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ASK ME ANYTHING INTERVIEW WJ
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Bodo
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Jun 11, 2017 10:06AM
You disclosed in a tweet that you created one character specifically to be killed of for shock value later but that the character simply became to likeable for you to do so. Can you share who the character was? And would you say that your stories are more plot or character driven?
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Freya Shaw. Will we learn more about her? And can you confirm is she's an SIS case officer? It's the only logical explanation why a middle class housewife like jet would be involved in the terrifying force that now threatens to squish her son's life. This question is also from Sam. As you know I have a different theory but maybe we both are right?;)
Sorry! I overlooked Sam's corrected version of the question!Freya Shaw. Will we learn more about her? And can you confirm if she's an SIS case officer? It's the only logical explanation why a middle class housewife like her would be involved in the terrifying force that now threatens to squish her son's life.
Bodo wrote: "Sorry! I overlooked Sam's corrected version of the question!Freya Shaw. Will we learn more about her? And can you confirm if she's an SIS case officer? It's the only logical explanation why a middle class housewife like her would be involved in the terrifying force that now threatens to squish her son's life."
You will indeed learn more about Freya and her connection to Anya in Shadow War, and future books. Unfortunately I can neither confirm nor deny that she was an SIS operative at this stage!
She is an interesting character for me however, as her involvement with both Anya and the wider events in the Drake universe has only really been hinted at so far. I can however say that her influence has been felt for quite some time, and she was definitely more than she appeared to be. Obviously she can only really appear in flashback form, but those flashbacks should yield up some big insights into who she really is and why she did the things she did (not to mention why she met such an unceremonious end at Anya's hands).
Bodo wrote: "You disclosed in a tweet that you created one character specifically to be killed of for shock value later but that the character simply became to likeable for you to do so. Can you share who the character was? And would you say that your stories are more plot or character driven?"I did end up killing him off anyway, though it was harder than expected. The character was Samantha's father. I don't know why, but probably because he was a genuinely decent man caught up in events far beyond his control, it made his fate more poignant. He was a guy who had been dealt a shitty hand by life, but still tried to make the best of it, and was ultimately more concerned for her welfare than his own.
The stories vary a lot between plot and character, though if I had to choose I'd say character driven stories are easier to tell. Deception Game was very plot driven, and required a lot of work on my part to bring all the different elements together into a cohesive story.
The funny thing is, Deception Game and Black List were originally supposed to be one book, which would neatly explain why Anya wasn't on hand to assist with the operation in Libya. But I actually found myself really warming to the character of Alex and the adventure he went on with Anya, and kept expanding the storyline and adding in more elements. The problem is that the more the Black List subplot grew, the more I realised it was simply becoming a distraction from the main storyline, so I took the decision to split them into two separate books with somewhat overlapping events. Strange but true.
Jason Hawkins. He is notable for a couple of reasons. First of all his unhinged persona and MO and the fact that he seems to hold a grudge against both Anya and Drake. How long has he been in your mind already before you actually introduced him in Black List? And how did you went about creating his character?
The Shepard subsection of the S.A.D. Their primary ballwick is the extraction of assets and operatives from hostiles locations and conduct hostage rescue missions if necessary. Granted, the subsection is a fictional creation, but most intelligence services that possess paramilitary units like the CIA would have such capabilities similar to the Shepard section. What was the inspiration for the Shepard section and what concepts were you considering when developing what role and part Ryan Drake would play in the paramilitary juggernaut of the CIA Special Activities Division when you first started the series?
Now to the one and only Marcus Cain. With him you created one of the most memorable big bads to grace the genre in recent years. In Ghost Target you added multiple layers to his character and also showed the reader a surprisingly vulnerable side of him. What makes Marcus so special in your opinion and what can you tease about his evolution from this point on?
The Circle aka The Group. It could have come right out of a Ludlum novel and its meddling and agenda remain secretive. What were your inspirations for the Group and when can be expect to learn more about its members and goals?
What is your writing process when crafting an action scene? And for any aspiring writers who want to make a spy novel, what advice would you give them when crafting action scenes?
Dan Franklin always felt more like a second row supporting character from the start but nevertheless I like him very much! He is one of the few fictional military/Intel guys I know of, who suffers from disability. Furthermore he is likeable because of his imperfections. He's selfish at times but at the end of the day has a good heart and the courage to do the right thing. What were your inspirations for the character and his injury? And what ordeal lays still ahead of him now that Cain is truly in charge?
Do you have a "writer's playlist"?
Who do you take creative advice from other then your editor? And who gets to read your first drafts first?
How do you decide on the titles of your books and how much is your publisher involved in the process? Also what makes a good cover and blurb for you and how deeply involved are you with both?
How do you come up with new interesting characters and then with names for them?
Are there any news on the series' adaption for the big screen?
Bodo wrote: "Jason Hawkins. He is notable for a couple of reasons. First of all his unhinged persona and MO and the fact that he seems to hold a grudge against both Anya and Drake. How long has he been in your mind already before you actually introduced him in Black List? And how did you went about creating his character?"Hawkins has been lurking there for a while now. I wanted a character who could challenge both Drake and Anya on different levels. Anya has been built up as a virtually unstoppable force in combat throughout the series, particularly against anyone unlucky enough to take her on hand to hand, but the first time Hawkins goes up against her in Black List, he kind of kicks her ass. He's a guy who's bigger and stronger than her, who she can't dominate in a fight, and who seems to be a match for her on a technical level too. Only some timely intervention from another character saves her life, but it certainly puts the fear in her.
With Drake, the danger Hawkins represents is far more insidious but just as real. He's a man who appears to know Drake well, and has a complex history with him. More of that will be revealed in Shadow War, but suffice to say, he knows how to bring out the worst in Drake.
Hawkins is a true bad guy who will stop at nothing to achieve his objective, but one with a very distinct and interesting personality. He's the smiling psychopath; the guy who's bright and cheerful even as he tortures people, and I think that makes him all the more intimidating because he almost never loses his cool. He always seems to be in control of the situation, and you know that if you're stuck in a room with him, things are going to play out exactly the way he wants.
There's a particularly chilling scene which illustrates this in my next book.
I imagine it must be quite a challenge to try to make each new volume of the series accessible to first time readers. How do you pull it off?
Bodo wrote: "The Shepard subsection of the S.A.D. Their primary ballwick is the extraction of assets and operatives from hostiles locations and conduct hostage rescue missions if necessary. Granted, the subsect..."Good question! With Drake being part of the CIA, the natural assumption would be that he's some kind of shadowy assassin or ask-no-questions black ops soldier, but in this series I wanted to give him a slightly more noble profession. Instead of killing people or destroying things, why not have him rescue people for a living? Thus, the idea of the Shepherd teams was born.
Like you say, it's a fictional subsection, but it doesn't seem entirely beyond the realms of possibility that such a group exists. If you're a major intelligence organisation and one of your assets suddenly goes dark, where do you turn? How do you try to recover them?
I liked the concept of the Shepherd teams and so I immediately ran with it. The more I wrote and considered how they might actually function, the more their organisational structure took shape in my mind.
That's why Sacrifice always stood out for me, because it's probably the only book in the series where you actually get to see a Shepherd team doing their thing - investigating the loss of an asset, following up leads, putting together theories and ultimately uncovering the truth.
I always thought it might be interesting to write about what other Shepherd teams get up to while Drake and co are off having their adventures...
Bodo wrote: "Now to the one and only Marcus Cain. With him you created one of the most memorable big bads to grace the genre in recent years. In Ghost Target you added multiple layers to his character and also ..."Great to know he's made such an impression! With Cain, I see him more as a fallen hero than an out and out bad guy. He's still clinging to the belief that he's serving a noble cause, but he's willing to resort to more and more extreme measures to get there. This is why the series backstory comes into play so much, because we get to see how he became the man he is today. In flashbacks, see both Cain and Anya when they were far younger and more idealistic, when they were filled with the same confidence we all have in our youth about being able to take on anything and do incredible things with our lives.
Seeing where he is now allows me to play off both these aspects of his personality. On the one hand he's a driven, ruthlessly intelligent and cunning antagonist pushing relentlessly towards his goals, but on the other he has moments of reflection and regret, where he sees the mistakes he's made down the line and quietly laments what might have been.
Ghost Target also provided a bit more insight into his private life and showcased a certain vulnerability to the man. Expect a lot more of that in Shadow War, as well as a slightly different perspective on some of the things he's done in the past. By the end of that book, you may not look at Cain in quite the same way again.
Awesome answers! And that last question like many others, came from Sam;)
There is a thing that always confused me. In Sacrifice Anya wanted to know the name of the Russian Carpenter sold her out to. Whereas in Betrayal it is suggested she knew it was Viktor from the start. Was there a Russian behind Viktor?
Bodo wrote: "Dan Franklin always felt more like a second row supporting character from the start but nevertheless I like him very much! He is one of the few fictional military/Intel guys I know of, who suffers ..."Poor Franklin has always felt like a character that's left waiting in the wings! As you say, he's a guy who's neither fully good nor wholly bad. He's still loyal to Drake but finds that loyalty tested at times, he opposes Cain but knows when not to overstep the mark, and he perceives the growing problems within the CIA but tries to fix it from within. I guess I'd call him a pragmatic hero. He wants to do the right thing, but he also hedges his bets a little.
His injury was partly down to the fact that I wanted a character who could assist Drake, but not necessarily in a physical sense. His skills have to lie in other areas. Franklin isn't the kind of guy to storm in with a gun and save the day, but he does provide important intel and occasionally cleans up Drake's mess behind the scenes.
It also allows me to play with the psychological impact of his disability, whether he feels a twinge of resentment and jealousy towards Drake since they were both soldiers once, and their lives have since gone in different directions.
Likewise, Drake knows Franklin has made some compromises over the years to try to maintain an uneasy truce with Cain. There were some good scenes between them earlier in the series where a bit of this resentment and distrust surfaced and they had a proper go at each other. Although I can't say they will have much contact in Shadow War due to the focus being elsewhere, Franklin definitely has some big scenes planned.
Bodo wrote: "Do you have a "writer's playlist"?"It's weird, but there are certain songs (mostly soundtracks) I really associate with certain books and characters. Generally songs with lyrics are too distracting, but pure music works well to focus the mind and set the tone.
For Anya's scenes, particularly ones that have heavy dramatic elements, I try to go for melancholy, naturalistic music. I remember listening to Last of the Mohicans soundtrack to get the right vibe for her. With Drake, I tend to go darker and more ominous, so music from the Dark Knight movies has been good for that.
Getting in the right frame of mind is really important for me, so I can bring it through in my writing. I do recall a scene recently in Shadow War that pretty much called for Drake to go full on savage. Because there had been such a build up to his actions and I'd put him through so much shit, I was already angry on his behalf, but after listening to a couple of songs and even watching a few clips of similar situations from movies, I was practically brimming with rage when I wrote it. Hopefully you'll see what I mean when you read the book!
Sam Carver wrote: "Indeed. And after Hawkins and Cain, the SIS man was an outstanding bad guy, that moment when he materializes out of the smoke and fire like a devil at the Tripoli Airfield was icing on the cake.It also helps he's the ultimate foil to Drake in every single way, social standing, temperment and skill set."
Faulkner was a fun character to write because my antagonists are generally quite grounded and realistic, but this was a guy I'd consciously decided to make slightly more flamboyant and theatrical. Hopefully not to the extent that he became a parody, but more as a veneer to hide the man beneath. He's vain about his age and appearance, he dresses sharply and is prone to overly verbose language, but as we learn, he's also a bit of sadistic psychopath.
The thing about Faulkner is that really, he's a bit of a social climber when you get right down to it - just some mid-level hired gun with delusions of grandeur. He talks big and claims to know more than he really does, and it's clear he sees himself becoming a serious player, but it's hinted at towards the end of the book that he'll never get beyond the periphery even if his mission in Libya had been successful.
I'd actually toyed with the idea of him revealing a far more coarse and common persona just before he met his end, suggesting that his upper-class mannerisms and accent were mere affectations of what he wished he'd been.
Bodo wrote: "Who do you take creative advice from other then your editor? And who gets to read your first drafts first?"My wife generally gets to read the manuscript once it's in close to finished condition. I don't like to inflict a first draft on anyone, so I'll usually give it an editorial pass or two before sending it on to my editor. I also trust my agent with stuff like this, so generally I'll take a sampling of everyone's opinions then made changes.
Being honest, generally by the time other people get to read them, my books don't tend to go through any major changes because the plot is pretty much nailed down. It's mostly just minor tweaks and generally a bit of trimming down, even if I hate doing it. Left to our own devices, most writers would produce books twice as long as they should be!
I had goosebumps while reading about the scene with Drake going on a savage!
Bodo wrote: "How do you decide on the titles of your books and how much is your publisher involved in the process? Also what makes a good cover and blurb for you and how deeply involved are you with both?"Generally I'm the one who picks the title, with a bit of negotiating with the publisher. I'm usually able to pick something that kind of encapsulates what the book is about, but it doesn't always work.
For example, Ghost Target was originally going to be called Downfall, but reluctantly we decided it was too reminiscent of the much-parodied WW2 movie of the same name.
The cover is always a tricky one. I don't think I'm ever 100% happy with any of my covers, though Black List and Ghost Target came pretty close. I actually think most of my German covers are pretty cool, and consistent.
But you put down your thoughts of what it might look like, your editor adds theirs, and the graphics department work their socks off trying to turn your crazy ideas into reality. Sometimes it works great, other times there's room for improvement.
As for the blurb, that's kind of a joint effort. We used to do taglines on my front covers, but gradually they've been phased out as they're hard to do without sounding naff. One editor who shall remain nameless once legitimately suggested "Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer" for Betrayal.
I politely suggested we try other options.
Funny! BL and GT are my favourite covers too.
Bodo wrote: "How do you come up with new interesting characters and then with names for them?"I try to take inspiration from all kinds of places. Sometimes they're based on real people I've met, sometimes a picture I've seen or a story I've heard, and sometimes just a concept I've dreamed up. It sounds obvious, but I try to make my characters as distinct as possible, right down to how they talk, the way they move or gesticulate, or how they approach a problem. With my main cast of characters, I feel I know and understand them to the point where I could tell you how they would react to pretty much any situation.
Names are always fun! Again, variety is important, particularly for international thrillers that deal with numerous different nationalities, cultures, ethnicities etc. It's actually tricky to keep track of all the minor character names and make sure you don't reuse the same one by accident. Really should keep better notes...
Mod
I try to take inspiration from all kinds of places. Sometimes they're based on real people I've met, ..."
Hi again, question for Will.
Whether it's a blockbuster film, or big budget TV series that is increasingly common, do you have a fantasy casting list of some kind of whom you would like to see playing Drake, Anya and Marcus?
Bodo wrote: "What is your writing process when crafting an action scene? And for any aspiring writers who want to make a spy novel, what advice would you give them when crafting action scenes?"Ah, yes. You might think fight/action scenes are fun to write, but they're not. They take a lot more work than a verbal confrontation, because you have to work out a complex sequence of events that's both exciting, varied, plausible and services the needs of the story.
If it's a fight scene, my first step is to work out the flow and tempo of it. Is it a short, one-sided confrontation, a back and forth test of skill with the momentum swinging between the combatants, or a drag out battle of attrition? Once I've got the general outline in mind, I need to work out the details of how it unfolds. Again, knowing your characters, their skills and limitations, certainly helps.
Drake has a background as a boxer, so tends to throw more punches, as well as ducking and weaving to avoid counter-attacks. Frost is small but vicious, so gets in close and lashes out with whatever she has. Anya is more technical and controlled, relying on superior technique and experience to see her through. All of this influences how they approach a fight.
Then you need to consider everything around the characters. Where is the action scene taking place? Would this environment influence how the scene plays out? What kind of weapons are involved? If it's a resourceful character, can they use objects or the environment to their advantage?
There are a thousand and one considerations that go into writing an action scene, but generally my golden rules are:
1. Don't make it too long, too repetitive or too over the top.
2. Don't make either side unusually dumb or easy to beat.
3. Don't rely on luck to save your character. It makes them look ineffective.
4. If your character uses some trick or piece of ingenuity to get them out of trouble, it has to make sense, be believable and not obvious.
5. Unless you're going to make use of your environment, don't describe it in too much detail. It's distracting.
Mod
Ah..."
Awesome answer!
Final question for today: What more can you tease about Shadow War in terms of locations, characters, plot etc?
Mod
The Circle aka The Group. It could have come right out of a Ludlum novel and its meddling and agenda remain secretive. What were your inspirations for the Group and when can be expect to learn more about its members and goals?
Mod
Some great questions and answers here. Will, I like how you talk about crafting an overarching plot between novels. Got me thinking about how I'm going to put my next series together after the Benevolent Series.So my question is: which writers are on your radar now and who is doing interesting work in the espionage/covert ops genre in your opinion?
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Books mentioned in this topic
Ghost Target (other topics)Deception Game (other topics)
Black List (other topics)
Betrayal (other topics)
Sacrifice (other topics)
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