This week, we’re talking with John Trudel about his book, Broken Oath
Tell us something unexpected about yourself!
My life was about unexpected things. I had a pilot's license before I had a driver's license. On a full fellowship, I never finished the dissertation for my Ph.D. Instead, I dropped out and did classified work for defense firms as the “idiot savant” in the back of ELINT birds and gunships. When I burned out on that, I started a company that made the first radar detector for cars that was useful. It made the old Playboy Magazine and was featured in the first movie about the “Cannonball Baker Race,” Gumball Rally.
Why do you write?
Because I must. I have stories to tell.
Where did you get the inspiration for your current book?
“Broken Oath” is the 4th book in my Raven series. What started this series was “Raven's Run.” What inspired me to write it was that it gave me the opportunity to research old family history that had baffled me, and also to delve into some of the strangest tales I'd ever encountered back in my “deep black” days, vague rumors about paranormal “remote viewing.” Remote viewing was actually used during the Cold War and is now declassified. There is an interesting movie about it on Amazon Prime, “Third Eye Spies.”
What do you enjoy the most about your genre?
From HG Wells to Orwell to Crichton, Flynn, and beyond, Thrillers were the genre that most allowed authors to explore “near-in” reality. When I started in novels, this was the largest genre. Today, the category is “Mystery and Thrillers.” Most books there are creepy murder mysteries with horrific villains. What remains are thrillers set in safely distant times or continue the brand of deceased writers. There are still excellent writers and great thrillers: the Bob Dugoni and Joe Badal books stand out. I'm now reading DeMille's “The Deserter,” set in Venezuela after Dominion Systems voting machines toppled the government, but a few years before “Broken Oath.”
How would you describe your writing process?
I get asked that a lot. I'd written two nonfiction books and hundreds of magazine columns before I retired from High Tech to write thrillers. I thought it would be easy. My first novel took ten years! Back then I used all the techniques: Story Arcs, Scene Cards, bios of my characters, and on and on. These days I find the techniques get in the way and slow me down. My characters object. So do my critical readers. I guess I mostly muddle along, with a lot of editing. “There is no writing, just rewriting….”
What do you think authors have to gain from participating in social media?
Survival! Social media is a war zone, but book stores and libraries are today locked down, especially in small towns. Big cities are dangerous. Who would go into, say, Portland or New York at night for a book signing? Not me.
What advice would you have for other writers?
Writing good fiction at a professional level is a long hard road. It will change you. It offers great rewards, a lot of tedious details, and some disappointments. To me, the best part is the people I've met and the friends I've made.
How do you select your books’ titles and covers?
With difficulty. We test a lot of titles and covers. I don't think there is an easy answer to that question. All new products are experiments, and novels are an art form.
What's your next step?
To get some downtime with my wife and family.
What book do you wish you had written?
That's a tough one. The writer that most blew my socks off was Michael Crichton, but I could not have written any of his books. Our experience and skillsets were different. Others that gained my respect were Jerry Pournelle (a friend), and Vince Flynn. Why these? They all wrote great stories that overlapped reality and were both interesting and predictive. My tag line is “Thrillers are fiction until it happens…”
How do you react to seeing a new review for your book?
It depends on the review. A good one brings joy.
