Author of “Shadow Protocol: A Navy SEAL’s War Against the Deep State”

After four decades of writing as a hobby and ten years of serious dedication to the craft, TJ Boyle has emerged with a gripping military thriller that promises to rival the works of Brad Taylor and Tom Clancy. We sat down with the author to discuss his journey from struggling student to published novelist, and the personal experiences that shaped his latest work.

Your path to becoming a writer began in a rather unconventional way. Can you tell us about that pivotal moment in ninth grade?

Growing up in the 1960s and early 70s, there was little to no discussion of learning disabilities. When my entire ninth grade class was given an IQ test, my score was 130—yet I was in the bottom 5% of my class. Any guidance counselor with half a brain could see the mismatch, but all I received were punishments and claims of laziness.

I was actually a good athlete who excelled in wrestling, arguably the hardest sport in high school, and I was even a team captain until my coach took it away. Not really indicative of a lazy guy, right?

Then I was put into a creative writing course. We were given an assignment to craft a short story, and I wrote what I thought was pretty good. My mother, who was a maven of the written word, corrected my spelling and grammar, and I turned it in hopeful for my first positive academic experience.

What happened next sounds like every writer’s nightmare.

Exactly. Without any evidence whatsoever, they accused me of plagiarism. The whole clique of self-righteous educators marched me down to the principal’s office for what they thought was going to be a slam dunk proceeding. But all that frustration from years of failures roiled up, and I demanded justice. I told them to verify with my editor—good old Mom—that I wrote it. They sensed they may have jumped the gun but refused to call her.

Their solution? I had to write not one, but two separate short stories to prove my innocence. I wrote them, Mom edited them, and my creative writing teacher was forced to give both papers a grade of A. But there was never an apology or any attempt to change course. No one said, “Hey, maybe you could hone your writing skills.”

That experience clearly didn’t deter you from writing. How did you push through?

From that point on, I wrote small stories. My Achilles heel was always my need for a good editor to guide me, someone to show me where I was going wrong. I learned a shoebox full of workarounds, but the problem with workarounds is you’re always leaving something out. After forty years as a hobby and ten serious years, I believe I’ve found that editor. If you’re reading this, maybe I’ve finally reached that mountaintop I’ve been climbing toward my entire life.

Your learning disabilities continue to present challenges. How do you work through them as a professional writer?

My learning disabilities leave gaps—words and even entire phrases out of my writing. When I try to edit myself, it’s almost impossible to see my mistakes. Agents will judge you on the spot and delete you for even the smallest mistake, and my writing was full of them. Thankfully, programs now address grammatical errors, and it’s all about content and the good, knowledgeable eyes of an editor.

Let’s talk about writer’s block. How do you handle those moments when the words won’t come?

For me, writer’s block is always a matter of direction: which way should I take this story? If you step away from your work and let your mind wander for hours, sometimes days, unforced, something will present itself. It may not be the answer you were looking for, but if you’re patient, the answer will come, and that bit of writer’s block will be in the rearview mirror.

Your latest novel, “Shadow Protocol,” follows Navy SEAL Lieutenant Commander Kyle Kane. Can you give us the premise?

Kane finds himself thrust into a deadly conspiracy when a high-stakes mission in Afghanistan goes catastrophically wrong. After capturing a high-value Taliban financier with ties to global terrorism, Kane watches as his prisoner is mysteriously murdered and crucial intelligence disappears. Forcibly retired and haunted by personal tragedy, Kane teams up with CIA agent Daisha Willows to uncover a shocking truth: a cabal of corrupt intelligence officials is orchestrating a false flag operation designed to trigger World War III.

The story spans multiple continents. What kind of research went into creating such an expansive thriller?

Kane and Daisha race across three continents to expose a plot that reaches the highest levels of government. From the mountains of Afghanistan to the streets of Gaza and the corridors of power in Washington, Kane must use every skill in his formidable arsenal to outmaneuver the conspirators. The challenge was making each location feel authentic while maintaining the breakneck pace readers expect from this genre.

You also have an unpublished novel called “No Time To Dream.” Tell us about your favorite character, Amie Wells.

Amie is the protagonist—the daughter of a Wall Street billionaire whose outgoing personality and charitable charm are matched by her love of people and all things outdoors. When a benign tumor turns into a dangerous, inoperable astrocytoma, she makes a decision to fulfill the biggest dream of her young life: climbing Mount Everest. She enlists Finbar Lawless, a street kid and prodigy rock climber, to help her, but his recent troubles have dangerous people looking for them both.

What inspired you to write about someone facing terminal illness?

I retired from a career selling medical equipment to hospitals in the mid-Atlantic states. I found myself in cancer wards, talking with people in the grip of that terrible disease—almost all fighting the good fight despite sometimes bad odds. Their bravery was inspiring. When I saw a child having lost their hair to chemo, putting up a fight with an opponent they should never have had to face, it rocked me. My eyes would well up, and I’d have to turn away to get control of my emotions. I knew it was audacious to think I could craft a novel that could take them away for a few hours and give them hope, but I made up my mind to try.

Do you have plans for a sequel to Amie’s story?

During her rescue attempt on Everest’s summit, Amie suffers head trauma, and a paid assassin finds her there. John “Jolly” Roger saves her but goes off the summit in the fight. Later, they hear that sherpas found a black man on the Kangshung Face—Jolly, alive but suffering from amnesia. The sequel would follow Amie, Finbar, and expedition owner Patrice Fornier as they climb over Everest into Chinese Communist Tibet to rescue Jolly before the CCP identifies him as a former Green Beret and he vanishes forever.

You mentioned having other plot ideas waiting to be written. Can you share one?

I’ve thought about a series that could translate into a miniseries about a Knights Templar who fought for Richard the Lionheart in the Crusades. Wrongly accused of stealing travelers’ wealth, he returns disgraced to London and opens a bar. He has comedy night with court jesters, karaoke night for traveling minstrels—but then he hears of a plot by John to kill his brother Richard before he returns to reclaim his crown.

And you have another series planned?

Yes, one that revolves around tornadoes, space aliens, ley lines, the CIA, and the American Indian Nation. I know it sounds eclectic, but I think there’s a fascinating story there.

Finally, if you could invite three people to a dinner party, who would they be?

J.R.R. Tolkien, because he wrote the greatest fantasy series of all time, begun as stories for his children as part of their annual Christmas tradition. Albert Einstein, because of the science fiction of his time that he made into fact. And J.K. Rowling, because she wrote a fantasy series that no one would publish, and it turned out to be an industry-shattering new standard for creativity that breathed life into a genre of its own.

Any advice for aspiring writers facing their own challenges?

Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t write. Find your editor, find your voice, and keep climbing that mountain. Sometimes the journey is longer than you expect, but if you’re persistent, you might just reach the summit.

“Shadow Protocol: A Navy SEAL’s War Against the Deep State” is coming soon. If you enjoyed “The Terminal List,” “American Traitor,” and “Clear and Present Danger,” TJ Boyle’s debut thriller promises to be your next unputdownable read.