The book cover of my new Australian thriller, Spiral. To be released by World Castle Publishing. No dates yet. This is a story about a Sydneysider who moves to South Australia to begin a new life. But like his past, new trouble starts to follow him.
The novel was inspired by my past work as an external public relations consultant to the South Australian Tourism Commission to the Singapore office. An account I managed for slightly more than a decade. Part of my role included escorting journalists to various parts of the State on a familiarization trip. So, I thought since I know the place well, why not write a story set here?
Some of the scenes in the novel are real, particularly my encounter with a platoon of penguins on Kangaroo Island around midnight marching outside my hotel room. This island is outrageously beautiful. Would you believe it? The island is like 7 or 8 times larger than Singapore with differing landscapes. You could find yourself in the desert, in the bush land, by the ocean and in the woods with winding rivers.
There are five-star resorts overlooking amazing views, and there are rough-it-out campsites, so the choice is yours. Either way, you’ll be close to nature. I remember during one trip we drove past a Koala who sat by the side of the road. There is always something extraordinary about seeing animals in their natural habitat instead of a zoo.
Spiral takes begins in one of the State’s key wine regions, Clare Valley, before the novel stretches to other parts, including Adelaide, Kangaroo Island with some smaller scenes taking place in Sydney. One of the things I’ve done in this book is to avoid cliches; I am not talking just dialogue but things often associated with Australia. Mind you, it’s there, but not as much. There is a misconception in the form of a stereotype that Australia is Crocodile Dundee. It’s not. The one thing you’ll discover about the city of Adelaide is that it has a European feel to it. I must confess it’s not as exciting as Sydney but some parts can be fun, like Glenelg, the beach-side suburb. I’d visit it again if I had the chance.
By the way, if you are not familiar with South Australia, the capital is Adelaide. Too many people make the mistake of thinking I am referring to Tasmania because of the reference made to the south.
Here’s the teaser trailer of Spiral on YouTube.
Spiral is my fourth work. Meanwhile, I am working on the sequel to Gun Kiss, which is again set in SoCal.
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Just wrote “The End” on the first draft of my South Australian thriller, SPIRAL.
One protagonist Wadjela, two Nungas, two SAPOL (police) boys in blue, a biker gang, Australian intelligence Services (ASIS) and a Russian assassin.
Here’s a song to celebrate.
Once the honeymoon ends, the tough part begins…rewriting, rewriting, and more rewriting.
May the Rainbow Serpent give me strength.
Didgeridoo – Yigi Yigi by David Hudson
Photo by Alex Hockett on Unsplash
Whenever I used to travel to Sydney, I’d make regular visits to Bankstown, a suburban district. It had a nice Lebanese restaurant. My Australian friends would always discourage me from going there because of the town’s notorious reputation. If you google it, you’ll probably find lots of crime stories involving mob hits. The most recent involved a Vietnamese lawyer who was shot at point black range at a cafe.
If you are familiar with the old Australian TV series, “Underbelly” it is said to be inspired by the famous Muslim-Lebanese family in Australia — the Ibrahims. The most flamboyant of all is John Ibrahim (the king of Kings Cross) who recently had a book out about his life entitled, “Last King of the Cross”. His cousin recently married the sister of Salim Mehajer, another infamous figure, thus cementing the union between two of Australia’s most notorious families.
At one time, John lost his beloved macaw when it flew over the nearby cliffs at his seaside bungalow. The Rose Bay police, along with police rescue, abseiled down and retrieved the bird.
And then there was Mahmoud “Mick” Howie (deceased), who once headed the outlawed bikie gang, The Comancheros. Here’s a news clipping about Mick’s funeral.
The bikie gang was created a couple of decades ago by William G. Ross. He survived the Milperra Massacre in 1984, a shoot-out between rival motorcycle gangs. An innocent 15-year old girl died when a stray hit her.
What was once an all-white-gang, The Comancheros evolved to include several club charters across states. Members now make up different ethnic groups: Lebanese, Samoans, Maoris, Greeks, Italians, Asians, etc.
The Comancheros are not your regular beer-belching bikie gang. These guys are tech-savvy; members include trained military snipers and computer specialists.
So, I thought it’ll be fun to weave a new thriller about an ordinary guy working at a wine estate who finds himself embroiled with a bikie gang. It all begins when a reporter sent to do a feature story about the estate in Clare Valley in South Australia is found murdered.
I am familiar with South Australia, having managed the state tourism’s public relations account for a decade. The SA landscape is gorgeous that it’s hard to pick a favorite location as it changes from place to place. Well, there’s also going to be a bit of Sydney in the story along with other locations around the globe. Honestly, it never occurred to me that I could find more materials to write another novel.
