with Chuck Driskell
We are delighted to welcome novelist Chuck Driskell to Omnimystery News today.
Chuck's second Gage Hartline thriller is To the Lions (Autobahn Books; September 2013 trade paperback and ebook formats). Gage, a former Green Beret, is a character we wanted to know more about, so Chuck agreed to interview him for us. Known for being somewhat taciturn, however, Gage does make things quite difficult for the author-turned-interviewer.
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Photo provided courtesy of
Chuck Driskell
Chuck Driskell: Thanks for taking the time to speak with me, Gage.
Gage Hartline: I had no choice in the matter … contractual obligation.
Chuck: Really? Contract with whom?
Gage: That's need-to-know information. (crosses arms)
Chuck: (views his notes and grins) Gage … what a name … why are you named after an instrument used for measuring things?
Gage: (stares at Chuck for an uncomfortable period of time.)
Chuck: Okay … I sense a lack of sense of humor … next question … how old are you?
Gage: I'm forty-five.
Chuck: And how old were you when you joined the Army?
Gage: Nineteen.
Chuck: And you were in the Special Forces?
Gage: Not initially, but after I made the rank of E-5, I went through the selection process.
Chuck: What was that like?
Gage: Difficult.
Chuck: You don't use a lot of words, do you?
Gage: No.
Chuck: (clears throat several times) What's been the happiest time of your adult life?
Gage: Happiest?
Chuck: You know, when were you most content?
Gage: (ponders for a moment) That'd be tough to pinpoint. I guess it was when I was in the Army, surrounded by a good team.
Chuck: That's interesting because, after the Army, you've seemed to be a bit of a loner.
Gage: I can see how it might appear that way. Yeah, I guess I am. But I'm not anti-social. In fact, I enjoy being around other people. But they need to be people I can relate to.
Chuck: Let's say for a moment that you'd never joined the Army. What would you have done for a living?
Gage: I'd have been a cop.
Chuck: Because of the para-military aspect?
Gage: No. Because I like to see justice done.
Chuck: About that, you're known to take justice into your own hands. Can you explain what gives you that right?
Gage: I know I've done wrong in some of the justice I've meted out. And I'll probably continue to find myself in those situations. But I believe in my guidance system … in my compass. Yes, I sometimes step outside the bounds of the law. But in my mind, I'm delivering justice.
Chuck: You've killed people.
Gage: Yeah.
Chuck: Ever think about the people you've killed?
Gage: Sure, I do.
Chuck: Any remorse?
Gage: (looks away for a moment before he sets his jaw) No. No remorse.
Chuck: Let's change to something a little lighter. Do you have a favorite food?
Gage: It changes but, when I'm on a job, when I'm incredibly hungry, I crave pizza.
Chuck: How about music? Favorite bands?
Gage: I enjoy rock n roll, mainly British rock from the 70s and 80s.
Chuck: Any favorites?
Gage: I like The Cult.
Chuck: Interesting. (consults notes) And you seem to have a penchant for girls who are younger than you are.
Gage: (doesn't answer, just frowns)
Chuck: Don't want to talk about that?
Gage: Did I answer?
Chuck: (clears throat) Anyway … just a few more questions. You're forty-five … no spring chicken. What will you be doing when you're sixty?
Gage: Do I look like a psychic?
Chuck: C'mon, take a guess.
Gage: Assuming I'm still alive, I hope I'm doing something I enjoy.
Chuck: Would you still be a gun-for-hire at that age?
Gage: I don't particularly care for that description of me. I consider myself a soldier, and soldiers do all manner of things.
Chuck: You mentioned still being alive … do you think you'll still be alive at sixty?
Gage: (pauses) No, I don't.
Chuck: Why do you say that?
Gage: You asked, I told you.
Chuck: Does being dead by sixty make you sad?
Gage: Sad? No, it doesn't make me sad. When people I love die, I get sad. When good people who've not lived complete lives die, I get sad. When I die, I'll die knowing I lived a heckuva life. That doesn't make me sad.
Chuck: Last question … let's say you could pick a destination for the ultimate job. Where would it be?
Gage: Where do you live?
Chuck: Me? I live in South Carolina.
Gage: Okay, I'd want my job to be in South Carolina.
Chuck: (laughs) Okay … what would the job be?
Gage: I'd be sent to South Carolina to kick the crap out of some penny-ante interviewer who asks stupid questions.
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Chuck Driskell lost both his parents at an early age and grew up in an extremely poor home, which fueled his hunger for the unknown and passion for success. He grew up to join the military where he became a U.S. Army paratrooper. His post-military life has been spent in the advertising business and as a writer where he finds time to create stories that are a blend of crime, suspense, and spy genres. He lives in South Carolina with his wife and two children.
For more information about the author, please visit his website at ChuckDriskell.com or find him on Facebook.
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To the Lions
Chuck Driskell
A Gage Hartline Thriller
In Spain, former Green Beret Gage Hartline accepts a risky job inserting him into notorious Berga Prison — a place as sleazy as it is deadly. Charged with protecting the son of a wealthy mobster, Gage is pitted against rival gangs as well as corrupt government officials.
He soon finds himself double-crossed by nearly everyone involved, leaving him on his own, fighting to survive. Gage has the training. Gage has the nerve. But will it be enough?
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