Of Our Own Device, A Cold War Spy Thriller by MK South

[M.K.]

The reason I put the title of the book before my name is because I believe it is more important than me. This is a story that must be told and I hope it will find its readers and fans. I know the author is as important to the readers as his or her creations, but there you go...

You can find the synopsis on the book page , if what I've said above appeals to you. I'd just like to add that while the story I tell is fictional, the background events are all real-life, some of them historical--diplomatic and spy wars, AIDs, Chernobyl, Afghanistan etc.

Happy to answer any question you have.

cheers!

[M.K.]

Excerpt from the interview for http://b2bcycon.com/


WRITING HISTORICAL FICTION - AUTHOR Q&A

M.K. SOUTH is the author of Of Our Own Device which starts during the summer of 1985, the so called “Year of the Spy,” and spans the final years of the Soviet bloc.

1. Where did the idea for your novel come from?

M.K. SOUTH: The idea first emerged in 2009, then it all started coming to me as I was riding a motorbike across Colorado and New Mexico a year later. Don’t ask me why, it just did. But most of all, I wanted to write a story of an impossible love. And I’ve done it: it’s Of Our Own Device :)

2. What kind of research did you do?

M.K.: It took me over 4 years to research for the book, primarily because it is a fictional story interwoven into factual /historical events of the Cold War period toward the end of the Soviet times. In addition, I tried to write about the topic that I had only read in books or watched movies about – espionage, the world of intelligence, diplomatic wars and on top of that, the history of LGBT in both America and the Soviet Union, where the topic was and is still a taboo. So I had to read a lot of memoirs of spy masters from both camps, diplomats, scientists, gay writers etc. I was drawing on all sources of information (incl. CIA and FBI websites) freely available to the public. Plus scanning newspapers archives for events and occurrences on any particular day. For the latter, I am indebted to Los Angeles Times’ on-line news archives which I used extensively.

3. When did you stop researching and start writing, or was it an ongoing thing?

M.K.: I started writing shortly after I’d read the first few memoirs, but continued researching and cross checking every single fact and statement I made in the book till the very last page.

4. Let’s talk characters. Are they all fictional or do you weave and develop historical people into your narrative?

M.K.: My main characters are fictional. However, they interact with quite a number of real life characters – diplomats, journalists, musicians and actors, whose names I have changed – for obvious reasons! I’ve kept some names though, for example of Soviet rock musicians and actors the MCs interact with.

5. How do most people make a living in your time period?

M.K.: All characters in my book have a day-job – they are either spies, diplomats, journalists, scientists, musicians etc. -- or students.

6. What things are considered normal and acceptable in your novel’s society that would not be considered normal or acceptable today?

M.K.: Hmmm. It’s the other way round probably: being openly gay is now acceptable in many societies. In others, like Russia for example, the situation moved 2 steps forward only to get pushed 1 step back most recently. As for acceptance of spying, well, you know the current status as well as I do!

8. What was the hardest part about bringing your historical world to life?

M.K.: I think it’s being as accurate about facts as possible while giving readers a different perspective on things, historical and obscure, about which they weren’t aware before. Giving a human face and life to a different perspective, since lots of readers might be antagonized by that perspective due to years and years of prejudice and pure propaganda. Hope I have succeeded in this quest.

9. What are some books you’d recommend to readers who love your novel and want more from that time period?

M.K.: The Russia House, The Perfect Spy and The Spy Who Came in From the Cold by John Le Carre. I would stop here, but in case anyone likes more action than Le Carre offers, then also The Cardinal of Kremlin by Tom Clancy and Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews. I’m sure there are others, but I haven’t had time lately to read them all! :)

[M.K.]

The latest 5-star review from a fellow writer on GRs:

REVIEWED BY JOEL R. DENNSTEDT FOR READERS' FAVORITE

Two aspects of M.K. South’s complex espionage thriller, Of Our Own Device, starkly define the reading experience one must expect upon tackling this lengthy novel. The plotting is meticulous and brilliantly satisfying. The sex is graphic, detailed, and same gender, but it is not gratuitous, and it is absolutely essential and integral to the book’s unfolding storyline. The year is 1985, an historical period rife with Cold War strategy and tactical maneuvering between two primary players: the superpowers - Russia and the United States. Jack Smith, in deep cover with an alternate backstory to keep him well hidden, plies his dual trades under the predatory and acute scrutiny of the Soviet Union as Gorbachev comes into power, a time when glasnost and perestroika serve to belie the undercurrent of severe danger inherent to his placement, especially considering the devastating and imminent threat of nuclear war.


Amidst the cunning games of spy vs. spy played out during this unstable time, Jack Smith develops a strategic and unintentional emotional/sexual bond with a young Russian would-be rock star, who happens also to be an up-and-coming physicist studying the potential effects of nuclear winter. M.K. South’s treatment of their most clandestine affair within his novel becomes the essential metaphor and conflict serving to propel his ever more thrilling and dangerous storyline. Which particular secretive revelation might cause more damage to them both becomes a crucial consideration. Meanwhile, the book accelerates progressively toward a fateful, unanticipated, but highly satisfying conclusion.