James’s Comments (group member since Apr 08, 2014)

James’s comments from the Ask James Rollins - Wednesday, April 23rd! group.

Steven wrote: "Hey James, who do you think had cooler stuff, G.I.Joe or Cobra ?"

Evil mad scientists, of course!

Lucian wrote: "At this point, with your success and the speed of social media, more people would know how to pronounce "Czajkowski" than have ever heard of James Rollins. Will you ever use your "real" name? How is it pronounced anyway? Did you ever hide a book cover from a family member, possibly elderly, who wouldn't understand the change?"

Oh, my family has been my biggest supporters, so no hiding necessary. And after living with the name Czajkowski, they understand the need for a penname (“Rollins,” by the way is the name of the street where the University of Missouri veterinary school is located). As to pronouncing the name, it’s actually easy, it’s pronounced the same as the composer Tchaikovsky.

Steven wrote: "Hey James, Garfield or Odie ?"

Give me a stupid dog any day (so Odie)

Douglas wrote: "Loved Tracker and looking forward to see what Tucker and Kane do in The Kill Switch.

How has writing with other authors (Cantrell in Blood Gospel & Blackwood in KillSwitch) impacted your writing?..."

It’s been a great experience and I’ve learned a lot from both of them. All of us have different strengths and different methods, so it’s been a challenge to take all of that and create a book that has a uniform and consistent “voice.” Still, as this process is so intense, it’s also been a great learning experience for everyone.

Steven wrote: "Hey James, Burgers or Hot Dogs ?"

Hmm…that’s a tough one. But likely I lean toward burgers. 

Alicia wrote: "OMG!! I either missed a book or magically forgot Rachel DYING!! Which book was that? I'm also curious as to the Jake Ransom question. Thanks!"

To be quick:
Rachel The Eye of God
Jake Ransom: more to come!

Steven wrote: "Hey James, Beer or Wine? Lager, Stout, or Ale? White or Red?"

Depends on the day and what’s on my plate. But if there’s nothing on my plate, give me either a stout or ale, and I’ll be happy.

Tim wrote: "Do you know the course your stories will take when you start writing or do you simply start and see where the story will lead you?"

I know the beginning and ending well, along with a few key points in between, but I don’t necessarily know how A connects to B. I’d rather discover that while I write the novel.

Dixie wrote: "Hi all. Mr Rollins, my questions is simple.(I hope) when you are not writing, what books do you read for pleasure? Do you read thrillers when you are writing them? Or something entirely different? And how long in between books do you take time out? Like a week vacation from writing? or a month? I love all your books and think it is wonderful you taking time out of your day to do this. Appreciate it more than you know. Dixie "

I seldom take a big break, maybe a week at best. Even when I’m on a book tour, I’m usually writing in my hotel room at night. But one of my great pleasures is still reading. And I still read a wide gamut of genres. I’m always looking for a new exciting debut author. And I have a long list of must-read authors. And I’m not particularly worried about what genre I’m reading when I’m writing. I’m happy to be reading a thriller when writing a thriller.

Ellen wrote: "Hi Mr Rollins.. I've really enjoyed all your different situations and heros.. but I agree with many of the group that Kane is becoming my favorite.. please don't let anything bad happen to him! Again, like others, I look forward to a melding of the heros and organizations.. keep up the entertaining and wonderful work! Ellen"

Thanks! Kane is close to my heart, too.

Alan wrote: "Hi, Just wondering if there was a particular inspiration for Tucker and Kane. I remember you publishing quite a few service dog photos on facebook and pinterest prior to Tracker coming out, and was wondering whether there was something / someone specific that inspired the characters. Many thanks, Alan"

Hey Alan, that duo came about after visiting Iraq and Kuwait three years ago as part of a USO tour. I saw the handlers and dogs in the field, talked with the soldiers, and learned about the close bond between a dog and their handler. They even have a phrase about that closeness: “It runs down the lead.” Which means over time the emotions of a dog and a handler flow up and down the leash between them until they can read each other without saying a word or signaling a command. I knew I wanted to try to capture that close pairing into print.

Ronnie wrote: "Dear James, I live in Peru which is where Excavation takes place. Any chance of Peru appearing in any future novels? Thanks :)"

I’m sure Sigma will be visiting Peru. There are too many great places and mysteries in your beautiful country. 

Dave wrote: "Hello Mr. Rollins, I love your books, and your writing has influenced me. If you think back to your beginning as an author, when did you feel you had arrived and could leave your "day job" for writing? Thank you Cheers, Dave"

Hey Dave, there was no bigger thrill than walking into a bookstore and seeing your novel on a shelf. That milestone alone was enough to make it feel like I’d “arrived.” As to leaving the day job, that was a slower process. I had about five books on the shelf when I finally began to pull back a bit from my veterinary career. I first sold my clinic, but stayed employed full-time with the new owners, then I went to part-time, then just weekends—until finally I stepped away and now just do volunteer work with my veterinary degree.

Ferry wrote: "Hi Mr. Rollins, I'm Ferry from Indonesia. I love your works, especially Sigma Force series. I'm really want to collect all your book, but the problem is, here, in Indonesia, there are only 3 of your book (Map of Bones, Black Order, and The Doomsday Key) already published into Indonesian language. I'd love to collect in English series too but still none in Indonesia. I hope you can figure this out very soon Mr. Rollins ;) Another thing that I'm really curious and super exciting, about Sigma Force into Big Screen! I'm IMDb active member and look at this page http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1682183/c..., it said that still "In Development". When Mr. Rollins? I think I can't wait forever :D"

The Sigma series was indeed optioned for film (as have most of my other novels at one time or another), but nothing’s been officially greenlit. Some projects have gotten close—only to fade away. All I can do is keep my fingers crossed. Once a book is optioned, it’s out of my hands.


As to the books in Indonesia, again I don’t have any control on which books get published out there. I’d love to see the entire series translated and published in as many countries as possible.

Laura-gaga wrote: "Hi Jim :-)

I'm a member on your Facebook page too and love all of your books, Black Order is probably my fave so far :-)
How do you go about writing your books?

Do you have a certain routine or is it a case of an idea sparking and you write little but often or do you just sit and let it all tumble out?

I write a bit but mine is very ad hoc, I tend to record ideas for characters and plots; etc and when I have a definite idea it all tumbles out at once and at times like that I can write for hours. Laura :-)"

Hi Laura! The method for coming up with a story is different every time, but I’m always basically looking for an intriguing bit of history and some cutting edge of science. Then I do 90 days of research on the various subject matters to be raised or explored in the book. Then I begin writing. My method then becomes fairly predictable. I write 5-7 pages a day (five out of seven days a week) until the book is done. Then there’s about a month of polishing and editing.

Lina wrote: "Dear James, I love the way you interweave fact and folklore into your tales and I adore the paranormal elements. When creating/writing a new story which comes first in your plotting the mystery element or the lore?"

Stories have risen from both sides of that coin. I wish I had a set method for coming up with a storyline, but sometimes it comes from the history, the science, the place, or some cool concept. It varies every time.

Steven wrote: "Hey there all you Rollins fans!! So awesome that this guy is coming to Goodreads to answer our questions...very exciting indeed :O) I have enjoyed reading some of these questions and look forward to seeing them answered since a lot of them were things I was wondering myself. The only thing at the moment I can think to ask is something maybe one of the fans here can answer :o) This new title he is promoting sounds like it must have a part one or something, what are some other titles with this character in it? Also, Rollins looks like he has a short story coming out in a book in June called Face Off :O) I am wondering which character he is going to have "face off" with a character from another author's series? As for stand alone titles, I too would like to read more of these. Amazonia and Ice Hunt were both fantastic."

Tucker and Kane first appeared in a short story named “Tracker.” Then they were recruited for an adventure with the Sigma crew in Bloodline. But their first solo adventure (and the perfect place to meet them for the first time) is The Kill Swith, which comes out in May.

As to FaceOff, that’s the name of an anthology, where various authors’ characters are pitted against each other. In my case, Commander Gray Pierce runs afoul of Cotton Malone (the main character from Steve Berry’s series). It’s a fun jungle adventure.

Ida wrote: "Hi James. My boyfriend is usually a slow reader, but he devours your books in a matter of days. As an aspiring author, I dream that one day my writing will have the same effect on people. My questions are:

1) Your books are so fast paced. Is this a result of ruthless cutting during the editing process to tighten up the plot, or does it come naturally to you as you write your first drafts?

2) Are there any ideas or concepts you found really interesting that never made their way into a published novel?

3) In the FAQ on your website you say that Hollywood optioned for turning your novels into films, but nothing went into production. Why was that? Are you holding back, or is at all on their end? I would love to experience your stories on screen as well as on paper - and I know I'm not the only one!

4) Do you have any inspirational words or advice for aspiring authors?

And lastly; thank you for hours of entertainment and inspiration! I have only just begun dipping into your bibliography, and I cannot wait to experience the rest of your books. Thanks, Ida"

Hi Ida!

(1) Pacing is something that’s a combination of having an ear for it and editing to make it tighter and sharper. Sometimes a scene will come out just the way I want it to on the first draft, but that’s rare. Most of the fine-tuning comes during the rewrite.

(2) As to ideas, I have a box full of bits of unexplained history or cutting edge science. Most will never become stories, but I sift through and add to that box regularly, dreaming up storylines. Some dry up and blow away; some get stuck in my head to the point where I can’t let them go and have to write that story.

(3) In regards to Hollywood, options, and projects getting greenlit or dying, it has nothing to do with me. I’d love to see Sigma on the big or small screen, but that’s dependent entirely on Hollywood.

(4) The best advice I could give for aspiring authors is to write everyday, but read every night. I’ve had no formal training in writing. I learned simply by dabbling with writing during the day and reading at night. A good book (or a bad one, for that matter) is the best teacher.

Nicole wrote: "Hi James. I love your books-- especially the Sigma series. I have a couple of questions:

- How long did it take to get your first book published?
- How much research do you do for your books?
-How detailed are your outlines?

Thank you so much for doing this!! Nicole"

The first novel I wrote was Subterranean. I was lucky enough to see that novel picked up by a publisher, but not before 49 different agents rejected that same book. It was the 50th agent who saw something in that book and agreed to represent it. But prior to writing Subterranean, I wrote short stories for four years without a single sale. So it was a tough haul to publication. As to research, I do an intense 90 days of research, then begin writing. But some of that 90 days is also when I work out a rough outline of the story. I know the beginning and ending very well and a few roadmarkers in between, but that’s about it.

Lisa P wrote: "Hi James, I've read and enjoyed all of your books and am really looking forward to The Kill Switch. My question is what kind of research did you do for Tucker and Kane? Did you get to meet and work with any military dogs during this process? Thanks!"

The creation of those characters came during a USO tour to Iraq and Kuwait, where I got to see handlers and their dogs in the field. As a veterinarian, how could I not talk to them? Also on that same tour, I ran into one of my vet school classmates, who was working as an Army veterinarian. He was a great resource. I also interviewed several former handlers in preparation for writing this novel.