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| Ty Patterson, Author THE WARRIOR |
Suspense
author Ty Patterson brings us THE WARRIOR, a thriller about a crime committed
in the Congo and the “warrior” who chases those responsible. It “is fast-paced, with a great cast of characters,”
according to one reviewer.
A “voracious”
reader, Patterson started to write THE WARRIOR when his wife and son challenged
him to do so. After all, it was on his “to do” list. Patterson believes that his experiences from living on several continents enrich his writing.
Don't miss the excerpt following the interview.
Don't miss the excerpt following the interview.
Ty Paterson: I have been writing for a long
while, in the short story/humor piece format and even spent a stint as an
advertising copywriter, which helped me hone my skills in packing a punch.
The
idea to write a full length novel was on a wish list, but got a kick start when
my better half and son suggested one night in December 2011 to stop making
excuses, come out of my comfort zone, and start writing. The events
in the Congo which form a backdrop to THE WARRIOR had stayed with me and when I
started writing, those events became part of the book and THE WARRIOR was born.
Q: Many of your reviewers describe
THE WARRIOR as “a gripping read.” How do you make your story “gripping?”
Ty Paterson: Yes, this feedback gratifies me
immensely. I don’t think there is a formula for making a book gripping. If
there is one, someone out there is rolling in it.
What
I do is to write in the style that I like to read. So I like sparse prose, I
like intense action sequences that are short, I like my characters to be driven
by a purpose, a conscience, not ‘Dolph Lundgren’ action characters, and I like
to write about themes that are big in scale.
I
tried to bring all these together in THE WARRIOR and am grateful that my
readers found my story gripping.
Q: How important is the setting in
the Congo to telling your story?
Ty Paterson: Very. For my first book, I was very
keen on writing a story based on a theme that had a large reach, global scale
and that affected the emotions of people. I did not want to write about a bank
heist or the theft of a nuclear weapon, or the Apocalypse… there are enough
books out there on those themes. The Congo and those events were
perfect for my story.
The
other driver to having that setting was my own experience. I have lived in Asia
where in many countries, women do not have a voice; where the system is so
skewed and imbalanced that it will take decades for women to be recognized as
equals. I wanted to have a champion who took on such a cause and Congo was apt.
Q: Besides “gripping,” your reviewers
also mention how much they like your characters. “Ty Patterson skillfully weaves
a clever thriller with an ex-soldier as a likeable male lead.” “I also really
enjoyed the secondary characters a lot.” What makes your characters “likeable?”
Ty Paterson: When I read my first review with
that description, I couldn’t stop grinning like a goofball for a week till my
son reminded me not to inflict that look on him.
My
characters are not Superman or Ironman, who do unbelievable feats. They are
characters who believe in certain values and commit everything to those values.
I think it is that aspect that makes my characters likeable to my readers. We
live in a world where, especially in recent years, the rate of change is so
fast that people change on an almost daily basis. So to read about a character
that has a value system and holds steadfast to it is something my readers like
in my opinion.
In
terms of secondary characters, I have always been fascinated by movies/books
that depicted a strong bond; Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Tango and
Cash, for example, and I wanted to bring out this bond in my book. I think that
has resulted in readers liking the secondary characters too.
Q: What makes a good villain?
Ty Paterson: A very good question that no one has
asked me before. A villain is of course someone everyone hates, but does the
villain have to be all evil? Does the villain have to have a background that
resulted in his having a set of beliefs that are against societies? If villains
do acts of good, do they become better villains?
Again,
I think there is no formula to what makes a good villain. I think the character
of the villain has to be dictated by the overall plot and that is how I created
my villain.
And
yes, I have sidestepped that question a bit because I haven’t a clue.
Q: Is THE WARRIOR a story to inform
readers? Or to entertain?
Ty Paterson: Great question. I am a voracious
reader and read anything from the labels on toilet paper rolls to books on
quantum physics, economics, fiction, thrillers… anything that captures my mind.
I
have learnt a lot from books that were pure entertainment and some of those
facts stayed in my mind just because I read them in pieces of fiction. When I
was in high school I read an Agatha Christie book that mentioned the
corrosiveness of Sulphuric acid. Guess what? That has stayed in my mind all
these years but I have forgotten all those chemistry classes and the
experiments.
So
the short answer is my book is primarily to entertain, however there are themes
in my book that will be informative and will stay in readers’ minds. And in my very
humble opinion, that should be what good entertainment is about.
Q: How helpful was your background to
forming your story?
Ty Paterson: Very. If I had not spent some time
in Asia, in all probability my book would have been in a totally Western milieu,
with a different plot. My background has shaped the story for sure.
Q: Do you outline your stories or do
your characters take over?
Ty Paterson: I am not one of those authors whose
characters scream in their minds and make them rush to the keyboard to let
those poor things out. I am less romantic that way.
I
outline my stories, but it is a rough outline with some lines nonexistent or
blurred. I am not sure if there are authors who write from a fully formed
outline and structure right from the beginning. If there are, I would love to
meet them.
My
characters do influence the plot to some extent as I start writing, but in
general I know the start, the end and the bits in between, so my characters do
not radically alter the plot.
Q: What do you do when you’re not
writing? Are you a dancer? Do you do standup comedy?
Ty Paterson: I would like to say that I am really
born on Krypton and if you are lucky you might see me up in the sky with the
cape and the red underpants. Unfortunately, in the world where bills and
mortgages have to be paid, I work at a job that I love…however; I hope that my
writing will enable me to write full time.
Readers,
you know what I mean. Appreciate your love and please don’t stop showing it!
About Ty Patterson
Ty discovered
reading at an early age and the backs of cereal cartons were frequently part of
his reading diet when nothing else was at hand.
Reading has held
him in thrall ever since. Reading takes him to multi textured worlds and fills
his world with visual imagery; all fuelled just by the power of the black word
on a white page.
He uses his life
experiences, of living in a couple of continents, of selling tea to street side
stalls, to infuse his writing. And to take his readers on the same flights of visual
imagination that his favorite authors take him on.
Ty is privileged
that his wife and son shape their lives to accommodate his writing. They also
humor his ridiculous belief that he is in charge.
If you enjoy
reading thrillers from the likes of Lee Child and Robert Crais, you will enjoy
THE WARRIOR.
When Private
Military Contractor Zeb Carter witnesses gruesome crimes in the Congo, he can’t
just walk away.
Plagued by the
scale of the crimes and the helplessness of the victims, he is bent on his own
private justice.
What transpires
is a fast pace gripping journey that stretches from the Congo to New York, into
the world of corrupt politics, influential politicians who want him dead, and
government agencies who are against him.
This breakneck
paced read is an edge-of-your-seat thrill machine, with a plot so full of
surprises; it will carry your imagination beyond the final word.
Excerpt
It’s in Kindu,
almost in the center of the DRC that he first hears of a group of contractors
who have gone to the other side. The Congolese who mention them are fearful and
whisper about mass rape and these contractors in the same breath. ‘La mal
personnes’ and ‘atrocities’ are phrases used by them, describing the
contractors as evil, committing atrocities. Many Ngok and Primus beers over
several days and he hears that the contractors and the FDLR soldiers they are
associated with are now based near Lake Kivu near the border with Rwanda. After
all it’s quite difficult for 6 white men to blend in with black soldiers so
they get noticed. The Congolese talk about a band of black and white soldiers
who capture mines, often killing several mine workers and then looting the
mines. Artisanal and small scale mining is wide spread in the DRC and because
of the small scale of operations; it is very easy for armed bands of men to
hijack the mines. The FDLR soldiers and the white skinned contractors roam
across the mines, taking them over and trade in gold, minerals, diamonds,
ivory, coffee, drugs, anything that has value. They prey on the local villages
for food and women. The DRC’s army and police is either incapable of dealing
with this force or is unwilling. Or, more likely, is in collusion. The UN Peace
Keeping Force is usually too late to the scene and stretched too thin.
On a few
occasions he is lucky to meet victims who have suffered at the hands of this
band of soldiers. They all speak of the ruthlessness of the soldiers both black
and white. He records his conversations with the Congolese victims and pretty
soon has a dossier of atrocity. A few victims have even identified the
mercenaries from their Agency photographs he is carrying. He has decided to
visit a few villages in North and South Kivu before making his way back to
Kinshasa and then back to the US.
And so he lies
on the outskirts of Luvungi one of the villages in the vicinity of Lake Kivu.
This is the third village near Lake Kivu that he has surveilled. It’s been a
couple of hours since the trucks left, the jeep is still there, and nothing has
changed. He does not know how many soldiers have gone in the trucks or how many
have been left behind. He knows these have been the FDLR soldiers since he
recognizes their uniforms, or soldiers impersonating them.
Of course he is
going in; it isn’t in him to be a passive spectator. Andrews can go firetruck
himself.
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