Movember Day Twenty-Four

I mentioned the posts would be irregular. The orange shirt proves I've been busy working. Although the 'pose' looks 'dorky', evidence the Mo has grown is there for all to giggle at.

For those visiting for the first time, I can explain. I'm growing a moustache for Movember to join the fight against prostate cancer and men's depression.

Here's a picture at day twenty-four. It takes some courage to post a picture like that, so you can imagine the everyday banter at the moment. But, it's great to talk about and promote this great cause and I'm enjoying every minute of it.

I'd love your support in any way possible. Please follow the prompts if you would like to donate to this great cause. http://au.movember.com/mospace/153091/

Thank you so much to those who have supported me and the Movember team.

Cheers,

JJ

Movember Day Four

As promised, an irregular update on my quest to spread the Movember word (and raise some coin).

I'm growing a moustache for Movember to join the fight against prostate cancer and men's depression. http://au.movember.com/mospace/153091/

Here's a picture at day four - not a bad effort if I may say so. Looks like it'll be a 'freestyler' Mo. (basically mould into shape with each slip of the razor).

I'd love your support in any way possible.

Cheers,

JJ

Movember

I'm seeking your support for a great cause.

I'm growing a moustache for Movember to join the fight against prostate cancer and men's depression. Please give so that my Mo may grow: http://au.movember.com/mospace/153091/

Movember is about raising much needed funds and awareness for men’s health – specifically prostate cancer and depression in men. Important when you learn that close to 3,000 men die of prostate cancer each year in Australia and one in eight men will experience depression in their lifetime - many of whom don’t seek help.

A signed copy of The Interrogator awaits the individual who donates the most.

Cheers,

JJ

Sydney Newspaper Reviews for The Interrogator

The Interrogator has been reviewed in a couple of Sydney Newspapers last week.

At last Australia has an action hero we can proudly call our own – Jay Ryan.

Ryan is the protagonist of JJ Cooper’s The Interrogator, an accomplished debut thriller about an Australian soldier whose life is turned upside down by a betrayal from within.

A solid page-turner, it’s a Godsend for commuters looking for the ideal travelling companion. In fact it’s so ideal I almost missed my train stop a couple of times while I was reading it.

Cooper draws heavily on his 17 years’ worth of Australian Army experience as a real-life interrogator to flesh out Ryan’s character.

When we meet Jay, he’s having a bad day. Sadly for him, it’s about to get much, much worse. He’s kidnapped, beaten up, blackmailed, threatened, and tortured – and that’s just in the first few pages.

It’s occasionally hard to separate the good guys from the bad in this racy read that’s full of surprises – to say more is to give too much away – and Cooper does an excellent job of keeping the reader riveted to the page.

The Interrogator sets the scene for an inspired series that would translate well to the small screen, if not the big one.

I’m looking forward to more Jay Ryan adventures.

Sydney Central 30/09/09

This book begins with a bang, literally, heads straight to a nasty interrogation, then never lets the reader go. Jay Ryan is a specialist interrogator who must fulfil a mission for a shady organisation. Cooper's debut novel contains some amazing action sequences and some interesting detail drawn from his own experience as an interrogator in Iraq and Afghanistan. Despite a not entirely satisfactory denouement, readers are in for a ride as they hurtle toward a thrilling climax.

The Daily Telegraph 03/10/09

Queensland Writers Centre Blog Tour

I'm very fortunate to have been asked to be part of the Queensland Writers Centre (QWC) Blog Tour Oct – Dec 09.

The wonderful team at QWC would like to know the following of me:

Where do your words come from?

Experience and imagination. I suppose being an ex-interrogator adds a level of 'authenticity' to my thrillers. Imagination comes into it when I turn my previous life into fiction. Almost all of the interrogators I know are great storytellers - comes in handy for the job. So, although I don't have any advance creative writing courses under my belt, my previous career has certainly helped. Generally, I have a concept for the story and just write. Seems to be working OK so far.

Where did you grow up and where do you live now?

Started out on the north side of Brisbane and that's where I've come to settle now. I've spent plenty of time in other locations during my military career, but there's really no place like home.

What’s the first sentence/line of your latest work?

This is from book two which is about to hit the editing stage with my publisher (so may change). For clarity, I'm gonna cheat and give you the second line as well.

Sixty-four thousand years ago last Monday the final dinosaur succumbed to the ‘extinction’ vogue. Jay Ryan theorised that his legacy continued though through the idiosyncrasies of the habitually annoying employees of Byron Bay’s Road Transport Authority.

What piece of writing do you wish you had written?

I'm always dreaming along these lines so here's a few - Thomas Harris 'Hannibal', Michael Connelly 'Harry Bosch series', Lee Child 'Jack Reacher series', Robert Ludlum 'Bourne series', and I would love to have had my name on the cover of The Da Vinci Code (and the royalty statements).

What are you currently working towards?

Book two is completed and handed into the publisher. Now I'll work on book three to continue the Jay Ryan series.

Complete this sentence… the future of the book is… in the hands of our very talented Aussie authors.

This post is part of the Queensland Writers Centre blog tour of 09. Queensland Writers Centre connects writers with advice, training and professional opportunities. They promote Queensland books and authors throughout Australia.