Today I'm delighted to be hanging out with Tomson Cobb. Tomson's debut novel is called Sakura Spark and it's available to download now, but more about that later.
Let's kick things off with getting to know Tomson a little bit, but I must warn you that he is, by his own admission, 'a bit secret squirrel'!
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| Photo courtesy of Tomson Cobb |
Tomson Cobb has a background in international marketing and trading, with extensive experience of import and export, mainly in electronics. This may have introduced him to various shady operators overseas, and some discrete organisations within the UK.
He respects entrepreneurs who’ve taken risks with their own money to build businesses from scratch, rather than corporate executives with huge salaries that haven’t.
He’s single, lives in London with a very civil female partner. Both love dogs, but currently don’t have one. He likes running, fitness training and playing golf on rare occasions. He also enjoys watching rugby and some other sports, but not soccer. He doesn’t like politicians, bureaucrats or corporate criminals.
You’re thinking this is a short bio but he prefers not to give away too much about himself as he believes it’s safer for all involved. Join the Reader’s Club to learn more.
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What’s your favourite motivational phrase?
Just sit down and write something. Not as straightforward
as it sounds because of so many conflicting priorities for a first-time author.
What advice would you give your younger
self?
Build a time machine so you can learn from your mistakes
before making them.
Where did your love of
books/storytelling/reading/writing etc come from?
Grammar school. Although the teachers at the time were
not particularly inspiring, something in those English Language lessons must
have started something. Was it Shakespeare? Probably not in my case but a few
lines of Robert Browning’s still resonate all these years after - Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his
grasp, or what’s a heaven for.’ I remember I thought long and hard over the
conflicting explanations of those words in Andrea Del Sarto and I’m still not
sure what he really meant.
What did you edit out of your last book?
Hundreds of repeated words and ‘too many ings’ from the
first draft.
What do you think is more important:
characters or plot?
For my genre of Spy Thriller, the plot has to create
enough questions for the reader that makes them want to finish the book, but
interest in, or at least empathy, with the characters are needed to take them
there so without that, the plot isn’t enough in itself.
If you could spend time with a character
from your book who would it be and why? What would you get up to?
Maybe I already have?
Do you have any hidden or uncommon talents?
Apart from bottle walking in my younger days, (I once
outdistanced a German Olympic Rowing Gold medallist) No. But now you’ve asked,
it’s going to keep me awake at night wondering why I don’t.
What character in your book are you least
likely to get along with and why?
Chomsky of course. He exemplifies everything I hate about
corruption in business.
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So, that's the man behind the words, now let's find out about Tomson's debut novel, Sakura Spark.
Jago Hale is an ex spy without conviction.
That is until a psychotic assassin working for an
international crime organization murders a Russian oligarch and then puts Hale
onto his list of targets.
A trip to meet a contact from Mossad leads to an attempt
on their lives, but it’s the assassin’s murder of one of his oldest friends
that finally persuades Jago to accept another job from his old employers in
MI6. Despite his disillusionment with the secret service following the
mysterious death of his wife and unborn child a year earlier, he reluctantly
agrees to work with them again.
Can he find the killer of his friend, get revenge and
find the answers to the many questions about his wife’s death?
What he finds in his travels across the globe while
attempting to stop the organisation in its target of infiltrating friendly
governments forces Jago to understand the only reason he exists. Retribution.
If you like Bourne, Reacher, Bond or Milton, the new kid
on the block, Jago Hale, will prove equally gripping.
Sakura Spark is currently available to download for just 99p (at the time of posting) and I have my copy waiting patiently on my TBR, but that doesn't mean you have to wait for me to read it, take a chance and get your copy now.
You can find out more about Tomson and connect with him using the links below:
Website
Readers Club - sign up and get exclusive access to unpublished material.
Goodreads
I'd like to thank Tomson for taking the time to stop by today, it's always fun to meet a new author. I'm looking forward to reading Sakura Spark and I wish you lots of luck with it.
