Indie Author Interview with Rafael Amadeus Hines – Author of the Suspense Thriller Bishop’s War.

Rafael Amadeus Hines is a native New Yorker with Panamanian, Jamaican, and Irish roots, who was born and raised on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Dipping into his early Alphabet City memories, he loosely based many of the characters in his first novel, Bishop’s War, on the people he grew up with, and adapted many of his own experiences into the book as well.

Alan Kealey (Indie Author News): What is your (writing) background?

Rafael Amadeus Hines: I’ve always wanted to write, but didn’t actually start typing on my laptop until about six years ago. It began slowly for me. Writing at night after my kids went to sleep, I often struggled to complete a few paragraphs in two or three hours sessions, but late one night something clicked and the words came pouring out. Once the flood gates were opened I couldn’t stop and there were many sleepless nights where chapter after chapter have seemed to magically appear on paper.

Who are your favorite writers, your favorite books, and who or what are your writing influences?
I’ve been an insatiable reader all my life, but in my late twenties I gravitated towards suspense-thrillers with interesting characters and great dialogue. One of my all time favorites is Elmore Leonard. From his early westerns to his edgy crime thrillers, Dutch was and always will be a true artist who let his characters tell the story. John Sandford is another influential author for me and very few can match his seemingly effortless writing style in his phenomenal Prey series about Lucas Davenport. A few others that strongly impacted me are James Lee Burke, Tom Clancy and Stephen Hunter. I also recently discovered the Julius Ceasar and Genghis Khan historical fiction series by Conn Igguilden and the man is a true master.

When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?
I grew up in neighborhood where everyone was a story teller. Vietnam combat vets, cops, gangsters, and dope fiends would congregate day and night on my block on Manhattan’s Lower East Side and listening to their stories was way better than watching TV or going to the movies. I soaked it all in and in my teens I dreamed of someday becoming a writer, but that dream lay dormant for many years. The real catalyst for me was 9/11. After watching my office in the south tower come down, like most New Yorkers, I anticipated more attacks to take place throughout the city. Thank God that never happened, but years later the hero of my military thrillers, John Bishop appeared on paper to stop those attacks and I’ve been writing ever since.

Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
Bishop’s War is actually the first story I’ve ever written, but it has evolved and grown from initially being a short story into a full length 445 page thriller over time.

“[…] a somewhat quirky nightly routine.”

Tell us about your writing process. Do you have a writing routine?
Yes, and it’s a somewhat quirky nightly routine. Lights go out at 10 or 11PM and I lay in the dark for thirty to forty-five minutes visualizing scenes and hearing the dialogue in my head. It’s kind of like watching a movie with your eyes closed and when I can see it all clearly I jump up, hit the lights, and rush over to my laptop to get it all down on paper before I fades away. I’ve tried daytime writing, but so far I haven’t been able to get in the zone the way I can with my “lights out” writing approach.

Please, describe your desk/workplace.
Very basic. Square three by three foot desk with a laptop attached to a monitor to help me see better.

What do you find easiest about writing? What the hardest?
I definitely wouldn’t say that writing is easy for me, but no matter how hard or frustrating it can be at times I always enjoy it and that’s been one of my main drivers. If it wasn’t so much fun I probably wouldn’t bother doing it.

“Scenes, characters, and dialogue just appear out of nowhere […]”

What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
The greatest joy of writing for me is when I become the funnel and have an almost out of body experience. When that happens I’m not the one writing anymore. Scenes, characters, and dialogue just appear out of nowhere and I just sit back and enjoy the ride. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does it’s pure magic.

Rafael, please tell us a little about your Suspense Thriller Bishop’s War.
Bishop’s War is a fast-paced and action-packed suspense thriller that introduces readers to Special Forces Sergeant John Bishop, decorated war hero, and nephew of crime boss, Gonzalo Valdez. After returning home from Afghanistan John’s hopes for a peaceful future are quickly shattered when he is catapulted back into the global war on terror through a succession of life-threatening events and corrupt intrigue. He battles against terrorist operatives in New York, a powerful Afghan warlord, and a psychopathic billionaire with powerful White House connections. When John’s uncle gets involved, he proceeds to treat John’s enemies to a bitter taste of mob vengeance. From that point on the ride speeds up and the reader will have to hold on for dear life. This is a thriller not to be matched for intensity and breathless excitement—not for the faint-hearted.
What inspired you to write the book?
As I mentioned earlier, the impact of 9/11 and the anticipation of follow up attacks eventually led me to imagining a lone citizen-soldier who could battle the terrorists in NYC and then take the war back to their home turf in Afghanistan.

“[…] anyone who loves military-action-thrillers with strong characters”

Who do you see as your target audience?
I think my target audience is anyone who loves military-action-thrillers with strong characters that you both love and hate. Many of the characters in Bishop’s War are based on the cops, gangsters and combat vets that I grew up with so I had a lot to work with.

What makes your book special?
As an author of military-thrillers, despite having never served in the United States Armed Forces, I feel extremely fortunate to have been surrounded by combat veterans for most of my life. Over the years I’ve had the privilege of hearing their jaw dropping firsthand accounts of battles and tactics, of belly laughing at their tales of the often hilarious and improbable moments that happen in war and shedding tears when they occasionally talk about the men and women they’ve served with who never made it home. I recognize what an honor it is to have these friendships and personal access to living legends who were actually reading my draft chapters while serving in Combat Outposts in Afghanistan. That said, Bishop’s War is very special to me because I know and love so many of the people in it and I laughed and cried as I wrote it.

“[…] sales have skyrocketed and people from all over the world…”

How would you describe the success of your self-published books so far?
So far the global response to Bishop’s War has been phenomenal and I actually wrote it just to see if I could write a novel and had no real intentions of ever publishing. It was just my fun late night hobby that I shared with friends who were kind enough to read it, but before my mother passed away a year ago she made me promise to self-publish. Early sales of 4 to 6 a day were exactly what I expected them to be for any unknown author and I anticipated it would dwindle down to nothing after my circle of 300+ friends, family and associates hit the buy it now button on Amazon. To my surprise sales have skyrocketed and people from all over the world are writing reviews, emailing me, and posting on my Facebook author page. It’s been quite a ride and I feel so blessed and honored to know that there are thousands of people out there who have enjoyed reading Bishop’s War as much I did writing it. All I can say is thanks Mom and thank you to all the Bishop fans out there.

“[…] you really have no idea where your writing will take you.”

Can you give some advice for other Authors regarding the writing process?
The old adage, just keep writing. The more you write the better it gets and unless you’re a polished professional who’s super organized with a structured and detailed outline you really have no idea where your writing will take you. Sit back and enjoy the ride.

Are you working on another book project? Can you tell us a little about it?
Yes, I’m currently writing the next action-packed Bishop novel and it’s really starting to come together. No ETA yet, but I’ll post some preliminary chapters on my website when it’s near completion.

Where do you see the book market in 5 or 10 years? Will there be only eBooks and will book stores disappear like record stores disappeared?
I sure hope not. Although 90% of my sales are from eBooks I still love holding a paperback or hard cover in my hand and I love going to book stores and roaming the isles for a new adventure.

What is your e-reading device of choice?
I tend to e-read on the go so most of the time I read eBooks on my iPhone.

Do you write full-time or do you have a day job? When you’re not writing, how do you spend your time?
Yes, I have a full time day job as the Director of Business Development for a global public company in the energy sector. Another reason why I write at night! 🙂

Thank you very much for the Interview, Rafael.