Interview with Piers Platt, author of 'Rath's Deception'

Piers Platt is the New York Times bestselling author of "Combat and Other Shenanigans," a memoir of his year-long deployment to Iraq as a tank and scout platoon leader. Piers grew up in Boston, but spent most of his childhood in various boarding schools, including getting trained as a classical singer at a choir school for boys. He joined the Army in 2002, and spent four years on active duty.

When he's not writing or spending time with his lovely wife and daughter, Piers works as a strategy consultant in New York city.

His latest book is the sci fi/thriller, Rath’s Deception.

For More Information

• Visit Piers Platt’s website.
• Connect with Piers on Facebook and Twitter.
• Find out more about Piers at Goodreads.

On the cut-throat streets of Tarkis, orphaned teens like Rath end up jailed … or dead. So when the shadowy Janus Group offers Rath a chance to earn riches beyond his wildest dreams, he seizes it. But the Janus Group is as ruthless as the elite assassins it controls. Rath will have to survive their grueling, off-world training, and fulfill all fifty kills in his contract before a single cent comes his way. And ending so many lives comes with a price Rath can’t anticipate. It’ll certainly cost him what’s left of his innocence. It may well cost him his life.

For More Information

• Rath’s Deception is available at Amazon.
• Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.

Thank you for this interview!  I’d like to know more about you as a person first.  What do you do when you’re not writing?

My wife and I love to ski – East Coast skiing is a bit icy, but we’ve had the good fortune to get a couple trips in to Utah, and it was just amazing. Powder up to your knees, amazing views...we’re starting to teach my four-year old daughter to ski now.

When did you start writing?

I feel like I’ve always been writing fiction since I was young. But I got serious about publishing my work two years ago, when I finished the manuscript for my Iraq War memoir, Combat and Other Shenanigans. That project was very cathartic for me, and it was important that I honor the men I served with.

As a published author, what would you say was the most pivotal point of your writing life?

I’m going to pick two pivotal moments. One was when I stumbled across the vibrant indie author community online, and finally realized I didn’t need an agent or a publishing house to be a successful author. The other was when I found out I made the NY Times list. Totally unexpected, and still completely blows me away.

If you could go anywhere in the world to start writing your next book, where would that be and why?

My aunt has this beautiful cabin halfway up a mountain in New Hampshire, totally isolated with beautiful views of the White Mountains. I think it would be the ideal creative spot. Throw some logs on the fire, and start typing!

If you had 4 hours of extra time today, what would you do?

Is sleep an option? Because I could probably sleep all four of them. No, I’d sleep a couple, and then play with my daughter – she loves to act out the Disney princess storylines with me.

Where would you like to set a story that you haven’t done yet?

World War II.  I’ve studied it a bunch, and I think it would be fun to write an Alistair Maclean-style thriller.

Back to your present book, Rath’s Deception, how did you publish it?

I’m an independent author, so I published it myself online – but first I had it professionally edited, reviewed by my beta readers, and formatted. Lots of work, but totally worth it!

In writing your book, did you travel anywhere for research?

It takes place 300 years in the future…I wish I could travel there, though!

Why was writing Rath’s Deception so important to you?

I actually wrote a short story (Last Pursuit, available for free wherever ebooks are sold, here’s the Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Last-Pursuit-Piers-Platt-ebook/dp/B00JFXTW84/] with the same setting several years ago, and readers enjoyed it, but they kept saying it was too short. So I expanded it into a full trilogy!

Where do you get your best ideas and why do you think that is?

I get a lot of good ideas in the shower! I have no idea why. I’ll get out and run downstairs dripping wet and make some notes on the next chapter. I need to find a waterproof laptop, maybe I should try writing in the shower.

Any final words?

Thanks so much for having me!