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

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

Kat wrote: "I love all your books that I've read, I think they are wonderfully written, and very original.

Which of your books did you enjoy writing the most? What bit of history was the most fun to research?"

One of the novels I had the most fun writing was Amazonia (mostly because of the weird animals), but The Sixth Extinction is vying for that position…and for the very same reason. Probably the history that I loved exploring the most was for The Devil Colony.

Sunny wrote: "How does collaborative writing work best, between you and Grant? For example, who writes what, and how do you blend it all together? Do you ever flip a coin to settle a decision between you two?"

We first hash out a detailed outline, then decide who will tackle which parts. Grant has a military background, so scenes that lean heavily on Tucker, a former Army Ranger, he took the lead. If it involved Kane and the scientific aspects of the novel, I’d take the lead. Then we would exchange papers and edit each other, then hand it back. Sometimes this exchange would occur multiple times until a scene was just right.

Randy wrote: "Hi James, I was wondering if there is a character you prefer to write about or one you find easier to write? Is there a character you find difficulty writing?"

I love writing the point of view of Kane, the military war dog. It was a challenging perspective to research and get as “right” as I could. But in general, it’s also fun to write scenes from the villain’s point of view. I’m not sure what that says about me.

Dean wrote: "How does the co-author process work? Does one write while the other interjects or do you take turns writing? Love your collaboration with Rebecca and CANNOT wait for the next Jake book! I'm a kid ..."

I love Jake, too. I grew up reading books about smart kids getting into all manner of huge adventures and wanted to add to that canon. As to cowriting, it’s a complicated and exciting process. It involves exchanging pages weekly, long talks on Skype, and lots of back-and-forth. We divided the books by picking scenes that played to our respective strengths, writing those, exchanging them, rewriting each other or making suggestions. The goal was to create a seamless whole, to make it hard to tell where one writer’s work begins and another ends.

David wrote: "Hi James, We get attached to characters and having them die, or move away from a series is difficult for both writer and reader. so,how hard was it to kill off Rachel?"

So much for that big spoiler

And yes, it’s hard to write the death of a character that I’ve lived with on often a daily basis for many years. It’s like losing a friend. I can’t say that I didn’t get choked up at the loss of several characters. 

Ambre wrote: "Hi Mr Rollins, I have thoroughly enjoyed every book of yours I have read, though I will admit as primarily a lover of fantasy stories, that I will always have a preference for the Wit'ch books. Will there be any more James Clemens novels? Also I would love to know what inspired you to write the Sigma novels - something you read, saw, heard, experienced?"

Yes, there will be more books by that writer James Clemens. I encourage you to check out the new website: JamesClemens.com. As to the origin of Sigma, it was a happy accident. Painter Crowe and Sigma appeared in the novel Sandstorm as ancillary characters, but I loved them so much and I knew there were so many stories to tell about them, that Sigma, the series, was born. 

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 definitely know the ending of each book, often even the very last line. And I know the beginning just as well. The middle has a few roadmarkers, but it’s a hazier path.

Danielle wrote: "Hi mr Rollins. Will there be another Jake Ransom book? If so, when can we expect to see it? I really like the series and am hoping for another. Would you consider a movie for one of your books? What relationship do you rather - GrayxRachel, or GrayxSeichan? (Before Rachel died)"

Yep, there will be more Jake Ransom, but the current plan if for me to write the entire 5-book series, then release the new books every six months.

Sherry wrote: "Will there be another Godslayer book? I did not discover these books until recently and wondered if there were others besides Shadowfall and Hinterland."

Yep. There will in fact be 3 more books in that series.

Dhaibat wrote: "In the Sigma Force novels where do you think Gray and Seichan's relationship will lead? He obviously still has strong feelings for Rachel but is drawn towards Seichan at the same time! Thank you for your time."

Ah, you’ve not read Eye of God yet. All of that gets resolved—but I’m not going to say a word about it or ruin some major moments.

Sam wrote: Hello mr Rollins! While I'm exited for reading another book with Tucker&Kain, I cannot pass this opportunity to ask, as some other people have mentioned above, can we see more of Kowalski in the next sigma books? I really feel there's a lot of potential to his character and really wish to see him being more developed like Monk, Painter and the rest of the team. Because, for once he is something different than the usual action/adventure/thriller protagonist we are so used to by now in all books. He is not perfect, nor as cutting as them, but for me that makes him even more alluring and a character you can sympathize with. That was my question. Thank you for your time!"

Yep, Kowalski’s big book is coming up. There’s much more to the big guy than anyone’s seen to date.

Lee wrote: "SIGMA force is easily one of my favourites series of books right now and while I'm enjoying Eye of God so far I was really disappointed when I found Tucker and Kane weren't in it so I'm glad that they are getting their own book as I especially love the parts from Kane's viewpoint as it's such a vivid and different persepective to experience certain scenes.


• Two questions 1) How has your experience of writing novels changed when you started working with a co-writer? I've read before that as authors feel the need to release books sooner and sooner when they start to work with someone else often all they do is give them an outline of the story and say fill in the gaps. How much influence do your co-writers have on the story and the characters? 2) Kowalski, I've always struggled with his character as often he seems little more than background noise with his only purpose to say the odd bad joke or dumb soldier trope of not understanding anything and just wanting to blow stuff up. Which also seems to be the only thing he contributes to the team most of the time. Is there any chance that you could either drop him from the team entirely or spend more time with his character? I feel that Kat and Monk still get more time and development even though they left the core team. It would be nice to have some time where we see the human side to Kowalski, his thoughts and motivations, just anything more than hey guys I'm carrying this explosive. Thanks."

Thanks! Two questions, two answers:
• (1) In my case, the co-writing process is actually an intense and intimate process. From plot, through writing, through editing, it’s a joint effort. Pages are exchanged weekly, along with long talks via Skype, and lots of back-and-forth to discover the best path to take and how best to tell it. These books are true collaborations in every sense of the word. For me, it’s the only way to make it seamless. I love sharing the story that Rebecca once told me: She was reading a section of The Blood Gospel aloud to her husband, and he stopped her to ask, “Who wrote that last paragraph?” She looked down at it and said, “Actually I don’t know.” That’s how blurred that line becomes during our collaborations.
• (2) Ah, Kowalski. I loved him so much when he appeared in Ice Hunt, that I knew I’d have to eventually recruit him into Sigma. He’s much more complicated than we’ve seen so far, with depths yet to explore. There’s indeed a big story coming soon where Kowalski will shine to his fullest.

Dave wrote: "Hi, I'm really curious as to how you go about planning your books? When you started writing Sandstorm did you plan for this to be the first book in a series? If so, do you work out a plan for the characters in advance over several books or do you let the writing from each book dictate the direction for the series? Thanks for taking the time to read all of our questions, and thanks for all the great books! – Dave"

Hey Dave, thanks for the questions. Actually I didn’t know Sandstorm was going to give birth to the Sigma series. In that book, I introduced this secretive agency tied to DARPA and a wily field operative named Painter Crowe. After finishing that book, I thought “I wonder what other trouble Sigma can get into.” And the rest is history. As to the arc of characters’ lives, some I plot out in advance; others surprise me. But ultimately nothing is set in stone.

Arabella wrote: "What made you decide on Tucker Wayne for this novel?"

The duo of Tucker and his military war dog Kane came about because of a USO Tour. About three winters ago, I was invited by the USO to tour bases in Kuwait and Iraq. It was a thrilling and rewarding experience, but I also got a chance to see handlers and the dogs working the field. After talking to several of the soldiers and learning about the deep bond between handlers and their dogs, I knew I wanted to write about them.

Alicia wrote: "I have a question about your book tours. Sadly, I never hear about you coming to Wisconsin. I live in Green Bay but would happily drive 2 hours to Milwaukee or 3 hours to Nadison should you choose to visit our humble state. How do you choose where the tours will be and do you think you can try to make a stop in WI? Cheese, beer and brats await you!! "

You had me at brats! Actually I have signed both in Milwaukee and Madison in the past, and I’m sure I’ll get there again. As to how cities get picked, it’s all done by the publishing house. They try to vary the locations between tours.

Melanie wrote: "Hi Mr. Rollins! I was wondering how you decide who to collaborate with when you write? Does an author approach you with an idea or do you come up with the idea and seek out another author who you feel can enhance the story? Thanks for taking the time to answer all of these questions!"

I’ve only collaborated with two authors: Rebecca and Grant. I’ve known them both for many years, and they were friends before collaborators. So when I came up with these ideas for two sprawling big series, I knew I needed help and that their unique talents would pair up perfectly with both the story and my own writing.

Peggy wrote: "Hi Mr. Rollins! I was wondering how you decide who to collaborate with when you write? Does an author approach you with an idea or do you come up with the idea and seek out another author who you feel can enhance the story? Thanks for taking the time to answer all of these questions!"

I’d love to see the books on the big screen (or even the small one, as I think the books could make for a great ongoing series). As to worries about what Hollywood might do with them, I’d just have to keep my fingers crossed. And yes, a majority of my books have been optioned for film, but alas that’s as far as things have progressed.

Tom wrote: "Hi James, any chance we'll see Tucker and Kane in another Sigma Force novel? Loved those two characters in Bloodline."

Yep, they’ll be in their first solo adventure (The Kill Switch) in May. I love that duo too much to leave them sidelined.

Bob wrote: "I have two questions for James:

Do you start out with an outline of your entire story or do you only have a general idea of where the book is headed and then follow wherever the muse takes you?

Also, what elements do you feel are absolutely necessary to make a compelling read?"

I do work from an outline, but it’s not greatly detailed. I know the beginning and end very well, and I know several of the stepping stones between, but I don’t necessarily know how A connects to B connects to C. I prefer to discover that while writing. As to what elements are absolutely necessary: every scene should have some manner of conflict (physical or emotional) and you need characters that readers care about and will root for. If you can accomplish those two elements, any story will shine. 

Martin wrote: "I just read TRACKER, and I think Tucker and Kane will be a great addition to Sigma Force. But I have to admit, as an animal lover, Kane was my favorite character. You wrote part of the story from Kane's viewpoint - very unusual. Do you foresee writing more of Tucker and Kane adventures from the dog's point of view? If so, how do you get into that point of view?"

Tucker and Kane will be appearing in their first solo novel (The Kill Switch) this May. But that’s not the last you’ll see of this duo. As to Kane, I love him, too. I love writing from his POV, and I did my best to make it as authentic as possible, drawing on my veterinary background and from interviewing soldiers about their dogs. I didn’t want to create a Disney version of a military war dog, but to make the experience as real as possible, to take my readers and put them into the paws of this unique character and experience the world through a dog’s eyes.