Yes, dear readers, it’s all about location – exotic locations, cold locations, exclusive locations and old locations. MUTINY throws them all together, from London to Frankfurt, Gibraltar to Croatia, Seattle to Bremerton, and the frozen darkness of the North Pole to the Mediterranean. I hope these contrasting locations keep readers interest levels peaking, just as they helped stimulate my writing. Do I have a preference? Not really. I’m not a fan of London or Gibraltar but enjoyed my stays in Croatia, and I have never been to the North Pole – although I have spent some time outside in minus 20 degree temperature. That puts Croatia high on my list of locations, notably the cities of Trieste, Split and Dubrovnik. The difficulty with multiple locations was calculating the times and distances for travel, in order to keep continuity.
Author: James
Dark Clouds Gathering or a Downpour?
Formula-based thrillers start with a body and unwind to the culprit, often with more bodies thrown in. I general, I am against generalisations, but there needs to be some alarming event in the opening chapter of a thriller – dark clouds or, at least, a downpour. It’s more traumatic to be confronting a soaked victim (with a knife or bullet wound) at your front door than looking out the window and exclaiming, “Oh, it’s pouring outside.” As one writer advised, “Think of the high point of action and start your novel there.” That will get the reader’s attention. However, I prefer a mix – a gathering storm PLUS a dramatic event. When writing MUTINY I did not originally intend to have anyone murdered in the first chapter, but…(you will need to find out for yourself – free kindle offer finishes in three days). Meanwhile, stay indoors and enjoy the dark clouds gathering on the opening pages of MUTINY – they may well be followed by a downpour!
Updated ‘About the Author’
It took some searching to find a toy submarine that fitted the plot for MUTINY. Those readers who have finished the book will understand the relevance of this toy to the story.
My wife was masterful at working out what her Christmas presents were, just from feeling them from under the tree. It was fun to build this into MUTINY and helped bring a warm moment to the plot. My aim was to finish MUTINY with hope and friendship and the toy helped. It also opened the possibility for a sequence, but I’m not yet sure if this will happen. It depends upon reader feedback as well as fresh inspiration for a sequel.
Free Kindle Promotion for MUTINY
Sorry about the delay, but MUTINY is now available for free on Kindle, but only for three days. If you take advantage of this offer all I ask is that you would please leave a short review. Now, happy reading!
Stalking the Red Bear
Stalking the Red Bear is a true story of a US submarine’s covert operation against the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The Hunt for Red October is a Tom Clancy thriller where CIA analyst Jack Ryan must do what it takes to prove that a nuclear Soviet submarine that suddenly changed route towards the USA, is trying to defect and not attack.
A Tale of Two Subs was another true story from
This post might turn away readers who have no interest in submarines, but that is not the intention. In fact, more action occurs above the waves than under them and the submarine activity is a vessel for character building and plot development.
PS: the new Kindle version of MUTINY has been formatted and will go I’ve next week with a special offer for my readers of this blog.
Introducing a Cold Character of Stealth and Steel
During my final editing of MUTINY I took care to add to the description of a character who is shady and rarely seen in public; one who tends to keep to the shadows, yet has a depth of purpose that others fail to attain. He is one deadly character and fully armed. Of course, I am referring to the submarine. Here is the revised paragraph, along with a photo that seemed to fit:
[A submarine slips ghost-like from Kitsap Naval Base, just a short ferry ride from Seattle. Forested shores and snowy peaks shroud its mission in secrecy. Captain Ted Cooper is in command on the bridge and his ramrod frame peers into the fading light of Puget Sound. Below him is over 500 feet of advanced engineering and weaponry – reaching 40 feet into the depths and propelled by efficient nuclear reactors. A crew of 150 highly-trained sailors are excited to be on patrol and are hunkered down to their duties.]
PS: The updated MUTINY is now available and Kindle will follow in a few days.
Seriously Funny
There’s an episode (Chapter 53) in MUTINY where two captains meet to discuss a special agent to help with an underwater mission. It’s a formal meeting, hosted by the Spanish captain who is hoping to impress his guest. As I was writing this piece is seemed natural to fall from formality into frolic. What unfolds is a seriously funny moment:
[He thrust his fork down. It punched through the duck and lodged in the table. He lifted his head high in laughter. “Now look what I’ve done – I’ve killed the golden duck.”
“Don’t you mean the golden goose?” Ted asked, unable to control himself.
“Ha, ha. Yes, I must be the goose that killed it.” He wrestled with his fork and it sprang free, flinging the duck over his shoulder. Lorenzo slapped his knee. “Did you see that? A new Olympic record for duck throwing. It must’ve traveled ten meters?”
“Oh,” Ted replied, wiping tears from his face. “I would suggest fifteen meters at a speed of twenty knots. You almost hit the waiter. He had to duck for the duck.”
The Spaniard lost control. His glass tipped and wine exploded from his lips in a spray that saturated the white tablecloth. The waiter moved to wipe him down.
“I guess we’re both ducks in the water now,” cried the Spaniard, breaking into a hyena laugh, and snorting each time he took a breath. He looked hilarious, with wine and food splattered down his dress shirt and an empty fork in his hand.]
A Booking Error Helps Me Create Another Character
I thought I had booked three nights in an Airbnb in Dubrovnik. It turned out I had only booked two. After searching the internet I couldn’t find accommodation for another night. The I remembered our taxi driver. When we arrived by boat in the harbor, he asked if we need a ride and we accepted. He not only took us to our booking but also helped lug our suitcases up a series of steps to get to it. I still had his card and gave him a call. Thankfully, he kindly offered us a room almost directly opposite an entrance to Dubrovnik old town. My wife and I had a great conversation with our host and discovered that he dived for squid and supplied it to many restaurants. Which is why he was perfect for another character in my book – Nikolai:
[Maria was unaware of Nikolai’s clandestine work. She put his secrecy down to the fact that he grew up without a father figure and had developed a tough shell around his working life. Her heart yearned for more affection from a husband who was too deep to fathom.
Nikolai had secrets and loved the outdoors and the sea. His broad shoulders and powerful legs helped him snorkel and free dive for underwater delicacies. He was a dark, leather-skinned Croatian who knew every reef and rock pool along the rugged coast, and where to catch good squid and lobster. The best restaurants paid him well for his fresh seafood.]
It’s always fun to draw on our relationships for character development.
ISTE, Keynotes and Conferences
During my teaching stint in the USA I managed to attend quite a few conferences. The ISTE is an international one for teachers and I was presenting a short workshop along with a colleague – Allan Dunn – at the large convention center in San Diego. Over 12,000 teachers attended and Allan and I managed to achieve an award at the event for our breakout session. I never imagined that this experience at a large gathering would surface in my novel, but it dovetailed rather well into the plot development.
The experience of presenting and arranging speakers during my career in Information Technology (ISTE, NCCE et al) helped me create the scene in MUTINY (Chapter 23) where Michael Hanover delivers his keynote to bankers in Frankfurt:
The lecture room was not large from Michael’s experience. He remembered addressing a hall of over twelve thousand educators at the San Diego Convention Center three years earlier. Michael received a Best Presenter Award for a slick delivery about investing, peppered with case studies and raw humor. After a long year of teaching, the audience was ready to be entertained and Michael made the right impact. The applause rang in his ears all the way home to New York.
….
“Sound check; 1, 2, 3.”
“There’s quite an echo, don’t you think?”
“Don’t worry, Dr. Hanover. When the room fills with people, the reverb will be perfect. The doors open at 9:15 and you start in forty-five minutes. You can wait in the Green Room where refreshments are available. If there is anything else you need, Dr. Hanover, please let me know.”
“Thanks.”]
Why MIT? Time to Pause the Pace in a Thriller
In Chapter 73, Claudine meets up with Ravi, a grad student at MIT. Ravi is a computer geek and much of the detail here is from my time teaching in Portland, OR. with high school students. I ran a computer class and one of my students was very clever indeed. Ravi is a projected image of this student, mixed with my time in Sri Lanka. In terms of MUTINY this is a chapter that pauses the action and provides detail that will surface later in an unexpected way. Meanwhile, sit back – relax – and let the moment at MIT soak in…
[They continued chatting as they walked through Killian Court and down a path towards the Charles River.
“Look,” exclaimed Ravi. A rowing eight moved like an arrow, their oars dipping in unison, smooth and composed, blade tips flashing white. The hull lifted as the blades gripped the water, then settled back when the oars came up for air.
“Beautiful and mathematical…so much elliptical rhythm…a sport in poetic motion,” muttered Ravi, his eyes following every stroke. He was working on a formula for the loci of the blades – interlocked and flattened ellipses?
Claudine interrupted. “What’s on your mind?” she asked, as the skiff vanished around a bend downstream.
“I was watching the rowers and it reminded me of a book I read, called ‘Boys in the Boat’.”
“I don’t understand?
“The story is a true story about a ragtag rowing crew from the University of Washington. The young boys were mainly farmers and had never been in a skiff before. After long hours of training, they discover a place where their rowing is almost effortless, reaching a place of beauty and fluid motion that transcends effort. They grow into an unbeatable Olympic team with each rower working in unison with the other. The boat responds by seemingly flying along and defying the water resistance.”
“Do you know,” said Claudine, with her arm on his, “that I also dream to have a team working for me like that one day.”
“I’m sure you will,” he replied. “What work do you do?”
“Oh, just film and underwater cinematography. We’re a small company based in Trieste.”
Ravi laughed. “I don’t believe you. You wouldn’t come all this way to talk about movies.”
She paused and watched the rowers for a while, unsure what to say. When she did, it was, “Why MIT, Ravi?”
He remembered the day as vividly as the question; a warm, fall day with crumpled leaves splashed across the campus lawns, and the institute’s pale dome appearing to be on fire in the New England sunset. It was a day that seemed to stand still, lost in a space-time vacuum, until it was broken by her voice.
“Why MIT?” she repeated.]
Why indeed. I suggest you invest in MUTINY to discover the answer for yourself.