The howl of the four mighty Rolls-Royce T-56 turboprop engines heralded the passage of an unyielding juggernaut. The incessant roar of the C-130 Hercules intensified its menace as it sliced through the night sky. High above, the anxious gaze of a full moon cast a ghostly aura upon the flying giant’s back. And deep inside her ample belly, the paratroopers waited in silence.

Defender of the Faith, Part One, Chapter 12 www.defenderofthefaith.com.au

Life without Borders: the scene of an emptied Borders bookstore in Sydney last night - desolate and lonely - reminds us that the way we buy and consume books is irrevocably changing.

“In Defender of the Faith, Chris takes you on an intense ride made all the more so by the outstanding level of accuracy and detail in a truly believable storyline. Through this, the reader gets a vividly clear image of the intrigue and intensity of a story well told, so well told, it feels real.”

Lieutenant Colonel Evan Williams Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment

An inherent element of paratrooping is the requirement to undertake airborne insertions under cover of darkness.  As a result, airborne forces around the world routinely practice night jumps and they become just part of the normal activity for serving paratroopers!

On this occasion, I was attached to British Airborne Forces and we were preparing to jump into Arnhem (The Netherlands) for the 50th Anniversary of Operation Market Garden which was, at the time, the largest airborne operation of the Second World War (September 1944).

Our sense of history was almost overwhelming as we prepared to board. I recall this photo was taken around 2am. As we eventually flew in towards the Arnhem drop zone, I was standing in the open para door, ready to jump, looking down as the sun just began to rise over the Netherlands. The luscious greens and browns of the fields around Arnhem looked like a perfectly made quilt and I almost forgot what I was there to do when the dispatcher suddenly bellowed in my ear "RED ON, Sir!", followed a couple of seconds later by "GREEN ON, GO!". And out the door we went.

“An explosive, gripping tale. Chris Allen has hit the mark. Introducing INTREPID and launching new hero, Alex Morgan, he compels the reader to keep the pages turning. I can’t wait for the movie.”

Commander*, Federal Agent and former Special Forces *Name withheld for security reasons

Couldn't be happier with the results of a recent photo shoot to depict our main man, Alex Morgan of INTREPID, in promoting Defender of the Faith. Here's a glimpse of Alex Morgan, played by handsome fellow and all-round great guy Cameron Gumley. Photo by Lisa Pearl Photography.

Obliged to Land Rover for the latest issue of their 'Defender' model - meant to coincide with book launch, I presume...

A journey of a thousand miles...

There is an incredible sense of accomplishment that pats you on the back when, with two raw fingers, you tap out the final words of your first novel.  And, when it’s taken you the best part of a decade, that sense of triumph feels well deserved.

But it’s short lived.

As anyone who has laboured over a manuscript will tell you, the hard work starts just as the joy of creating the story is concluded. It’s a bit like having a baby - yes, I know, I’m a bloke and I’ll never really know – but hear me out.  The experience of the pregnancy is full of twists and turns, highs and lows, not to mention those sleepless nights. Despite all that, there is at its core overwhelming anticipation surrounding the arrival.  And when that arrival finally occurs, the joy is ethereal.

This is also true of the writing process. 

Your book is finished.  You’re ready to set it on its journey to take on the world.  But before you can put him (or her) in his first set of shoes and socks, with spit in his hair and a floppy hat on his head, there’s work to be done.  Seriously hard work. 

If we find a parallel to the sleep deprivation, dirty nappies, screams and squeals, vomit, exhaustion of a new baby, that - to me - is the editing process.  I don’t know how many times I have read, read, read and read again my novel, Defender of the Faith.  In fact, my wife Sarah will tell you, that there were many occasions when in fits of frustration, I threatened to delete every version I had of the damn thing.  If not for Sarah and my incredible agent and editor, Jacqueline, I would have. When we’re talking about 100,000 words, I could be forgiven for considering it.

Now, the book is finished and we’ve established our own boutique publishing company, Bright Sea Publishing, to launch this baby into a brave new world of print-on-demand technology, e-readers and social marketing online.  Doing it ourselves, everything rides on our attention to detail, our commitment to seeing it through, our belief that my book is worthy of the effort we have expended in the journey to publication.

In my humble opinion, I'm finally achieving what I set out to do, to write an old-school action thriller in the style and pace of my literary heroes like Fleming, Maclean, Higgins and Forsyth, but with a contemporary edge.  More importantly, I wanted to write a book that may mates could read and re-read and gladly place it on their bookshelves alongside those works that they consider to be favourites. 

Researching ideas and inspiration for today's shoot: can't go past The Avengers!

Have had an incredible time in Melbourne this weekend, discovering hidden gems as well as being thrilled by sime great enthusiasm for Defender! This is the world of Alex Morgan...

The Puma flew over the main entrance to the airport, rapidly gathering speed and height as it climbed to clear the mountains ahead. Alex Morgan looked down and saw a number of sandbagged guard posts at the key access points on the approach roads to the airport. They each contained a three-man detachment of local troops manning machine guns. Morgan clocked the buzz of electrifying activity in and around Cullentown airport. Military, UN and civilian vehicles, planes and choppers were in constant motion, landing and taking off, delivering and picking up. The pace was relentless. He was back in the real world again, a world in which he felt at home, restored and revitalised, far from the trivialities of mundane city life. In a place like this, where so much was uncertain, every day was an open book. There were no guarantees, no routines, no 9-to-5. It was life, pure and simple and, as always, it gripped Morgan. He often wondered what it would be like to be satisfied with a conventional life, living in the same town, catching the same bus, going to the same job, the same problems, the same people, day after day, year after year. How could all those people possibly know what actually went on out in the real world. Still, maybe they were better off not knowing.

- Chapter 14, Defender of the Faith by Chris Allen

Ten years in the making... a return to the old-school action thriller.

Morgan...sat shoulder-to-shoulder with a team of heavily armed clearance divers attached to HMAS Albany, a Royal Australian Navy Armidale-class patrol boat. The men, all armed with M4 Carbines and 9mm Browning Hi-Power pistols, were specialists in tactical operations and veterans of the Navy’s campaigns against terror and counter-piracy. Morgan was glad to have them in his corner.

- Chapter One, Defender of the Faith by Chris Allen