BOOK SPOTLIGHT & AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Intrepid Series by Chris Allen

Posted by Carrie

Today I’m happy to welcome Australian author Chris Allen to the blog! I’ll be interviewing him down below, but first a bit about his books.

Defender

by Chris Allen

Intrepid Series, Book One

Book Description

Part Jason Bourne and part James Bond, Alex Morgan is an agent of Interpol’s Intelligence, Recovery, Protection and Infiltration Division – Intrepid. Policeman, soldier and spy, Morgan and his fellow operatives are the faceless strangers who serve the greater good – the means to justify the end.

When an intelligence agent is brutally murdered and the president of a small African country is put in danger, Morgan is sent in on his first solo mission.

His cover is to evacuate a group of aid workers, with the help of the beautiful but distant Arena Halls, before the country is swept by civil war. But his true mission is much darker. A spy has gone rogue – and there’s more at stake than the guy’s career in the SIS.

A heart-pounding, no-holds-barred chase from the dark heart of Africa to the crystalline waters of Sydney culminates in a fight to the death to stop a vicious renegade intelligence officer and uncover the shadowy conspiracy behind him.

Can Morgan stay alive long enough to save the girl, save himself and bring them all to justice?

Hunter

by Chris Allen

Intrepid Series, Book Two

Book Description

His orders are simple: ‘The safety catch is off. Return that girl to her family and drag those bastards back to justice. Dead or alive. It makes no difference to me.’

Alex Morgan – policeman, soldier and spy for INTREPID, the black ops division of INTERPOL – is on the hunt for Serbian war criminals. But these guys were never going to let it be that simple. An assassination attempt is made on the presiding judge of the international tribunal. Days later, the judge’s daughter, the famous and beautiful classical pianist Charlotte Rose, vanishes in mysterious circumstances.

The girl is not just a pretty face and the daughter of a judge, however. She’s also the goddaughter of INTREPID’s veteran commander, General Davenport. It’s up to Morgan and the INTREPID team to track the kidnappers and the missing woman before the very fabric of international justice is picked apart at its fraying edges.

Part James Bond and part Jason Bourne, this time Alex Morgan must walk the line between doing the right thing and getting the job done.

1. Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m a former Australian army officer and paratrooper and I’ve spent my post-military career in law enforcement. These days I write action thrillers.

2. What made you want to become a writer?

Well, I grew up reading and re-reading action books by some of my favourite writers like Ian Fleming, Alastair Maclean and the great American writer Clive Cussler. They were such masters of their trade that I thought: one day, that’s what I’d like to do.

3. Who or what gives you inspiration?

I guess it was me wanting to stories that would hopefully emulate some of the great stories and storytellers I mentioned above, but giving them my own modern edge. A good story has the power to transport readers across the world with the flick of a page. That’s my vision and it fuels my passion for writing.

4. Tell us about Hunter.

Hunter is Alex Morgan’s second mission as star agent for Intrepid (the ultra-secret, black-ops division of Interpol). This time, he’s got a lot to prove following the success of his first mission bringing down a rogue agent. This mission will cement his position as Intrepid’s #1 man. He’s tracking fugitive war criminals, protecting judges of the international court and rescuing a world-famous classical pianist who also happens to be the niece of Intrepid’s legendary chief General Davenport. All in a day’s work for Alex Morgan.

5. What’s the hardest part of being a writer?

Making sure that each story stands on its own right as an epic tale, while still maintaining the overarching themes of the series.

6. What do you need around you to write (special drink, lucky items, etc)?

Scotch, failing that Guinness, or more likely an abundance of tea and coffee! In fact, my writing mancave is full of memorabilia from my military and law enforcement days as well as books that I’ve treasured since childhood. I find having these special items in the one room gives a sense of my history and ultimate objective to be a successful writer.

7. What are some of your favorite books?

My favorite books are in no particular order: Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; On Her Majesty’s Secret Service by Ian Fleming; Sahara by Clive Cussler; Where Eagles Dare by Alastair Maclean; and my number one, top of the tree, The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas.

8. Are your characters based on anyone you know?

Yes. Alex Morgan is loosely based on me, but I’ve made him a lot more interesting by adding characteristics and traits from other great friends that I’ve made throughout my career. There’s also a bit of the older me in General Davenport, though he’s a better dresser and much wiser than I! In terms of the other characters, I’ve drawn on a tight network of my closest friends to inspire a number of the principle characters. These are all guys I’ve served with. Finally, some small-minded types who I find particularly loathsome may end up with an unexpected cameo as an annoying character in one of my books!

9. What, if anything, are you working on right now?

Avenger, the third in the series. Morgan is taking on the world’s shadiest and most despicable characters – human traffickers. He’s also showing the first female agent at Intrepid the ropes but she will put Morgan through his paces too.

10. Why do you love writing?

I love the escape of writing, the ability to sit quietly in a room, and in my mind create different situations, people and worlds – hopefully putting them into a type of construct that people enjoy reading. When I hear that people have missed a train or bus stop, or stayed up all night devouring one of my stories, I know I’ve done my job.

About the Author
Before penning his Alex Morgan espionage series, Chris saw the world from under a parachute; made a difference in East Timor; protected Sydney’s iconic Opera House sails post 9/11; and most recently as Sheriff of New South Wales, held one of the most historic offices in Australia. Since self-publishing and being signed by Pan Macmillan Australia’s digital imprint Momentum for a two-book deal, Defender and Hunter wowed readers worldwide, with Avenger due out end-2013 and a film / TV franchise underway.
Chris blogs about all things thriller as well as indulging his love of cult TV shows and movies from his youth at www.intrepidallen.com/blog.

Buy Defender on Amazon.com: http://buff.ly/19PLO2Y
Buy Hunter on Amazon.com: http://buff.ly/11KCyUO