5-Star Official Review
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1. What made you decide to write a book?
The idea for the plot came to me, out of nowhere, early one morning, and I felt compelled to turn it into a book. I have always had a keen interest in politics and world affairs and the issue of terrorism; how it started and what keeps it going. How it impacts our daily lives is a topic of great interest to me.
2. What authors were most influential to you?
I don't have a favourite author or authors, and I was not trying to emulate someone's style. I wrote it in a way that was natural to me. At times it felt like the book wrote itself.
3. Let's discuss your book Endgame. Can you give us a quick synopsis for those that don't know?
Endgame is a story about an ordinary man who comes up with an extraordinary idea for how to infiltrate Al-Qaeda and destroy the organisation from the inside.
To gain their trust he fakes the killing of his own boss, the US Ambassador to the UK, and the US vice-president. He tells them he can create an opportunity for them to kill their arch-enemy, the US president. The deception works and Nat gets invited to Al-Qaeda's headquarters where all their top brass are assembled to work out how this is to be accomplished.
4. How did you select the names of your characters?
The names came to me naturally, without effort.
5. How did you find the right balance between the action scenes involving terrorism and the scenes the reviewer mentions like family dinners?
The protagonist, Nathaniel Jameson, the Deputy US ambassador in London, is an ordinary man with a wife and two small children, not the Jack Reacher superhero that you meet in James Patterson's books. Therefore it was important to describe his relationship with family, friends and colleagues, and paint a picture of his real life, which was in sharp contrast to the mission he embarked on.
6. What was the hardest scene for you to write? What was the most fun?
There were no hard scenes to write. As I said, it felt almost like the book wrote itself. I never once experienced writer's block. The story flowed onto the pages, and I enjoyed every moment of writing it.
7. Was your goal to make this a fun, enjoyable book? Or was there a deeper message you wanted to convey?
My goal was to write a book that was exciting and fun to read, but also a book that educated the reader on the origins of terrorism and why we have not been able to rid the world of it. The ending suggests a possible way that can happen.
8. Is there another book you're working on? If so, can you tell us about it?
I have been working on another book, but I've paused it to focus on the marketing of Endgame.
I like to end with fun questions.
9. Nat's favorite drink is Scotch ale Perrier water. Have you tried it? What's your favorite drink?
Nat and I have a lot in common. We both have the same favourite drink. That goes for red wine also.
10. Would you prefer to be burned by fire or get frostbite?
I have experienced both. In 1982 I sustained 86% burns in a boat fire and in the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer Norway, I got frost bite. I would say I 'preferred' the frostbite; it was less painful and healed quicker.
11. Do you prefer Star Trek or Star Wars?
Neither.
