Interview with David Meyer, Author of Chaos

I had the privilege of chatting with David Meyer, author of the action-adventure novel Chaos. He also runs one of the most interesting blogs I've visited in a long time.

Welcome David! Why don't you start out by telling us who you are and why you're here?

Hey M! Thanks for letting me borrow some space on your site. My name is David Meyer, aka the Guerrilla Explorer. I'm an adventurer and a first-time author, with a particular interest in the unknown. I've hunted for lost treasure and explored everything from ancient Pre-Columbian ruins to abandoned subway tunnels.

At http://www.guerrillaexplorer.com, I write regularly about treasure, archaeology, historical mysteries, forgotten lands, cryptids, conspiracies, and strange science. Now, I'm turning my attention to fiction with my first novel, the adventure/thriller Chaos. It's available as a paperback book as well as via Kindle, Nook, Smashwords, and iBooks (other versions to follow shortly).

Tell us a little bit about Chaos.

I think the description covers this question quite nicely...take a look:

New York City, 1976: Heavily-armed, masked men hijack a subway train...and its deadly cargo.

New York City, Present: An expedition vanishes while conducting a top-secret operation deep underground.

A SHATTERED MAN WITH NOTHING TO LOSE...

To locate his missing friend, former urban archaeologist Cyclone Reed must piece together his shattered life and return to the one place on earth he truly fears...Manhattan.

A LOST WORLD FULL OF DANGER...

Soon, he's storming through flooded subway tunnels, discovering a lost laboratory, battling a mysterious man-eating beast, and scaling a mountainous skyscraper. But as he plunges deeper into the strange and murky legends surrounding a piece of forgotten technology, he begins to untangle a staggering conspiracy.

A SHOCKING SECRET THAT WILL ROCK THE EARTH!

More than sixty years ago, a Nazi physicist created a weapon capable of setting the world aflame. Now, a diabolical industrialist plans to finish the job. At stake is the future of a nation...millions of innocent lives...and one man's final chance at redemption.

Sounds like my kind of book! So, is this your run-of-the mill action/adventure story? What sets it apart from other books?

I should start out by saying that the seed for Chaos was planted a few years back when I was tromping through an abandoned subway tunnel with my future wife (yes, she still married me!). As I passed through a particularly desolate stretch, I found myself wondering: What if someone hijacked a subway train?

It wasn't the most original question in the world. After all, a similar premise underlies Morton Freedgood's novel, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. But while Freedgood saw the subway system as a unique crime scene, I saw it as a "lost world" full of crumbling ruins, dangerous natives, and metal monsters.

At the same time, I've always loved adventure novels. So, I decided to take the traditional adventure tale and put a distinctively modern, urban spin on it. Rather than scale a mountain, my hero Cyclone Reed scales a mountainous skyscraper. Rather than wading through a vicious river, he's thrown headfirst into a violent, artificial one. And rather than fighting a typical "secret society" in order to recover some ancient "totem of power," Cy battles a gang of old sandhogs who are protecting a decidedly, not-so-ancient secret. Even Cy himself is a modern, urban version of the archetypal archaeologist hero. He's a former urban archaeologist who once worked extensively in New York City.

Cool! By the way, what's this I hear about a "book club"?

Ah yes, the book club. Since October 24, I've been running a three-week long book club at my site. But it's not your typical book club. Instead, I'm focusing on the shocking mysteries and unbelievable history that helped to inspire Chaos. Just to whet your appetite, some of the topics include: The Great Train Robbery of 1963, Nazi Treasure & ODESSA, Buildering: The Art of Climbing Skyscrapers, and New York's Forgotten Subway Tunnel (coming on November 10).

I'm looking forward to it. What's next for you and Cy Reed?

I'm pleased to say that more adventures are coming soon...very soon! I'm currently working on the sequel to Chaos as well as a few other exciting projects. Stay tuned!

Thanks for visiting us David. Where can we find you again?

Thanks for your support! Please visit me at http://www.guerrillaexplorer.com. Oh, and don't forget to buy Chaos!