Deadly Election is basically about a Presidential Election, but with a lot of sex, intrigue, murder, corruption thrown in. A very corrupt politician wants to be the President by any means – he gets the opportunity to acquire a large amount of gold, illegally. Then things start to go wrong.

What genre is it?
I thinks it’s sort of a Suspense/Political/Thriller.

Senator Enrique Consuelo is quite a piece of work, isn’t he? Tell us about him.

Oh yes, he’s not a nice man. He’s based on several real people I met while living in the Philippines. It’s a very lawless place, with corrupt officials, police etc. His sole ambition is to be the President – at any price. He uses his wealth to buy his friends, his influence and his women. I somehow feel there’s a good element in there somewhere, but it’s buried very deep.

Another character we need to meet is Paul. What kind of man is he?

Paul is also based on several people I knew there. I think he’s quite a sad character. Basically, he’s an army man who is totally lost after coming out. He’s devoted to his young wife, but has no idea how to treat her. He’s lived in the Philippines for many years and has adopted many of the bad local habits – including the infidelity and the corruption.

There is one wholly sympathetic character in the novel, Chloe.  What’s her story?

She’s basically a good girl. She got lucky by ‘landing’ the Senator, and she’s basically been a good wife and a very good mother. Once the problems starts she is out of her depth, and struggles between helping her husband and her children. In the end she makes the right choice.

Deadly Election is unputdownable in the good old-fashioned sense of the word. What other novels would you compare it to?

Wow, thank you for the compliment. I really hesitate to mention other novels as a comparison. I will tell you that the greatest influences on my writing would be John Grisham, Dan Brown and Steven King. I really enjoyed. Angels and Demons (the book, the film was rubbish!).

Yes, that’s two hours of our lives we won’t get back! What can you tell us about the rumoured sequel – to your book, not the movie?

I’m working on two sequels. I hope to release both this year. The first, tentatively titled ‘Ninety Percent’ is about Gold Smuggling involving the Philippines, Hong Kong and China. The second is about Ivory smuggling and the killing of elephants. It starts in central Africa, but the action soon moves to Somalia and China. It has a big environmental slant.

We did some research on you because we were struck by your knowledge of the Philippines. We read that you had to flee the country for your life. Care to tell us what happened and your connection to the country?

Hehe, yes. As I previously mentioned, the Philippines is a lawless country and naïve foreigners who try to do business there are often victims of extortion, violence kidnapping etc. and there is no one to complain to – the police are usually involved with the criminals. My ‘exit’ from the islands, at the suggestion of my friends at the embassy was quite dramatic, but I’m not really ready to talk about it yet – maybe one day.

Maybe in a book.
You have written books advising fellow authors on how to publicise their books. What are your top tips? (Feel free to recommend that they use our services!)

My very top tip, which is one I am trying to follow myself, is to write another book. A series will sell many more than an individual book. The author will develop a following, their book marketing efforts will pay more dividends. I am currently helping other authors to establish themselves and market their books. Websites like yours also offer a fantastic benefit to authors in helping them to get established. I hear very good comments about your services.

Thank you. We do our best.
Do you have a website?

Yes : arthurcrandon.com

How can we follow you on social media and other places?

Blog: http://www.arthurcrandon.com/blog-blog-blog.html
Email: Arthur Crandon
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/arthurcrandonauthor
Twitter: @ArthurCrandon
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/arthurcrandon/
Wattpad: http://www.wattpad.com/user/arthurcrandon
Instagram: deadlyelectionbook
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/17S1guI