Chris Allen's Blog, page 7

November 13, 2012

Legends in my making

Sitting here today, putting the very final touches on Hunter, the second in the Alex Morgan Intrepid series, I realised these two action thriller novels would not have been half as good if I weren't perched on the shoulders of some very legendary blokes and ladies.

It's important then that I digress from my usual writing of Serbian war criminals being brought to justice, rogue intelligence officers getting their just desserts, criminal gun-runners caught at the last minute, all by the hardy Alex Morgan and his band of merry Intrepid agents, to recognise some of those working behind-the-scenes to get me to the top of the suspense thriller best-seller lists and beyond.

THE DEFENCE MAFIA

We were a tight-knit bunch then, and thanks to social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn, we're a tight crew once again. Great mates like Jimmy Mather, the funny-as-ever Al Armstrong, Vietnam veteran, mentor and retired RSM Bob Davies - a key ingredient in the make up of Intrepid chief General Davenport - and that's just a few of the New Zealand crew! The support I get from this bunch is limitless. They are still soldiers at heart and loyal to the core.

There's one fellow in particular, who has shown extraordinary generosity of spirit since we have recently reconnected, a bloke who served in the Paratroopers with me in the 90's who I consistently said was far too smart for his own good. Bradley Trevor Greive, since leaving the Australian Army, has been a creative force majeure and New York Times Best-Selling author with his series of Blue Day Books (see his latest, Cursings and Blessings) as well as an empassioned animal conservationist and philanthropist. He's shown great kindness to me with his time, contacts, words and experience and I couldn't be more appreciative. Thanks BTG.

THE SUPPORT CREW

A motley but talented bunch consisting of my literary agent, publisher, photographers, designer, my attorney - all helping to guide my vision for the Intrepid series into a reality. You know who you are.

THE INSPIRATION

I'm talking about blokes like Dave, pictured here with my son 'Captain' Morgan, who has done a lot of particularly exciting stuff in his military and police career that I feed into characters like Dave Sutherland, Mike Fredericks and The Key. I remember finishing the first draft of Hunter, back in June, and being lucky enough to be able to summons experts in the latest combat and airborne insertion techniques to give my final scenes that extra punch. It's great to have close mates such as these guys on speed dial, and it goes without saying that I'd do anything for them.

THE READERS

There's not much point in writing stories if others can't enjoy them. Even with all the change in the publishing industry we see the appetite for stories and storytelling grow even more voracious as our reading habits diversify. That says to me we're going to be ok, whether we read eBooks, peruse in a bookstore, or whatever the future holds. To those who are reading about Intrepid, tweeting about it, reviewing it on Amazon and Goodreads and iBooks, talking about it on Facebook and mentioning it to their mates - keep reading, keep talking!

And remember: To the brave belong all things.

Chris
 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter

November 1, 2012

DEFENDER TRIBUTE VIDEO GOES VIRAL

On the eve of the new website launch, checking out all our social media channels, dotting i's and crossing t's, we head over to IntrepidAllen's channel on YouTube.

A surprise awaited.

The Defender tribute video, made by Alex Hermes from the rockin' band Bullethead, has had in excess of 40,000 pairs of eyes on it. And growing!

They released this extended version of their popular song 'Promise Made' in 2011 as a tribute to the novel, which refers to the Intrepid team as 'Defenders of the faith', complete with video film clip that interpreted some of the book's meatier scenes!

40,000 views... now that's a little bit viral!

Watch the video clip at www.youtube.com/intrepidallen.

Massive thanks to Alex Hermes from Bullethead | Ocean Commando for his efforts ... a true Defender... Rock out!
 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on November 01, 2012 22:53 Tags: book-marketing, bullethead, defender, marketing, video, viral, website

October 17, 2012

Defender I vs Defender II

Well, the time has come to do the big reveal – the new Defender and Hunter book covers are finished and I couldn’t be happier or more excited to show them to you. On the Momentum blog they said ‘These Intrepid Covers are Hot’: “Today we have the pleasure of unveiling the covers for the first [...]
 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on October 17, 2012 21:08

October 9, 2012

Behind-the-Scenes

There are times in life when being plonked in front of a camera lens for a series of high definition photos is about as appealing as a night parachute jump when the door opens and a blizzard blows inside the aircraft. So, after nine months of supporting my wife during her pregnancy, summarised by some [...]
 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on October 09, 2012 18:25

October 4, 2012

Happy 50th, Mr Bond

Today is International James Bond Day, which marks the 50th anniversary of the release of the first 007 movie Dr No – making it one of the most successful and longest-running film franchises of all time. It’s a milestone day for me, too, as I’ve just returned the structural edit of Hunter: Intrepid 2 back [...]
 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on October 04, 2012 20:54

September 22, 2012

Shoot to Thrill

What a month it’s been! I’ve been putting Defender to bed, working on the structural edit for the second book, which is to be called Hunter, and our second little action hero, Rhett Malcolm, arrived on 10 September. By the way, you can read the blurb for Defender here on the Momentum website, and read [...]
 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on September 22, 2012 23:20

August 14, 2012

Winners and Losers

After being inundated by media commentary on Australia’s performance in the 2012 London Olympics – calculating the cost per medal, disappointment at winning silver, and tales of being too tuned into social media to perform – I am buoyed by the story of Oscar Pistorius, the track and field athlete from South Africa. Born without [...]
 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on August 14, 2012 19:05

July 30, 2012

Edit, edit then edit again

It’s a busy time in the writing mancave, after a short hiatus up to Northern NSW to visit my brothers. Handing in the first draft of Defender 2, it was no surprise that I needed a break. So driving 1500 kms to Lismore and back gave me a real opportunity to zone out, away from the [...]
 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on July 30, 2012 22:29

June 12, 2012

My Writing Space

Recently I shared a photo on my Facebook Author page showing Ian Fleming’s writing desk. We all have different needs to spark creativity. Fleming had a pretty bare space to work at – a desk with typewriter, manuscript, a couple of photos and a wall – but the stories were all inside his head. You can see [...]
 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on June 12, 2012 21:06

June 5, 2012

On Deadline…

I have to admit, there’s a certain ‘je ne sais quois’ about being so ensconced in writing a book that it permeates your thoughts, your dreams, and conversations. As the new Alex Morgan INTREPID espionage thriller is due with Momentum Books at the end of this month, here’s 7, or should I say 007, cool and [...]
 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on June 05, 2012 22:17