Tention Free: Tell us a little bit about yourself. Your background, education, and your passions.
First, thanks for the opportunity to be interviewed.
Background
I was born in Virginia, the fifth and last child of a military family. We moved a lot, and I ended up back in Virginia for high school and college. After college, I joined the Army and served for 25 years, retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. From there, I joined the International Staff at NATO where I worked for the next 15 years as a defense planner and diplomat. I retired in 2018 and now live in Sycamore, Illinois, a lovely small two about an hour’s drive west of Chicago. I am married, and have two wonderful adult children who live and work in the Chicago area.
Education
I have a BS in economics from James Madison University, an MBA from Oklahoma City University and a Ph.D. in international relations from Berne University International Graduate School.
Passions
I know it sounds too quaint, but I have a passion for being alive. I think I have always felt that way, but lately it seems more intense, partly perhaps from being a bit older, and perhaps from seeing the fragility of life in different places such as Iraq, Libya Bosnia and Russia.
I have a passion for the martial arts, which I have practiced for almost 50 years. On most days, I walk to a local park and practice my forms. It is a delight and solace to me.
I love to write. I have written the story for two award-winning short films (Doug’s Christmas and A Child Lies Here), and I just recently published a sci-fi novel, The Achilles Battle Fleet.
When I was in the military and working for NATO, I traveled and served in places where people were in very difficult circumstances. When I retired, I wanted to help where I could, so I have been studying law for the past few years. My aim is to volunteer to help refugees once I’m qualified as an attorney.
Tention Free: We’ve been hearing a lot about your book, and we are so excited to read it! Can you tell us a bit about your writing process, and how it influenced ‘The Achilles Battle Fleet’?
I wrote the Achilles Battle Fleet over a period of about seven years. When I retired, in 2018, it was reasonably complete and I spent another three years editing it and getting it ready for publication. During the time I was writing it, I was very busy with my job at NATO. My work day started at 6 a.m. and often went late into the evenings. I also travelled a great deal. That meant I wrote when I could: sometimes on a train and sometimes in a bunker in Baghdad.
It’s fair to say I was influenced by what I was exposed to. For example, in Chapter one, the Character, Bowman, is brought awake by an announcement that all pilots are to report to their spacecraft because their vessel in under attack. He then feels and hears a thump sound, which he knows is not something one should hear on a starship. That scene came from an experience in Iraq, when I was awakened by an announcement over an intercom system that the embassy was about to take incoming fire, and that we should take cover. In a moment, I heard a thumping sound, which I later learned was the sound of mortar rounds impacting. I used that experience to write that portion of the novel.
For the parts of the novel that have a military theme, I drew upon my time in the military. And when writing about the marine commandos, I drew upon my experience qualifying as an Army Ranger and some experience with the special operations forces.
As for the martial arts theme, I drew upon my experience as a competitor and a teacher. Over the years I have done some competition as the captain of a military martial arts team, and I have also trained military close protection personnel in weapons disarming techniques. I won the silver medal in the 2009 US Open for Taekwondo forms. I have written those experiences into the novel. The main character in the novel, Lieutenant Mei Ling Lee, was a former captain of a martial arts competition team, and she trains the marine commandos in her style of martial arts.
Tention Free: Can you please let our readers know more about your two award-winning short films?
Both of those films grew out of short stories I had written years prior.
A Child Lies Here is a ghost story of sorts dealing with the loss of a loved one, in this case a child, and a man’s journey to find meaning and peace in the midst of intense grief.
Doug’s Christmas is about a Korean War veteran who, 50 years after the war is still trying to come to terms with the loss of a friend in combat. He finds his way by embracing a family in need, learning to find solace in helping others.
I didn’t know anything about making films so I reached out to Peter Hawley, who was Chair of Film and Broadcast at Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy. He walked me through the process of getting the story ready for production and he put me in touch some of his recent graduates. The entire team was great. One of those graduates was a young man named Calvin Steinken who directed both films. He was and is a superstar. I could not have asked for a better person to direct those films. I was also blessed because we were able to get Clarke Devereux to take the lead role in both films. Clarke is a retired businessman and actor, who had been in the Home Alone films, among others. Clarke had been a machine gunner and first sergeant during the Korean War, and so his portrayal of Doug was a perfect match. There is a scene at a bar where he tells the story of the loss of his friend. Everyone on set was moved because of Clarke’s sincerity and because we knew the story was a real-life event in his past. The woman operating the camera was crying as he told the story which was a real memory for him. Clarke is just an amazing person. When we had been on set all day and late into the night — sometimes in the freezing cold Chicago winter weather –he would walk around giving people encouragement and boosting their spirits, even though he was the eldest on set by 20 years. I can see why he was chosen to be a first sergeant in combat when he was only 21-years-old. I was am humbled and blessed by getting to work with such talented and decent people.
Tention Free: What has been one of the most exciting achievements of your career so far?
As a writer and producer, I think the most exciting achievement was getting the short film, Doug’s Christmas, accepted at the GI Film Festival, which is perhaps the premier such event for military films.
Tention Free: What life goal would you like to achieve next?
So, we are in the process of getting the word out on the novel, The Achilles Battle Fleet. We have it in print, Kindle and audio. We were so fortunate to have gotten Harmony Zhang to be the voice actor for the audio version. She is truly amazing. I think people are really going to enjoy her reading. As the author, I couldn’t have hoped for better. She handles the accents, ages and genders of the various speakers perfectly. The novel is part one of a trilogy, so I have some work to do!
Personally, I am in my final year of law school and look forward to completing that in 2022. It has been a real challenge for me and I admire anyone who has made it through that process.
Tention Free: What motivates you to do your best work?
I am motivated by the understanding that life is wonderful, but short. I have a story to get out and I need to do that. I don’t think I have the luxury to wait for the perfect time or inspiration. I just need to do it.
Tention Free: What is your favorite quote?
I have a lot of favorite quotes, but I will tell you the one that I have posted on my refrigerator, so that I see it everyday. It is from the Greek stoic philosopher, Epictetus: “Decide what you would be; and do what you need to do – now.”
Tention Free: Tell us about the best moment of your life.
There are many wonderful moments in life. Among those that I cherish the most are the sight of my two children being born. What an amazing experience, and a revelation for me. They have both grown to be wonderful adults. What a blessing.
Tention Free: Everybody needs time off. What do you do in your free time?
I spend a few hours every day walking and training in my martial arts. For me it is a wonderful and soulful experience.
Tention Free: How can people find you and follow you online?
Readers can connect with me at brendanwilsonwrites.com
