The French Foreign Legion is one of the most mysterious military forces in the world. After researching the legion for several weeks, I found a lot of the material published about them was complete hokum. I found a book called Life in the French Foreign Legion by Evan McGregor. It not only gave me first person experiences but gave detail into the daily life of the legion. I corresponded with Evan and he helped me shape my characters into a believable format.
SJ Parkinson – 07 July 2013
The Back Flap
At a remote French Foreign Legion fort in the middle of the Algerian desert, Sergent Étienne Martin drinks himself numb every night. A paratrooper, talented soldier, and respected Non-Commissioned Officer, the alcohol is his way of escaping the oppressive atmosphere of the camp. Under the iron hand of Colonel Rochon, no breach of the rules is tolerated and fear rules the base.
Anger, frustration, and desperation are the norm as Martin endures the last three years of his contract. Morale plummets, and desertions are frequent. Life inside the fort walls becomes an endless grind.
Martin discovers millions of Euros have been taken from the fort accounts for personal gain. His duty demands he report this to his superiors. Discovering how widespread the conspiracy is, Martin must decide whether to stand against hopeless odds, or run to fight another day.
About the book
What is the book about?
The Legionnaire: Origins is the first book in the planned trilogy for the adventures of Stephen Anderson. When The Legionnaire: Mask of the Pharaoh was released, I received dozens of questions about Stephen Anderson and his shadowy past. Origins answers most of those questions and gives you an insight into a man on the run from his past.
When did you start writing the book?
The original draft of Mask of the Pharaoh contained most of the material in Origins. However, it became clear that including Anderson’s back story would make the book over seven hundred pages. I thought that was too much for my premier novel so I removed the material. I later fleshed it out into a prequel beginning in January of 2013 and finished it in March.
How long did it take you to write it?
The book took me three months, of which the first two weeks was spent in research and scripting out the plot flow. Even though it is a fictional story, I like to maintain a high level of real world believability. The book begins in Algeria and a French Moroccan friend of mine was amazed when he read Origins. He said my descriptions of the Tuareg tribesmen, and the desert were dead on.
Where did you get the idea from?
I visited Egypt in 2006 on vacation and got to see King Tut’s gold burial mask in person. It’s an amazing piece of history. Later I read about the Gardner Museum theft and the two items coalesced into the backdrop for The Legionnaire trilogy. When I tried to develop a protagonist, I wanted him to have a military background, but all of the military services had already been used in famous novels. That’s when I remembered the French Foreign Legion. Through research, I discovered that what people thought they knew about the Legion was mostly inaccurate. Good fiction grows best in the shadows, so I used the Legion and everything else fell into place around that.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
The French Foreign Legion is one of the most mysterious military forces in the world. After researching the legion for several weeks, I found a lot of the material published about them was complete hokum. I found a book called Life in the French Foreign Legion by Evan McGregor. It not only gave me first person experiences but gave detail into the daily life of the legion. I corresponded with Evan and he helped me shape my characters into a believable format.
What came easily?
The easiest part was actually writing the book. The research, character development and various plot threads caused grief while I worked them out. Once I settled on the various elements, the writing itself flowed easily. When I sit down to write, I have the finished novel in my head and I just need to get it on paper.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
No characters are exact mirrors of anyone I know, but I do use parts of personalities of people I know and work with. I also people watch quite a bit and pick up inspiration from strangers on the street. I’ll sometimes include pieces of my own personality as well.
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
As a teenager I used to read a book a day, so there are literally dozens of authors who influenced me. The three biggest influences were Arthur C Clarke, Michael Crichton and Bernard Cornwell. Clarke for the scale of his imagination, Crichton for his believable tales based in science and Cornwell for his ability to site stories within historical events. I was fortunate enough to correspond with Arthur C Clarke a few years before his death in 2008. He was a wonderful and supportive man.
Do you have a target reader?
I try to make my novels accessible to everyone. I don’t use overt sex, profanity or violence as I feel the story should be able to stand by itself. While the subject matter is mature, it is by no means ‘adult’. I have received complimentary messages from young and old readers alike which I believe validates that approach.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
The first iteration of a story starts in my mind. I come up with the main plot flow and imagine it from beginning to end several times over. Once the idea is set, I will begin research to make sure it is practical. Then I’ll sit down and do up a ‘character bible’. That’s a description of each character, their height, weight, eye and hair color, etc., plus any personality quirks. That helps when writing dialog and I need to know what color eyes a character is looking into. Next comes a point form outline of the entire book. That is no more than two pages and acts as my guide to keep me within the constraints of my plotline as I type.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
By having the point form story outline and character bible in hand, I know ahead of time who interacts with whom and when. I just need to add the dialog at that point. That makes the process of writing a lot faster. On a good day, I can get ten pages finished. My personal best is twenty pages in one day.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
I write the story out completely as a first draft. If I encounter an issue while writing, I’ll make a note and move on. During my initial review of the manuscript, I revisit any problem areas and clean up where necessary. I’ll then go through it at least twice more to polish and look for errors. Before editing, I’ll get the opinion of at least two alpha readers and do further amendments as needed before it goes to editting.
Did you hire a professional editor?
I’ve always tried to place the best possible quality work in the hands of the reader. I’ve used Lynn McNamee’s Red Adept Publishing editing service for all of my novels. I’ve been extremely lucky to have one editor for the entire Legionnaire series. Misti Wolanski forces me to write to a better level.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
Background music is part and parcel of my writing process. During the day, I usually have an 80’s Internet radio station playing quietly in the background. To change things up in the evening, I’ll have an eclectic mix of Peter Gabriel, Pink Floyd, Enigma, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Paul Van Dyk on my headphones. At night, it has to be something with energy and a beat. Last time I checked, I had over forty gigs of digital music.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
I’ve submitted my first book to roughly seventy-five agents. Few responded and none positively. There are so many people out there trying to do the same that you can get lost in the noise. The rejection did not stop my writing and today I have five novels done. I don’t regret making the move to being an independent in the slightest.
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
My author friend and mentor Keith C. Blackmore had gone independent and was making a decent living. After informing him of my failure to secure an agent, he told me he had the same issue years before. Keith encouraged me to follow in his footsteps and I’ve not looked back since. I had the choice of getting my books out there or waiting for an agent to call me back. If I’d waited for the agent, no one would have heard of me.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
Creating a high quality cover would have been impossible without assistance. I usually have a concept in my head and put together a draft from stock photos. Then I turned it over to my cover artist to make it look good. All of my Legionnaire covers were done by Christine DeMaio-Rice. We would send iterations back and forth with each of us adding and changing until we got them right. She has retired from doing covers and is a respected author in her own right. I am now working with a graphics designer on all future covers.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
I do have a marketing plan for each book I release, but typically my budget limits my vision. I fund all my own advertising and simply cannot afford full page color ads in major outlets. Thank fully, word of mouth on The Legionnaire trilogy has been growing and that is the best form of advertising you can have. I will run a KDP Select promo, then follow-up with paid adverts on e-book web sites. I’ve also donated novels for giveaways and draws on occasion.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
If you truly want to be an author, write because you love writing. If you write to make money, chances are you’ll be disappointed. With 1.5 million e-titles out today, you’ll struggle to stand out. Yes, there are a few authors who make millions, but they are the exception and worked hard for their success. Listen to as many fellow authors as possible, find an online writing support group, or network of people you can talk to about writing. After hearing their opinions, choose the path you want to take and stick with it. Last, realize that the skills to write a book are completely different from the skills needed to market a book. Start small, be thrifty, and work your way up.
About You
Where did you grow up?
After being born in the UK, my family moved to Canada when I was seven. I joined the military when I was eighteen and lived around the world. My last move was my forty-third. So I have been around a bit, as they say. All of the countries I lived in helped form my understanding of the world and I would hope those experiences make my novels more believable.
Where do you live now?
I moved to the island of Bermuda in 2009. It’s a nice place to live, but can be distracting. Looking out on pink sand beaches and electric blue water is not good motivation to stay inside and write. However, since coming here, I’ve written three novels, so I really cannot complain. There are challenges to living on an island in the Atlantic Ocean, but just as many benefits.
What would you like readers to know about you?
I don’t consider myself a genre specific novelist. I currently have books in the mystery, adventure and science fiction categories as I consider the story to be more important that the genre itself. Regardless, I’ll always strive to put the best quality novel in front of my readers. I use professional editors, cover artists, formatters, and proof readers to make each book as good as it can be. To date, each of my novels has received the Red Adept Select gold seal for being ‘Outstanding in Genre’ and feel my approach is validated by that. I keep my website updated with progress reports on my various projects and have an irregular blog. If you want to learn more about me and my writing philosophy, then that’s a good place to start.
Finally, I would like to thank my readers for their encouraging reviews, correspondence, and support. Your emails, tweets and blog posts encourage me to continue and I do appreciate people taking the time to contact me. Thank you all.
What are you working on now?
The third Legionnaire book is currently waiting for editing. That will conclude the initial trilogy. My latest project is a science fiction novel set in the modern day. Details and the title are being closely held as it is currently only 10% written, but it promises to be an epic length novel at this time. Farther down the road, I’m planning a fourth Legionnaire novel. I hope to have that completed before Christmas, but will not start it until the sci-fi book is complete so that goal is fluid at this time. All told, I have a dozen novel ideas in my head. I just lack the time to write them down. Hopefully, I’ll be able to dedicate more time to writing as my novels become more popular.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak with the IndieView community.
End of Interview:
For more, visit SJ Parkinson’s website, follow him on twitter, or like his page on facebook.
Get your copy of Origins from Amazon US (paper or ebook) or Amazon UK (paper or ebook).