Cheekypee reads and reviews: Against The Clock promo

Against the Clock by Charlie Moore Banner

Against The Clock by Charlie Moore

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Action, Suspense

1 Synopsis

Shirin Reyes has come out of the cold with a vengeance. Determined to kill the men responsible for her husband’s death, she finds herself torn between her all consuming vendetta and the consequences her actions have on those she cares about.

Unrelenting. Unstoppable. Uncompromising. Shirin ruthlessly hunts down each man, working her way to the top, never realizing she has penetrated the inner sanctum of a covert operation - entangled within an explosive web of scandal, treason, murder and government corruption.

Against the Clock by Charlie Moore

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What inspired you to write ‘Against The Clock’?

The need and the desire to write had been brewing for a while. I was just waiting for the right moment, the right story. This book was initially intended to be a novella, an introduction to something more.. but as the story and characters unfolded and developed, the ‘novella’ grew organically into a HUGE book, which I’ve decided to split into two. I really wanted to explore the feeling of loss, the feelings of anger and rage that surround that emptiness, and show that for some people, escape is only possible through acts they would normally see as against their moral code. We’re all familiar with people self medicating with drugs and alcohol as a means of coping, but I wanted to explore a different way with a female character that I see as being incredibly strong, yet incredibly damaged as well. And I wanted to do all that within a scenery of fast, furious and deadly action. I wanted it to be a story that moves forward with rapid speed, but that stays with the reader for long after they’ve finished reading it

Which character in your book would you say you are most like? If any.

Whoa... There’s definitely apart of me in all of the characters. So don’t peeve me off, I just might let loose with a string of kung fu super moves! I don’t have a silenced Beretta, so...

I think there’s character traits I wish I had, like Shirin’s absence of fear, and traits I don’t want to have, like Selig’s megalomaniacal tendencies. I probably relate most to Ben - an ordinary guy, in love with an extraordinary woman, and thrust into a scenario way out of his comfort zone. I have a feeling he is a character that is going to play a more integral role in future books.

What inspired you to become a writer? The voices, images, stories in my head that I can’t get out any other way. What are you most excited about the most for readers to experience/learn from your newest book?

I’m excited the most about sharing the thrills and heart pounding action the characters pull the reader through on their journey through the book. I just love to hear readers stories about how they couldn’t put the book down, how they sacrificed sleeping, or going out to dinner, or took a day off work, just to finish my book. It’s such an adrenalin rush for me!

Were you scared when you first published? Did you feel exposed or vulnerable?

It never really occurred to me. I was just so happy and excited to finish the book, and get it out there and share it with the world. I didn’t feel nervous or vulnerable until the first reviews started coming out. Thank goodness they were all 5 out of 5 stars!

Do you have ideas for dream cast members for your book? If I name them here, will I get to meet them??What do you do on your down time? What do you do to relax?

I love to go rock climbing! I’m relatively new to the sport, but I’m addicted to it. It just seems like defying gravity, defying what is ‘normal’. It really is a challenge. One of the first times I went climbing was in the Blue Mountains out west of Sydney, I was about 40feet up a steep cliff face, stuck, with no idea how on earth I was going to move one more foot. I seriously thought about quitting and telling my partner to lower me down. But somehow, I found a small hand-hold and moved up. 50 more moments like that and I made it to the top of the cliff! It was the most rewarding and most exciting moment since I’d gotten married. I’m pretty keen on skydiving too! But that is an expensive way to relax...

What do you love most about being a writer/author?

I get to live out every secret desire, or impulse that I normally wouldn’t be able to. And I get to have an influence on people’s lives. I give people moments in their lives they won’t readily forget (at least I hope so).

What do you hate most about being a writer/author?

Not all my characters are nice people. Not all the things they do are things I can relate to, or agree with. I find getting into their head space very disturbing sometimes. Some days I had to drink a whole pile of scotch and watch ‘Scrubs’ a ridiculous comedy, just to get my normal head space back.

What writers/authors have inspired you? Robert Ludlum, Vince Flynn, Eric Lustbader, Dean Koontz and recently Andrew Peterson When you get stuck in a story, how do you get through it? Write! And keep writing! Do you listen to music when you write? Sometimes. If it’s a dramatic scene, or quiet scene I like silence. But when I’m thick in the middle of intense action I like to put some headphones on and crank the music loud! I had a lot of My Chemical Romance playing for this book. Can you write anywhere? Or do you need a specific place to write?

I can. Where I write really depends on what’s happening in my life. I started ATC writing from my car on my laptop. My wife was studying, and couldn’t drive to the college, so I would drive her there, and spend the day parked somewhere close by and write all day. It was a great way to avoid the distractions at home. And when my wife was home, I’d go out to a nearby lake, or spot in the mountains, set up a folding chair, thermos with coffee and write until the mosquitoes were bored of me, or I had the urge for a toilet that flushes. In the summer (Australian summers can be deadly hot) I’d find a nice cafe with air-conditioning, or just stay home with aircon cranked up on full.

Do you have advice for aspiring authors? Write! And keep writing! What was the worst advice you were given in the beginning of your writing career?

I had lots of bad advice.. for example; shaping what I write to fit the latest trend, or give up on writing and get a real job and so on.. All the bad advice I can think of came from a place of insecurity and/or from a person with little or no belief in themselves or their abilities. I’m not a fan of advice. I’m more a fan of support.

What was the best advice you were given in the beginning of your writing career?

The best advice I ever got, and the only advice I ever offer, is WRITE! AND KEEP WRITING! It stands true in any situation. Whether it be a case of writers block, a bad review, lack of sales, a story that doesn’t seem to be working, not sure where the story or characters are going, self doubt... no matter what, if you keep writing you can always come back and polish what you’ve written, edit it, or even scrap it. But there’s not much you can do with nothing.

1 Author Bio

Charlie Moore

Charlie Moore was born and raised in Sydney, Australia. He started work on his first full length novel at age 18. When running through final edits for the book, he put it aside; wanting to live and experience some of the adventures his characters were thrust into. He became an accomplished martial artist, winning his first full contact fight by TKO and gaining over 30 medals before retiring from competition. He traveled the globe, got lost in dangerous parts of the world, swam with sharks, jumped out of planes, and became a Private Investigator.

Resuming his passion for writing, Charlie started ghost writing to build and harness his skill, and in mid 2012 "Against the Clock" was born.

Charlie now shares his time between rock climbing with his wife, and writing deadly action-packed thrillers.