Today we are interviewing Guy S. Stanton III, author of the action adventure / romance thriller novel Agent with a History.
Tell us a bit about yourself.I’m a quiet sort whose found my way to express emotion best in the stories that I write. Never did I think I would have shared so much of my inner thoughts with so broad an audience as I have in my writing. Truly if you want to know more about me the best way to go about doing it would be to read my books.
Is there an author that had a major influence on you while you were growing up?
I read a lot of books as a boy, but western books authored by Louis L’Amour really helped to form the backdrop for the sort of man that I have become.
How long have you been writing?
About four years. Longer if you count poems and short stories.
Describe the plot of your new book in a few sentences.
Agent with a History is a book that encapsulates both the mysteries of the past and the passions of today in an action packed sequence of events that is hard to put down. As a book it encapsulates all sorts of human relationships that span from those built on hate to those powered by an all consuming love. In short Agent with a History is a must read for the sheer sake of entertainment, but within it is contained the ability to learn how to cope with everyday life better long after the initial enjoyment of the reading the book is past.
Who do you think would most appreciate this book?
Just about everyone. It does have violence so I’d put a high school and upwards rating on it.
What inspirations contributed to this book?
I was just finishing my first series, The Warrior Kind, which was an epic fantasy series. I had the desire to write something more modern based and so I did. Secret agents have always been popular theme for me and so it was an easy transition. Ultimately though I give God all the credit for inspiring me to write everything that I have.
Your book has elements of action adventure, romance, and thriller. What made you want to write a book that transcends genres?
To me a book worth reading needs to contain elements of everything found within reality. It’s just a matter of reality to combine the genre’s that fit within what could happen in life all into one story.
Who was your favorite character to write?
I’d say the secondary character called Tyre was my favorite to write in the book. That character goes on to e the main character in book 2 of the series.
In Agents with a History, Lisa is torn between duty and love. Is this a theme you explore in your other works, or is it unique to this series?
There are elements of that emotional conflict throughout all my books. I’d say, A Warrior’s Legacy, especially so.
What is your favorite book and why?
A Warrior’s Legacy to date has been my favorite. To me it encapsulates all the key elements of a grand adventure as well as a coming of age story.
What genre do you read most frequently?
I tend toward the science fiction/ fantasy realm, but I stay grounded by trying to read some of the Bible every day.
How do you think you've evolved as a writer since when you first started?
I’ve improved a lot and yet with God’s help there is still more to be improved upon.
What was your favorite class in school, and why?
History has always been a favorite along with Geography. Reading in school was no fun due in large part to the list of truly pointless stuff they assign to be read. That’s one of the reasons that I write my own fiction.
How do you feel about the increasing popularity of ebooks?
I think it’s great. It certainly has been great for me as a self-published author.
What are your goals as a writer for the next ten years?
To keep writing and writing and writing...........................
What is the most impactful experience you have had with a fan?
I had one woman say early on that my book A Warrior’s Redemption was the best book that she had ever read other than the Bible. I still can’t believe someone could actually believe that, but that she obviously did has been in itself a huge confidence booster.
Have your family and friends been supportive of your writing?
No my family doesn’t read my books and in general they disapprove of my authorship of books in general. My wife on the other hand has been the best fan a man could ever ask for.
Is there any aspect of writing you don't like?
Editing. I hate it, but it’s got to be done and then redone, looked at again..........you get the picture.
Have you ever had writer's block? If yes, how'd you deal with it? If you have not had writer's block, why do you think you haven't?
Yes. My way of coping is to keep writing. Eventually it gets better, but I pray a lot to.
Do you write with a computer, typewriter, or pen and paper? Why do you use this tool?
I write my books out with pen and paper before transferring them over into the computer. I like the ability to scratch out a sentence vs hitting the delete button.
What do you have in mind for your next project?
I have one stand alone book, The Kingdom, to finish which I would classify as Epic Fantasy. After that I have a five book series planned that will fall into the realm of Scifi/Western. I’m very much looking forward to beginning that series.
Is there anything else you'd like potential readers to know about your book?
For anyone interested in reading my books I’ve made it very simple to begin the process for free. The series starter books of my three series to date are free at Amazon, Apple iBookstore, Kobob, and Smashwords. I hope you’ll all take a moment to check out their reviews and give them a try. Happy Reading Everyone, Guy Stanton III
More Information
Buy Agent with a History on Amazon
Visit the Author's Website
An excerpt from Chapter 3 - Deep Water in Agent with a History:
There was a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door and the sight of it just didn’t sit well with me. It didn’t match with what I already knew of Philippe Valo.
He was the consummate playboy, devil-may-care thief. He was implicated in a dozen or more antiquity thefts and even a few bank jobs. There had never been enough evidence though to pin an indictment on him.
He may be flashy, but he was smart too. He liked money and he was good at getting it, by all accounts. He led an easy-going life.
He was the kind of guy that would proposition a cleaning lady, who accidentally walked in on him having sex, into joining along in the act. Hanging a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door just wasn’t his style.
I glanced at Rafferty and I saw he was thinking the same thing. We both drew our guns.I was about to knock on the door, when I heard a muffled cry of pain from within the room.
Probable Cause.
That was all I needed. I shot the key pad lock, disarming it in the process as it returned to its default setting and then I side-kicked the door, busting it open and tearing the security chain off with it.
Rafferty ducked past me into the room, and I swung in after him. In a split second of realization, I took in the grisly scene of the room.
Three tall black men were gathered around the only bed in the room, where they were systematically cutting up Philippe just as they must have done to Ahmed.
The words ‘Police! Freeze!’ stuck fast in my throat as the savage eyed men turned towards the door, nothing but deadly intent in their eyes as they lobbed bloody knives at us.
I ducked to the side as a knife slammed into the wall where I had just been and took aim at one of the men that was pulling a pistol clear of his waistband. I shot him in the shoulder, but with a grimace of pain he kept bringing the gun up and I shot him three times in the chest, killing him.
The man beside him was running straight for me and I aimed for his leg and missed. He slapped my gun away so hard it felt like my trigger finger was almost broken off, as the gun flew from my grasp.
I ducked, as his fist plowed into the drywall where my head had been. I continued on around him and helped his forward movement by shoving him hard into the wall. Before I could secure him against it, he jack knifed backwards into me sending an elbow into my ribs that had me sucking for air and back pedaling away fast.
I ducked a wild swing at my head only to find that it had been a set up for his other fist, which struck me hard on the cheek bone. I fell off to the side onto my knees, as stars flashed briefly in my head.
I saw his leg coming at my head in a sideways knockout kick. My rigorous training took over in place of my sluggish brain. I caught the foot and twisted the leg sharply.
The man cried out at the sudden pain and, with the momentum of his kick at me and my twisting of his leg, he turned over and fell onto his front. I leaped onto him, driving my knees into his back and knocking him back to the floor as he tried to rise.
I quickly pinned his one arm with a knee, as I pulled his other arm up behind him, until I felt his shoulder about to pop. Rafferty dove onto his legs helping to further hold the man down with his weight. Rafferty apparently had dealt with the other guy at some point in this scuffle.
I reached for the hand cuffs behind my back with one hand. “You’re going to face a lot of tough questions pal! Not to mention a murder rap!” I said, breathing heavy.
He reared his head back and I was about to tweak his arm harder to further pacify him, when I heard him chomp down hard on his jaw. His body began to jerk and spasm beneath us and then he was still.
I felt for a pulse, but there was none. I glanced at his face, turned out to the side, and saw the foaminess of his mouth.
He had chomped down on a poison capsule under a false tooth!
Who did that anymore?
That kind of stuff went out with the Cold War decades ago, hadn’t it? Who would kill themselves in order to avoid capture?
I heard a groan from the bed and I remembered the tortured man. I jumped up and went to the bed, noticing that the other man in the room was lying on the floor dead, with a hand near a fallen gun.
I looked down at Philippe’s bloody body not knowing where to start and grimly knew that there wasn’t anything that could be done anyway. He had but moments to live.
“Call an ambulance,” I said to Rafferty anyway.
Philippe seemed to be coming in and out of consciousness and I quickly took off his gag. His eyes focused on me.
“Philippe, this is very important. Can you tell me what you’ve gotten mixed up in? Who sent these men to do this?”
His words, though weak, were clear enough, “I’m not telling you anything, nigger!”
His blatant racism wasn’t anything new. I’d dealt with it in one form or another all my life from both sides, black and white.
I ignored the hatred in his eyes and said in an effort to get him to talk, “Well, if it makes any difference, I’m a half-breed, so maybe you could at least tell the half white side of me something?”
He shook his head resolutely and muttered out, “I should have listened to Flint. I shouldn’t have stayed. I shouldn’t have….”
He was fading fast. I leaned close and asked, “Who is Flint? Did he send these men?”
His eyes opened briefly in comprehension and he shook his head, no.
“Was he the man that met you at the warehouse?”
He nodded yes and then slumped dead on the bed, as he exhaled out his last breath. I leaned back up from the bed, as EMTs came rushing through the broken door. I moved away from the bed to stare out the window at the glittering lights of the city.
At least now I had a name. That was something, right?
