Q&A with Kerry J. Donovan - Q&A on September 30th > Likes and Comments
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NOTE for August RE Kerry Donovan.(comments from all of you would be good)
I personally would like to send a message to all members, re- our BOTM and Q and A for September.
Kerry Donovan.
Kerry, is a member of this group and I would like to think a friend now, has been for quite a few years.
Many of my long standing members and friends know I love my action thrillers, my favourite genre.
I have listed many times on here my favourite thriller authors, always Kerry is in my top ten, among some well established and loved authors.
In September we have Kerry J Donovan's great series of Ryan Kaine, this series gets better and better, always added into the books are a hint of great humour, strong characters, great action, , and fast pace.
Please join us, and read this great series.
Kerry, Thanks for agreeing to Q&A with us.Here are a few questions from me.
1. Are there any themes you find yourself repeatedly exploring in your novels?
2. When you finish a book, do you immediately start writing another one or do you take some time away from writing?
3. Is there a genre you haven’t tried yet but would like to?
4. What is your favorite part of being a writer?
5. What types of books do you read for fun? Genres, specific authors???
6. What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?
7. What kind of approach do you take to writing (outline, write it all at once, drafts, edit as you go, etc.)?
8. What has you excited about writing next? Can you share any details?
I should have more questions after I read the book in September.
Kerry , six days to go !!Hope all okay now, and busy working on the house and garden
1 Do you have a favourite character in your books.
2 Do you have a favourite book of your home
3 Could you name some of your favourite authors and books.
4 Do you travel to gain knowledge of places for books.
5 Do you have a future plan for all your characters, or just one book ahead.
6 Do you work on your books every day
7 Any chance your main characters on your two books will meet again in the future.
8. Any wedding bells ?
9 Do you miss France?
10 Still ride your motorbike?
Here are a few more questions for you, Kerry.1. How hard was it to balance Ryan Kaine's tactical skills with his vulnerability and conscience?
2. Did you have to do any specialize research into military hardware for the book? It felt very authentic.
3. How soon did you know that Kaine's vow in this book would result in so many books in the series?
4. When you started writing the opening chapter of On the Run, did you already know exactly who the mastermind behind the conspiracy was, or did you discover the truth along with Kaine? Did you know how the book would end?
5. Was there a sequence, character, or sub-plot that you loved, but has to cut out during editing?
Hi Kerry, I really enjoyed the book. I especially liked how you moved the action in a logical sequence from one skirmish/ confrontation to the next as Kaine tries to get to the masterminds of the tragic downing of the aircraft. My questions are mostly based around the research you had to do to write the action scenes:
Did you have the action scenes all plotted out in advance or did you plot your route to the end as you went?
Did you have to do much research on military hardware to have the right device for the right scenario?
Did you also have to talk to military experts to work out if Kaine could get himself out of all the difficult situations he found himself in with his combat skills?
And finally, you seem to know a lot about wounds, torture and ways of killing people. Was that also something you had to research with military and medical experts?
PamG wrote: "Kerry, Thanks for agreeing to Q&A with us.Here are a few questions from me."
Hi Pam,
Thank you for the great questions! I've answered them below:
1. I love the story of the innocent man being accused of a crime and having to fight to clear his name against the odds.
This stems from the first ‘grown-up’ film I ever watched—Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps. A wonderful classic movie.
2. It really depends on how I’m feeling at the time. As a ‘discovery writer’ I don’t write to any schedule.
3. Science fiction. I had a stab at sci-fi with my book, The Transition of Johnny Swift, which was a bit of a marmite book (readers either loved or hated it). I started a sequel but was taken over by the success of On the Run.
4. The freedom writing gives me to express myself. In my head, I live my characters’ lives, I feel their pain and their successes. It is truly liberating.
5. I read everything from thrillers to romances (yes, romances!), and from sci-fi to westerns. Generally, I like the usual suspects, David Baldacci, Harlan Coben, Lee Child, etc.
6. Keeping the storylines fresh and novel.
7. I tried outlining once but it didn’t work for me. I found that my characters wanted to go their own way. No matter how hard I tried to lead them, I ended up following.
As I mentioned above, I am a ‘discovery writer’ and I let the characters lead the way. It often means that I’m having to fill in ruddy great plot holes, but that’s not a problem. When I write, I’m in charge of the overall universe.
8. I have just finished On the Mend, Book 15 in the series, and I can’t wait to get started on Book 16, (working title, On the Hook). Don’t ask me what it’s about, I don’t have a clue yet.
Sean wrote: "Kerry , six days to go !!1 Do you have a favourite character in your books."
Hi Sean,
Thanks again for having me and for the questions.
1. Apart from the obvious ones (i.e., Ryan Kaine) I really love Corky, who is a character we first meet in Book 3, On the Defensive and who makes appearances in my DCI Jones books as well.
2. In short, no.
3. Apart from the previous answer, one stands out: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I read the complete works of Sherlock Holmes when I was a teenager, and it got me hooked on crime fiction.
4. When I lived in France I found it easier to travel in search of exciting new locations. Now, I generally use the internet.
5. No, I’m afraid not. As I’ve already said, I never outline or plan ahead.
6. I write most days.
Here’s a typical daily schedule
09:00 Breakfast
09:30 Write
12:00 Coffee break
12:15 Write
13:30 Lunch
14:00 Write
16:00 walk around the local park
17:00 relax
The above schedule will change when I take Margaret out shopping or, heaven forefend, we go out on a jaunt! :O
7. There is every chance of that. In fact, I have an inkling that it might happen in On the Hook.
8. For my characters or me? (lol) Kaine could never marry Lara until he is totally exonerated. It wouldn’t be fair on her or their future.
9. Occasionally, but I’m happy here in Newark with the delightful Margaret.
10. Not as often as I used to, but yes, I still ride my bike.
PamG wrote: "Here are a few more questions for you, Kerry ..."Hi Pam,
More great questions, thank you.
1. Kaine’s basic premise is to “use minimum force” to complete a task.
Even so, this is always a tough balancing act. A man with Kaine’s sniping skills could wipe out targets from a distance any time he chose, but where’s the jeopardy in that?
2. Thank you for the compliment. In all my books I try to be as realistic as possible.
I do extensive research and have a number of qualified experts (including SBS veterans) I can turn to for help.
3. I didn’t know that until I reached the end of the first novel. His vow came to me after I typed “The End”, and, as a result, I had to rewrite the ending.
4. No absolutely not. I had no idea who the mysterious Principal was. Sir Malcolm came to me out of the blue.
5. Thankfully, no. My process rarely lets me down that badly
If I write a scene that doesn’t work for one story I save it into a scrap file and try to use it elsewhere.
Thanks Kerry,I know you have helped, and we have worked hard to build this Q and A.
We now have over 23, 000 members, and we send a newsletter out every month, why members are not joining in is really frustrating.
One good thing, you joined on on the day correctly.
1/ Joseph Finder did not join us at all, after months of planning with agents etc...
2/ One author forgot to join us until I sent a reminder a day later, and did not give away books as promised.
3 /Third author also forgot, till a day later, again with a reminder.
4/ Next author forget agreed two book prices ?
But I was confident you would not let us down.
I wish more would join to ask questions.
I am so proud of my moderators and team to work so hard to make this happen.
Not a problem, Sean. I was happy to help.
Kerry, Thank you so much for taking the time to participate in our Q&A session. I learned a lot from your thoughtful answers.
I'm looking forward to reading more of the Ryan Kaine series in 2027 as well as working the first book of the DCI Jones Casebook series into my reading schedule.
Thanks again for answering our questions.
Carolyn wrote: "Hi Kerry, I really enjoyed the book. I especially liked how you moved the action in a logical sequence from one skirmish/ confrontation to the next as Kaine tries to get to the masterminds of the t..."Hi Carolyn,
Thank you, I really appreciate the compliment and your questions. Answers below.
1. The latter. I never plot a scene or a book in advance. I find plotting hinders my creative flow.
I often act out my fight scenes in slow motion to make sure they are physically possible.
2. Please see my answer above.
3. Yes, see my answer above.
Although I do like to create as realistic a story as possible, the proviso to this is I’m aiming to entertain not to educate. I’m writing a novel rather than a documentary.
4. I have a doctorate in respiratory physiology, which, I find, helps me to understand the way the human body works.
As far as physiology is concerned, I aim for accuracy wherever possible.
For example, you will never see me writing something like: “The blood pulsed/throbbed in his veins.” Why not? Veins don’t have a pulse, therefore they can’t pulse or throb.
I also have a couple of questions from my newsletter subscribers, if that's ok:1. How did you get the original idea of “Ryan Kaine” and was “The 83” always the plan for the book series or did that come about as you wrote?
a. I have no idea where the muse came from other than wanting to write an “innocent man accused of murder” plot. “The 83” came to me at the end of On the Run, and as I mentioned, I had to rewrite the ending to suit.
2. Was it a conscious choice to give Kaine such a strong moral compass (to his own detriment) or did that develop along with the plot?
a. The latter. It developed along with the plot.
3. Do you get writer’s block? If so, how do you deal with it?
a. Ah, the dreaded b-word! I find that when I get “stuck” it’s best to take a break for a while, do other things, go for a walk, etc, and the next part often becomes “unstuck” on its own.
4. Do the characters “talk” to you and dictate the plot, or can you mould them into where you need them to go?
a. Yes, as crazy as it sounds my characters “talk” to me and lead me through the plot.
PamG wrote: "Kerry, Thank you so much for taking the time to participate in our Q&A session. I learned a lot from your thoughtful answers.
I'm looking forward to reading more of the Ryan Kaine series in 2027..."
Thanks Pam, and Sean, again. It was interesting for me to consider and answer the questions as it's been quite a while since I've been "interviewed".
Participation is difficult to muster these days. I've seen the same with my newsletter etc. Everyone is busy and there is a lot going on everywhere.
But I appreciate the opportunity and I'm glad to find even a couple more readers (and hopefully fans) of my work, whom I'm always happy to connect with.
I also have an audiobook code for the 6th Ryan Kaine book, On the Edge, I'd be happy to give away to your members, or you could add it to a future contest if you run those in the group.
Thank again for having me,
Kerry
Thanks for your excellent answers Kerry - to my questions and some great ones from others. I'm looking forward now to reading the next book in the series to find out what happens to Ryan :)
We've added his book On the Run as a BOTM for September. This military action thriller is the first book in the Ryan Kaine series.
"A seemingly routine operation ends in tragedy when eighty-three civilians are killed in an aircraft explosion. Kaine, a highly decorated former Royal Marine, becomes the target of a nationwide manhunt; the police want him on terrorism charges, and a sinister organization wants him dead."
Author Biography
#1 bestselling author with the US-based Lucky Shores romantic suspense series and the Ryan Kaine military action thrillers, and creator of the popular DCI Jones Casebook series of police procedurals, Kerry J Donovan was born in Dublin, before spending many formative years in West Wales.
Kerry earned a first-class honours degree in Human Biology and a PhD in Sport and Exercise Sciences. A former scientific advisor to The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, he helped UK emergency first-responders prepare for chemical and biological attacks in the wake of the 9/11 atrocities. This background adds a keen scientific edge to Kerry’s writing.
Kerry’s life experiences help him add an extra layer of realism to his stories and his characters. When not writing, Kerry enjoys riding his motorbike, jogging, swimming, spending time with his four wonderful grandchildren, and travelling the world.