One Page of Misery and yours truly are pleased to feature action author Steven Hildreth, Jr. for this week’s author interview!
Auctor Trevel: So, can you give us a short bio?
Steven Hildreth, Jr: Short bio: grew up a military brat that was utterly obsessed with SOF (Special Operations Forces), Metal Gear, 24, and The Punisher. Graduated high school, enlisted in the Army as an infantryman, and did 2.5 years active duty and 7 in the National Guard, with one deployment to Iraq. Published my first novel in 2012 and I’ve been writing ever since.
AT: I can tell how the stuff you listed off—especially Metal Gear—can serve as influences. I spotted “Gray Fox” from a mile away in The Ronin Genesis! And the real world military experience definitely shows.
SHJ: Fun fact: as much as I’d like to claim that was a direct reference to Metal Gear, it’s simply a happy coincidence. There is actually a unit that specializes in intelligence collection and intelligence/operational preparation of the battlespace that’s commonly known as Task Force Orange (or TFO for short). The official unit designation rotates every year or two, and at the time of 9/11, its designation was Gray Fox, which made me geek out!
AT: Ha, what a coincidence! Makes sense that a unit switches names to help keep secrecy.
SHJ: I have to wonder how effective is truly is, though. Sure, DOD won’t comment on those units, but the information’s out there if you know where to look.
AT: Definitely a paradox! Seems to reflect elements of espionage in some of your books.
SHJ: Absolutely! I do enjoy a good spy thriller, though I doubt I could ever write a proper spy thriller myself. I’d describe my style of fiction using a term my friend S.A. Bailey coined: “turbo murder!” But, if I had to use another term aside from that, I’d borrow from Metal Gear: tactical espionage action. That would succinctly describe what I aim for with my work.
AT: That links to one of my questions I had stored! So you’ve written and published some high-octane military thrillers—tactical espionage action—as well as a legal drama. With some mild genre variation, how would you primarily classify yourself as an author? We all radically differ in writing versus what some folks would try to box us in.
SHJ: I’d definitely say I’m primarily an action thriller novelist, though I do have ideas for other projects. It just so happens I need to clear my writing queue and start on years of research before I start looking at expanding genres. End of the day though, the ideas I have in mind for the future will still bear the same fundamentals: solid characterization, thrilling adventures, and dialogue and plots that will hopefully give the reader pause for thought
AT: Definitely feel you on the research and clearing writing queue aspects. This also leads to one of the things I planned on asking. Regarding pause for thought, a theme I noticed seems to be about one character advocating for conflict while another advocates for more peaceful measures. It is a trope that has popped up a couple of times, like The First Bayonet and Fault Lines. Or more specially, a character who has seen conflict. And another who does not have experience with it and advocates peaceful matters. And they both end up working together to boot.
SHJ: I didn’t even notice that parallel until you brought it up, but now that you mention it, it makes sense! It does make for a good contrast! Though in the case of First Bayonet, it was inspired by the experiences of a friend who was on the ground in Egypt during Arab Spring. For Fault Lines, it was a case of location (write what you know, and I know Arizona fairly well) and hot button topics, which immigration has been for the past decade and change.
AT: Highly understandable, as my other question was if the conflict/peace aspects were reflective of current politics in the United States, especially as your books tackle these subjects head on.
SHJ: That’s definitely the case with Fault Lines. With the subsequent entries, not as much. The first four novels of Forsaken Patriots follow a pattern: one novel that is topical, followed by one that is more generic action. That pattern will continue with Open Contract, as while it has some topical moments it is primarily a love letter to the action thriller genre. On the other hand, I’ll be deviating from that pattern with the last four novels of the series. Every one of them is going to be topical.
AT: It helps connect the reader and the sense that any of those books can take place in the real world, I think.
SHJ: That’s exactly what I strive for. I know other authors do it better, especially those with real world experience like David McCloskey or Peter Nealen. As far as guys without the experience, Stephen England and Ross Sidor do an amazing job making their books seem so real. On my end, I know there are elements that are stylized, but I also try to make suspension of disbelief easy for the reader.
AT: Apart from real world topics, you covered a small bit of who/what your writing influences are, especially the Metal Gear Solid series and the Punisher media. Can you elaborate further how the media portion of your writing influences have helped influence your work? And of course, do you have any other influences (Writer, film director, etc) that was not listed earlier?
SHJ: Oh, absolutely! Almost every bit of action media I’ve consumed has had an impact on my writing. I’m like a sponge in that regard. Sometimes I have to stay away from certain books, movies, or games when I’m writing a project because I know it’ll seep into the work! Basically, my mind’s always assessing stories, looking for stuff I like, stuff that I would like if it were tweaked, and stuff I don’t like and want to avoid entirely. In no particular order, I’d list my largest influences as:
- Doug Wojtowicz, my writing mentor and an author who ghost-wrote for the Mack Bolan series of action adventure novels for many years
- 24, for showing me an intense protagonist and the importance of making time line up in the work (they messed up the latter on several occasions!).
- Metal Gear Solid 1, for showing me a complete action work with amazing characterization and research across the board, both for primary and secondary plot elements.
- David Mamet, whose dialogue has had a massive impact on how I write my own dialogue (the films Spartan and Ronin and the show The Unit were particularly formative in this regard).
- Strike Back, for showing me how to structure an excellent action series (and doubly so in the third iteration of the series, where it graduated from a buddy dynamic to a team dynamic) and to serve as reminder not to use sex as filler (earlier seasons were notorious for this).
- SEAL Team, primarily for updating my knowledge of tactics and terminology because they have arguably the best technical advisors in the game (though the show is VERY well written)
AT: I feel you on the sponge aspect. I get leery copying my own influences and I think it is true of a lot of writers. Your military experience also shows in your works. How much would you say that has been an influence? Especially given the tactical stuff shown?
SHJ: It’s definitely a major influence. I think the best way to describe my writing process is to be one part psychologist , one part journalist, and one part infantry NCO!
The psychologist part comes in developing secondary storylines and humanizing as many of the characters as I can. The journalist part comes in ensuring that every scene is slanted to the truth of the characters in the scene, regardless of my personal feelings. It’s easy to make someone you disagree with look stupid. It’s a lot harder (and more satisfying in the end) to make the protagonists deadly and capable. I also feel that it highlights that monsters can and often are human. It’s rare to find someone who revels in evil and cackles as they rub their hands. No one sees themselves as the bad guy of their story. To go one-dimensional with antagonists cheapens the experience for the reader and for the protagonist. Nobody wants to see someone conquer a bunch of mooks. They want to see the protagonist work for it (That’s also a lesson Doug Wojtowicz taught me).
And the one part infantry NCO? When I plan action scenes, I plan it as if I’m literally conducting an operation. I do map reconnaissance, research logistics, gather atmospherics on the area as much as I can via open source internet sources, then backwards plan. I utilize the eight troop leading procedures in that backwards planning (receive the mission, issue a warning order, form a tentative plan, initiate necessary movement, reconnoiter, finalize the plan, issue an operations order, and supervise preparations/refine the plan). I strive to ensure my action scenes are technically and tactically sound, if a little exaggerated since in real life, you’d want double or triple the numbers Jack Bradshaw works with.
Also: I just googled to confirm the eight troop leading procedures. I haven’t been in the military in seven years and I STILL remember them!
AT: I’ve known friends and family who have been in the military who definitely have not forgotten stuff! Plus, also cool you have insight on your writing process and working with a dude who has ghost written a popular series of action books!
SHJ: Absolutely! And I feel that one key to becoming a consistent and effective writer is to develop a process. It is an art but it’s also a science. It’s very hard to write books willy-nilly without some sort of methodology. My process may work for some or may not work for others. End of the day, it’s on the individual to find and develop a process that works for them
AT: Very true! Everyone is different in how they can successfully write and complete different works. I know I am re-evaluating, discovering, and re-discovering different methodologies.
Hildreth: Exactly, and it should be an ongoing process. A good author should always be striving to improve their craft and to challenge themselves, push themselves outside their boundaries. If we don’t do that, we become stagnant and it shows in the work.
AT: Regarding challenges and projects…apart from Open Contract, do you have any other written projects to pursue afterward?
SHJ: Right now, I’m focused on completing Forsaken Patriots. To that end, I’ve completed the rough draft for Book 5 and I’m hoping to release it in the next few months, but that won’t be until I’ve at least completed Book 6. Once Open Contract’s post production is complete, I plan on jumping right into Book 6.
I’ve also got plans for a sequel series to Forsaken Patriots, as well as a trilogy that will bridge the gap between the two series. In essence, I’m aiming to form a literary universe. Several series under the same umbrella.
AT: Literary universes are a lot of fun. What are some other tips and other insight you can give new and aspiring authors?
SJH: 1) READ. You cannot be a writer if you’re not a reader. You can’t be a good writer if you’ve only read one or two books in a particular genre. Being a good writer involves having a mastery of a genre’s tropes and conventions so you know which ones to avert, which ones to subvert, which ones to lampshade, and which ones to play straight. I’d say read at least 5-10 books from a given genre and pair it with research from TV Tropes before attempting to tackle a new genre.
2) Be open to criticism. I hate it when a writer sees their work as their precious baby and refuses to acknowledge that mistakes may have been made along the way. We’re human. We screw up sometimes. Constructive criticism is the friction that engenders growth. If you can defend a creative choice, cool. If you can’t, consider what a critic is saying. Even if you can defend it, weigh the criticism on its merits. It may be a case of the original idea being good but the criticism being better.
I’m not saying silly criticism, such as too much profanity or there being too many non-white characters or a strong female character (all of which are criticisms I’ve received in books I’ve authored and an anthology to which I contributed). Disregard that crap and keep on keeping on.
But, if it’s a legitimate criticism, consider it and see if it can’t help advance your craft.
3) If you’re self-publishing, study the interior formatting of traditionally published books. You should aim for your novels to resemble the pros. Many self-published novels have an amateur look (including my earliest works). Show the publishers you can produce a work just as good as they can produce.
4) Also for the self-published indies: you absolutely can judge a book by its cover. If it looks like you spent five minutes in MS Paint for your cover, I’m going to assume you put that much effort into your book and it’ll be a hard pass. Either hit up a professional graphic design artist or company (I use Venator Media Solutions) or check out places that have pre-made book covers (such as Book Cover Zone). Absent all of that, there are courses online on how to do graphic design. If money’s a concern, perhaps look at learning how to develop a cover or seeking out a friend who knows graphic design. Just don’t put out a low-effort, low-grade cover. It will cost you readers.
AT: Solid advice all around! Any other final thoughts or comments?
SJH: All I have left is a thank you for a great interview, and to let people know Open Contract is available for pre-order and drops 05/24/2024!
You can check out more of Steven’s work at his website at https://stevenhildreth.com, his social media, and his works on Amazon.
– Auctor
One Page of Misery 