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

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

Stephanie wrote: "Hello Mr. Rollins, My name is Stephanie Lyle and I love your books. I believe it was Sandstorm that I read first and was unable to put it down from the first page to the last. I have always loved books that are adventures with a great deal of real life possibility. I love the new books that you are writing and read the Sigma books all the time. The sign of a great author is when their readers continually re-read all the books written over and over. My questions to you are: Do you have any suggestions for a new writer? How do you come up with ideas and enough information and background to fill an entire book? Are we going to see any new lines for series? Thank Mr. Rollins for responding to all our questions since this is bound to very overwhelming for you. – Stephanie"

Hi Stephanie, I could write volumes about tips on writing. My best is advice is an old one: Write everyday. Practice makes perfect. But I would definitely add a caveat: Read every night. I had no formal training in writing myself. Where I learned to polish my prose was by practicing writing everyday and reading all the time. Whatever difficulty I had during my writing day, I found a solution in the book I read at night. So by writing every day and writing every night, my own prose grew stronger over time. As to building a plot, that’s a little trickier to quickly summarize. It involves coming up with an exciting “What if?” then figuring out which characters are going to tell the story, then doing the research, then committing to writing pages on a regular basis.

Beth wrote: "Hi Mr. Rollins, I just read your book Tracker: A Short Story Exclusive and I loved it. I'm right now reading also SIGMA Force novel The Eye Of God and what I've read so far I've loved ,and can't read more of it. My first ever book of your was Subterranean which my dad got me and after that I to read the rest of your books. Anyway I've got 3 questions for you and here they are.1st question is I know that in your books (DARPA)stands for Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, so can you tell me what {SIGMA} stands for and how you came up with that part of the DAPRA .2nd question goes to Tracker will he and his beloved dog Kane become an member of SIGMA Force or will they only come when they need help and will there be more stores about them. And my last question is on your book with Rebecca Cantrell how did you come up with the Sanuguists and the others you talk about in your book the Blood Gospel and will there be a readers guide to that series like you did for the SIGMA series. Anyway that's all I wanted to know and to tell you that I can't wait to read more of your SIGMA series and the rest of the books that go with the The Order OF The Sanguines Series as well as Tracker and Kane's next book and to tell you also to keep up the great work."

Yikes, you’ve raised some good questions. Let’s have at it:

(1) “Sigma” isn’t actually an acronym (like DARPA). The name comes from the mathematical meaning of the Greek letter “sigma,” which basically represents “the sum of all.” Sigma recruits soldiers and retrains them in various scientific disciplines (the joining of “brain and brawn”). Their credo is to combine the best of body and mind to deal with global threats.

(2) I love writing Kane, so there will definitely be more adventures. Next up for Tucker and Kane is the novel, The Kill Switch, where Painter Crowe recruits the pair for a solo mission…but nothing quite goes as planned.

(3) The idea for the Sanguines series came about from a simple concept: what if vampires existed during the time of Christ, how might have Christ dealt with these damned souls, and how might that have changed the Catholic Church, and what would that look like today?

Carole wrote: "I love all your books, But loved your first ones, because they left you with the feeling , could this really happen when can we hope to see some more of these?"

Thanks, I try my best to craft stories that blur fact and fiction. It’s why I started adding a section at the end of my books titled “What’s True and What’s Not,” so readers can follow up on any threads from a novel that interest them.

Track wrote: "As a retired librarian, I am always curious as to how much research into original source documents are used when working on the framework for a new novel. Do you have a loose 'tree' and then begin to fill in the details with the sources or is it just a matter of being well versed enough to 'wing it' or is there a lot of specific research that goes into the meat and potatoes of your book? I've enjoyed all of your works that I have read , and look forward to reading many more for years to come!"

Research is one of my favorite parts of building a story. In fact, I only allow myself to research for 90 days, then on the 91st day I have to put words on paper. As to sources, I do my best to hunt down the truth, even it means interviewing a scientist, calling Fort Detrick for information, or traveling to make sure my details are correct.

Lisa wrote: "I have read and loved all your "James Clemens" books and was wondering if you have anything planned in the fantasy department. My daughter (when she was 10) drew the book cover of Wit'ch Fire which of course made me love that series more. ;)"

I’d love to see that cover! As to more, yep. I have entire outline for another series set in Alasea, and the final books of the Godslayer series is in the works.

Kira wrote: "How are you introduced to the topics about which you write in the Sigma Force series? Do you read for pleasure and stumble across an idea, or are you introduced via another party, or do you, perhaps, actively seek out various elements to weave together?"

All of the above. I’ve always got my antenna up for the bit of history that ends in a question mark or a bit of science that makes me go “What if?” And I’ve stumbled upon those “seeds” for a novel from magazines, from documentaries on T.V, from articles on esoteric websites, and even from readers who’ve pointed me in different directions.

Alicia wrote: "Was it a hard switch going from the Sigma series to The Blood Gospel books? Thanks!"

It’s definitely a different writing gear, but it was less “hard” as it was a “challenge.” As a writer, it’s always fun to push the envelope or stretch those literary muscles in unusual ways.

Alicia wrote: "Where is your favorite place to write your books?"

Since I started writing in my veterinary office during my lunch hour, I learned to write with cats meowing, dogs barking, and telephones ringing. So I’m not that particular where I write, but I do love to write next to a fireplace (even if that means typing in a hotel lobby).

Alicia wrote: "Since your writing career skyrocketed, how has your life changed? For better and for worse (if there is a worse)?"

I can’t think of any negatives . One of the biggest positives is that I’ve got a chance to meet and talk with some of my heroes in the literary world: Anne Rice, Clive Cussler, etc. Not saying I wasn’t tongue-tied when I was talking to them…but it was still a thrill.

Alicia wrote: "Hi, I have another question. I see your endorsements on many books these days. You're completely original, but I'm curious, out of the books people have asked you to put your stamp of approval on which have you enjoyed the most and why?"

Wow, that’s a tough one. One of my first reviews was for Steve Berry’s first book, The Amber Room. It was great to discover a wonderful new debut author…and someone who has become a great friend over the years (but don’t tell him I said that). More recently, I also really enjoyed The Breach by Patrick Lee. Another debut that blew me away.

Alicia wrote: "Hello again! I've got another question. You were a veterinarian, do you ever miss it? Going along that same thread of questioning, I noticed in a lot of your earlier books you seemed to put that animal knowledge to great use. Can we expect more stories in the future that include amazing animal specimens, with amazing embellishments included? I really enjoyed the added threat those giant predators posed. Thanks!!"

I still do volunteer work with my veterinary degree (free spay/neutering at my local shelter), and I’ll never give it up completely. Likewise, I’ll always be exploring the role of animals in books, like Kane in The Kill Switch. As to incredible specimens, you don’t have long to wait. This summer’s big Sigma book (The Sixth Extinction) is chock full of strange creatures and amazing new environmental vistas.

Alicia wrote: "Hello Mr. Rollins, I'm probably 1 of your #1 fans. Some of my absolute favorite books of yours were stand alone novels, and I'm wondering if we can expect to see anymore in the future?"

Yep. I have five solid plots/ideas for stand-alone stories. I’m biting at the bit to write them.

Roni wrote: "I love and own all your books! I'd like to understand the process you go through when combining the paranormal in your thriller novels."

Thanks! For me, the key is to ground the story in the real world, then take the reader step by step into the shadowy fringes of history, science, or the paranormal. The goal is to make that transition so smoothly that a reader is unaware they’re not in strange lands.

Rob wrote: "I've pre-ordered 'Face-Off' and I'm waiting excitedly for it to drop for my kindle. My question is, now that Gray Pierce will meet Cotton Malone, who else (author and character) would you like to see enter that 'universe?"

I’d love to see Pendergast (from the Lincoln Child/Douglas Preston books) to be hired as a consultant for Sigma…or to have a run-in with Scot Horvath from Brad Thor’s books.

Nikki wrote: "While I love the Sigma team, I also loved the stand alone books- that's how we got Kowalski after all. Are the stand alones a thing of the past?"

I definitely have plans for more stand-alone books. Some ideas just don’t fit the Sigma series, and it’s fun for me to play in a different sandbox.