Interview With Thriller Writer Ethan Jones
Diplo Denizen devotes October to thriller writers. Ethan Jones is a writer to keep your eye on. His Justin Hall series will keep you on the edge of your seat and reading into the wee hours. His latest thriller, Fog of War, is now out. It is available for limited-time price-reduced promotion October 8-17. Ethan kindly made himself available to answer some questions --
Your series protagonist is Justin Hall, star agent in the Canadian Intelligence Service, with service in various battle zones in the Middle East and other trouble spots. How did you go about creating and developing this character?
I wanted to create something different and the world of spy fiction was full of CIA, FBI, NYPD, MI6 and Mossad agent. Being a Canadian, it only seemed fit for the main character(s) to hail from my homeland.
Justin is not a superhero, although he finds himself in extra complicated situations. I did not want a Rambo, more a Bond, without the gratuitous sex, but with the strong sense of duty and honor. I was trying to create a kind man, caring and loving, yet strong and brave.
And his partner in adventure, Carrie O’Connor. As a male, did you find writing about a female protagonist challenging? Do you feel you’re able to avoid gender stereotypes?
It is a challenge to a certain point. Spy fiction, as any genre, has certain conventions and each hero more or less needs to fit into those conventions. Carrie was not supposed to be a superhero, but also not a simple sidekick. I envisioned Justin and Carrie working together as a team.
I’m quite happy with how Carrie’s character has turned out. She can cry but also jump out of a burning airplane. She can fall in love but also kill with her bare hands. She can cook great meals, but also fire an RPG.
I read a lot of books, suspense, mystery and spy thrillers, and some are written from women with female characters. There were some excellent lessons in those books.
So, how does a staid Edmonton lawyer get the low-down on the CIS to make your stories as authentic as possible? Do you have contacts who either are or were in the intel community?
(Laugh) If I told you, I would have to . . . You know the rest. Canada has a very open system when it comes to intelligence and believe it or not many things are available to the public, even those that probably should not be there.
Your first novel, Arctic Wargame, poses a scenario of Denmark invading Canada. Really? Now, I know it’s not quite what it seems on the surface. But you must have struggled to develop this plot in such a fashion that the reader will suspend disbelief.
It was a struggle and I did get a lot of eyes rolling and eyebrows arching when talking to peple about it. However, Denmark has the potential, in terms of military power, to cross the Arctic and take over an island or two. A few years ago, Canada and Denmark had a heated dispute over a small Arctic island. And there are many reports of Russian airplanes or U.S. vessels lurking into the Canadian Northwest Passage. The more I researched the plot, the more believable it became. And, as you know, there’s a strong drive for the Danes to act the way they do in Arctic Wargame.
Tripoli’s Target is getting great reviews. Congratulations on that. Being Canada-bound, what did you do to make your settings in Libya and Egypt appear credible? In other words, how do you go about researching your settings?
Even if I could, it would be extremely dangerous to visit Libya and/or Egypt. Thankfully, we live in a global age without any borders. Whatever is happening in those countries today, is available online the next day, with graphic details, pictures, videos, you name it, they have it. I read extensively and researched the locales, the people, the weapons, the loyalties, the plots.
Will all of your future novels be part of the Justin Hall series? Or, do you have the itch to digress into something different?
I have enough materials in the back burners for a long Justin Hall series. Fog of War, which came out in June, and Double Agents, coming out in January, both feature Justin Hall.
I would like to start a new legal suspense series. The first installment will hopefully come out next summer. It will be about a new lawyer who loses everything in his life and his struggle to get it all back.
Tell us a bit about your latest thriller, Fog of War, which has climbed to #2 on Amazon Kindle’s Terrorism bestseller list.
In Fog of War Justin is looking for a mole within the Canadian Intelligence Service while being hunted down by terrorists all over the world. He has to join forces with Russian mercenaries and descend into Somalia and Yemen, in order to find out the truth and ferret out the mole.
What are your views on publishing today – traditional vs. self-publishing?
I don’t think they are mutually exclusive as many authors are going the hybrid way: publishing their words on hardcover or paperback through a traditional publisher but keeping the rights to the electronic version of their works and self-publishing. Both industries are undergoing many radical changes and there is cut-throat competition, but there is enough demand for books for both to thrive in their own ways. Self-publishing has the advantage of low pricing and traditional publishers counter that with their widespread distribution network. In my view, neither traditional nor self-publishing authors are going anywhere anytime soon, but we’re seeing more and more making the jump from one to the other.
How does a full-time attorney find the time to write three novels, and counting, not to mention an active blog, as well as balance family demands? What advice can you give to other aspiring authors who have day jobs?
Writing is my passion so I make time. I write during my lunch break, or early in the morning (I got up for two straight weeks at 2:00 a.m. and worked until 6:00 a.m., then went to work) or late at night. I think about my works and proofread my writing on my daily commute to work. The more you write, the better you get, so you write more and faster and so on. My family is quite understanding and supportive.
The best advice I have received is to keep writing. Find time and make no excuses. Turn off the TV. Unhook the internet cable. Avoid all distractions and try to write a little every day. Consider writing like a workout: you’ve got to do it often for it to show results.
What’s next?
The fourth Justin Hall novel, Double Agents, is scheduled for release in January. In Double Agents, Justin and Carrie are hunting Chechen terrorists plotting a major terrorist attack in the U.S. They travel to Russia and Dagestan and in the U.S. as they work furiously to dismantle this plot. Double Agentswill also give Carrie some answers she’s been looking for.
Thanks, Ethan, and good luck!