A Conversation with Thriller Writer Tom Wood

with Tom Wood

We are delighted to welcome novelist Tom Wood to Omnimystery News today.

Tom's latest thriller is The Enemy (Signet; May 2013 mass market paperback and ebook formats).

We recently had the opportunity to talk to Tom about his book and series.

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Omnimystery News: The Enemy is the second book to feature assassin-for-hire Victor. What prompted you to bring him back for a second assignment?

Photo provided courtesy of
Tom Wood; Photo credit
Michael Hinshelwood

Tom Wood: I don't think I consciously set out to write about a recurring character. I had an idea for my protagonist — Victor, a ruthless professional assassin — and the story I wanted to tell. By the time I finished that first book it seemed obvious that Victor's adventures were not over and I had a strong desire to write what happened to him next. Thankfully, readers wanted to find out too and so a series was born. I don't really set out to either keep Victor unchanged from book to book or to develop him over time. If he grows and changes I want it to be organic and logical, not forced to match a preset agenda.

OMN: We introduced the book as a thriller. Would you agree?

TW: Thriller, definitely. Specifically: action thriller. My books feature lots of peril and excitement.

OMN: If you were tweeting the synopsis of the book, what you would say?

TW: Professional assassin Victor has three dangerous targets to kill, an employer he can't trust, and powerful enemies hunting his every move.

OMN: Describe your writing process for us.

TW: I always start with a rough idea of where I want the book to go and have a few key scenes that I know I'll write. But the plot tends to develop and expand exponentially as I write, and I usually end up with a far longer book than I intended. As for characters, I don't create biographies but I try to have a mental picture of who they are. Not necessarily a picture of what they look like, but of their personalities and goals. Though like the plot, they will develop and change as I write. Sometimes just writing a certain line of dialogue will transform the entire nature of the character.

OMN: How do you go about researching the storylines for your books?

TW: If I haven't got any first-hand experience of what I'm writing about then I'll use the internet and read appropriate books and magazines, but talking with an expert is usually the most fruitful way of learning about something. Technology is usually the hardest area to research and understand, but can also be the most interesting. I'm not sure research is ever exciting — at least in my case — but learning how to crack a safe or how a Stinger missile works isn't exactly dull.

OMN: Tell us about the settings for the books.

TW: My books are set in lots of different places around the world, and though I try to stay faithful to such locations, I'm happy to take the occasional liberty if absolutely necessary. The story is the most important thing, and there's no benefit in being true to a location at the expense of the plot or characters.

OMN: Action thrillers often make for great screenplays. Any thoughts on who you'd like to see play Victor?

TW: People often ask me this question and it's something that I try my best to avoid thinking about as I don't want to picture a specific actor when I'm writing. I see that as an unnecessary restriction to the process. I also don't want to my readers to have their own mental image distorted by me arbitrarily naming an actor to play Victor. That said, some names are often suggested to me by my readers, which I'm happy to share here (in no particular order): Christian Bale, Liev Screiber, Adrien Brody, Michael Fassbender.

OMN: What kinds of questions do you get from readers?

TW: I feel very lucky to have such wonderful readers who take the time to email me or send messages to me through Facebook or Twitter. I love hearing from them and I don't think there are any questions I least enjoy, but as I mentioned earlier I try to avoid answering who I would want to play Victor in a film adaptation — which is probably the question I get asked the most.

OMN: Where might we find you when you're not writing? And do any of your outside activities find their way into your books?

TW: Writing takes up so much of my time and energy that I'm not sure there's any room left over for hobbies! That said I try to keep fit and I enjoy watching boxing — which did find its way into The Enemy: There's a scene where an arms dealer is sparring with a professional boxer.

OMN: What books do you read for enjoyment?

TW: At the moment I'm reading a lot of historical fiction, which is suitably far removed from my own genre. My favorite authors in that genre are: Bernard Cornwell, Giles Kristian and Ben Kane.

OMN: Do you have any favorite series characters?

TW: Everyone loves Jack Reacher and I guess I'm no different. It's very satisfying to follow him as he sets things right and gives the bad guys what they deserve.

OMN: What's next for you?

TW: My third book featuring Victor is called The Game and is out in November.

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Tom was born and raised in Staffordshire and now lives in London. To learn more about the author and his work, visit his website at TomWoodBooks.com or find him on Facebook and Twitter.

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The Enemy
Tom Wood

Nobody's playing by the rules …

Victor, a former assassin-for-hire, has joined in an uneasy alliance with the CIA. His first assignment: a hit list with the names of three different targets. Fast and clean.

It should have been simple. But what was supposed to be an easy assignment has turned into a deadly game of intrigue.

As he completes each hit on his list, Victor is plunged deeper into a world of international conspiracy — a world where no one, not even the people he works for, can be trusted. With the stakes growing higher by the minute, Victor realizes that he needs to unravel this mystery before he becomes the next target …