We are delighted to welcome author Jack Ambraw to Omnimystery News today.
Jack introduces sailor Elliott Decker in Decker's Dilemma (Blank Slate Press; September 2015 trade paperback and ebook formats), the first mystery in his Subic Bay series, and we recently had a chance to catch up with him to talk more about the book.
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Omnimystery News: Tell us a little more about the genre and setting for Decker's Dilemma.
Photo provided courtesy of
Jack Ambraw
Jack Ambraw: Decker's Dilemma is an amateur-sleuth mystery set in 1986 at the U.S. navy base in Subic Bay, Philippines. The protagonist is a sailor on the USS Harvey, a fictional Belknap-class guided-missile cruiser. The murder happens on the ship, but most of the story takes place in the Philippine cities of Olongapo and Manila.
OMN: Who are the recurring characters in the series?
JA: The lead protagonist is Elliott Decker, an enlisted sailor on the Harvey. He's the type of guy who has the knack for getting others to take risks. He's big hearted, though he wouldn't want that to get out. Hack Wilson's a new guy aboard ship and Decker's best friend. Big Mo's a veteran sailor on the Harvey and a voice of reason among the group. But he's content sitting on a bar stool giving advice and letting others chase the bad guys.
Another voice of reason is Vega Magpantay, Decker's old flame and now a close friend. She's a Filipina and a rookie cop on the Olongapo City police force, struggling with a chauvinistic boss while trying to solve a crime and keep Decker out of trouble. A favorite character of mine is Rusty Ramiro, a Filipino tricycle driver, who's friends with Decker and Vega. He's street smart and, although he doesn't get directly involved in the investigation, he quietly gives advice that helps solve the murder.
OMN: Do you have biographies for the characters?
JA: I created biographies for my characters early on in the writing process. And I tried to be comprehensive — where they grew up, parents, siblings, personalities, likes, dislikes, etc. A lot of the stuff never made it into the book, but I used the bios as guides to my characters' motivations and actions.
OMN: Describe your writing process.
JA: For Decker's Dilemma, I made a brief outline, but mostly let the story develop as I wrote it. But I discovered that freestyling has its good and bad points. I found that I could be more creative when not mentally tied to a detailed outline. But without some sort of roadmap, it's easy to get stuck or not think something through well enough. It can be time consuming to have to go back and add storyline to connect the dots.
OMN: How do you go about learning more about, or confirming, the details of the plot points of your stories?
JA: It was a combination of personal experience and research. I had been stationed on the USS Sterett at Subic Bay for two years during the late 1980s. I remembered a lot of things about the ship and military life. But it had also been over 25 years since I was on the ship so I needed to do some research to refresh (or correct) my memories. I found most of what I needed online, especially old photographs and maps. Newspaper databases were a big help, too, especially to research the Ferdinand Marcos presidency and the People Power Revolution. I also visited the Philippines in 2014 after I had completed a revised draft of my book. Although the U.S. navy base is no longer at Subic, I was able to walk the streets and visit some of the old places and absorb the atmosphere of the locale once again.
OMN: How true are you to the setting of Subic Bay?
JA: I tried to be as accurate as possible. I had to be precise with the navy stuff or any sailor would call me on it. The same goes for the town of Olongapo. I only made a couple minor changes to places and things if it helped move the plot forward and if it wasn't an egregious alteration. For example, there's a scene where my protagonists are playing miniature golf on base while spying on someone at the library. I have the golf course directly across the street from the library, but, in reality, it was a block away. But I doubt that most sailors who visited Subic had any idea there was a miniature golf course on base.
OMN: What is the best advice you've received as an author? And what might you say to aspiring writers?
JA: I saw an interview on TV several years ago with Tom Clancy and he was asked the same question. His advice to aspiring authors was simple: Finish the book. That would be my advice, too. It's easy to have an idea for a novel and write a few chapters and then try to shop it around, but never quite get it finished.
OMN: What prompted you to use a pen name?
JA: Two things prompted me to use a pen name. First, my given name, Eric Ward, is a common name. Google it and you'll find a lot of us out there. Plus, there's a mystery series by another author that's titled, "An Eric Ward Mystery." I didn't want any confusion. Plus, I wanted something unique. As far as I know (and according to Google), I'm the only Jack Ambraw. A disadvantage is that people don't always make the connection. When I invited friends to my book launch party, I had to let them know, hey, it's me!
OMN: Suppose Decker's Dilemma were to be adapted for television or film. Who do you see playing the key roles?
JA: Marian Rivera, a Filipina actress, would make a great Vega. Her husband, Dingdong Dantes, might be a little young for Rusty, but I think he'd be good for the role. But those are names off the top of my head. If any reader has a suggestion, it'd be fun to hear from you. Contact me through my website and let me know who you see playing the characters.
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Jack Ambraw is the pen name of Eric Ward, a native of the small town of Newton, Illinois. He served eight years in the U.S. Navy, including a two-year assignment on board the USS Sterett at Subic Bay, Philippines, the setting for his debut novel. He and wife live in the northland of Kansas City, where he is at work on Yamashita's Gold, a second Subic Bay Mystery featuring Decker and friends.
For more information about the author, please visit his website at JackAmbraw.com and his author page on Goodreads, or find him on Facebook and Twitter.
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Decker's Dilemma by Jack Ambraw
A Subic Bay Mystery
Publisher: Blank Slate Press
Subic Bay, Philippines. The navy's Cold War outpost in the western Pacific. The USS Harvey. A bastion of American sea power in the Far East. But Elliott Decker doesn't give a hoot about all that. He's been on board ship a year, relishing the laid-back lifestyle of the tropical locale. It's not just a job, it's a dream assignment. That is, until a shipmate, Michael Kippen, falls overboard one night and disappears into the South China Sea.
The navy rules the death an accident. Decker becomes skeptical when his friend, Vega Magpantay, a rookie with the Olongapo City police, tells him about the Philippine black market for American navy goods. But her hands are tied: the local cops lack jurisdiction over the U.S. military base and her chauvinistic boss doesn't let her do real police work. Undeterred and with a knack for getting others to do his dirty work, Decker and his wingman, Hack Wilson, undertake the snooping.
Suspects are plenty among Harvey crewmembers and an attempt on Decker's life ups the ante. Guided by Vega, the sailors uncover evidence that takes them across the naval base, through the backstreets of Olongapo, and into the heart of Manila, rife with the People Power Revolution to overthrow Ferdinand Marcos. When another murder tosses the sailors into ever more dangerous waters, it's up to Decker to find the answers and fast.
— Decker's Dilemma by Jack Ambraw
