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We were very lucky to receive a visit from former SAS Commander, as well as Survivor and Mad Max Superstar; Mark Wales! 

What did you find the most challenging about writing Outrider in comparison to Survivor: Life in the SAS?

The most challenging thing –  because the first one was non fiction, I was taking stuff that had already happened and picking parts out of it whereas this was building a whole new world, new rules, new people, it took a lot more thinking. But there are so many more options and possibilities when you can do that as opposed to… having to tell the truth.

Was it a different emotional journey in comparison to Survivor?

Yes it was, because I was able to put stuff in the fiction book that I couldn’t put in Survivor. Because it either wasn’t part of the journey, or security issues… but I was able to modify some of those stories and put them into Outrider.

How did you go from writing a memoir, to writing fiction?

I was speaking with my editor, and I couldn’t shake this story about an uprising in Australia and what that could look like. We were discussing the possibility of a second non fiction book, revolving around leadership and I really wasn’t inspired by it. 

(Author Note: We had a few survivor fans, so we HAD to ask all of our most pressing questions)

We have to ask… Speaking of Survivor, how was that? How did it happen? What's the story?

Survivor was such a weird segway. I was in New York consulting at the time and then I’d heard that they were reopening the Australian series – and I’d only watched a bit of it because I was in the army, so I didn’t get to watch heaps of Survivor, but it just looked like a fun thing to do so I applied for it and got in. I didn’t really know how to play until I went through it once and got voted out. You’re like, “oh! Now I know how to play this game!” 

So I went back again, I think two years ago and did better the second time around. 

What was the most surprising thing?

Well, they don’t produce it! When you go out, they just set up this kind of sandbox, throw you all in there and record it all. And if they miss something, they don’t get you to say it again or do a scene again. That’s it. They’re careful about what they film and that’s why all the drama is pretty legit.

They don’t give you a toothbrush…

That was my next question! Can you brush your teeth? What's the bathroom situation?

They have a kind of bathroom set up with a toilet, but it’s all natural. They have like a fern covering and its all set up properly. You get toilet paper. 

And it’s long time. You’re only eating a handful of food a day…. So I lost 17 kilos in 6 weeks. It was a shocking amount of weight. It’s an adjustment. You kind of get used to it, but then the recovery… It took me about a year. I was fatigued, I couldn’t train.

Did any aspects or experiences from Survivor influence parts of Outrider?

A little. Mostly how people organize themselves in a survival situation, because the rules are a little bit different. The size of your numbers counts more than your morals and values… It’s a weird existence.

So, would you say that your life changed significantly after Survivor?

Yeah, because when your in the military and special ops, you’re encouraged not to be in the public eye at all and so for me it was a big taboo, but after I’d broken it and nothing really happened. All of a sudden, I could do a few more things, take a few more risks… met my wife! Taking that little risk, it was definitely worth doing. 

Furiosa? How? What? When? Huh?

So I had an a agent help me with Survivor, and I asked her coz I knew they were filming in Sydney… like can you find out who the casting agent is, because I feel like if there’s one film I can do where I don’t have to act, it’s gonna be Mad Max. So I did an audition for that, didn’t hear anything back for months and then I came back and they said; look, the director wants to chat, he really liked your audition and then I spent an hour on a zoom call with George Miller and his script writer, Nick Lathouris whose been there since the original Mad Max….  They had the complete history of these characters and the world. This films gives a lot more colour to that world. 

And now, back to books… What is your favourite book, author or genre?

*a lot of thinking, hmmm-ing and ahh-ing* It’s changed over the years.. like when I was young, I read Tom Clancy, he was my favourite for years. Then I went through a period where I read a lot of Cormac McCarthy and Ian McEwan and more recently, particularly for research for Survivor, I read a lot of biographies, like Wild [Cheryl Strayed]. I definitely read more fiction now, because it’s more of an escape.

What are you reading now?

I’m reading the latest Tom Clancy actually, Act of Defiance and Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen, a behind the scenes look at how they plan nuclear war. It's a pretty terrifying but good read. 

Where was your childhood library?

I went to Leeming High School and I remember the librarians being so helpful. I remember asking them if they had any books on the SAS. They took me over there, and it was like “woah, they got books on the SAS!” because there weren’t many back then in the early 90s. Then Bravo Two Zero came out, which was kind of the first behind the scenes look at a modern SAS mission, which really was a failed mission but became a bestseller straight away. At the time, I thought this (Bravo Two Zero) is really cool, but I look at it now, and wow, what a disaster. 

I was inspired by photos from the Iranian Embassy Sege in London, where the SAS went in a rescued hostages. More info here. 

What is the BEST thing about libraries?

They’re a window to the universe. So you can go there and be transported anywhere in any period of time. Just the idea of a repository of stories is pretty cool.

How do you organise your books at home?

Quite badly. I’m waiting for the day that I can have a nice fireplace and a couch.

What book should everyone read at least once in their lifetime?

On Writing by Stephen King… and actually speaking of Stephen King; 11/22/63 as well!

What's next?

I think I’m gonna have a holiday to be honest!