9/6/2024
2024 has been a productive year for me. Dark Angel, the fifteenth Ryan Weller Thriller, came out in March, and I published the first three John Phoenix Thrillers with a fourth on the way. As I write this, my faithful editor over at Novel Approach Manuscript Services is plodding away on the first book in a new series.
When I initially conceived the Phoenix series and began crafting his character, I envisioned a limited run of six books at most. However, I've enjoyed writing Phoenix, so I will extend his journey. For those familiar with Ryan Weller and John Phoenix, you'll know that their stories intertwine in Dark Angel. You'll get a glimpse of Phoenix, who isn't always Weller's ally, adding an intriguing twist to the narrative.
I think I left Ryan in a good place, sailing away with his wife to start a new life. I don't know if he'll be back. I won't say never because a storyline could always pop up for him, but as of right now, he's gone over the horizon.
My creative journey has led me to venture beyond the niche of sea adventure fiction and into the realm of mainstream thrillers. I know, the world of espionage is a crowded one, but I couldn't resist adding my own burnt spy to the mix. Despite not having the most impressive code name in history, Phoenix is set to make his mark in the genre. In my opinion, the man with the best code name is Mark Greaney's Courtland Gentry, known as Violator.
Phoenix stumbles into the conflict between Venezuela and Guyana, which has a fascinating history dating back to the Spanish colonization of the New World. I put Phoenix in the middle of that, only to have Maduro start beating the drums of war. I guess that makes the books timely and relevant. I keep a close eye on the situation in Venezuela. There are a lot of parallels between what is happening there and what is happening in the U.S., from election fraud to roving gangs. Now, the Venezuelan gangs have arrived in the U.S. imported by our illustrious leadership and border czar. The crime rate has plummeted in Venezuela because Maduro has given prisoners, bad actors, drug dealers, and terrorists plane tickets to the states or has helped them migrate through Central America and across the U.S. Southern Border. I never in my life thought I would see gangs taking over apartment complexes in the U.S., but this has always been the One World Order plan--bring the U.S. to its knees, strip away our republic and our Constitutional rights in favor of an enslaved people who "own nothing, and like it."
While Ryan Weller does a lot of soul-searching and hesitates to shoot the enemy, Phoenix has no compunction about living in the gray area of life or shooting a bad guy. He's a loyal company man, conflicted in love and lust, and ready to protect the people he cares about. Those traits bring him orgasmic highs and twisted, painful lows as he's manipulated by the very women he claims to love. As the old saying goes, if a Latin woman hasn't tried to kill you, she doesn't love you.
Phoenix and Weller share the same Caribbean setting, and characters crossover to help Phoenix with his missions. One of my favorite guys is former Navy SEAL Scott Gregory. He was Ryan Weller's go-to man for violence, and now Scott and Phoenix team up to wreak havoc on their enemies.
Switching writing gears can be challenging. While I love sailboats, guns, and the Caribbean, I also love motorcycles. Weller and Phoenix ride them in their adventures, but I wanted a series centered around bikes. I also wanted a main character who wasn't former military or in an intelligence agency. What better person to be a jack of all trades than a stuntman? And I love Fall Guy, the TV show (the movie you have to accept is not a spinoff of the show and never will be. I don't know why Hollywood has such a fascination with taking a quality show and dumbing it down into a raunchy comedy - think Dukes of Hazard and CHIPS). I originally intended for Luke Wesson to be a Jack Reacher on a motorcycle, but he keeps returning to Hollywood to work in the movies. The books have a lot of behind-the-scenes type stuff, from movie-making to stunt work.
My dad asked me how I keep the characters straight in my mind. I told him they are essentially all the same character. I just turn up various traits to make them unique. I look forward to bringing Stuntman to all of you and hope you enjoy the new series.