In The Skirmishers, the members of a military unit assembled to disrupt enemy plans find themselves facing secrets that threaten the success of their missions. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

I remember as a child being captivated by the last-resort involvement of the military in high-stakes civilian incidents. The Iranian Embassy siege in London that was resolved by the UK SAS is one such childhood memory. In the UK, it seems as if most people assume that there is always a Special Forces unit on standby in case an incident arises.

I also find inspiration from brave acts of heroism, such as the story of Chris Craighead. Chris was an ‘off duty’ SAS trooper who set about actions that resulted in over 700 people being freed from a hotel siege in Nairobi. In Chris’s case, he decided to intervene without direct orders. A decision which must take a huge amount of courage.

So, when conceptualising The Skirmishers, I wanted to take this idea of a Special Forces unit and complicate it by examining their humanity. I wondered how their sense of duty exists alongside their desires and motivations. This is how The Skirmishers became realised.

Which character in the novel do you feel you relate to more and why?

Honestly, probably none of them. They all exist to me as separate entities with their own backstories and personalities. However, the overarching themes of the novel are based on my experiences on military operations and the truly incredible individuals who serve.

I have been lucky enough to meet Royalty, politicians, special forces personnel, military units, and civilian intelligence operatives. As a result, some of the characters do have traits of the people I have met, rather than being projections of my personality. While Mike Sharpe and Steph Holgate – our main characters – seem slightly larger than life, I can assure you there are people out there just like them. There are people out there who are willing to do the things that keep us all safe, that the average person can’t do. ​

I felt that there were a lot of great twists and turns throughout the novel. Did you plan this before writing the novel, or did the twists develop organically as you were writing?

I’ve had the idea for the book in my head for some time. The main characters were well-known to me and I also knew the scenario I wanted to place them in. However, as with real-life military operations, fate plays a role in everything we do, and I wanted to articulate this to the reader. It is this lack of control which allows these twists and turns to flourish. There are situations in the book that are close to the real situations I have found myself in, and fate appeared present in these events and for The Skirmishers!

What is the next book you are working on, and when will it be available?

Well, I can confirm that The Skirmishers WILL BE BACK!

I am currently working on a new plot outline for the team post the events of the first novel. Once I have a firm comprehension of the narrative, I hope to begin the writing process again. In terms of a release date, the writing process is normally a lot faster for me, but the editing process – with a huge thanks to all the editors – takes a lot more time! We want to be meticulous!

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Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2024/02/17/fate-plays-a-role-in-everything/