Author Interview – Patrick Weill

Author of the Park and Walker Action Thriller series.

I am very pleased to welcome Patrick Weill to my blog to talk about his book Double Threat.

Helen: Welcome Patrick. I’m excited to talk to you about Double Threat

Patrick: My latest book is entitled Double Threat. It is the third book in what will either be a completed trilogy or an expanded action thriller series. Set in sunny San Diego, California, and also on the Pacific Ocean, this novel features police detectives Tony Park and Jeff Walker, who split up for the first time as they star in alternating chapters until their stories intertwine in a twist that readers won’t see coming.

Park drives up to Los Angeles, where he joins forces with the FBI, working undercover on a cruise ship in pursuit of an unidentified serial killer. Walker becomes a member of MARTAC, the Harbor Police’s SWAT team, and in this capacity tackles a case of his own involving political assassination, white supremacy, and narcotics trafficking, facing powerful enemies both old and new.

Helen: Sounds like quite the adventure. How did you choose the cover design?

Patrick: The cover is from a scene that takes place late in the book, when a bomb surgically placed inside a bad guy’s abdominal cavity explodes aboard a crooked politician’s superyacht. But the image is also intended to evoke a general sense of danger aboard a massive ship on the ocean because much of the action is set on a cruise ship, giving new meaning to the term ‘rough seas’!

Helen: It is a powerful image. Why did you call your book Double Threat? Is there a special meaning or back story about the title?

Patrick: Yes, there IS a special meaning to Double Threat. Who will be the real double threat? Detectives Park and Walker, who are up against long odds as usual? Or the twin forces of evil they are facing, which turn out to be connected. ‘Double’ also refers to the book being two stories in one.

Helen: I love the insights behind your title. Who inspired you to start writing?  

Patrick: Lee Child and my grandmother. Child because he found himself out of work/in need of money and, having been a reader all his life, picked up a pencil and a legal pad and set to work. Just like me. My grandmother because when I was twelve years old, she encouraged me to write a book review in a local newspaper and helped me publish it.

Helen: With the third book of your series complete, what are you working on next?

Patrick: I am currently writing a different kind of novel, a legal thriller featuring both male and female protagonists. It’s a major challenge, but I am doing heaps of research, and, with three action thrillers under my belt, I feel ready for it.

Helen: It’s always exciting to venture into a different area for your next book. Wishing you plenty of writing inspiration. Let’s talk a little about your writing process. When writing, do you listen to music or do you prefer silence?

Patrick: I used to, but now I find that I focus better with earplugs instead. I am able to devote all of my attention to writing instead of splitting it between cognitive tasks.

Helen: Are you a pantser or a planner? Do you write free form, or do you have a framework you stick to?

Patrick: Both. Writing is an art as well as a science; a hospital can’t be built without a blueprint, yet inspiration only comes through the imagination, which must be allowed to freely flow.

Helen: That is so true! Earlier you mentioned you’ve been doing research for your new book. How much research do you do for each book?

Patrick: Plenty. For example, in the case of the legal thriller, I will have read at least seven books, two of which were non-fiction and quite dry (but informative). And I’ll have spent hours and hours reading on the internet. Possibly contacting legal and/or law enforcement professionals, etc.

Helen: Thank you for joining me today. Just to finish, what is the most useful piece of writing advice you’ve received, and by whom?

Patrick: ‘Truckers don’t get trucker’s block, nor nurses nurse’s block.’

-Lee Child

About the Author

Patrick Weill

Patrick Weill is an award-winning translator and author who resides in central Mexico with his family along with four dogs and an aquarium full of fish. You can visit his website to download a FREE Park and Walker short story!

Author WebsiteFacebookLinkedInGoodreadsBookBubInstagramFree prequel short story: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/9apf2tbqi1Free legal thriller prequel: https://patrickweill.com/wp-content/uploads/Relentless.pdf

Purchase Patrick’s book, Double Threat

Link to book on Amazon UK: eBook | Paperback

Link to book on Amazon US: eBook | Paperback

As an Amazon Associate I may benefit from purchases made using these links.

If you enjoy epic fantasy then check out my award winning Sentinal series, which is now complete. If you like fantasy books with a touch of romance then you will love my SoulMist series, start with SoulBreather. Prefer Dystopian Science Fantasy? Then try Harmony. Start the adventure and stay for the journey.

Sign up to my newsletter and download a free novella called Sentinals Stirring and get notified when my next books are published.

Sign up to my newsletter and download a free copy of Sentinals Stirring

By clicking the sign up button above, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and the newsletter platform provider to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.

By signing up to my newsletter, you agree to receive commercial information from Helen Garraway, located at 61 Bridge St, Kingston, Hertfordshire, UK (Data Administrator). You can withdraw your consent at any time. The data will be processed until the consent is withdrawn.