Russ McDevitt's The Quigley Alchemy

My guest today is E.J. 'Russ'McDevitt. Russ was born in Ireland and as a young man toured Australia in a boxing and wrestling troupe for 3 years. Then he moved to Canada and joined the military as a policeman, for 6 years, 3 of those posted with NATO in Europe. After discharge, he went into the life insurance industry moving up the ladder to sales manager, training officer, marketing manager and CEO of his own brokerage. Latterly in his career, he was a life and business coach. He is married to Marie, has 6 grown up children and lives in Manitoba, Canada.

Anne – Welcome to my little corner of cyberspace, Russ. It is always exciting to chat with a fellow author, especially one I have met in person. J

Please, make yourself comfortable because I really don't want to waste a precious second of our time together. Let’s do what we love best--talk writing! What one or two lines best sums you up as an author?

Russ - I'm told that my action scenes are so believable, that many readers say my books would make terrific films.

Anne – There is nothing like a fast moving action scene to speed one's pulse and grab our complete attention. Tell us about your most recent release. (Title and story blurb.)

Russ - Book one, The Quigley Alchemy, is the first of a trilogy about an individual called Danny Quigley, ex special forces in the UK (SAS) who gets out of the army and tries to succeed in the life insurance industry. Failing, he decides to find an incredibly successful insurance guru called C.C. Courtney, who had disappeared. The trail leads to Ireland but his search is interrupted by a rogue MI5 agent who wants him to use his sniper skills to assassinate a leading politician and will stop at nothing to coerce him into this. The story has flash backs to Quigley's action-packed background in the SAS, where he had become a legend. 

Book 2, The Quigley Mission, recounts how Quigley, now a civilian, is brought in by MI5 to investigate a missing SAS troop, that's just returned from Iraq. He discovers that a faceless group of mercenaries are stalking and killing the troopers. He quickly goes from hunter to hunted when he discovers that the brooding silence of the Iraqi desert hides a secret that could bring down the US and Israeli governments. The story moves to the USA where Quigley, with two associates, plans a final assault on the shadowy group behind the killings of the SAS troop.

Book 3, The Quigley Rescue, is written but not yet published…probably on Kindle shortly.                                                                                                                          

Anne – Ah, books on Kindle. J I resisted getting an ereader for years, but purchased a Kindle last fall. Within one week I became a convert and now I can’t imagine reading any other way! How long does it take you to write a book?

Russ - One year…then 6 months to edit and publish. 

Anne - Do you belong to any writer organizations, critique groups, or depend on beta readers?

Russ - I belong to a social networking writers group who share valuable info on publishing scams etc.

Anne – Is there one book you are most proud of writing? Why?

Russ - I'm proud of all of them and certainly writers should be aware that it's  actually in writing that one's craft grows and develops.

Anne – Absolutely. Does one character in particular hold a special place in your heart? Why?

Russ - When I was a trainer in the life insurance industry a guy came into my class. He was ex SAS and violence oozed from every pore of his skin. Because I was ex military, he shared some incredibly stories with me of a number of his operations in special forces. Right then Danny Quigley was born in my mind and his actions have come alive in my writings.

Anne - What is the most surprising thing you’ve learned about yourself from your writing?

Russ - The whole process is a learning curve in which the journey itself (yes the book gets written) changes you beyond what you could possibly have imagined. Having read several books about the Afghanistan conflict, I've come to an enormous appreciation for the sacrifice of those men and women who put their lives on the line every day for us…and  the sacrifices of their families at home.

Anne – I couldn’t have said it better. If you’re not involved in Edward Patterson’s Operation Ebook Drop program, that is something you might consider once your books are available in e-format. 

Thanks so very much for dropping by today, Russ. It’s been an total joy to chat about The Quigley Alchemy, The Quigley Mission, The Quigley Rescue and your writing process. As always, I wish you every success, and please give your lovely wife a hug for me! J

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