleming.

This post first appeared on Momentum blog: www.momentumbooks.com.au.

If you’re a fan of the Bond films or Fleming books, you’ll love the INTREPID series. Visit www.intrepidallen.com for more.
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November 27, 2012

HUNT FOR THE NEXT BIG THRILLER

ANNOUNCING BOOK HUNT WINNERS

Last week a fantastic time was had playing a Book Hunt to mark the impending launch of my next Alex Morgan action thriller, Hunter: Intrepid 2.

Hunters solved five clues in as many days, including making a wish list for Santa from the That Book You Like store; checking out a pic of me alongside my ex-airborne alumni Bradley Trevor Greive; scouring digital publishing guru-swami Momentum Books' website for the scoop on Hunter's heroine; and honing mathematical skills watching fellow Aussie thriller writer Luke Preston's foreboding book trailer for Dark City Blue.

Scores of responses came through, and you solved the clues with aplomb. A handful of you wrote in every single day which increased your chances of winning significantly.

The winners were drawn this morning by my very own Intrepid agent, the almost-three-year-old Morgan. All the entries were placed in a pith helmut I picked up in Kenya more than a decade ago, and Morgan drew them out from that - even wearing the hat afterwards.

Our thanks to everyone for playing in the Book Hunt with such vim and vigour. Without much further ado, here are the winners of the five prize packs:

1. Patricia Featherstone

2. Rob Borg

3. Gloria Bale

4. Jason Woollett

5. Michael

Winners will receive signed copies of Defender and Hunter as well as an extra reading gem each from our friends at Momentum / Pan Macmillan (thanks guys!) and a bookmark from That Book You Like (because there's nothing as annoying as losing your place in a good book).

We will get in touch and post these packs out as soon as the print copies of Hunter arrive - which will be before Christmas. My apologies we can't send it sooner, but you simply can't rush a printer on a quality job like this ... ;)

This brings me nicely to the next item - the Defender / Hunter book drinks at the Commodore Hotel, North Sydney, on 8 December from midday - 5pm. There's been a slight change of plan. We'd love to see you all for a beer, and while we'll have the new 'Defenders' to hand, there may not be any 'Hunters' there, so instead we'll take orders on the day and deliver them by Christmas. If you can't make it along, we'll start taking orders soon - the signed and beautifully wrapped Defender / Hunter combo would make a great present, if you don't mind my saying!

So congrats to our winners and here's to all you dedicated Hunters - and to the countdown to Hunter launching on 1 Defender, I mean, December.

I'll be in touch soon with new ways to get a bit of Intrepid in your life - 12 ways in 12 days, in fact. That's all I can say for now or I'll get in some serious trouble.

Chris

ps. I'm looking forward to finally seeing Skyfall this week - and reviewing it on the Momentum blog soon thereafter at momentumbooks.com.au.
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November 21, 2012

Becoming IntrepidAllen

It’s been a fantastic year at this address, defenderofthefaith.com.au, but with the re-release of Defender of the Faith by Momentum as Defender: Intrepid 1 and with Hunter: Intrepid 2 hot on it’s heels (releasing 1 December) we are off to a new website. The new site is intrepidallen.com – I’ll be blogging there, posting reviews, [...]
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Published on November 21, 2012 12:39

November 20, 2012

SOCIAL MEDIA BOOK HUNT

CELEBRATING THE LAUNCH OF HUNTER ON 1 DECEMBER

We're getting chills about the impending release of explosive action thriller Hunter, the second in the hard-hitting Intrepid series. So, to celebrate, there's going to be a social media Book Hunt happening from our Facebook page (facebook.com/intrepidallen) from 19-24 November.

Get involved to win exclusive book pack prizes including signed copies of Defender and Hunter and other fantastic recent releases by authors in the Momentum / Pan Macmillan stable, all arriving on your doorstep just in time for the holidays!

To play, all you need to do is listen out on the IntrepidAllen Facebook page (facebook.com/intrepidallen) for the daily question, and email your response to win@intrepidallen.com by midnight each day.

We'll be giving away five prize packs. Everyone who sends in an answer goes in the draw to win - meaning the more days you send us your answer, the more chances you have to win!

HOW TO TAKE PART

1. Check out the IntrepidAllen Facebook page: facebook.com/intrepidallen from 19-24 November.

2. We will post a clue each day before 5pm.

3. Hit up the World Wide Web for the answer - most answers will be encrypted on other legendary authors and bookish people's Facebook pages, so you can take part in the Book Hunt from your phone if you're on the go!

4. Email your answer to win@intrepidallen.com by midnight of that same day. Pop your name and postal address in the email along with your answer. And put 'Book Hunt' in the email subject line.

5. The Book Hunt will close at midnight on Friday 23 November, and winners will be announced on Monday 26 November. Prize packs will then be sent out in the first week of December.

6. And.... if you SHARE on Facebook or Twitter that you're on our Book Hunt, and tag our page or mention @intrepidallen on Twitter, we'll give you an extra competition entry.

There you have it - the Hunter social media Book Hunt. Too easy.
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Published on November 20, 2012 20:21 Tags: book-hunt

November 14, 2012

BEST OF DEFENDER: MOST POPULAR BLOG POSTS

If you're new to the world of Intrepid - firstly, welcome, and here's some highlights to catch you up on what's been happening. And if you're an old-school Defender, it's more of a trip down memory lane.

It's been a couple of years now I've been blogging, irregularly as all hell, I must admit. There have been a handful of standout posts over that time that people flocked to, commented on, re-posted, re-tweeted, had conversations about, and even created their own spin-off blogs for.

They are around the writing process and my creative inspirations, as well as my writing mentor Ian Fleming, who I mention every now and again in my conversations online and offline.

MY WRITING SPACE

What surrounds me when I write has as much influence as the stories and characters bubbling around in my head, ready to burst onto the computer screen. This post shares some photos of my writing space, the army and Paratrooping mementos on the wall, memories of my ancestors who also served, and important things like my growing collection of first edition Fleming Bond novels.

Read My Writing Space.
http://www.intrepidallen.com/blog/201...

ON DEADLINE

Back in June I was on deadline for HUNTER: Intrepid 2 in a serious way. Writing 3,000 - 4,000 words a day, emerging for meals with reams of paper and then descending back into the writing mancave by night. Talk about extreme. This post examines seven cool and not-so-cool things about being on a deadline - such as, time seems to slow down to a snail's pace, but strangely, my hair grows faster.

Read On Deadline.
http://www.intrepidallen.com/blog/201...

TEN THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT IAN FLEMING

I wrote this post to mark Ian Fleming's birthday on May 28 - he would have been 104 years old - after talking to my Sarah about some of the interesting but less-known facts about Fleming's relatively short life. For example, as a kid Ian Fleming broke his nose, and it was repaired with a piece of copper. Probably the quickest blog I've ever written, as it all came off the top of my head.

Read Ten Things You Didn't Know About Ian Fleming.
http://www.intrepidallen.com/blog/201...

MY TOP FIVE BOOK CHARACTERS

This one captured your attention, and people around the world decided to blog their top five characters. I found new books and new characters to enjoy as well as sharing mine with others, and hopefully adding to your own reading lists. It's safe to say I included my favourites from Arthur Conan Doyle and Fleming as well as Patricia Cornwell and Tom Clancy's protagonists. There might be a Top Five Villains post coming soon...

Read My Top Five Book Characters.
http://www.intrepidallen.com/blog/201...

Well, that's about it for now. What would you like to hear about next time?

Chris
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