Author Blog Hop Tour

So ENIGMA Directive series author Kent Holloway tagged me in the writer blog hop that’s currently making the rounds (you can read Kent’s entry here), and I thought it was a great opportunity to discuss my current work and to talk a little bit about writing in general. Here goes...

1) What am I working on?

Right now I’m editing the second novel in my new OUTCAST Ops series, an action-thriller series about a team of ex-special forces operatives protecting America from terrorist threats. The first book, released in May 2014, is entitled OUTCAST Ops: Game of Drones, and the next one, due out later this month (August 2014), is called OUTCAST Ops: The Poseidon Initiative. They feature the same team of characters in different scenarios, but can be read in any order.

Just released this month from Kensington / Pinnacle Books is NYC disaster thriller QUAKE, a pseudonymous collaboration I wrote with Simon Fisk series author, Douglas Corleone.

Also in the works now for me is another collaborative effort with David Wood, author of the very popular Dane Maddock adventure series. Earlier this year I co-authored SPLASHDOWN in Wood’s Dane and Bones Origins series, and I am pleased to announce that I will be returning to the Origins series with a new installment entitled ELECTRA. Look for that later this year!

Last but definitely not least, I’m deep into a speculative fiction project with Morpheus Initiative series author, David Sakmyster, also due out later this year. It’s an action-horror zombie novel entitled, JURASSIC DEAD. Think zombies vs. dinosaurs!

2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?

Many of my novels, especially the Tara Shores series, incorporate scientific and technical elements in the plot. Some call them technothrillers, but even among technothrillers, the Tara Shores series is unique in that they are focused primarily around the ocean. As a marine biologist, scuba diver and boater, I have had a life-long interest in the ocean and enjoy writing about it in my novels.

3) Why do I write what I do?

I’ve always been attracted to thrillers, suspense, mysteries, and action-adventure. I had an early fascination with the works of Clive Cussler and Michael Crichton, as well as many others including Ian Fleming, Preston & Child and Tom Clancy. I just try to write the kind of novel I would want to read.

 4) How does my writing process work?

Usually I start with the premise—the what-if scenario that sets up the main action of the story. For example, What if a whale that was tagged with a web-cam for scientific purposes happened to record something illegal at sea, say a murder? That became the premise for my debut novel, WIRED KINGDOM. Once I have the premise I tend to construct a loose outline, usually just a beginning, middle and ending (classic 3-act structure), with a few stepping stone plot-points in between. Then I write the first draft. Numerous edits happen after that.

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Next I would like to invite author David Sakmyster to participate in the Blog Hop Tour. David is author of the exciting Morpheus Initiative series. Look for his entry coming up!

Thanks a lot for reading, everyone!