AuthorInterview

St Cyrus author James E Mack tells Caroline Lindsay how his career in the military and counter terrorism give inspiration for his writing

James E Mack has always been an avid reader and, like most of us, had moments while reading a book thinking “I could do better than this...” One day he decided to do just that.

James takes up the story: “I spent a full career in the military and later specialised as a counter terrorism and counter insurgency adviser to various countries and organisations,” he explains.

“I also worked with conservation groups in Africa establishing counter wildlife poaching programmes which was hugely rewarding. In a break between contracts, I knuckled down and wrote my first novel, treating it as a job, putting in the hours until it was complete.”

His latest book, Sins of the Fathers, is a novel about the conflict in Northern Ireland, known as “The Dirty War”.

“The story centres around the IRA’s hunt for a high-level informer in their midst as MI5 and Military Intelligence ramp up their operations against the terror group,” says James.

“Marcus Vaughan, a new operator with a secret intelligence unit, begins to uncover a web of treachery and deceit stretching back decades.

“And when the impact of a black operation years before comes crashing into the present, the Dirty War becomes very personal for Marcus as the dark forces involved show they will stop at nothing to protect their secrets,” he continues.

“I was inspired to write it partly from my own experiences while serving in Northern Ireland and from real-life incidents over the years where agents have been uncovered, sometimes after decades of spying on their fellow IRA members.

“Several of these incidents are now in the public domain, shocking and surprising the average person as what was deemed permissible on both sides to fight a war is slowly coming to light. The Northern Ireland conflict is now consigned to recent history but the impact of the 30-odd years of killing and terror have left a legacy that affects us even today.” He reveals that sometimes his writing is inspired by a “what if...” scenario.

“I let my mind run with a wild idea until the framework of a story starts to take form. A good example of this is my second novel Fear of the Dark, where the peaceful coastal village of St Cyrus is laid siege by a team of psychopathic, elite killers.

“The inspiration for this came during a severe winter some years ago when I was cross-country skiing through the village and imagined it cut off from civilisation, no communication with the outside world. I then introduced a team of killers into this scenario and I had the cornerstone of the story!”

James recently secured a deal with Pan Macmillan which he reveals he is still amazed by: “One of the world’s biggest publishing houses buying the rights to my work!” he smiles.

“So currently I am responding to their editorial team’s recommendations and editing this book. It is scheduled for publication in time for Father’s Day 2021, but I am also writing another novel between edits.”

Sins of the Fathers by James E. Mack is published by Achnacarry Press, £9.99, available from Amazon.