Sydney writer Christopher Hepworth’s Hollywood-paced international thrillers feature a 21st century “James Bond” hero, a high body count and lots of action in exotic settings. It’s Indiana Jones with high stakes conspiracy.

Hi there: I’m your host Jenny Wheeler, and today Christopher tells us why he loves the thriller genre and how growing up in Zambia has influenced his writing.

Six things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge Reading episode:

What Christopher loves about writing thrillers 

The magic Sydney location where he works

Why Sam Jardine is a particularly "21st century" hero

The mentors who've inspired him

How he survived a guerilla attack in childhood Zambia

And why he'd rather go down the Nile than camping in England

What follows is a "near as" transcript of the conversation in full with links to many of the key books and events discussed.

Where to find Christopher Hepworth

Website: https://christopherhepworth.com

Twitter: @CHepworthAuthor 

Jenny: Hello there Christopher and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us.

Christopher: 

Oh thank you Jenny, it's a pleasure to be here.

Christopher Hepworth

Jenny:  We were just having a little  introductory chat before starting this podcast, and you were describing to me the setting that you usually do your work in and it sounds totally idyllic. For those of us who are  entering a northern winter, give us a picture of yourself working at your lap top  in Sydney.

Christopher:  Oh yes Jenny . . . well I am very, very fortunate. My study is a balcony really, at the back of the house, which overlooks an area of Australian bush known as The Glen, which is a stopping place for bird, notably rosellas, lorikeets and kookaburras, who come by and stop in.

They are extraordinarily friendly birds, the lorikeets in particular are probably the friendliest birds in Australia,  and they'll even perch on my laptop as I'm out here trying to write.  I've managed to film them doing some extraordinary things which I've put on my Twitter feed in the past.

Writing on his Sydney balcony with lorikeets

Jenny: That's remarkable - I'll have to look it up and see! I was wondering - you have had a distinguished career in corporate life before you turned to writing and I wonder - what was the catalyst?  Was there a "Once Upon A Time" moment when you realised you something would be missing from your life if you didn't write - and how did you go about it?

Christopher: I've always been a voracious reader -  I read probably five or six books a month - mainly thrillers but also historical fiction, and I'd always thought I could give it a go myself, but I never had the time because I was so busy at work.

The one moment which decided me to be an author was when I tried for a very senior role at work. The role  would have involved a lot of overseas travel in three different cities - London, Chicago and Sydney. I didn't get the job, but rather than feeling disappointed I thought "How can I use this to my advantage - and use the time I've been given?"

And I decided to pursue my life long ambition to be an author, and use the time writing - on the train going into work, on the train coming home from work, a couple of hours each evening and three or four hours during the weekends.   And it paid off, and it's ended up into a very positive experience, instead of getting me bitter and twisted.

Jenny:  Yes that sounds like a very "lemons into lemonade approach" you've got there. Your work  has a very confident feel about it, your books are fast paced financial and geo-political thrillers, and it sounds like you had no doubt right from the beginning about the genre yo...