Chad Boudreaux talks as regards his new book, garbage collector Hunt, and what instinct him to write it.
I interviewed Chad Boudreaux about his life and career, what led him to start writing, and the creative process behind his new thriller, Scavenger Hunt.
Tell author Chad Boudreaux who you are:
My name is author Chad Boudreaux and I am the General Counsel of the United States the company that manufactures the largest military warships in the world. I live in Virginia with my bedfellow and four children. Before becoming General Counsel, I worked for two private law firms (one large and one small) and held several senior positions in the US government at a relatively young age, including in the United States’. Department of Justice (DOJ) and US Department of country safety. In my more time I scribe thrillers.
When did you maiden shortage to write a book?
The first time I wanted to write a novel was when I started working at the Justice Department in 2001. The Justice Department hired me the day before the 9/11 attacks and I went to Washington, D.C. Department of Justice. , immediately after. Our nation’s capital was buzzing with energy and excitement after terrorists hijacked airliners and used them as weapons, launching them into the World Trade Center towers in New York and the Pentagon (our military headquarters) in D .C. They also attempted to fly another plane into our Capitol Building in Washington, but the brave passengers aboard United Airlines Flight 93 sacrificed their lives to thwart the attack and crash the plane into a rural area in Pennsylvania.
When did you decide to start writing?
Around 2002 I realized that there was a hidden eighth floor in the Supreme Court building in Washington DC.S. Attorney General of the United States. The elevators only went to the seventh floor, but there were eight pairs of windows. It felt weird. I searched the internet for information about the building but couldn’t find any help. The Chief Justice’s stately library also provided no clues. Long story short, I tracked down a man who had worked on the Supreme Court for several decades — a white-haired institutionalist — and he told me that before the FBI building (across the street) was built, the 8th floor was first served in the FBI’s Ballistics Laboratory. He said there was a secret staircase to the eighth floor, which is more usable now. Fascinated by this news, I grabbed the guard who had access to the stairwell, flashlight, and notebook and ventured into the hidden ground. Most of the notes I scribbled in this notebook are now in Chapter Two, Treasure Hunt. So in a way, my first steps down those hidden stairs were my first steps into writing.
How tall did it take you for your main book, from the primary idea to publication?
It took me about 18 months to write in 20 years! I dedicated the first book to my mother-in-law, who died suddenly ten years ago. In this dedication, I appeal to his ecclesiastical strength and relentless will to never, never, never give up. His passion and teachings have kept my book alive through life’s twists and turns for two decades, and today it is my constant advice to struggling or discouraged writers. Never give up.
How long did it take you for your latest book, from the initial idea to publication?
After 11 months, I recently finished the first draft of my second novel (original title, Homecoming Queen). It will go to my publisher in mid-January. My routine is pretty simple. I get up early before work to write and often write at night and on Saturdays. For me, diligence, discipline and consistency are the key. I have a primary place to write, and given life’s other demands, I have to work hard to find that place five times a week, even a few minutes a day.
Focus on the latest version. What inspired you to write Scavenger Hunt?
I wanted to write Scavenger Hunt because I was an expert on Washington and had an adventurous and funny story to tell. I wanted to write a thriller that was captivating, funny, and hard to put down. Period. Otherwise, thrillers aren’t worth anyone’s time. It begins with charming characters who face a terrible dilemma and must find creative ways to solve Herculean problems against incredible odds. But throughout the story, I also wanted to take the reader to Washington, DC and pull back the curtain a bit to reveal how America’s covert intelligence, judicial, and law enforcement communities work. I hope that Scavenger Hunt readers will enjoy this story and learn some interesting things along the way.
What were your biggest challenges writing Scavenger Hunt?
I’m done. Crossing it was the biggest challenge. I started typing on an old computer in a small apartment in the Capitol with my wife and a Great Dane, a judge (the only real character in the book).After so many years of work and kids, I ended up writing while living in Virginia (one judge died of cancer in 2002). At the beginning of this journey I was almost broke, so my job and raising my children took precedence over writing. Along the way I have enjoyed interesting and challenging jobs at a young age that have taught me about the world, taken me around the world and kept me busy. Works that will bear much fruit in the narrative in the future.
Who or whether inspired you when developing The prince?
Blake Hudson was inspired by governments doing the right thing, even when it’s against their own best interests, and under tremendous pressure to lie, cheat, or compromise. It’s probably just a coincidence. but I named my eldest son Blake and my youngest Hudson.
Who or what stimulates you to create The Antagonist?
Boogeyman
What is the arson incident in Scavenger Hunt?
Arson in my book is a court ruling that allows terrorists unsupervised counsel in prison. Allegedly, this allows him to continue planning and coordinating attacks and is raising serious concerns in the national security community. This fear, in turn, leads to unauthorized efforts to mitigate future attacks by circumventing legal requirements. A secret group of government officials is formed for this purpose.
Alongside Blake Hudson, a Justice Department attorney, the group consists of a Rambo-like character from Delta Force, a former CIA agent with a shady past, and a beautiful, devious NSA woman. As Operation Treasure Hunt begins, Katy locks the door.
What is the main conflict in Scavenger Hunt?
The book’s central conflict is the age-old question raised by efforts to mitigate security risks: What freedom are you sacrificing to protect your country? The United States is founded on the principles of liberty and liberty that form the framework of our current US Constitution. However, our individual rights are often in conflict with the need for the state to protect itself from threats (e.g. terrorists, violent criminals, rogue states, pandemics). This compromise or compromise between individual rights and state protection often works, but when a country faces a serious threat, it is challenged in myriad ways. Scavenger Hunt resolves, analyzes and sets in motion many of these tensions and challenges, all of which coalesce into one great conflict as races like a roller coaster across the United States. Capital S
Have you organized a treasure hunt or found a spot in your underwear and typed freely?
Treasure Hunt flew a 20-year-old pilot with no flight lessons, controls, or seat belts, but the 40-year-old pilot who landed it had thoughtful plans, a working instrument cluster, and a runway with bright lights. Some people fear a blank page like the plague, but I really enjoy the brutality of staring at a blank canvas with a whole new idea in mind.However, I can’t use this arbitrary method and finish a novel in 100,000 words. So I adopted a routine where I sketch out about fifty chapters and start from there. Some chapter descriptions are more detailed than others; they all evolve over time. Even as I develop my characters and set them in a setting of conflict and action, there’s no telling what they’ll do. Most of the time they hold my figure upside down.But it is good. I’m a writer who needs structure.
Did you get help editing and how many edits did Scavenger Hunt take?
My editor, Cortney Donelson, has been a tremendous help in development editing. He also gave reliable advice and tips on stylistic and grammatical corrections. It was a lot about learning how things work and finding my own style, but there were definitely a lot of silly and messy authoring errors. It adapts to the territory.
What is the premier piece of writing counsel you would give some that inspired you to scribe a story?
Do it. Take care of all the other small talk later. Listen, if you have a captivating story, it will never leave you, it will haunt you day and night, and if you leave it in the closet, it will drive you crazy. You might as well write it down to save your mind and soul.
Can you say me what other books you want to scribe?
My advanced readers (those who read Treasure Hunt prior to publication) encourage me to continue the Treasure Hunt series. It excites me, so don’t be surprised if it shows up in the third book. Book number two, however, is a thriller, originally titled Homecoming Queen, about a young woman who must return home to save her little sister from danger in her Texas hometown when a monstrous hurricane sweeps in from the Gulf of Mexico . Unlike Scavenger Hunt, this isn’t a spy thriller; Much like Scavenger Hunt, however, this is a thriller that we hope readers will fall in love with the characters and follow them to places filled with harrowing intrigue and danger.
And in fine are you elated of your success? It was worth it?
all the exciting accessories I’ve done in my profession, writing garbage collector Hunt is the most rewarding. Of course I would never have written this without my professional experience. But even in my professional environment, my friends and colleagues prefer to talk about my novel rather than legal or political matters. Never give up. It’s worth it!
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