Interview with Michael Wreford (author of Kill with a Borrowed Knife: or Agent Ai)
Dear Thrillerbooksjournal’s readers, this week present you Michael Wreford, author of Kill with a Borrowed Knife: or Agent Ai. Read our new interview and don’t miss reading his book.
Q. Hi Michael, welcome to Thrillerbooksjournal.com. Our first question is very easy: who is Michael Wreford as a person and as a writer?
A. Thanks, I’m glad to be here!
Your first question yields a surprising answer, for Michael Wreford is in fact two people. So, as a person and a writer, I benefit from greater breadth of experience and different approaches to life and literature. Two heads are better than one, as they say. Thankfully, both halves of me understand the other very well, and there is great synergy between them which leads to a homogenous style of prose, and yet it also results in a positive tension that is palpable in the narrative, driving it forward.
Q. Where did you get the idea for Kill with a Borrowed Knife: or Agent Ai?
A. The novel is based on life experience, embellished with a good imagination! Michael Wreford has strong ties with China, where we have lived, worked, and studied. One of us was born there. Also, while some espionage novels are set in China, typically they skip through the country, brushing local dynamics aside. In “Agent Ai” we bring Asia’s idiosyncrasies to the fore.
Q. Can you briefly summarize the novel (without telling us too much, of course)?
A. In a sentence: thrust into an international web of intrigue after opportunistically stealing a powerful cyber weapon, George Quant has to decide whether to side with money or honour, while saving the relationship with the woman he thinks he loves, but feels also might be selling him out.
Q. Why readers might like it? Is there anything they might find difficult to accept in the book?
A. Anyone who enjoys thrillers and has an interest in Asia should enjoy “Agent Ai”. In particular, the novel provides insight in China and Hong Kong; it is permeated by Chinese culture, and jumps into the psyche of the nation, especially of those foreigners who call the country home.
What’s difficult to accept? The duality of some of the characters, and their ambitious intentions. They provide many twists, turns and surprises, right up to the final page.
Q. Is George Quant’s character based on someone you really know?
A. George Quant is fictional. That said, all fiction has to come from seeds of thought planted somewhere in reality.
Q. Are you already working on a new book?
A. I am indeed. The sequel is underway, and sees George on chase across Malaysia, Pakistan, and beyond, in the run up to the Shanghai World Expo 2010, where something is drastically amiss…
Q. Kill with a Borrowed Knife: or Agent Ai is available in kindle edition. What’s your opinion regarding ebooks and traditional books?
A. I love them both. Ebooks are great for their portability and versatility, especially when commuting or going on holiday. However, I do so appreciate the tactile sensation of a physical tome.
Q. A suggestion to wannabe writers. A suggestion to passionate readers.
A. If you are thinking of writing, write. Get a pen and paper and just start – anything will do! Flow and habit is important, a few pages a day will soon give you the fluidity and help conquer the fear of the blank page before your start your Magnum Opus. And remember, two people really can write together.
Q. If you want to say anything, this is the moment…
A. I’d like to highlight the benefit of online tools like Quickoffice and Google Drive for writers. Reliable file sharing is essential when you have two contributors. They also facilitate writing “on-the-go”, for instance on public transport or in hotel rooms. Skype was essential for plot discussions.
Q. Would you like to say hello to our readers?
A. Of course! Hello! Thankfully these days the conversation is open and two-way thanks to social media, so I’m more than happy to field questions on Twitter @michaelwreford or via my website www.michaelwreford.com. Email works too: wrefordmichael at gmail dot com.
Q. Thanks for having accepted our invitation, Michael: it’s been a pleasure having you.
A. Likewise, it’s been a pleasure being interviewed. Cheers!
Interview with Michael Wreford (author of Kill with a Borrowed Knife: or Agent Ai): buy online on Amazon
