Behind the Thriller - A Hobby Author's Journey from Businessman to Crime Writer
How a COVID lockdown, 45 years of Queensland observations, and an obsession with inbox zero created the Mortice thriller series—plus exclusive insights from A.J.'s recent live Q&A.
The Email That Started It All
"I'm an inbox junkie—can't have unread emails in my inbox."
Four active email accounts. 100+ emails a day. Inbox zero is A.J. Wilton's daily challenge.
People ask: "How do you have time to write books?"
The answer: sometimes the discipline that drives your business becomes the discipline that creates your art.
This is the story of how a workaholic Queensland businessman became A.J. Wilton, Australian thriller author—and what he revealed about the creative process during his recent live Q&A with Crime Fiction Lover Editor-in-Chief Garrick Webster.
COVID Changed Everything (But the Seeds Were Planted Decades Earlier)
A.J. never planned to be a writer. He runs two businesses with approximately 60 staff, works 14-16 hour days, and has been married 45 years with three adult children and three grandchildren.
He's a landscape photographer who's visited 62 countries and 38 US states. He lives on 2.5 acres in the Gold Coast hinterland where chainsaw weekends are the best weekends.
Busy. Fulfilled. Not looking for new challenges.
Then COVID hit. Lockdowns created mental space he hadn't had in decades. And 45 years of observations about Queensland's dark side started demanding to be written.
The Lockdown Revelation
"During COVID, I suddenly had time to think," A.J. explained during the live Q&A. "Not just work-think, but story-think. All these observations I'd collected over decades started forming narratives. It was like my brain had been filing crime stories in the background for 45 years, and suddenly I had time to write them."
Watch the full Q&A replay here →
The pandemic didn't just give A.J. time—it gave him permission to explore a creative side he'd suppressed for decades. Business owners don't typically write crime thrillers. But when the world stopped, so did the excuses.
For more on how real Queensland crime shapes A.J.'s fiction, see: Queensland Crime Reality - Where Mortice Finds His Next Case
1. The Fitzgerald Inquiry: When an Entire State's Police Force Was Corrupt
The Case:
In 1987, Queensland journalist Chris Masters exposed systemic police corruption in his groundbreaking documentary The Moonlight State. What followed was the Fitzgerald Inquiry—a two-year investigation that revealed Queensland's police force and political establishment were running a criminal enterprise.
Why It's Stranger Than Fiction:
Police officers weren't just taking bribes—they were running illegal gambling, prostitution, and drug operations. Commissioner Terry Lewis, the state's top cop, was simultaneously leading organized crime networks. Politicians, including ministers, were on the take. The entire system was corrupt from top to bottom.
"If I wrote a Mortice book where the police commissioner was the villain masterminding organized crime," A.J. says, "editors would tell me it's too far-fetched. But in Queensland? It was Tuesday."
The Fallout:
The inquiry led to:
Commissioner Terry Lewis jailed for 14 years
Multiple police officers charged and imprisoned
The Queensland Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen forced to resign
Complete restructuring of Queensland's police force
The Mortice Connection:
The series' recurring theme—police corruption enabling criminal networks—isn't creative liberty. It's Queensland history. When Mort battles corrupt officials who should be upholding justice, A.J. is writing from documented fact.
Readers sometimes ask if the corruption in the Mortice books is exaggerated. The answer? It's actually toned down.
Learn more about institutional corruption's impact on crime fiction: The Psychology of Revenge - Why Readers Root for Mort's Brand of Justice
45 Years of Material: The Queensland Crime Archive in His Mind
A.J. arrived in Australia in 1977 as a young Kiwi. He met his wife in London, stopped in Adelaide on their way home, and they're still here nearly five decades later.
That means A.J. has watched Queensland evolve (and devolve) for 45 years:
The Joh Bjelke-Petersen era's authoritarian excess - Political power without accountability
The Fitzgerald Inquiry exposing police corruption - An entire state's law enforcement compromised
Political scandals that would seem fictional - Reality repeatedly outdoing imagination
The growth of organized crime - Bikie gangs, industrial espionage, protection rackets
The persistent undercurrent of corruption - From local councils to state government
The Q&A Revelation: Observing Crime as a Businessman
During the live interview, Garrick Webster asked: "How does being a businessman inform your crime writing?"
A.J.'s answer surprised the audience:
"Running businesses in Queensland means you see things. Corporate espionage isn't fiction—I've watched competitors sabotage each other. Protection rackets aren't historical—I've had friends pressured by organized crime. Corrupt officials aren't movie villains—they're people I've encountered in council meetings. Being a businessman for decades gave me access to Queensland's underbelly that most crime writers only research."
This insider perspective is what makes the Mortice series feel disturbingly authentic. A.J. isn't imagining Queensland crime—he's documenting patterns he's observed across 45 years.
Creating Mort: The Aussie Action Hero Who Feels Real
Readers compare Mort to Jack Reacher, Jon Resnick, and Case Lee. But Mort is specifically, authentically Australian:
Australian Army background - Not US military; our military culture and values
Digital warfare skills - Modern crime needs modern solutions
Queensland context - Brisbane, Gold Coast, genuine local knowledge
Aussie sense of humor - Queensland larrikin wit even in dark moments
Personal motivation - Grieving husband seeking justice, not a professional vigilante
The Q&A Question Everyone Wanted Answered
An audience member asked: "Is Mort based on anyone real?"
A.J.'s response:
"Mort is an amalgamation. He's got the tactical precision of military mates I've known. The grief of anyone who's lost someone too soon. The frustration every Queenslander feels when systems fail. And maybe a bit of my own stubborn refusal to let things go. He's not one person—he's every person who's ever wanted to punch through bureaucratic nonsense and just fix things."
Mort and Pig represent mateship—a uniquely Australian value. You don't face challenges alone in Australian culture. The partnership is as authentic as the corruption they fight.
Curious about the psychology behind Mort's vigilante justice? Read: The Psychology of Revenge - Why Readers Root for Mort's Brand of Justice
The Grandkids Easter Egg (And Why Family Matters)
A.J. made a rule early on: never use family names in the books. Too invasive. Too personal.
But he made one exception.
His three grandchildren (and two grand dogs!) have their names hidden in Books 1 and 2. "It gave me such a thrill to immortalize them in Mort's world," A.J. admits.
The Q&A Family Moment
When asked about balancing family and writing, A.J. revealed:
"My grandkids know their names are in the books. They're too young to read them yet—these are definitely not children's books—but one day they'll discover where Grandad hid them. That's my legacy. Not just the books, but the idea that family can be part of your creative world without compromising it."
Readers constantly ask: "Which characters are the grandkids?" A.J. won't tell—that's for his grandchildren to discover when they're old enough to read Grandad's thrillers.
Coffee, Books, and Local Connections
A.J. used to be obsessed with Merlo coffee at Nikkalatte in Loganholme (close to his office). They sell his books now. He even launched Book 2 there.
No fancy Sydney literary events—just good coffee, local community, and books about their backyard's darkness.
The owner's reaction when first reading You Killed My Wife: "This is OUR crime, OUR corruption, OUR city. People need to read this."
Why Local Matters
During the Q&A, A.J. was asked why he insists on Queensland settings rather than generic Australian cities.
His answer captured the series' ethos:
"You can't write authentic crime fiction about a place you don't know intimately. I've lived here 45 years. I know which Brisbane streets flood in storms. Which Gold Coast alleys have no security cameras. Which suburbs the bikies control. That specificity matters. Readers from Queensland recognize the truth instantly. And readers elsewhere? They get transported to a real place, not a fictional approximation."
That local connection matters. A.J. writes for Queenslanders who recognize the streets Mort walks—and for everyone else who wants to understand Queensland's unique criminal landscape.
The Byron Bay Butcher: When Fiction Became Reality
Earlier this year, the Byron Bay butcher case went viral. A.J.'s inbox exploded:
"How did you know?"
"You wrote about this!"
"Did you predict this?"
The Q&A Truth Bomb
Garrick Webster pressed A.J. on this coincidence during the live interview:
Garrick: "Some readers think you have insider knowledge about crimes before they happen. What's the real story?"
A.J.: "I don't predict anything. I just pay attention to patterns. Queensland has a specific criminal DNA—certain types of crimes keep recurring because the conditions that enable them haven't changed. The Byron Bay case validated everything I'd written, not because I'm psychic, but because I understand how crime works in this environment. Reality is often darker than fiction—I just write what's already there."
The Byron Bay case proved A.J.'s central thesis: Queensland's criminal reality exceeds fictional imagination. All a writer needs to do is observe.
Balancing Business and Books: The Practical Reality
A.J.'s Writing Schedule:
5:00-7:00 AM: Writing before staff arrive
Email breaks: Jotting plot ideas between business messages
Evenings: Editing and revising
Chainsaw weekends: Physical work frees the mind for plotting
Travel: 89 countries = research opportunities
A.J. calls himself a hobby author, but he's as obsessed with writing as inbox zero. Book 1 took 18 months. Book 2 took 12 months. Book 6 is currently in progress.
The Q&A Work-Life Balance Question
An aspiring author in the Q&A audience asked: "How do you manage two businesses AND write novels?"
A.J.'s pragmatic answer:
"You don't find time—you steal it. I write while coffee brews. I plot during commutes. I edit while others scroll social media. The inbox zero obsession helps—I'm already disciplined about processing information quickly. Writing is just another inbox to clear. And honestly? As someone once said: 'If you enjoy doing it, it's not work.' Writing energizes me. It doesn't deplete me."
The Photography Connection: Seeing the Dark Beauty
A.J. has 50,000 photos from around the globe. For 9 years he's published calendars for his businesses using his own landscape photography.
Photography and thriller writing are deeply connected:
Both require observation - Noticing details others miss
Both tell stories - A single image, a single sentence
Both seek dark beauty - Finding compelling angles in difficult subjects
Both document reality - Capturing truth, not fantasy
The Q&A Visual Storytelling Insight
When asked about his photography's influence on his writing, A.J. revealed:
"A photographer learns to see light and shadow—literal and metaphorical. You learn which angles reveal truth and which obscure it. That translates directly to crime writing. Where do you position the camera? What do you show the reader, and what do you hide? Queensland's dysfunction is worth documenting through both photography and fiction. Both mediums capture what people would rather ignore."
Queensland's landscape—its beauty and brutality—deserves documentation through every available medium.
Advice for Aspiring Hobby Authors (From the Q&A)
What A.J.'s Learned:
1. Use existing skills
"My inbox obsession became an organizational advantage. Whatever discipline you have—use it for writing."
2. Write what you know
"45 years of observations became material. Your life is research—you just need to recognize it."
3. Don't wait for time
"Make writing fit around work. Waiting for 'the right time' means never starting."
4. Embrace 'hobby' status
"It's freedom, not limitation. I answer to readers, not publishers."
5. Let life inform fiction
"Business, travel, family—it all feeds the writing. Nothing is wasted."
6. Stay authentic
"Write your voice, your world. Don't imitate what's popular."
7. Enjoy the process
"If it feels like a burden, you're doing it wrong."
The Q&A's Most Powerful Moment
Near the end of the interview, A.J. was asked what he hopes readers take away from the Mortice series.
His answer:
"I want readers to see Queensland—really see it. Not the tourist brochures. Not the Gold Coast glamour. The real place, with real corruption, real crime, and real people trying to survive broken systems. And maybe, just maybe, I want them to feel what Mort feels: that sometimes doing the right thing means breaking the rules. That's uncomfortable. But it's honest."
Why "Hobby Author" Matters
Some use "hobby author" dismissively. A.J. embraces it proudly.
Hobby means passion - He writes from compulsion, not commerce
Hobby means freedom - No publisher compromises or commercial pressures
Hobby means sustainability - Business sustains life; writing sustains soul
Hobby means authenticity - A Queenslander who writes, not a professional trying to understand Queensland
Hobby means joy - Every minute is pleasure
What's Next: Book 6 and Beyond
During the Q&A, A.J. teased what's coming:
"Book 6 is darker. The corruption goes higher. Mort's methods get more extreme. And the line between justice and revenge? It's getting harder to see. That's intentional. Because in Queensland, that line was always blurry."
The Mortice series isn't slowing down—it's escalating. Just like the real crime that inspires it.
From Inbox Zero to Award-Winning Author: The Hobby Author's Blueprint
A.J. Wilton's journey proves that:
You don't need an MFA to write compelling fiction
Business skills translate to creative disciplines
Observation matters more than imagination
Local knowledge beats generic research
Passion sustains long-term creative work
From his inbox to readers' bookshelves, Mort awaits.
Watch the full Q&A with A.J. Wilton and Crime Fiction Lover
Ready to meet the hobby author who turned Queensland crime into compelling fiction?
Start with Mortice: You Killed My Wife →
Until next time—stay sharp, stay suspicious, and keep sipping & reading.
—The A.J. Wilton Team
A.J. Wilton: Hobby author, workaholic, inbox zero obsessive. Running two businesses, writing thrillers, practicing landscape photography, maintaining 2.5 acres, enjoying 45 years of marriage, 3 adult children, 3 grandchildren (whose names appear in his books), and 2 grand dogs.