After living in the wilds of Africa for many years, thriller writer Tony Park is returning to where it all began to launch his 12th novel, An Empty Coast.
‘‘I’m coming back to Leader country,’’ Mr Park, the former Leader reporter and resident of Africa said, as he prepares to launch his new novel at Sutherland Library next month.
Mr Park gave up his career at a journalist to follow his dream of being a full-time writer and divides his time between Sydney and southern Africa where he and wife Nicola own a home on the border of the Kruger National Park.
He combines this with his background as a major in the Australia Army Reserve and his love of Africa to write a thriller every year with titles such as African Sky, Safari and Zambezi.
An Empty Coast is a sequel to his novel The Delta and features the same female lead character, former soldier and mercenary Sonja Kurtz.
Mr Park said it was not too hard to write a female lead character.
‘‘There’s not a lot of difference in writing a female character but I probably rely on my wife, my mum, mother-in-law and my editor and publisher, who are female, for their opinions of the manuscript.
‘‘A guy doesn’t get to read the book until it is published.
‘‘When I first started writing I thought that my readers would be middled-aged males like myself and guys looking for an adventure story.
‘‘Probably the majority of my readers are female, which apparently is the same for Wilbur Smith.
‘‘It is not about whether a book is adventure or romance. It’s just that women read more and are more varied in their reading.
‘‘An elderly lady came up to me at a book talk last year and said she really likes my books because someone always gets murdered in the first chapter and there is lots of sex,’’ he said.
‘‘And it’s Africa. It’s a subject that cuts across all genders and ages.’’
Mr Park’s latest thriller is about mercenary Sonja Kurtz whose daughter Emma, a student archaeologist in Namibia’s Etosha National Park goes missing after discovering the body of former CIA agent Hudson Brand.
This draws Sonja back to Africa and leads her to the discovery of a modern day treasure.
The book also touches on the poaching of Africa’s unique wildlife.
‘‘It is impossible to write about Africa today and not mention poaching,’’ Mr Park said.
‘‘Every full moon we can hear gun fire and helicopters flying over our home on the edge of the Kruger National Park.
‘‘It’s poachers hunting rhinos.
‘‘There are national park rangers who sign up to be conservationists not soldiers but are finding themselves putting their own lives on the line.
‘‘Vietnam is the large consumer of rhino horn. The only what to change this it is to change demand.
‘‘Not so long ago the western world slaughtered elephants for ivory to make piano keys and billiard balls, so attitudes can change.’’
Tony Park will speak about his new thriller, An Empty Coast at Sutherland Library on Thursday, Nov 5 at 6:30pm.
The event is free but bookings are required. Phone: 9710 0351.
