Dark Spiral Down Tour

 

Author Interview

At what point did you decide to be an author and what was your path to publication?

 I decided to be an author when I was 19 yo. Unfortunately, I liked food and central heating so I went to my fallback position with a career in medicine. I never lost that desire but working 80+ hours a week in a high-stress environment did a nice job pushing that want down to a manageable level. Once I had a family, and my two boys were old enough to start participating in after-school sports, I realized that our schedule wasn’t sustainable if my kids were to experience a “normal” life. We decided to shift to a single-income family and stop letting others raise our boys. Now with my book release and other projects coming into their own, I can work 80+ hours a week in sweatpants without any commute.

I finished my current book’s manuscript and entered a contest for the sole reason to receive the judge’s feedback. I knew nothing about writing and wanted experienced eyes to tell me where I needed to focus my attention. Flash forward some months later and I got a call I’d won the Zebulon award for my entry. I thought it was someone screwing with me. Nope—the real deal. Buoyed by the result, I attended the Colorado Gold convention and met with the ceo of Wild Rose Press for a ten-minute pitch session. Again, I didn’t know anything about the industry but had prepared as best I knew how for my opportunity. She asked for a full and within a week, I got an email from a senior editor saying she loved it. An expected 3-week turnaround on an answer from the acquiring committee turned out a 36-hour written offer. Then, the real work began.

 

What do you do when a new idea jumps out at you while you’re still working on a book? Do you chase the squirrel (aka “UP syndrome”) or do you finish your current project first?

 I was actually working on a medical thriller, something I felt infinitely more qualified to do, when the inspiration for Dark Spiral Down hit me. I tried to ignore the storyline that kept interrupting my thoughts, but I failed miserably and immediately got to work on the new book. In this case things worked well. I’m back to the medical thriller, and the follow-up to this release, and I’m fighting the idea of a storyline that’s calling to me. I’ve promised myself I’ll stay on track…this time.

 

Describe your writing process. Do you outline, plot and plan, or is your writing more organic?

 Coming from medicine where everything is pure logic and linear, I’d have bet I would be a heavy outliner—plus, it’s in my nature for organization. I was wrong. I tried multiple methods but what worked the best, for me, was listing the number of target chapters and dropping the POV on each one. I create characters that carry a POV in the manuscript then let it fly. I’ll jot down handwritten ideas on the paper but stear clear of specifics. I’m very visual, and my best work comes when I imagine a movie scene with the characters and just write what my mind’s eye sees. I still don’t know why that works for me, but I’m not going to argue with success.

 

What are some books or authors that you would recommend to our readers?

 I’m almost purely a thriller guy. Writers that I admire and seek to emulate their careers include Brad Thor, Mark Greaney, Vince Flynn, James Rollins, and I cut my teeth on all the Tom Clancy books. On the medical side, I’d say Michael Crichton, Robin Cook, and Tess Gerritsen. I’m sure I’m offending someone else’s list. Over my left shoulder, I see dozens of other authors on my shelf who are all excellent.

 

Tell us what you enjoy most about writing thrillers.

It’s the freedom to express yourself exactly as you see fit. Certainly, you must pay attention to your targeted market and produce a product people are willing to buy. I truly enjoy when someone reads one of my stories and becomes excited when they tell me about their experience. I get a rush when they describe an emotion one of my characters gives them. That’s worth its weight in gold.

 

What have you found to be most challenging about writing in the thriller genre?

This debut book was challenging in that I didn’t have a clue about proper writing or really know anything about the business of becoming a published author. I still don’t, but I’ve carved out a lane for myself and feel like I’m learning it all at an ever-increasing rate. My current challenge is working on the book release and managing all the things that go into a successful launch while still maintaining a strong schedule of new material. It’s a good problem to have.

 

Have you been able to incorporate your previous experience in your jobs/education in your writing?

 There was a ton of new learning involved with this book from industries I had no experience. I do have extensive knowledge in martial arts and the medical background offers a lot in terms of injures, physical mechanics of close-quarter combat, and I’m not shabby with explaining, in detail, why a bad guy just died.

 

Do you identify with your main character or did you create a character that is your opposite?

 I’m not nearly as gifted as he is with regard to his word-class MMA capability in the octagon. I do draw upon his love of family and loyalty that others entrust in him—something I aspire to every day. Though, thankfully, I’ve never dealt with his level of personal loss, but I can viscerally imagine my own reaction to his emotional trauma. I’ve shed a few tears writing difficult scenes where I know my life would feel shattered if I had to endure what he does. I certainly agree with his singular mission of returning kidnapped kids to their custodial parent.

 

Describe the book in 10 words or less for people who are just learning about it.

 A badass monk. Bad guys dying. Children brought home.

 

Share some advice for aspiring authors. What advice would you give to your younger self?

 Define what success means to you. Don’t let others do it for you. When will you know, in your heart, you succeeded as a writer? Everyone has their own definition, and everyone has the right to pursue it. The successful ones are the writers that never gave up—it’s that simple.

 

 

Title: Dark Spiral Down

Author: Michael Houtz

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Pages: 377

Genre: Thriller/International/Action

Blurb:COLE HAUFNER is a reluctant superstar in the professional mixed martial arts world. After his latest fight, his wife and child perish in a car crash. His grief deepens when his brother, BUTCH, a Delta Force operator, is absent from the funeral and reported missing by two furtive strangers who show up unannounced at the burial. Despairing, and acting on a tip, Cole travels to his childhood home in southeast China, looking for his brother.

Butch and his teammate, HAMMER, are the sole American survivors of a gun battle between their unit and North Korean commandos, both sides fighting over possession of a stolen suitcase containing a miniaturized fusion device that could either provide unlimited clean energy or be converted to an undetectable bomb seven times more powerful than a nuclear explosion. Leading the North Koreans is the sociopath, Commander PARK. Pressed into helping the Koreans is a disgraced former CIA operative, BARRETT JENNINGS.

Cole meets with the uncle who raised him, MASTER LI, and is warned to stop his search for Butch. Barrett discovers Cole’s identity (with the help of a genius computer hacker, LILLY), which opens a twenty-year-old wound when Barrett was blamed for the disappearance of Cole’s father, along with the man’s invention. Barrett enlists the 14K organized crime syndicate to help capture Cole. Hammer, separated from Butch during the fight for the device, thwarts the gang’s attempt to kidnap Cole, and the two then set off to find Butch and the device. All parties converge on the city library where Butch, now disguised as a monk, is attempting to communicate with the Pentagon. Barrett and Park capture Butch, while the 14K gang nabs Cole.

Danger mounts as Chinese authorities begin investigating foul play within their borders. Cole fights his way free of the gang and reunites with Hammer.  Both men find Barrett’s apartment and discover Lilly (the man’s stepdaughter), who divulges Barrett’s identity and plan. Cole clashes with Hammer, who is willing to sacrifice Butch in order to recover the fusion device. Lilly offers her help in exchange for her and Barrett’s rescue from Park’s grip. Meanwhile, Barrett discovers the true nature of the case the North Koreans are pursuing and, sensing he and Lilly are to be assassinated by Park once he has the device, frees Butch. Butch, trusting Barrett was sent to rescue him, leads the turncoat to the site where he hid the device. Barrett, hoping to make a quick fortune selling it, shoots Butch before escaping with the case.

Cole, along with Hammer and Lilly, arrives at the location of Butch and finds him gravely wounded. Butch fingers Barrett for shooting him and for stealing the case. Cole wants only to save his brother but Butch makes him promise to kill Barrett and recover their dad’s invention. The revelation that the device is his father’s scientific discovery propels Cole forward to fulfill his brother’s mission. Cole is forced to abandon Butch at a hospital. Cole pursues Barrett to a remote dock where the ex-CIA man is planning to escape China by boat. With the Chinese military now actively looking for Cole, Cole confronts Barrett and Park sparking a gunfight. Barrett kills Park. As Barrett turns the gun on Cole, Hammer kills Barrett. Cole, Hammer and Lilly escape via the boat, and the fusion device is safely returned.

Praise for Michael Houtz Books

“If you’re in the market for a fast paced, action filled, page-turning thriller, Mike Houtz delivers a must-read novel. I highly recommend this emotional rollercoaster of a book for every die-hard thriller reader…Get it ASAP!”

~Lima Charlie Review

“…this work proves that author Houtz is undoubtedly a rising star in the publishing world.”

~Andrea Brunais, Author

“Mike Houtz takes us on fast-pace adventure in Dark Spiral Down, a thrilling ride along the border between China and North Korea, where Cole Haufner is in pursuit of his Delta Force brother and a device that has the potential to change the world forever or destroy it.”

~Dan Grant, Author

“Dark Spiral Down is a phenomenal debut novel by Mike Houtz. This book has everything readers of the genre love: a great plot, memorable characters, and a powerful voice. It’s a must-read!”

~Ammar Habib, Bestselling & Award-Winning Author, Editor-in-Chief of Thriller Magazine

About the Author

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