An Incitement to excitement

MY book

‘Incitement’ won from over 500 entries and the judges, Sarah Webb, Ferdia MacAnna and Bob Johnson, cited the detailed research, thriller elements and character development as their reasons for awarding the prize.

One of the judges mentioned that he could not believe this was a debut novel and said it read like a third or fourth book from an established author.

The story begins with a series of violent incidents. A bloody massacre at a Mexican heroin refinery; a Miami-bound freight ship hijacked for its cargo of illegal narcotics; and the ruthless assassination of a Kosovar drug lord.

As DEA agent Diane Mesi investigates she becomes convinced that the conflict is being orchestrated by an unknown third party.

But she is marginalised by her colleagues and her judgement is challenged at every turn. Only if she can expose the truth will she be able to stop the violence and save her career.

Michael Larsen is an ex-soldier and hired mercenary who has been contracted to fuel the conflict at every opportunity until it destroys both sides. As he battles his own demons, he hopes that by directing the violence he will attain some measure of redemption.

But neither Mesi nor Larsen know the full extent of the forces at play or of what is truly at stake.

As they each pursue their own resolution, the violence escalates and they become increasingly isolated and vulnerable to the dangers that stalk them.

I completed the first draft of the book a number of years ago and after a handful of rejections from agents and publishers, put the book aside for a while.

I then came up with an idea for condensing the story and telling it through the two main protagonists’ eyes. The rewrite of the book took a number of months but between work, children and life generally I never got back to submitting it.

Then, driving to work one day, I was listening to the John Murray Show on RTE Radio 1. A piece came on announcing a competition and asking whether there was someone out there who had ever written a book that had not been published and was just sitting around.

The prize was a publishing package. When I got to work, I thought about it and decided

‘why not’.

I submitted the book with no expectation whatsoever but a couple of months later, I received a phone call saying I had made the shortlist of five from over 500 entries.

I was absolutely stunned. I didn’t believe I would go further in the competition but felt that even to get that far was a massive vote of encouragement.

Then, in August, the five finalists were invited to go on the air while Kathryn Thomas and two of the three judges announced the winner.

To my absolute shock I won and, just like that, the book was published.

It can now be bought from any independent bookshop in Ireland and on Amazon as both a physical and Kindle edition.

It is also available from all main ebook retailers.