Today, I am pleased to have Chuck Driskell at Celticlady's Reviews to talk about his book To The Lions and a bit about his writing. Thank you Chuck!!
Product Details
- Series: Gage Hartline
- Paperback: 390 pages
- Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1 edition (October 4, 2013)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1492780065
- ISBN-13: 978-1492780069
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To the Lions by Chuck Driskell
Former Army Green Beret, Gage Hartline, makes a second
appearance in Chuck Driskell’s latest espionage thriller To the Lions.
Having just completed a job, a mercenary with a strong moral
compass takes a high paying job that sends him inside a Spanish prison to
safeguard a cartel leader’s son who may be targeted by a rival syndicate, Los
Leones.
Upon his arrival to the beautiful and charming Catalonian
Spain, Gage falls for Justina, a Polish woman he rescues from a Russian club
who is stuck in a precarious financial situation. His immediate attraction to
her gives him a reason to earn the large payday at stake and as his situation
deteriorates, she becomes his lifeline.
Fast paced and filled
with action, romance and espionage this book has something for all lovers of
suspense fiction. With action scenes that include prison brawls, gunfights and
one-on-one combat each scene vibrates with intensity and well-defined
characters who make the TO THE LIONS exceptional.
To the Lions is
surprising around every corner and the plot is full of energy and white
knuckled excitement.
What sparked the idea
for the Gage Hartline series?
This is a difficult question to answer. I guess it was a number of things. At the time, I was seeking representation after
having submitted LAHN’S EDGE to a number of agents. Numerous agents told me they liked LAHN’S but
said it would be difficult to find a publisher for such an edgy book. Several agents told me Patrick Lacher, the
protagonist in LAHN’S, was unlikeable.
So, with THE DIARIES, I set out to create a character that I thought even
my mother would like. I also wanted to
create an espionage novel that was patterned after some of the great ones from
the 70s and 80s.
It should be noted that LAHN’S EDGE, the book with the
“unlikeable” protagonist, has probably received more praise than any of my
other books. Personally, I don’t have to
love a main character to enjoy a book. I
just need to find them interesting.
What are you working
on at the minute?
This is a fun time because I have several books in the can
and I can focus on making them better.
SEVEN YEARS DEAD will probably be published first. Set in 1952, it follows a World War II
veteran as he goes back to Germany to avenge a mass murder. It’s not one of my typical thrillers. It’s a book about growth. I’m quite anxious to get it in readers’
hands.
I’m also halfway through the second draft of the next Gage
Hartline novel. It’s set primarily in
Lima, Peru and revolves around a group of Americans who are pirating cocaine
from the cartels. I’m hopeful it turns
out to be a good read.
Finally, I’m in final edits for the SPIRITWALKER TRILOGY. Originally an epic novel, I’ve decided to cut
it into three separate books. Set in the
late 1930s, it follows a Native American across the U.S. and into the belly of
the burgeoning Third Reich as he tries to solve his close friend’s death. It’s got suspense, mystery and a pretty heavy
love story (for me, anyway) so…hopefully it will appeal to the masses.
Now that your book is
optioned, what advice can you give writers who hope for the same outcome?
Make sure you have dynamic cover art and a great hook. That sounds trite, but it’s true. When the executive producer from Solipsist
Films was perusing Amazon, the cover of TO THE LIONS caught his eye. In fact, he was looking for another
book. But mine intrigued him so he
purchased it. Of course, had he not
liked it, nothing would have ever happened.
So, if you’re putting out good books, make sure you match the quality of
your writing with good marketing. Every
little detail is important!
What advice would you
give to aspiring writers?
If you’re just beginning, focus on the writing as much as
possible. Don’t get hung up on the
industry or the gazillion other distractions that exist—turn off the internet,
find a quiet place and just write. When
your book is done, go through it again.
And again. And again. Take a break.
Write something else. Then come
back to that first book after a few months.
Keep tightening it until you cannot make it better. At that point, give it to several people who
read that same genre. These are your
beta readers.
This is the most important part…tell those beta readers you thirst
for their criticism. Praise is great
but, at this stage, you want that book to be the best it can be. You need to know what could be better. Then, filter their comments as best you can,
make the changes that need to be made, and then you’re ready to move
forward. At that point you can do any number
of things, such as seek an agent, submit the book yourself, enlist an editor,
etc. But that’s another conversation for
another day…for now, write!
Did you face any
problems with self-publishing?
Not really. Just
coming to the decision was hard enough.
I had a good agent who believed in me.
We had a number of close calls with big publishers. I was just sick of waiting and tired of the
mixed feedback I was receiving. “Your
book is too long.” “Your book is too
short.” “Too much action.” “Not enough action.” “World War II books are dead.” “World War II books are in. You should write a World War II series.” “We don’t want your books. But would you like to be a ghost
writer?” And my personal favorite,
“Can’t you throw in some Islamic terrorists?” (As if that isn’t being done by,
oh…I dunno…everyone!)
My agent kept bemoaning the industry and I was
seeing the changes myself. I spoke to an
author in my genre who’d left his major publisher and was self-publishing his
series on Amazon. He was, and is,
killing it. That cemented things for
me. Amazon gives authors such a
fantastic platform of delivery , I decided to take the plunge. It was a great decision for me.
Where do you see
publishing going in the future?
Whew…I’m not intelligent enough to provide a good answer to
this question. There are so many
talented people in the publishing industry that do a great job of delivering
wonderful books to readers. I have a hard time believing that traditional
publishing will go away. But when I
study Amazon alone, I shake my head in amazement. They’re able to deliver books,
electronically, on-demand and traditionally, around the globe and with such
convenience and unparalleled selection.
It will be interesting to watch them refine their system in the coming
years. In my mind, their 5-star rating
system is a tad flawed. If they can
improve the way customers discover quality books, whether self-published or
traditionally published, I think it will further strengthen their position.
AUTHOR BIO:
Chuck Driskell lost both his parents at an early age and
grew up in an extremely poor home, which fueled his hunger for the unknown and
passion for success. He grew up to join
the military where he became a U.S. Army paratrooper. His post-military life
has been spent in the advertising business and as a writer where he finds time
to create stories usually set in international locales that are a blend of
crime, suspense, and spy genres. He lives in South Carolina with his wife and
two children and is always scheming about his next trip to Europe.
Excerpt from TO THE LIONS
