When Michael told us that he was planning to launch his latest book with the help of three actors, we knew the event would be full of surprises. But in fact, one of the guest actors was a surprise, even for Michael.
The new spy thriller Hunting the Hornets by Michael Bartlett sees a brilliant former agent and her team lead the hunt for a shadowy international conspiracy. During the launch event, visitors were treated to live readings from three guest actors.
“I found the whole evening very exciting. Eileen Ryan and Mike Davison are prominent members of local theatre company Made2Measure for which Eileen writes site-specific plays – for example one was performed on our local allotments, one on a vintage bus.
“Brian Hewlett is of course the star from The Archers who has voiced Neil Carter for the past 50 years.
“One of the invitations to the event that I sent out to local friends went to Brian. He rang me up and asked if I needed another reader. I had planned to play the part of the narrator myself, leaving the dialogue to Eileen and Mike, but this was too good an offer to refuse!”
Michael Bartlett
Michael’s career as an author began over forty years ago writing scripts for radio plays, television and theatre, including BBC Radio Drama and hit show The Archers. He also puts his name to children’s classics Rainbow and Jackanory.
His fourth novel Hunting the Hornets joins short story collections My Village in the Valley and Personal Islands, and literary novel Dreams of Eleven. His latest release takes its name from an old proverb ‘Laws catch flies but let hornets go free’.
“The idea for the book came from some of the problems I see in the UK today where justice is not always guaranteed. I can’t solve any of those problems, but I can tell an entertaining story where people do.
“I wrote the first scene of this book without knowing how it would develop or who The Hunter was. I just knew that I’d been gripped by the idea of a retired former agent holding her own in what is normally thought of as a man’s world. I liked the idea of an older woman who when faced with a threat is expected just to keel over and give in. She doesn’t.”
Michael Bartlett
When Michael first began to plan the launch, it quickly developed into an event which would form a connection between his former life as a scriptwriter and his new writing career in print.
“Hearing the extracts read aloud reminded me of studio rehearsals for one of my radio plays, except this time it was my novel Hunting the Hornets being brought to life. The readings were very well received – the audience gave a loud round of applause for the actors at the end of each scene.
“The main character – The Hunter – was voiced brilliantly by Eileen Ryan during the event. Several people said how nice it was to have an older woman as the central character. At least two people said ‘they wanted to be The Hunter’.
“I wanted to avoid stereotypes which is why I chose a middle-aged woman as my main protagonist. The team she puts together are all outsiders in their own way. Together they have the experience, both practical and theoretical, that only comes with age. Individually they are all unconventional. Together they form a formidable team.”
Michael Bartlett
Hunting the Hornets is out now in paperback and ebook, and perfect for fans of classic spy novels and detective stories.
