The Benevolent Terrorist
By Danny Wynn
Genre : Adventure / Literary
The Benevolent Terrorist is a thinking person’s adventure story, in the vein of various novels by Graham Greene, Robert Stone, and Patricia Highsmith. It tells the tale of a troubled young American named Jack who’s been wandering the world for extended periods on an increasingly desperate quest for excitement and adventure. Jack is traveling with a likable and beautiful Australian woman, who’s quickly getting fed up with him. In Athens, they meet a mysterious loner, an ex-Army guy who recently finished working construction in Tunisia. The unlikely trio travels to a Greek island where a romantic triangle develops. Jack’s deep desire to escape boredom and his theory of benevolent terrorism – ¬fighting terrorists with terror – lead the two men on a dark and violent adventure. The novel explores with intelligence a number of the disturbing aspects of life and artfully straddles the boundary between commercial and literary ¬fiction.
“A fantastic, existentialist thriller with visceral charm...offers a trio of vivid character studies while ¬filling [the narrative] with sinister tension...sharp, philosophical, and occasionally surreal prose.”— Kirkus Reviews
Author Interview
Tell us about your book.
It is a thinking man’s adventure story, which deals with the phenomenon that a lot of guys tend to romanticize dangerous activities like war or drug smuggling, and my novel is about a dysfunctional young man who goes way too far in his pursuit of excitement. The story takes place in the Greek islands, and the main characters are two men and a woman. It is a very compelling read and has a very exciting ending.
What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
I write based on what I know and thus my books do require a lot of research. However, there are scenes in my books for which my real life does not provide the telling details needed to bring the scene to life, and in those instances, I do research to provide telling details. Also, in this novel, The Benevolent Terrorist, a real life figure makes an appearance, and I had to do research in order to be consistent with the facts.
Do you read your book reviews?
Yes.
How do you deal with bad or good ones?
I care mostly whether the reviewer understood my book, rather than whether they thought it ws good or bad. I have been pleasantly surprised that most reviewers have gotten what I am trying to do.
What are common traps for aspiring writers?
Failing to recognize that a writer must tell a story, and that material must be interesting in order for it to be included.
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
Become a journalist so as to constantly be honing my craftsmanship and acquire strong material for my fiction.
Is there a message in your novel that you hope readers will grasp?
Self-destructiveness is a real and potent phenomenon which a person can’t avoid simply by simply relying on common sense.
About Author
“A fantastic, existentialist thriller with visceral charm...offers a trio of vivid character studies while ¬filling [the narrative] with sinister tension...sharp, philosophical, and occasionally surreal prose.”— Kirkus Reviews
Author Interview
Tell us about your book.
It is a thinking man’s adventure story, which deals with the phenomenon that a lot of guys tend to romanticize dangerous activities like war or drug smuggling, and my novel is about a dysfunctional young man who goes way too far in his pursuit of excitement. The story takes place in the Greek islands, and the main characters are two men and a woman. It is a very compelling read and has a very exciting ending.
What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
I write based on what I know and thus my books do require a lot of research. However, there are scenes in my books for which my real life does not provide the telling details needed to bring the scene to life, and in those instances, I do research to provide telling details. Also, in this novel, The Benevolent Terrorist, a real life figure makes an appearance, and I had to do research in order to be consistent with the facts.
Do you read your book reviews?
Yes.
How do you deal with bad or good ones?
I care mostly whether the reviewer understood my book, rather than whether they thought it ws good or bad. I have been pleasantly surprised that most reviewers have gotten what I am trying to do.
What are common traps for aspiring writers?
Failing to recognize that a writer must tell a story, and that material must be interesting in order for it to be included.
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
Become a journalist so as to constantly be honing my craftsmanship and acquire strong material for my fiction.
Is there a message in your novel that you hope readers will grasp?
Self-destructiveness is a real and potent phenomenon which a person can’t avoid simply by simply relying on common sense.
About Author
The Benevolent Terrorist is my third novel of publishable
quality. Before turning full-time to
writing, I worked at CBS Records (later Sony Music) for many years and traveled
extensively, rising to the level of Executive Vice President. I’ve lived in New
York City, Los Angeles, and London, and now make my home in the West Village
with my wife and two children. My second favorite place in the world (after the
West Village) is the island of Mallorca, Spain, which I have visited more than
thirty times (and is where one of my earlier novels, Man From the Sky, is set).
My writing has received numerous starred reviews and garnered very
favorable criticism such as, “an enjoyable tale of lost souls colliding in the
most unlikely of places,” “conjuring shades of Steinbeck,” “the prose is subtle
but vivid, intellectually engaged but never arid, as the author provides
readers with a flurry of snapshots that gradually coalesce into a picture of
tarnished longings,” and “well written, thought provoking…,stands in a class
all by itself.”
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