How Author John Stamp Created BLOOD RED IVORY

BLOOD RED IVORY is my first in a series of Ty Benhoff thrillers. For a while, I’ve been tossing around the idea of doing a series. Connecting plots and characters, arcing things over multiple books seemed like a fun challenge.

Initially, I came up with Ty. Tyrone Benhoff, Naval Criminal Investigative Service Special Agent. Why NCIS? My former agency has a global presence. In my time with them, I traveled to nine different countries. I figured the wide range of locations can provide the backdrop for a variety of exciting plots. Another aspect of NCIS that fit for me was the spectrum of cases an agent has the opportunity to work. Everything from fraud to homicide, to personal security assignments, makes for a deep catalog of investigations I can touch on in my books. Ty himself is kind of an amalgam of characters I’ve met over the years. Some of the most fun and frustrating traits from all the cops I’ve ever worked with went into his character. He’s a tenacious investigator, has developed a dark, and more often than not offensive level of humor. Like most cops he’s been overrun by worthless bureaucracy so much over the years he has not even the slightest bit of patience for empty suits and weak leaders. That makes him really popular with management by the way. But he’s dedicated to getting the job done no matter what the cost. That last part is probably the most common thread I’ve seen in not just the men and women I worked with at the state, federal, and local levels of law enforcement. Cops in general want to serve and do their job the best they can. That’s Ty Benhoff.

As far as setting goes I picked Zimbabwe after reading about the International Anti-Poaching Foundation. A group of anti-poaching park rangers, all female, protecting endangered species in Africa. Their story is really a great one and I wanted to make them part of my book. Outside of that, I’ve wanted to get back to Africa since I left after a deployment to Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti in 2011. The people there are great, the geography is great. Now that I have little kids, I don’t get to travel much anymore so for the time being, if I can’t go there, I can at least write about it. Someday I will get back there though.

Anyway, I put Ty and these Rangers together, mixed in bad guys to include Ivory smugglers and poachers, some Chinese organized crime, and even a couple of terrorists-extremists for good measure. All this and a homicide investigation gives you, BLOOD RED IVORY. I hope you like it.