C.J.’s Comments (group member since Jun 18, 2013)

C.J.’s comments from the Ask C.J. Lyons - Tuesday, July 2nd! group.

Karen wrote: "How many of your book ideas come from real life incidents, or do you just come up with the scenarios completely yourself? Because some of them are pretty ummm--extreme? LOVE your books, especiall..."

Insert wicked cackle here, lol! Thanks Karen, that's such a nice thing to say to a thriller writer!

I work very hard to keep my books as real as it gets--but still entertaining. It's a fine line to walk!

All the medical scenes and most of the crimes I use are based on real life cases. For instance, the kidnap/rape/murders in BLOOD STAINED were based on several real life criminals (all now convicted)--one of them did release his victims, he was that sure he couldn't be touched!, and the first time he went to trial, despite having victims testify against him, the jury didn't convict!

Yes, real life is stranger than anything I can come up with. Often the hardest part for me is taking what I know happened in real life and dilute it to make it credible for my readers.

Like the radioactive alligator in HOT WATER--there have been many incidents of radioactive critters causing havoc, although the general public isn't aware of them.

Or the nefarious ways child predators stalk their prey--don't even get me started there!

What amazes me is that I get some reviews on the Lucy books complaining that she's some kind of "superhero" when the only physical injury she had was a cut that needed stitching--good grief, if Jack Reacher took a break after a few stitches his fans would rebel! but somehow because Lucy is a woman people don't think that's realistic, when I and so many female colleagues have worked through much more serious/painful illness/injuries, and hello, childbirth anyone?

So, to answer your question, there's a lot more of reality in my books than people realize (or want to realize!) but then I twist it to fit the needs of my characters.

Lavada wrote: "I love series! Do you have another series in mind to start or will you just carry on?"

Great question, Lavada!

I love writing series and watching how characters change over time--like the Hart & Drake medical suspense where we get to see their relationship grow from first meeting through some rocky patches to a true commitment.

Or the Lucy Guardino FBI Thrillers where Lucy must decide between work and family despite her trying her best to have it all...SPOILER alert, but the next Lucy story, AFTER SHOCK, will have some earth-shaking changes in store for her as she faces her greatest fear...don't say I didn't warn you!

I want to spin off Jenna, Morgan, and Andre from the Lucy world where they were introduced in KILL ZONE and take them into their own series, Renegade Justice, where it will be more psychological suspense with Morgan playing the devil, advocating vigilante style justice, and Andre playing the angel, and Jenna caught in the middle.

Readers seem to love Morgan--I have to admit I'm rather fascinated by her myself, she's so darn creepy and smart and although every adolescent has a touch of the sociopath/malignant narcissist in them, Morgan is the real deal!

I'm also working on the possibility of a YA/MG thriller series as well as a few stand alone YAs, all set in the same small town.

In other words, toooooo many ideas and toooooo little time to write them all!!!

Cindy wrote: "The first books of yours that I read was the Angels of Mercy series. I loved each one of them and hated when I found out that #4 was to be the last. :( Would you ever consider doing more medical su..."

Thanks, Cindy! Those books were so much fun to write! And CRITICAL CONDITION is still one of my best-reviewed books, talk about an adrenalin rush!

I actually am returning to medical thrillers with my YA debut, BROKEN, coming in November from Sourcebooks. It was tons of fun flexing those medical muscles, lol!

I love both medicine and writing—when I first left medicine I worried that I wouldn't have the chance to impact lives as I had as a pediatrician, but now, after selling almost 2 million books and receiving thousands of fan letters, I realize that I can have an impact on more people as an author than I ever could as a doctor, so I guess I'm blessed to have had the best of both worlds!

Tasha wrote: "What kind of research did you need to do for your latest book? Do you ever travel to locations to get a real feel for them or do you use various tools?

I'm really excited to read your latest. Grab..."

Research is a constant thing—I never know what kernel of arcane knowledge will be the crux of a story.

For EDGE OF SHADOWS, I happen to live in an area where they'd done beach replenishing via a dredger like the one I described. So when I realized how absolutely perfect that would be in the book, I began researching the Army Corps of Engineers' fleet as well as civilian models. I found blueprints and videos and schematics and used them to create my own.

For my August release from St. Martins Press, HOLLOW BONES, I couldn't actually go to Guatemala and explore Maya ruins myself (sigh…) but I had been to similar places in Mexico and I've been to rain forests and jungles in Africa and Australia, so I used those sensory memories as well as a lot of YouTube videos, in person interviews, and even National Geographic footage of real Maya pyramids lost for decades and recently rediscovered with modern technology.

My November release, BROKEN, is my YA debut and I'm returning to my roots of writing medical thrillers. The research for BROKEN was actually pretty easy: the main character was inspired by my niece who I diagnosed with a congenital heart condition when she was born (the perils of having a aunt who's also your pediatrician!) and the thriller twists come from real life cases I was involved with.

Margaret wrote: "Hi, CJ. I've spent so many enjoyable hours with your books which always keep me turning pages. The only problem is I get to the end too fast. I work in federal court and I find your federal law ..."

Great question, Margaret! I'm a voracious reader and read almost every genre. While I'm working on a thriller, I'll usually read literary fiction, short stories, or YA. When I'm working on my Young Adult thrillers, I'll read adult suspense or thrillers.

Favorite authors include: Lisa Gardner, John Hart, Suzanne Collins, Ray Bradbury…we could be here all day! Just check out my Goodreads shelves—I only list books/authors I love!

Karen wrote: "I absolutely love your books. Lucy was my introduction to you, and you have kept my interest ever since! I am curious where or how you come up with some of your scenes? And do you sleep well at n..."

Karen,
Sorry about the sleepless nights, lol! Best compliment you could ever give a thriller writer, thanks!

My scenes start with what does my character want/need—and how can I stop them from getting it?

Yep, that's right, us authors are masters at torturing our characters. We take them to Hell…and then we bring them back again.

And yes, I sleep well at night—unless an idea for a scene or story hits me while I'm sleeping, then I'm awake writing!

Lavada wrote: "C.J. I just love your books! Shadow ops is your next series on my want to read! Lucy was my first books on my ereader I read and you got me hooked! Then i found your Caitlyn series. Then you starte..."

LOL! Wow, thanks so much for your kind words! So glad you joined the Goodreads community, Lavada! When you're addicted to reading like I am, it's always great to share with other book lovers.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Sherry wrote: "C.J. wrote: "Hi everyone! I'll be here answering questions about any of my books, writing, or just thrillers in general.

I'll also be offering FREE ebooks to everyone who comments--stay tuned for ..."

Hey, thanks for stopping by, Sherry! I do take personal research trips whenever possible. I've been to the CIA, State Department, Quantico—twice!—even stayed with a real life FBI Supervisory Special Agent for several days to see how she balanced life and work.

When I can't go in person, I try to talk to people—their stories are often more amazing than anything you can find in research documents.

Sybil wrote: "CJ, I love your books! Where have I been? What are the hours of the session on 2 July? Of course I want a free book!"

LOL! We'll be here all day, Sybil!

Nancy wrote: "I want to tell you how much I enjoy your books - each and every one I read. Can you tell me from where you draw your inspiration? Do characters come first or storylines? Keep your books coming a..."

Thanks, Nancy! My inspiration comes from people—their struggles, their hopes, their failures, their heroics.

I've been blessed to witness so many amazing acts of courage during my years as a doctor…my patients and their families and my fellow medical professionals have been truly inspiring.

That being said, I never, ever use real people in my stories. Instead, I take one real emotion and then a build a character around it.

For example, Lucy Guardino (my Pittsburgh soccer mom/FBI special agent) is constantly struggling to balance the needs of her job with the needs of her family—and when your job is catching child predators, that's a tough choice to make. What working parent hasn't faced that struggle?

From the emotion comes the character and from the character comes the story. At least for me. That's why I call them "Thrillers with Heart."

Diana wrote: "CJ, I just want to say that I have never picked up and read anything of yours that I was disappointed with. I'm always anxiously awaiting the next book. I greatly admire your intelligence (needed..."

Thanks for the kind words, Diana! I'm thrilled that you're enjoying the books!

I've been a storyteller all my life—ended me in timeouts a lot as a kid! But I never dreamed of getting published until two published mystery writer friends encouraged (well, dared) me to enter a national writing contest and I became a finalist. After that I received my first publishing contract and realized I had a chance to make a dream come true with my writing.

It was tough leaving my patients and medicine--probably the hardest choice I've ever made, but you can't turn your back on your dreams.

Adam wrote: "Writers Wanted For the Write On America Podcast

Talk about your writing adventures, Record a podcast with us.
I invite you to the site to read our syllabus listed on the
Write On America podcast p..."

Adam,
Thanks for the invite, feel free to email me to see if our schedules sync.

As for my writing adventures, each book brings new ones! I've visited the FBI Academy at Quantico, gone shooting with SWAT team leaders, attended the wonderful Writers' Police Academy three times, but the most fun is just listening to real-life people tell their real-life stories…usually they're more amazing than any fiction I could come up with!

Hi guys! Thank you all for joining me today--I'll get to your questions in a few minutes and will stop back during the day to answer any more, but I wanted to let you know about the FREE ebooks I'm offering.

Right now you can get my latest book, EDGE OF SHADOWS, for free on Amazon, iBooks, Kobo, or, if you're a Nook user, Smashwords.

All the download links are here: http://cjlyons.net/books/shadow-ops/

AND, if you buy now, the first two books in the series are on sale for only 0.99 each—own the entire trilogy for less than the price of a single book!

Plus, if you sign up for my mailing list at http://cjlyons.net you can get a second book for free as well.

Happy reading!
CJ

Hi everyone! I'll be here answering questions about any of my books, writing, or just thrillers in general.

I'll also be offering FREE ebooks to everyone who comments--stay tuned for more info!

Topics to discuss might include my latest book, EDGE OF SHADOWS, the finale of the Shadow Ops trilogy; my upcoming Caitlyn Tierney FBI Thriller, HOLLOW BONES (coming in August); everyone's favorite Pittsburgh soccer mom, Lucy Guardino (who also happens to be a kick-ass FBI agent); or my debut YA thriller, BROKEN.

Looking forward to it!
CJ