Web of Crimes received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.
Following find an interview with author Peter d’Plesse.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
Web of Crimes was published in 2021.
What’s the book’s first line?
The first line in the prologue reads: ‘Darkness was descending upon the world.’
In a few words I aimed to capture a ‘sense of mood’ following the events of December 7 1942.
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
‘Web of Crimes’ is an action / adventure story set in the Australian outback. The two main characters have both been hurt in past relationships. Wariness of the attraction they feel toward each other is managed by seeking the adrenaline rush of another adventure to delay the inevitable. It may be read as a ‘Wilbur Smith’ type of adventure story. Some may chose to read between the lines to consider the complexities of human nature and motivations.
What happens when a strong, independent but vulnerable woman initiates another search for a lost aircraft to delay making a decision about the man she let into her life? From the attack on Broome in 1942, a past crime combines with modern politics to create the perfect environment where love, lust, loyalty, greed, guilt, revenge and courage combine to complicate matters more than expected.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
I read extensively from an early age. I recall a Jules Verne novel being taken off me in Grade 3 and thrown in the rubbish bin and replaced by the standard Wide Range Reader – it had a blue hard cover and clearly labelled Grade 3. Since then I’ve written freelance articles on the environment, aviation, local history, general interest and other topics for state, national and international magazines. Writing an action / adventure novel was an intellectual challenge on my ‘bucket list’. I was fortunate to enjoy many years of interesting and challenging activity in flying, exploring the Australian outback, locating aircraft crash sites from World War 2 and hunting, so I used this experience in writing two novels. At one level I hope to provide the reader with some enjoyment while at another level, provide an opportunity to think a bit deeper about the story and the characters if they wish.
The character Alex is based on a real person. As a writer, her skills and experiences tempted me to build a story involving a lost WW2 aircraft and a set of characters linked to her. As a reader I was also a little upset reading some novels in which the action sequences didn’t pass scrutiny. Based on experience, some of the descriptions couldn’t happen or had glaring errors. These were obvious to me but would create false impressions in an uninformed reader. I decided to try writing a novel where the action was as ‘true to life’ as possible. ‘Fire Eye’ was the result and ‘Web of Crimes’ a logical follow up.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
Many readers choose a book for simple escapism. ‘Fire Eye’ and ‘Web of Crimes’ will deliver that escape. For those who like to ‘read between the lines’, both books will deliver food for thought. Human nature has no predictable rules as people are driven by a complex mix of emotion, altruism, self interest, greed or a need for power. At one level I hope to provide the reader with some enjoyment while at another level, provide an opportunity to think a bit deeper about the story, the characters and their choices if they wish.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character?
There are two main characters in the form of Alexander Dulaine and Jed Mitchell who share common characteristics. Both have been hurt in relationships and are wary about trust. In ‘Fire Eye’ the focus is more on Alex and the resolution of her traumatic past. With ‘Web of Crimes’ the focus shifts a bit more toward Jed. In the first book, he’s rather guarded and wary. In the second he’s more open in exploring the relationship with Alex and coming to terms with the responsibilities of trust. Trust is crucial in any relationship and both Alex and Jed have to navigate their fears to overcome serious threats to their survival. In doing so, they tread a murky line between right and wrong.
Who real or fictional would you say the character reminds you of?
Some readers draw a parallel between Jed and Indiana Jones. This may be partly true as the inspiration for Indiana Jones may have been based on a real adventurer who also provided a role model for Jed Mitchell. Roy Chapman Andrews was a pre World War 2 natural scientist, archaeologist and explorer of wild places, including the Gobi Desert in China. He has been quoted saying that ‘Adventures are a mark of incompetence. With careful planning and good equipment undue hardship and peril may be avoided’.
However, he deserves to be quoted further – “For the last fifteen years I have spent most of the time wandering into the far corners of the world. During the first eight years, I was studying and collecting whales and was at sea a good deal on tiny whaling vessels. Then I gave up that work and began land explorations in Asia. In the fifteen years, I can remember just ten times when I had really narrow escapes from death. Two were from drowning in typhoons, one was when our boat was charged by a wounded whale, once my wife and I were nearly eaten by wild dogs, once we were in danger from fanatical lama priests, two were close calls when I fell over cliffs, once I was nearly caught by a huge python, and twice I might have been killed by bandits.”
One cannot help but wonder what would have occurred without all that careful planning and preparation! I suspect that RCA had a yearning for action. Jed Mitchell has similar traits – a zest for adventure supported by planning, preparation, self-discipline, good judgement and the occasional wink from Lady Luck.
When did you first decide to become an author?
My interest in writing started from an early age. My first stories appeared in the high school annual magazine. During a career in education, papers were published and presented for state, national and international conferences, as well as educational journals. Quite a few were peer reviewed so must have contained some thoughts of value.
As a side activity, freelance commercial articles were written for state, national and international magazines on a range of topics. A family history was also fitted in that turned out to be quite a challenge. Dragging out the story of Polish and Austrian parents swept up in the turmoil of WW2 Europe was more demanding than expected. Eventually there was a desire to write a novel. The experience was an eye opener on the effort required to produce a final, finished product that a reader could hold in their hands. The whole process was an interesting intellectual exercise and a second novel followed. So I guess, I’ve always been an author. It’s only the subjects, audience and outlets that have changed.
Is this the first book you’ve written?
‘Web of Crimes’ is my second novel following ‘Fire Eye’. I’ve also written some smaller works that may be referred to as ‘monographs’ on educational matters. These were well accepted in academic circles but certainly wouldn’t be read for ‘escape!’
What do you do for work when you’re not writing?
I spent thirty years as a school principal. During that time I did freelance writing but also spent a lot of time exploring outback Australia and hunting to cull feral animals such as foxes, pigs and cats. Flying also consumed a lot of time and money. I’m endorsed for aerobatics and formation flying – the latter is a real buzz, tucking in close within metres of another aircraft, always looking at it during take off, flight and landing. That’s confidence in your team member!
Following retirement, there was more time for adventure and writing. When not writing there’s much to do – renovating, building, developing recipes using wild game, photography, flying, helping other authors through co-writing, getting involved with a cattle station twice a year and supporting a close friend with all her animals, among other things. There is never enough time but it beats being bored.
How much time do you generally spend on your writing?
My life is split in two halves separated by 250 km. Half a week is spent supporting my friend with her animals and the other half is spent looking after my properties and supporting daughters and grandchildren, with a bit of time left for writing. I have to be efficient with time as there are only a few hours per week left to fire up the laptop. Discipline is essential and with luck, delivers about four and a half hours over the keyboard every week.
What’s the best and the hardest part of being an Indie?
Given my stage in life, there’s not an abundance of time to pursue the traditional publishing route. I wanted to write a book and get it out there. Independent publishing offered the opportunity to stay in control of my work. I tried working through a literary agent but they wanted to change certain aspects about my character Alex. As the character was based on a real person, this would have devalued their life experience so I declined further involvement and went Indie.
This was a hard decision but one that I don’t regret. Reader feedback on ‘Fire Eye’ was positive so I’m happy with the outcome. Marketing support is difficult being an Indie but the best part is having control over one’s work to maintain its integrity.
Both novels are written using a multiple perspective approach. The intention is to put the reader into the character’s situation and experience the plot from their personal angle. I also deliberately include more detail than usual in the action sequences. As an example, take an aircraft with an engine failure. The usual scenario involves the aircraft falling out of the sky with the pilot fighting the controls while screaming at passengers. Sorry, no way! The reader sees things through the eyes of my characters and get to understand what they are doing and why.
My character Jed is an adventurer who is careful to evaluate and manage risk. Doing so enhances survival. Any other approach means that he and his companions wouldn’t last long.
These additional details are intended to help demonstrate his approach.
What’s a great piece of advice that you can share with fellow indie authors?
Cost is always an important consideration for Indie authors. Every writer must review, rewrite and check their work many times. However, an author can only do so much. There comes a time when expert assistance is needed. The most important advice for an aspiring Indie author is not to scrimp on paying for a good editor and proof reader. Relatives, friends and family may help but can’t do what is really needed. There’s simply too much emotional baggage involved that will cloud what needs to be done.
A good editor and proof reader will understand their role. That is, fix errors in formatting, terminology, spelling and punctuation, offer suggestions and understand that they are not the author. The author must be free to decide whether to accept or reject those suggestions without worrying about any impact on their relationships. It will cost but in the long run will be a cheap investment when measured against the quality of the final product.
Would you go traditional if a publisher came calling? If so, why?
That’s an interesting question considering my previous comments. The answer has to be a qualified ‘maybe’ for two reasons. The first involves time. Going traditional could involve a contract to deliver another book within a specified time frame. That will suit some writers but not all. Some can devote six days a week to the task, others like me write for pleasure. Time pressures can turn something that is enjoyable into work.
The second issue involves control. Some authors prefer to maintain control over their story and how it is presented. Others may be happy to produce something that can be easily sold into a popular market. This can involve compromising writing style and personal expectations. Every writer is different. I made my choice when it came to maintaining the integrity of Alex. Others may be less attached to their characters and have more flexibility.
If I was offered a serious contract, I’d at least be open to discussing time frames and control.
Is there something in particular that motivates you (fame? fortune?)
I have always written for pleasure with two main motivations. The first has been to teach by presenting different perspectives on issues that are well argued to challenge accepted ideas.
The second has been to entertain readers while providing an opportunity to ‘read between the lines’ to explore issues a bit deeper. All of my commercial articles can be read for pleasure, while including a lesson or perspective that can be discovered by the more perceptive reader.
Which writer, living or dead, do you most admire?
There would be too many to list, ranging from Homer, Tacitus, Alexander Dumas, Wilbur Smith, Stephen Hunter and Nelson DeMille. To pick one, I’ll go with Wilbur Smith for easy reasons and may be the best known. His books are well planned and plotted, the characters present as real people and most importantly, the action is real to life. I can identify with all these reasons but particularly the last. For me, nothing spoils a read more than coming across a passage that doesn’t pass the ‘real life test’. Some readers may not notice but I do and it spoils the read. If I come across a passage on a topic I know something about and find errors, my confidence in other passages where I lack knowledge is undermined. Wilbur Smith never made this mistake so he earns my vote in the area of adventure novels.
Which book do you wish you could have written?
I was keen to write a novel based on the experiences of my parents in Poland and Austria in the lead up to, and during World War 2. There would have been plenty to write about with my grandfather resisting the German ‘putsch’ of Austria, my mother as a young teenager carrying messages for the resistance and surviving interrogation by the Gestapo. My father was swept up into the European cataclysm following the invasion of Poland with his experiences including Finland, his troopship being torpedoed in the Arctic Ocean and surviving four wounds over five years of war.
However, their response to the idea was that there was nothing special about their lives. Many people went through far worse so their story would be nothing out of the ordinary. Their wish was respected and the book remains unwritten.