A Leafy Green World & Al-thar: Interview with Thriller Author Sean Dow



Sean Dow is a pulmonary and critical care physician in Great Falls, Montana. He started writing thriller novels in 2011, and has three titles, one of which, Debridement, is in its second printing and is being made into a feature film.

Sean was born in Iowa City, but was raised on a small farm in Kansas before leaving for medical school, and the adventures beyond. His career was largely in Klamath Falls, Oregon, a town that still feels like home. He did a brief stent in Las Vegas before moving to the paradise of Montana. When not working or writing, Sean can be found in the kitchen perfecting his New York cheesecake, or on the mountain streams with Bailey, his beloved (and perfectly behaved) Mastiff and his favorite 2 weight fly rod-a parting gift from a dear friend and patient.

His latest books are A Leafy Green World and Al-thar.
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About the Book:

Title: A Leafy Green World
Author: Sean Dow
Publisher: Two Harbors Press
Pages: 449
Genre: Thriller

A Leafy Green World is a fast paced, action packed thriller set in the Pacific Northwest. Dr. Brent Holcomb has moved to Portland in hopes of resurrecting his life and his career. There, he meets Robyn-the girl from his dreams. All is going smoothly until he realizes Robyn and her friends are not what they seem. Now, wrapped up in the murder of an innocent man, and with nowhere to turn, Brent forms a bold plan-a plan that will put him on a dangerous course, aligning himself with domestic terrorists and ultimately, a deeply hidden cell of Islamic terrorists. 

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Title: Al-thar
Author: Sean Dow
Publisher: Two Harbors Press
Pages: 466
Genre: Thriller

In Al-thar, (Arabic:revenge) Brent is living a tranquil life on the peaceful Philippine island of Masbate. But the FBI's witness protection plan is not enough when you have destroyed the plans of the world's most feared terrorist group-an assassin is on the way, and his plans are far worse than a simple bullet in the head. 

With the violent destruction of his new island home, Dr. Holcomb is once again thrust into danger, this time on an international level. There are only two outcomes in this new high-stakes match, Brent's painful and public death and the destruction of
America's, or the death of Saadullah Abul Ka-beir, and his council. 

Brent brings together his cast of memorable friends from A Leafy Green World as he devises the greatest deception ever imagined. The action goes at a break-neck pace from the
Philippines to Washington, D.C., and from a remote valley in Pakistan to the jungles of Sierra Leone in this novel that has been described as almost too real, and too timely.

For More Information

  • Al-thar is available at Amazon.
  • Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.
 



Q: Welcome to The Writer's Life!  Now that your book has been published, we’d love to find out more about the process.  Can we begin by having you take us at the beginning?  Where did you come up with the idea to write your book?

I lived in the Pacific Northwest as I began A Leafy Green World. I enjoy an outdoor oriented lifestyle and am intrigued by the conflict between the animal rights activists and earth preservationists who are heavily focused in the region, and the mainstream of society who share many of their ideas, though not to the level of extremism. I likened their tactics to those of other terror groups and came up with the idea for a novel where they teamed up to face their common enemy.

Q: How hard was it to write a book like this and do you have any tips that you could pass on which would make the journey easier for other writers?

I started this book many years ago, but found my writing to be horrible-uninspired and without a clear focus-I gave up in disgust and threw it in the trash! In 2010 I was named in a groundless medical malpractice lawsuit. The pain and frustration of that experience prompted me to try my hand at writing once more, in a novel where the doctor took revenge upon the lawyer prosecuting a similar malpractice situation. With a topic so fresh and so near to home the words flew onto the pages. The learning curve as I edited and seemingly endlessly rewrote that novel was steep, but the experience and the joy I had pushed me to take another stab at the story I had originally wanted to write, A Leafy Green World.

Best advice for a new author? Write a story that involves and fascinates you, then, after you have written several chapters read Self-editing for Fiction Authors-an invaluable resource that can change a story from a painful reading experience to one of joy.

Q: Who is your publisher and how did you find them or did you self-publish?

I went the self-publishing route after reading horror stories from others who had tried to break into the publishing house world, only to have their mailbox filled with an endless supply of polite rejections. I am very happy with my choice.

Q: Is there anything that surprised you about getting your first book published?

Yes, even going the self-published route, it took months before I could hold my work in my hand. Patience is, indeed, a virtue!

Q: What other books (if any) are you working on and when will they be published?

I have three novels in print, Debridement, A Leafy Green World and Al-thar. Another is in the initial stages, though my writing time is restricted by my Mastiff puppy Bailey, who seems to think my time should be spent with her rather than my keyboard. It is important that I keep her happy, as she will soon weigh almost as much as I do!

Q: What’s one fact about your book that would surprise people?

The level to which I lost myself in the writing, how I felt I was part of the story, not just putting it on paper.

Q: Finally, what message (if any) are you trying to get across with your book?

The natural world is ours to treasure and while we may not all agree on the best way to use and protect it, our interests will all be served if we do so.
  
Q: Thank you again for this interview!  Do you have any final words?

I hope readers will see the joy I experienced in writing these novels. Also, I would encourage anyone who has harbored a dream to write to sit down and do it-you won’t regret the decision! Enjoy!


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