The
Failsafe Query – Michael Jenkins
About
the Book
The
Failsafe Query is a gripping thriller set in the contemporary world of
modern British espionage.
Sean Richardson, a disgraced former intelligence
agent, is tasked to lead a team to search for Alfie Chapman, an Intelligence
officer on the cusp of exposing thousands of secrets to the media. This
includes a long lost list of Russian moles embedded since the Cold War, one of
whom remains a public favourite in the British parliamentary system.
The action moves with absorbing pace and
intrigue across Central Asia and Europe as the puzzle begins to unfold through
a deep hidden legacy.
Tense, fast paced, and insightful, The
Failsafe Query twists and turns to a satisfyingly dramatic finale.
Author's Thoughts
Today on my blog, the author Michael Jenkins joins me to tell me all about his writing journey.
Many of my friends and family were
quite surprised when they eventually learnt that I had written a novel – so
much so, that I was inundated with texts, calls and e mails inquiring how on
earth I’d done it. You see, in the military, we were all used to crafting detailed
reports and assessments based upon rules. The rules of military writing. They
are as precise as you’d ever imagine, strict, formal, and very much rules
based.
I remember being coached in the art of
military writing, receiving brutal critique and feedback, but ever so slowly
learning to become what is known as a staff officer – a commissioned officer
serving on the staff of a commander, service, or central headquarters. An officer who is clinical in writing reports
and intelligence assessments based upon those rules. There was very little scope for creativity,
but as a counter terrorist and intelligence officer, I did have scope to create
my own justifiable ‘assessments of the situation and threats.’
So, to move from rules-based writing,
to creativity and telling a story was a long, long, journey. And I’ll be
forever grateful to the first editor I dared show my manuscript to. His name is
David Thorpe. And he’s a novelist, screenwriter and comics writer from Wales. We
met in Baker street, London, where I lived at the time, and he delivered the
hammer blow right there and then over coffee. It was crap. From a reader’s
perspective of course. The reader would hate it. Really good story though he
said.
You see, I had been conditioned,
trained, and driven to write in a military style. It was too much like report
writing he said. Great story, fascinating career you’ve had, he said. But
thankfully he was brutal and to the point. ‘Go away and learn how to write
creatively.’
It was a bright summers day in Baker Street,
and I felt pleased he had been forthright with me. I like clear and unambiguous
feedback. I was brought up with it in the military, and that often helped us
all reflect on our own failings, making sure we learnt quickly.
David and I had a bite to eat and he
told me of how he plans his novels, uses his creative mind, takes himself away
from real life and into a journey of his characters. I listened intently, eager
to learn, and he listened intently to my own stories of service in the Balkans,
the Middle East, and across the globe. He was fascinated with my stories.
His earnest feedback, accompanied by a
27-page editor report was just what I needed. A kick up the backside, and a
nudge from a coach from to escape my rules-based world I had lived in for
nearly three decades.
He told me to be a story teller. And
he was absolutely right. Don’t worry about the prose he said, don’t be fluffy
and feathery in your words and sentences. You have the experience to draw
readers in and provide remarkable insights into your world. Write the story but
be creative. Embellish the scenes, understand POV, know what the reader wants,
give them suspense, a cliff-hanger on each chapter, and a story arc that will
keep them entertained and wanting to turn pages.
That first manuscript was obviously
ripped up and I began again. I studied characterisation, plot planning, the
growth of your main character, conflict, sub plots, switching POV, head hopping
mistakes, the lot. All online. And then I read. I read loads of books, loads of
thrillers, and then I tried as best as I could, as a debut novelist, to find my
own voice.
I feel as if I’d been put through a
mill and spat out the other end as a new person. A person that could now remove
the shackles of rules-based writing and into creative writing. I’ve thoroughly
enjoyed it and I hope people continue to enjoy my debut story. For that is
exactly what it is. A made-up story, written this time round with better
structure that hopefully the reader can engage with. There are plenty more if
people actually like it. I have always wanted the reader experience to be one
of ‘wow,’ great story, really insightful, and up to date with topical events.
Of course, I was lucky to be able to
draw upon my own experiences across a multitude of disciplines I was privileged
to undertake in the military – and the characters are all based upon some real
people I served with, with each character being formed from or a mix of all of their
foibles, charisma, and gregarious nature. They are all legends in my eyes, great men and
women doing some incredible things for our country and the safety of ours, and
other citizens. As for the themes of the
story, well, I hope they come out for the reader. It’s a mixture of politics,
intelligence, treachery, reprisal, and ambition. I do hope you like the story’s journey and its
hugely colourful characters. It’s been some journey!
Well
I don’t know what you all thought about my guest post from the author,
but I found that very interesting. Even
better I have a lovely giveaway for you and all you need to do is click on the
link and you could win a paperback copy of The Failsafe Query* (5 to be won in total) and there is also
a spy linkage map (unframed). This giveaway
is open internationally. Good Luck.
*Terms
and Conditions for the giveaway are below.
About
the Author
Michael Jenkins served for
twenty-eight years in the British Army, rising through the ranks to complete
his service as a major. He served across the globe on numerous military
operations as an intelligence officer within Defence Intelligence, and as an
explosive ordnance disposal officer and military surveyor within the Corps of
Royal Engineers.
His experiences within the services involved extensive travel and adventure
whilst on operations, and also on many major mountaineering and exploration
expeditions that he led or was involved in.
He was awarded the Geographic Medal by the Royal Geographical Society for
mountain exploration and served on the screening committee of the Mount Everest
Foundation charity.
He was awarded the MBE on leaving the armed forces in 2007 for his services to
counterterrorism.
The Failsafe Query is Michael’s first novel. He has started work on his second
spy thriller, The Kompromat Kill, and hopes to publish it the spring of 2019.
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*Terms
and Conditions –Worldwide
entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box above. The
winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and
will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7
days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all
entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the
competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with
third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed
to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after
which time I will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch
or delivery of the prize.
