TED DENTON
About the Author
Award winning author Ted Denton achieved runner-up in the prestigious International Book Awards, Best New Fiction category 2022 for his debut novel Tight Lies. His second thriller Hostile was bestowed with an Honorary Mention in the Action Fiction category of the Topshelf Book Awards 2022.
Renowned for writing intelligent, plot driven thrillers the author is fascinated with the psychology of crime, the dynamics of power and complexities of the human condition. Denton’s work brings the look-through of a cinematographer’s eye to the written word; sharing close-up visceral intensity with the reader at every twist and turn.
Ted is a seasoned adventurer having visited some of the world’s most remote peoples and inaccessible countries. He is passionate about geo-politics, gastronomy, boxing and the shared responsibility to resist global cultural homogenization.
He is a member of The Society of Authors and The Honorary Society of International Thriller Writers.
More information on Ted’s writing can be found in his profile on literary community GoodReads.com. Linked here: Ted Denton (Author of Hostile) (goodreads.com)
INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR
To celebrate the release of his latest thriller, HOSTILE, The Big Thrill Magazine features an interview with the author ( link to full article Hostile by Ted Denton | THE BIG THRILL )
Ted Denton recently spent some time with The Big Thrill discussing his latest thriller, HOSTILE:
What do you hope readers will take away from this book?
Thrilling and unnerving insight into those who will do whatever it takes to win at all costs. A lens into the shadowy intersection of organized crime and malevolent government influence. A feeling that the reader has been kept guessing right to the end!
What attracts you to this book’s genre?
I love crime fiction thrillers. The full throttle, visceral nature of the genre offers the reader an opportunity to become absorbed in an action-driven, plot-twisting journey following the most base natures and instincts of humanity.
What was the biggest challenge this book presented? What about the biggest opportunity?
The greatest challenge of the book was the detailed research required into the shadowy underworld, rituals, and methods of Triad organized crime gangs.
The biggest opportunity of the Tom Hunter thrillers is reaching wider audiences seeking an exciting action-led read and being able to share accurate, researched insight into the methods of malevolent political regimes and their relationship with organized crime, of which the reader might not have previously been aware.
Hostile by Ted Denton | THE BIG THRILL
…………………..
Q&A WITH THE AUTHOR
When and where do you prefer to write?
‘I don’t follow a set pattern in terms of time and place for writing. I take the opportunity when it arises or when the mood strikes. Often on trains, aeroplanes, in foreign hotel rooms or in bars as much as anywhere else. I don’t need long to get started from where I left off and then I’m in a world of my own. Once I was writing in a bar in Denver, Colorado over a beer and a brawl kicked off all around me. Fists were flying, glasses and chairs were being hurled about and I just carried on. There wasn’t a call for me to get involved and I was engrossed with pouring out the words so I hardly noticed what was going down! The bar staff couldn’t quite believe it, but I’ve seen a lot worse.’
Do you have a certain ritual?
‘Writing for me is a burning passion. It’s about freedom. In so many forms of life you are encouraged to colour within the lines, stick to the conventions laid out by social norms that are inherited from people living in a world that has less and less bearing on our own. Creative writing smashes that apart. You start with a blank page and it can take you anywhere you want. I prefer to let the writing take me where it wants to go. I don’t restrict myself. This means that I write when the mood strikes me. It’s fairly undisciplined in that respect because my requirements to travel and engage in complex situations don’t allow for much structured time at a desk, but it’s more exciting that way. Somehow, I always manage to hit the agreed deadlines.
So, in terms of ritual I’m not particularly restrained or ‘O.C.D’ about things. However, because I end up writing in bars a fair bit I started to downing a shot of bourbon when I finished a chapter. I stuck with that, although obviously I have to plan my writing to ensure I’m not on the train or finishing off a chapter first thing in the morning!’
Is there a drink or any particular food that keeps you company while you write?
‘Obviously, I mentioned the bourbon shot! That keeps things interesting. Other than that, I drink a lot of coffee usually. When I’m writing I’m typically in a free-flow kind of state and pouring out the words fairly intensely. The coffee often remains cold and undrunk besides me.
I prefer to write without food as I find it a distraction. I’m a passionate cook and a hearty eater; more of a feaster than a grazer. Cruising along a little hungry keeps you sharp and I like the challenge of not being governed by meal times or being unable to perform because you’ve missed a meal.’
What is your favourite book?
‘I’m a rapacious reader of boxing literature. Particularly historically based fact and fiction writing on the great vintage fights and fighters of by-gone eras. I own some incredible first editions and a number of books that are over a hundred years old on the subject. I enjoy reading about the lifestyle and scene at that time. The characters and the shady deals. One of my favourite books is The Professional by W.C Heinz. It’s not an exciting book but something about its measured prose and depiction of the time and subject matter calms my soul. I’d also recommend The Killings of Stanley Ketchel, On Boxing by Joyce Carol Oates, The Harder They Fall and The Sweet Science.’
Do you consider writing a different genre in the future?
‘I have a constant stream of ideas and concepts for books that I’d like to write. I intend to write a thriller centred around boxing for sure, but I’m also fascinated by organised crime which takes a pivotal place in the Tom Hunter books. In ‘Tight Lies’ Hunter battles against the Russian mafia – the Vory. In ‘Hostile’ Hunter takes on the fearsome Chinese Triad gangs! Researching facts from within those dark underworlds is gripping.
Blending all that together and writing about an era I’m passionate about, the glamorous 1950s-1960s American mobster period of mafia fight fixing, corruption and nightclub highlife, would be a blast.
I’m currently working on an intense psychological thriller set in the U.S - it’s not in the Tom Hunter action-political thriller series, but it’s certainly a chilling, twisting plot and a book that I’m finding exciting to write!
Do you sometimes base your characters on people you know?
‘The scenes and characters in the books do carry certain aspects from real life experiences. Not a single depiction though – often a blend of detail. I’ve been lucky to live an interesting life. I’ve travelled to over two thirds of the world’s countries and been in plenty of exciting and dangerous situations. They’re full-on books but very personal. There is probably a piece of me across every word. Not sure that’s a particularly a sensible thing to admit though…!’
Do you take a notebook everywhere in order to write down ideas that pop up?
I do carry a notebook everywhere. I also keep one besides my bed and often wake up to write down all manner of socio-economic theories, concepts on life and plots for writing ideas. I’m not saying that they all make perfect sense when I read them back in the cold light of day!
I also often carry a tablet with me and try to grab time to write when I am travelling. I like to optimize my time effectively, so I’m not one for wasting downtime with trash TV or too much social media in general. I prefer to think, write or read, if not out and about having a good time or getting things done.
Which genre do you not like at all?
I suppose it is less about a genre that I have an issue with and more about the pervasive subculture that has penetrated popular media in recent years. The cult of baseless celebrity seems to be directly aligned to the erosion of self-esteem in so many young people today. The emphasis on attaining happiness through instant fame or money, often based on the way someone looks, without earning or probably deserving that, is in my view, to blame for the pernicious undermining of self-worth and the impact on mental health found in so many who’ll never be able to achieve fame due to the cards they have been dealt in life.
So, in short and to answer your question, the genre I don’t like at all would have to be ghost written autobiographies of reality TV/ Instagram based celebrities. These people are often still far too young to have a work outlining their ‘journey’ produced and have basically achieved very little other than becoming ubiquitously available. They enter a position of fame and become fodder for an all-access hungry public, fueled by an insatiable media machine. Primed and ready to be chewed up and spat out.
If you had the chance to co-write a book. Whom would it be with?
Whether it be fact or thriller ‘faction’ it would be cool to unravel the underbelly of the glamorous life lived by Frank Sinatra. I’d enjoy exploring his manifold connections to politicians such as the Kennedys, show business characters at the time like Marilyn Monroe and organized crime through his mafia connections. Co-writing with Frank and digging up the real truth on so many crazy things happening at that time would be powerful stuff. Of course, we’d have to agree up front that he’d let me do it ’My Way’ though…!
If you should travel to a foreign country to do research, which one would you chose and why?
I like to write about places I know and have visited. It’s affirming to be able to bring flashes of memory, feeling and sensory experience from a place that you’ve been to. It serves to provide a visual jumping off point for the reader and binds them into the text. If they can feel like they’re actually there with the characters and and feel what’s happening at that time, then I’ve done my job as an author and helped to transport the reader through the power of their imagination.
I’m fascinated by different political regimes and, without trying to overstate its merit, do try to weave a small element of factual information or insight on this into the books. Tiny pieces of detail and fact woven into the narrative can serve to shine a light about some of the lesser known, darker activities happening in of the farther-flung reaches of the world. I just have to hope the readers find it compelling and a natural fit with the story.