So, it made all the sense in the world to write a crime thriller where the protagonist is a former Army counterintelligence agent (like me), battling PTSD (like I did), who gets in too deep with a criminal plot (which I have thankfully avoided—at least so far).
Jeremy D. Baker – 29 May 2025
The Back Flap
Afghanistan vet Dexter Grant is broke, reeling from PTSD, and on the verge of divorce when he’s approached by his old Army buddies to help rescue their former interpreter, the man who once saved Dex’s life. It means ripping off a vicious queenpin’s drug proceeds—but not to worry, they have it all worked out. And if anyone can pull it off, it’s Dex’s former team lead, Staff Sergeant Saenz.
Tempted by an easy score that could make his own problems disappear and imbued with new purpose, Dex agrees to play his part. But just as in combat, the best-laid plans don’t survive first contact with the enemy. When the heist goes off the rails, Dex’s wife and daughter become targets for bloody revenge. Dex must face down his spiraling inner darkness and call on all his strength and training to save his girls. In his quest, he’ll learn there was much more to this heist than he ever imagined.
About the book
When did you start writing the book?
October 2021.
How long did it take you to write it?
First draft was complete in May 2022, although that’s only part of the story. Between May 2022 and March 2023 were several rounds of edits to get the manuscript submission-ready. And then, of course, the necessary rounds of content, line, and proof edits to get the book ready for publication. I think it’s true what they say: no book is ever done, you just stop editing and revising!
Where did you get the idea from?
Inspiration for The Guilty Sleep came from several places. First, in the months before I started writing, the United States withdrew its troops from Afghanistan. As someone who deployed with the U.S. Army to Afghanistan nearly two decades before, in early 2002, I had a lot of complicated feelings on the matter. Second, because of my time in Afghanistan, I developed PTSD—writing became a major part of my personal recovery in the years following my deployment. Third, my day job is in national security and intelligence, and I’m fascinated by crime and the inner workings of criminal organizations, and I’d always wanted to write a crime thriller. Finally, a central element of the novel is a series of extended flashbacks to Afghanistan, where Something Real Bad goes down. This is loosely based on something that happened to me when I was deployed.
So, it made all the sense in the world to write a crime thriller where the protagonist is a former Army counterintelligence agent (like me), battling PTSD (like I did), who gets in too deep with a criminal plot (which I have thankfully avoided—at least so far).
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
I think trying to capture all of the ways I was feeling about the U.S. pullout from Afghanistan, and the impact I saw on those of us who had fought there, was something I was really careful about. I wanted to be sure that I showcased all the points of view I could, whether I agreed with them or not, and also took care to explore the genuine thoughts and feelings I and others experienced and showed them in an empathetic and thoughtful way. And showing the impact of combat-induced PTSD on a former soldier was another sensitive spot for me, given my own personal experience in the matter. But at the same time, I wanted to balance these things against telling a kickass heist thriller.
What came easily?
Writing about Dex’s love for his family and his desire to find The Next Right Thing, even as he fights against his inner demons, came naturally. I’m lucky to be a husband and a father like Dex, so those thoughts and feelings translated well. Also, I love writing action scenes and dialogue, so I found those flowed pretty easily.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
I think almost every character an author writes is probably at least a little inspired by someone in the real world, whether we realize it or not. I definitely have a few characters for whom I did consciously incorporate characteristics from real world people. A couple of the Army guys in the book are based on some of my former battle buddies, and there’s another character who is much like a (very bad) former co-worker of mine. Dex has a lot of me in him as well. Not his good hair, lanky frame, and love of running, but his personality and struggles are versions of my own.
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
Oh goodness yes. My first true reading loves were as a tween, when Andre Norton and Douglas Hill fired my imagination with their accessible, compelling science fiction novels. From there it was a short journey to LeGuin, King, and Koontz. Tonally, I admire James Crumley, Jordan Harper, SA Cosby, NK Jemisin, Marcus Sakey, Martha Wells, and Ray Nayler. I want to write with the panache of Harper, the eye for detail of Crumley, the descriptiveness of Jemisin, the sense of place that imbues every SA Cosby novel, the ability to capture the nuances of human relationships like Sakey, the wry humor of Wells, and the pathos of Nayler.
Do you have a target reader?
Anyone who likes a page-turning thriller with a beating heart at the center. Well, that’s what I’ve tried to do with The Guilty Sleep, anyway. I think there’s a lot in there for all types of readers. If you like everyman protagonists like CJ Box’s Joe Pickett, an exploration of a father’s love like in SA Cosby’s Razorblade Tears, heist novels like Chuck Hogan’s The Town, military thrillers like those written by Jack Carr, or reflections of war like that written by Elliot Ackerman in Green on Blue, I think you might like The Guilty Sleep.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
I have a full-time job in national security and I’m a husband and a father, so I work my writing time around those things. Usually, it’s early morning before work and on the weekends before everyone else is up and about.
I start by brewing a huge pot of coffee. I will drink directly from the pot for the duration of the writing session. Before my first sip, I crush a line of coffee beans into a fine powder and snort them directly from the countertop. Thus enlivened, I retreat to my study, where I caress the skull of my stuffed raven, Crookbeak, for good luck as I enter. I sit upon a rusted metal folding chair to ensure discomfort, and open my laptop. I stare at the blank screen for 45 minutes while a single tear slowly meanders down my cheek until it waters my facial hair (this is how writers grow beards). Then I reverse position in the chair, Riker-style, and stare out the window as the first rays of the morning sun caress the tombstones in my back yard, contemplating my failure to manufacture a single word over the previous three quarters of an hour.
I step outside and take a deep breath. I go on a one-hour walk, plotting and plodding. I return to my study, caressing Crookbeak once again before taking my seat on the throne of discomfort. I bang out 3,200 words in 20 minutes as tears continue to water my beard. I continue to slug coffee directly from the pot. Crookbeak croaks occasional words of encouragement. In disgust, I delete 3,000 of the 3,200 words I just wrote.
Fifty percent of the preceding words are true.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
I’m neither a plotter nor a pantser. Perhaps a plantser? When I start writing a story, I have a general idea of where it’s going and how I might get there. Call it signposts, not so much an outline. But then this weird thing happens where the characters, as I write them more deeply, take on a life of their own and decide to do a whole bunch of stuff I never considered, often terrible (or terribly great) ideas. They get themselves into and out of trouble and meander off into the woods in weird ways.
Then, about halfway through the story, I have to sit back and sound a barbaric yawp over the rooftops of the world and ask my characters WTF they were thinking. And then I go back and retroactively outline the story, then semi-outline the second half through the end.
I don’t know why I do this. It somehow works. 0/10, DO NOT RECOMMEND.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
Editing is constant. My true editing (and writing) style is this: at the beginning of every session, I review what I wrote in the previous session. I try to make every sentence shine, reduce extra words, polish dialogue, keep things tight. By the time I’ve finished editing the previous session, my mind is fully immersed in the story again and I pick up where I left off and I carry on writing the new stuff until the end of the session. The next time out, I repeat.
This keeps my head in the game and helps me polish as I go. That said, after I complete a manuscript, I let it sit for a few days and then start from page one and edit the whole thing. I do a combined edit in this phase that looks at each word, line, sentence, and paragraph, but also with an eye toward the overall structure, big plot points, and key character arcs.
My brain hurts. Why is my nose bleeding?
Did you hire a professional editor?
Nope. I do a ton of self-editing (as noted above) but I’ve been blessed with both a tremendous editorially-minded agent, Roz Foster, and an amazing and talented editor, Toni Kirkpatrick of Diversion Books, who acquired The Guilty Sleep. I also have three beta readers I trust absolutely, who have read everything I’ve ever written.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
Yes! To me, writing is a multi-sensory experience. It’s the words on the page, the images the words conjure in my mind, the smell of a sandalwood incense cone, the taste of morning coffee or evening whiskey, and the sound of what I’m listening to. I do really well with ambient stuff like lo-fi. A recurring favorite is the “Relaxing Music Radio — Future Garage for Smooth Workflow” station from Chill Music Lab on YouTube. If I’m listening to non-ambient stuff, it’s usually Matthew and the Atlas, Evergrey, Baroness, or baroque-era concerti (I’m a Vivaldi mark).
I also have a soundtrack for everything I write—songs that inspired the writing, or seem to go with a particular moment or chapter. I’ve got an unlisted playlist for The Guilty Sleep on YouTube, with a couple dozen songs that really speak to the book. You can only access it through this link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuPhg_H-T1aDnTKXfTivbljmU5JMdRfr8. I listened to it while I answered these questions!
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
Yes! I was extremely fortunate to have found my agent through the traditional querying process. I did a ton of research, worked hard on my query letter, but most importantly I tried to write the best book I possibly could. I found an agent who wanted to represent not just my book, but me as an author. Someone responsive, punctual, and conscientious, with great editorial and narrative insights. I can’t say enough good things—everyone should be so lucky.
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher?
My publisher, Diversion Books, has traditionally focused on non-fiction, including a lot of history and sports books. But they were looking to launch a fiction line in 2025 and wanted The Guilty Sleep to be a part of that launch. I got to know the team over there, and I found their vision for the imprint and The Guilty Sleep to be compelling. We had matching priorities and values. And, I got an opportunity to work with Toni Kirkpatrick, an absolutely amazing editor who’s done wonderful work in the crime thriller genre (among others).
Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
The acquisition of The Guilty Sleep followed the traditional publishing model process. First, I signed with an agent a few years ago. When the novel was ready, we went on submission to publishers (like querying agents, but even more anxiety-inducing), and ultimately signed with Diversion.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
The team at Diversion engaged the wonderful and talented Anthony Morais and Jonathan Sainsbury for the cover of The Guilty Sleep. All credit to them for the amazing design. My artistic abilities are the equivalent of a Cro-Magnon slamming two pieces of shale together while grunting angrily.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
The outstanding team at Books Forward, led by Ellen Whitfield, have been absolutely crushing it with marketing and publicity. Podcasts, articles, interviews, reviews, you name it, they’re moving it forward and I’d be absolutely lost without the support. Frankly, all proper respect to authors who are able to do this on their own—I don’t know where they find the time!
One thing I did do on my own was rustle up some swag (mugs, pens, note cards) branded with the cover image. As we approach publication, I’ve been visiting my local indie bookstores and Barnes & Noble locations and dropping off ARCs of the novel along with a handwritten note and maybe a pen, asking them to consider stocking the novel and offering to sign stock copies or participate in conversations and signing events. So far, most places have been really receptive! It helps that I’m approaching local booksellers as a local author, with a book set in the same state.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
Disclaimer: There are twice as many pieces of writing advice as there are authors—much of it is crap, or won’t resonate with you. If this feels like crap or doesn’t resonate, ignore it. If it’s useful, I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to share it.
I’ll repeat the advice that was once given to me by an established, NYT-bestselling author I’m so blessed to consider a friend: write the story only you can write, and write it the way only you can. (I find this more useful than the “write what you know” adage.)
Also, writing is a creative endeavor. It can be really brutal. Not just getting the words out, but editing and querying and submitting and marketing, or doing all that yourself if you’re going self-pub. BUT, it should also be fun. If you’re not having any fun with it at all, take a step back and a deep breath and ask why that might be.
About You
Where did you grow up?
I was a military kid, born in Maryland. I got to live in Italy and Florida too.
Where do you live now?
About 20 miles from where I was born! No place I’ve ever lived (and I’ve lived a lot of places) has ever felt more like home than home.
What would you like readers to know about you?
- To write this novel, I ripped the still-beating heart out of my chest and banged its slippery, bleeding flesh against the keyboard roughly 102,000 times in a row. I went through 29 laptops, but it was worth it.
- My wife and daughter are the most important things in my life. Everything else takes a back seat.
- I always keep a knife with me, in case I ever need to stab a bad guy in the neck. Also, you never know when there might be cheesecake.
- I make my own pickles and salsa from things I grow in my little garden.
- I’ve been working national security, counterterrorism, law enforcement, intelligence, and climate risk and resilience. I write about the things that keep me up at night.
- I believe that the existence of beer and cheese is proof that God exists and They love us.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on a sequel to The Guilty Sleep, featuring a few of the characters who survive (ahem). At the same time, I’m working on a standalone crime thriller, also set in Maryland. And I’ve got a few other ideas clamoring for attention in the back of my skull, including stories
End of Inteview:
For more from Jeremy D. Baker, visit his website and follow him on Bluesky.
Get your copy of The Guilty Sleep from Amazon US or if you’d prefer, go to Barnes & Noble.