What readers have to say about S.L. Shelton's
Scott Wolfe spy thriller series
and his new crime thriller, Hedged
"Imbued with rich detail and realistic, high-powered adventure, this
action-packed, cleverly-devised plot whisks the reader along for a
non-stop ride. For both fast-paced adventure and suspenseful intrigue, I would highly recommend" ~Donna Cummins, author of Rain of Terror and A Reason to Kill (Waking Wolfe)
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"Part spy novel, part political intrigue, part techno-thriller this fast
paced book will keep you hooked. S.L. Shelton does a wonderful job
creating characters you love & those you love to hate. They are
back in this book, but are they all what they seem? Something is going
on and the suspense is building, I can't wait for the final installment!
Write faster S.L. Shelton!!" (Predator's Game)
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"Keep it coming, good dialogue,
great action, string realistic fight and action sequences, logical,
smart, intriguing leads, just the recipe I need to keep me coming back
for more." (Unexpected Gaines)
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"The exploits of antihero Chase Grant propel a narrative that begins with
family history and moves quickly through corporate intrigue and
cartel-related scheming. I like that technical specifics, radio traffic,
and police procedural jargon are stripped away and the story stays at a
personal level with the participants in each chapter - in all its
realistic, unsavory flavors - yet never forgetting that family comes
first." (Hedged)
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"Scott Wolfe is back again
and better (and badder) than before...unlike
other series, the story didn't go downhill after the first book. It was fresh and exciting and very
intriguing." ~ Living Through Books, Book Blog Reviews. (Danger Close)
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"S.L. Shelton knows how to keep a reader engaged. He has an amazing
ability to move through his story dropping enticing tidbits (and
bombshells) throughout. There are so many things happening and there's
always something important being uncovered. He’s got the talent of
intrigue perfected. This is incredibly frustrating for a reader…but in
the most wonderful and delicious way." (Wolfe Trap)
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"Like the first four in the series,
this was spell-binding-filled with suspense, nail-biting action,
thrills and of course, lots of Scott Wolfe wizardry. I can't wait to see
where Shelton takes his protagonist next." (Harbinger)
S.L. Shelton is a passionate, fact spouting former techie and soldier who is constantly at odds with his need to kick the legs out from under
those who abuse their power (Political, Economic or Super). He lives on a
tiny little farm on the banks of a tiny little river in the
northwestern part of Virginia, where his semi-secret identity is
somewhat protected on three sides. Despite deep misgivings about writing
on subjects close to his own life, he has penned a series of books
about a similarly broken, similarly gifted young man who similarly
doesn't have a clue when to stop and re-evaluate life decisions.
Before building his career in the computer field for nearly two decades
as a developer, designer, trainer, and a CEO, he had the honor of
serving in the US Armed Forces in several roles, most involving
explosives of some sort. After selling his successful micro empire in
2011, Shelton retired to his study which he hasn't left since. On most
days he writes, but when left alone and to his own devices, breaks his
troll like existence long enough to sneak into the sunlight and fire a
weapon or two, snap a few pictures or pick some vegetables from his
wife's prized organic garden beds.
Though his climbing days are behind him due to injuries (several to the
head), he was an avid rock climber, having climbed for decades since his
teen years. His three children are grown and living very adventurous
lives of their own.
Author Interview
1.
The first question in this interview is nearly identical to the first one for
the last interview you did for me … but when you read it you’ll see why.
Splinter Self is the seventh book in your Scott Wolfe Series. Without any spoilers, can you give readers an
overview of the story so far?
Thanks for pointing out this is the same
question you asked prior to Predator's
Game. My response then was being affected by something I didn't understand
at the time. I am of course aware now what the "downward spiral" was
all about. It's clear my wife's illness (now identified as cancer) affected me
and the writing of the series without realizing it. The rest of the answer
would remain the same, so with your indulgence, I'll just answer with last
year's answer. "Scott Wolfe starts
the series as a seemingly normal twenty-something. There are hints he is
different, but those hints don't start forming a cohesive image until midway
through the series. Then it becomes clear he's very different. His personality
is one that won't let things go, even if those things are a danger to him. That
allows the CIA to pull him in, entangling him in a conspiracy he helps uncover.
Each novel builds on the last, showing more of the real Scott and hinting at
his potential. In the 4th novel, there is a major setback for Scott that begins
a slow degrading of his talents, leaving him more and more with only what he
has learned through the CIA. It's a tense situation and frankly, it has been
hard to write."
2. Is this really
going to be the last book in this series?
Regardless of the outcome in Splinter Self, this will be the end of
the Scott Wolfe Series. Whether it's
the end of Scott Wolfe or not, I don't know...I won't know until after I've
written the last scene. If Scott lives, there may be some future iteration to
the story (though it won't be the Scott
Wolfe Series). If he dies, well, I just don't know. It's out of my control
at this point. The events and characters of the series are in control of the
telling of this story now. I'm just doing my best to translate it into a
readable, entertaining format.
3. How did you
become involved with the subject or theme of your book?
I've always been in love with spy stories
and movies. I grew up on James Bond. I've also always been a huge SciFi reader
(Herbert, Anderson, Clarke, Bradbury, McCaffrey, etc.) so adding a SciFi
component, particularly one that is in the realm of possibility, only adds
another layer of drama to the story.
4.
Out of all the books you’ve written, can you list your three favorite
characters? Include the reasons why, (but only if you can do it without
spoilers.)
Nick Horiatis - Old school badass. Not as
dense as he seems but quick to solve problems with brute force. I put a lot of
myself into Nick so I know how he feels most of the time.
John Temple - Of all my characters, I feel
I'm most like John, so I'm able to climb into his head better than a lot of the
rest. He is sly, has experience beyond most characters in the story, and is an
expert at playing others with a smile on his face. He is usually five or six
steps ahead of everyone else and is willing to let others use their gifts to
solve problems rather than micro managing (usually). He also swallowed more
regret and disappointment than the others, but pushes past his cynicism to get
the job done.
Kathrin (Gretel) - She has been easy to
write and easy to love. She is patterned after my own wonderful Gretel, my wife
Diane. It's been harder writing her in Splinter Self because of what's going on
with my wife in the real world. Aside from delays for medical reasons, I'd say
writing has been slowed most due to those emotional walls. But she is by far my
favorite character.
5. You just
released Hedged, your first crime
thriller. Was the transition from espionage to crime difficult?
Yes, Hedged
was my first published crime novel (though not the only one I've written...I
have other unpublished works). It wasn't difficult. In fact, in many ways it
was easier. I didn't have to dig as deeply into multiple disciplines of trade
for personality influences. Military, Intelligence and Tech are all very
different in the way they shape attitudes and responses, so I have to go fairly
deep into motivation and mindset to write espionage. In crime (at least in the
case of Hedged) on the other hand, I get
to focus more on personal life influences rather than institutional
influences, making this story a bit more
emotional in the character development. That's probably why it flowed so
quickly as I was writing...I didn't have to change "jobs" as I took
on each character's personality--just a different personality.
6.
Was it difficult after spending so much time writing an idealistic, ethics
driven character like Scott Wolfe, moving to a more unstable, passion driven
bad-boy like Chase Grant?
Not at all. All characters live within
me...or rather, I'm able to channel any character. Once I have a conversation
with a character in my head, I know who that person is and how they will react
to other characters/events. Chase was easy to write because he has a simple,
emotion driven philosophy to life, tainted by his own past emotional trauma. He
is a product of his past, and I might add, a slave to it, being unable to
recognize why it's dysfunctional.
7. Why do you
write?
I know this is a popular meme caption, but
it's truly to give the voices in my head something to do other than haunt me. I
need to have my thoughts take form, and writing does that.
8. What do you
think most characterizes your writing?
Periods of wandering with a blank look on
my face, followed by an explosive attack on the keyboard. Sometimes I will go
days or even weeks without writing, attempting to solidify the story in my
head. When it clicks (usually only a single missing key twist) I can spend days
typing the result, sometimes only stopping for naps and smoke breaks.
9.
Where did your love of books and storytelling come from?
I'd like to say I was born a story teller,
but the truth is I was born to lecture. Making the story interesting is what I
had to do to make people sit and listen. I'm also quite entertaining when
giving a lecture. :)
10. What do you
like to read in your free time?
I read a lot of indie authors. J.C. Wing
comes to mind. Mike Robbins is another. I feel a debt to other indies since I
have achieved bestseller success from an indie launch pad. I still love my old
fall backs, and find myself rereading many of the great novels I read in my
late teens and early twenties. I've read the Dune series more than six
times...never gets old.
11. What literary
character is most like you?
I hate to sound cliché, but Lestat is most
like me. A god damned diva with
incredible skills he can't claim credit for. He walks through the lives of
others like a tornado, looking back over his shoulder and asking "oh! did
I put your trailer in the lake? so sorry. Here, let me make it up to you by
forcing you to live through one of my adventures."
12. What secret
talents do you have?
I am a damned encyclopedia of random
trivia and science flotsam. And I have no control over when they pop up...they
just do. Oh...also, invisibility. I can make myself invisible (sniper school
was awesome).
13. What question
do you wish that someone would ask about your book(s), but nobody has?
Is it true authors die if we don't write
reviews of their books?
Yes. It is true. It's a mish mash of
phenomena including quantum entanglement, super gravity/string theory, pixie
dust wish magic and gypsy curses. An author will curl up in the fetal position
and die a cold, lonely, agonizing death if a reader finishes the author's book
and doesn't post a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads within twenty-four hours.
I'm kidding of course...it's cumulative. It takes ten or twenty times before he
or she actually dies. They just get real sick until the end.
Connect with S.L. Shelton:
