What is your book, Deceptive Cadence, about?
It’s about Conor McBride, a man who thought he had everything – a beautiful fiancé, a bright career, and a talent that would carry him far beyond his quiet life in the west of Ireland. His dreams shattered the day he was arrested, framed for a crime he didn’t commit by the man he’d trusted most in the world. Now, he’s living with a permanent record and unanswered questions: What turned his mild-mannered brother into the criminal who betrayed him; and where was he, now?
MI6 says they know, but they won’t give information for free. First, Conor must accept his recruitment for a club he never wanted to join, acquire skills he never wanted to learn, and disappear into the back alleys and bazaars of India, teamed with an American partner who has a sketchy history and his own personal demons. While the mission grows more crooked and treacherous by the day, Conor’s own goal is unwavering. From the chaotic streets of Mumbai to the snow-capped mountains of Kashmir, he’ll do whatever it takes to give his brother one last shot at redemption… before it’s too late.
What was your inspiration for the book?
I started with the idea of a creating a modern “hero’s journey” story – an everyman character, completely removed from his comfort zone. I’d put him in desperate situations that would reveal talents he didn’t know he had and that would test his strength of character to the limit. Then, I took all of the things I love – travel, food, culture and music – and came up with an international adventure of criminal gangs, drugs, money laundering and trafficking, to showcase an ordinary man as he transforms from an amateur pretending to be something he isn’t into a highly skilled undercover operative who will never be ordinary again.
Describe your protagonist in three words.
Deadly when provoked.
Did you plan the book or just start writing?
I’ve done a bit of everything. When one method stops working, I try another. I’ve used flowcharts, outlines, diagrams, you name it. The method that seems to work best is that once I finish a chapter, I just need to come up with the first sentence of the next one, which can take a while, but once I have it things seems to flow pretty well.
Who are your favorite authors and did they influence your writing?
My favorite author for espionage is still the legendary John le Carré, and two of my favorites are The Night Manager and The Tailor of Panama. He invests so much in creating vibrant, complicated characters, and he’s wonderful at mixing humor, action, and moral ambiguity into his stories. His recurrent theme of showcasing the ineptitudes of spies and the agencies running them feels very authentic and was definitely an influence for me. I also enjoy Lee Child. He also gives a great balance between humor and action-packed adventure, with Jack Reacher being the character I’d most love to have a beer with and also would be most afraid of meeting in a dark alley!
What do you need to write? Coffee? Music?
Lots of both! While I am writing, I mostly listen to that sort of ambient music you get in spas. When looking for inspiration, I create playlists of tunes that seem to invoke some kind of creativity related to the particular story or chapter I’m working on, and go for long walks while listening to them. If you are interested in hearing the playlist connected with Deceptive Cadence you can check it out on Spotify:
https://kathrynguare.com/spotify-playlists/
