Ask the Author: Andrew Kaplan
Answered Questions (10)
Andrew Kaplan
Hi Judy, Hopefully you will also like some of my other books. I think you'll like my most recent, "Blue Madagascar." To answer your question, Saul came from the Midwest, so it was natural for him to choose something there as a cover for his communications with Carrie. I grew up in New York and just did a little research to come up with Bloomington, etc. Andrew Kaplan
Andrew Kaplan
Hi Samuel, Great question and I hope you enjoyed all the books. When I originally conceived the Bob Harris character as little more than a plot device in my first book "Hour of the Assassins," where he plays a fairly limited part. Even then though, I thought of him as a "suit," a corporate type, good-looking, smooth, successful, but despite anything that ever came out of his mouth, really only out for himself. This was a type I had encountered many times in business and government. When I needed a case officer for Scorpion, Harris was already at hand. The only difference was that I made him even more of what he was, more successful, more attractive to women, more effective on the surface and corrupt inside. Again, when I did "Dragonfire" and then back to the Scorpion books, Harris was already there and integral to what was happening. I didn't use him in "War of the Raven," because it was a WW2 work, before his time.
Andrew Kaplan
My grandfather and grandmother came to the US at the turn of the 20th century, leaving the rest of their family behind. There were stories about my grandfather's journey, deserting from the Czar's army, crossing Europe on foot, but I never learned the details. We always assumed that the family left behind perished in the Holocaust, but I never really knew what happened. I've always thought my grandfather's story and the mystery of what happened to the part of my family left behind could be a book.
Andrew Kaplan
Hi Jonathan,
So glad you feel that way about my Scorpion series. I agree that it is foundational for Homeland, in that it creates a realistic world of intelligence with fully dimensional characters, including villains, particularly in the Middle East. With regard to your second question, I brought the inside CIA knowledge, experiences in the Middle East, my pacing, plotting and descriptive abilities from Scorpion to Homeland. I also wanted to present a perspective of the Iraq War in a way that hadn't been done before. For me, the most fascinating challenge in writing Homeland was as a male writer to write from the POV of a female CIA operative with a bi-polar mental disorder. Pulling that off was a great satisfaction.
So glad you feel that way about my Scorpion series. I agree that it is foundational for Homeland, in that it creates a realistic world of intelligence with fully dimensional characters, including villains, particularly in the Middle East. With regard to your second question, I brought the inside CIA knowledge, experiences in the Middle East, my pacing, plotting and descriptive abilities from Scorpion to Homeland. I also wanted to present a perspective of the Iraq War in a way that hadn't been done before. For me, the most fascinating challenge in writing Homeland was as a male writer to write from the POV of a female CIA operative with a bi-polar mental disorder. Pulling that off was a great satisfaction.
Andrew Kaplan
Eden, I answered this question a year ago and for some reason, it was never posted as answered. So sorry about that. There will not be a third Homeland novel (at least not written by me, and I don't believe either HarperCollins or Fox (the TV studio) have approached anyone else). I briefly touched on Quinn and his relationship with Dar Adal (without naming Quinn) in "Homeland: Saul's Game." I agree it would make a terrific read, but I'm afraid it won't happen. As with all who like these books, I recommend my Scorpion and other books. You won't be disappointed.
Andrew Kaplan
Hi Jonathan, So glad you enjoyed my HOMELAND novels. I spent four and a half years in the MIddle East and speak both Arabic and Hebrew, so I got to learn a lot about the area. Even more, when I wrote "SCORPION," the first book in my Scorpion series, I immersed myself in studying Arab culture, history and Islam, discovering that it was much richer and more complex than I knew. In addition, I do extensive research on each book I write - and always discover new things that can help make it more real, nuanced and compelling for the reader. For HOMELAND, I also worked closely with the show, including helping to create portions of the Bible for the show and educating them on certain aspects of the CIA and the Middle East. Fun fact: I gave the lead character, Carrie Mathison, my wife's name, Anne, for her middle name.
Andrew Kaplan
Hi Jack, I won't be doing any more Homeland novels, but I hope you'll read my other books, which have now become available as ebooks.
Best, Andrew
Best, Andrew
Andrew Kaplan
Dear Christelle,
I asked my publisher and unfortunately, "Homeland: Saul's Game" will not be available in French. Lower ratings for the TV show in certain countries resulted in less book interest. I believe "Saul's Game" will be available in Russian, Chinese and German language editions. Je suis desole.
I asked my publisher and unfortunately, "Homeland: Saul's Game" will not be available in French. Lower ratings for the TV show in certain countries resulted in less book interest. I believe "Saul's Game" will be available in Russian, Chinese and German language editions. Je suis desole.
Andrew Kaplan
Hi Samuel,
So glad you enjoyed my Scorpion books. I did take a break to do two original HOMELAND novels, "Homeland: Carrie's Run" and "Homeland: Saul's Game." I am currently working on a standalone novel, but at some point in the future, I will return to the Scorpion series. In the meantime, have you read some of my other spy thrillers, like "Hour of the Assassins", "Dragonfire" or "War of the Raven"? Also the original "Scorpion"? I guarantee that if you liked the Scorpion novels, you will love these books. Best, Andrew
So glad you enjoyed my Scorpion books. I did take a break to do two original HOMELAND novels, "Homeland: Carrie's Run" and "Homeland: Saul's Game." I am currently working on a standalone novel, but at some point in the future, I will return to the Scorpion series. In the meantime, have you read some of my other spy thrillers, like "Hour of the Assassins", "Dragonfire" or "War of the Raven"? Also the original "Scorpion"? I guarantee that if you liked the Scorpion novels, you will love these books. Best, Andrew
Andrew Kaplan
My most recent book, "Homeland: Saul's Game" is the second original prequel novel based on the hit "HOMELAND" TV series and is a sequel to the first book, "Homeland: Carrie's Run". That first book focused primarily on Carrie. Many fans had requested that I also tell the stories of some of the other main characters, like Saul. Also, I had met with the showrunners even before the scripts for this past Season 3 were written and knew what they were planning (we coordinated on a regular basis). Not to give too much away, but it was with that in mind that I began to lay out a plot that could encompass key characters, yet still be a compelling thriller.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more