The Official Site of Bestselling Author James Swallow - COMING SOON!
My global(ish) blog tour continues today with another brief piece for Foyles, and this time it’s a collection of thoughts on the Enduring Appeal of Espionage Fiction – just what is that unique quality makes spy stories so compelling?
Check out the blog Here.
Meanwhile, my new thriller novel Nomad is available Here, with a limted time deal on the eBook edition for just 99p…
I’m here to answer any questions I can about my new thriller novel #Nomad, so ask away!
First off, John Deane on email wants to know: ‘Who are your favourite writers?’
For thrillers: I’m a fan of Robert Ludlum, Ian Fleming, Tom Clancy, Greg Rucka, James Cobb + many more!
I’ve always liked action-adventure & I wanted to embrace the challenge of writing in a different genre. And also thrillers are cool.
That last answer was to @misshelved’s question: ‘What made you decide to write this story?’
@Emily_BookPR asks ‘Can you describe #Nomad in 5 words?’
Betrayal. Explosions. Fugitive. Revelation. Redemption.
Marc Dane & I are both technophiles, so I had fun getting into the weeds a little with all that stuff!
Whoops, did that again; last answer was to @NicoLondon1985 ‘What part/angle of the book did you enjoy writing the most, and why?’
@robcox85 asks ‘If you had a Stan Lee-style cameo in the #Nomad film, what would you be doing?’
Ha! That’s a great question! I think I’d like to be the guy who sells Marc Dane his high-tech spy-gear laptop…
An email Q from Ron Sinterklaas: Would you like to make #Nomad into a video game?
An action-rpg in the style of Mass Effect, Deus Ex or the underrated Alpha Protocol would be very cool.
@LaurieGoulding asks ‘You’re known as a champion of tie-in fiction – how did writing #Nomad differ from those sorts of projects?’
With original work, you don’t have the safety net of an established world, but you do have “reality” to draw from. Both are challenging!
Following on from that…
@cynicalcylon asks ‘Tie-in stories have their history ready for referencing, but how do you research a story of this type?’
I read everything I can get my hands on – tech blogs, security reports, stuff about digital security and hacking groups.
@MadeleineReiss asks ‘You have written so much over the last 15 years do you ever worry that you will run out of ideas?’
Actually, I’m more worried I’ll get too old to type before I have a chance to write all the stories I have kicking around!
@ThePeterJEvans sez ‘Most of your previous work has been SF – did writing a real-world story feel restricting in any way?’
Yes & No! Restrictive because you can’t invent new stuff so easily, but helpful because the real world is your resource.
@budding_author asks ‘have you ever written a scene based in a country you’ve never visited? If so how do you make it authentic?’
Nothing beats having been there, but if you can’t – research, research, research! Authenticity is all about getting the feel right.
@p_s_clarke wants to know my ‘biggest influences while writing the story?’
Definitely the works of Ludlum, Fleming etc.
We’ve got 15 mins left on the clock, so post your questions to @BonnierZaffre using the #Nomad hashtag & I’ll try to get to them all!
Another from @misshelved ‘If Nomad was turned into a film – who would you see as Marc and Lucy?’
Maybe @Liam_J_McIntyre for Marc Dane. In my head, Lucy looks like Josette Simon circa 1981!
@rose_mannering asks ‘how long did it take you to write it and what changed when your first idea to the finished book?’
I started building the plotline for #Nomad in 2008; it was probably 4 months of writing spread out over a couple of years.
I did a lot of work on the plot before I wrote anything, so the final version didn’t change much.
@BraD_lutz asked ‘Have you already fleshed out ideas for future adventures with Marc Dane?’
@NessHolly asked ‘Will #Nomad be a standalone or are you hoping to revisit the characters?’
The answer to both questions is yes, Marc will return in follow-up story in 2017, and I have more stories to tell beyond that (I hope!)
@BashayerBebita asked ‘Why did you choose the Arabic in ur cover, do you speak the language?’
I wish I did! I have little skill with languages! The Arabic text on #Nomad‘s cover was a design idea from the art team.
@char_zine asked ‘What’s your favourite gadget ever invented and why?’
That’s a tough one. I’d say the Walkman & later the iPod, because I like having my music with me wherever I go. Smartphone for 2nd.
Okay, the firewalls are cracking so I’ll making my escape soon…
Thanks to everyone for participating in the #Nomad Q&A! Some excellent questions there! It was a pleasure to talk to you all!
If you have more questions, follow me over at @jmswallow or my blog at http://jamesswallow.blogspot.co.uk/
Nomad is on sale now, and you can order a copy Here.
Over at Nudge, the website for the NewBooks magazine for readers and book groups, there’s a competition runnign to win one of five copies of my new thriller novel Nomad, and as a run in for that, they asked my to write something about things I enjoy in the spy genre.
Read the piece Here; and feel free to suggest your own Top 5 Spy-Fi organizations in the comments.
.
They asked me to jot down something about “inspiration” and what came out the other end was an honest ramble through a bit of my own personal backstory and some of the motivation that made me want to write my thriller…
Check out my words Here…
.
Published by Bonnier Zaffre, it’s available in hardcover and export trade paperback – and for a limited time, you can snatch it up on eBook for just under £1!
WHERE DO YOU TURN WHEN YOUR COUNTRY TURNS ON YOU?
Marc Dane is a MI6 field agent at home behind a computer screen, one step away from the action. But when a brutal attack on his team leaves Marc as the only survivor – and with the shocking knowledge that there are traitors inside MI6 – he’s forced into the front line.
But when the evidence seems to point towards Marc as the perpetrator of the attack, he is accused of betraying his country and must race against time to clear his name.
With nowhere to turn to for help and no one left to trust, Marc is forced to rely on the enigmatic Rubicon group and their operative Lucy Keyes. Ex-US Army, Lucy also knows what it’s like to be an outsider, and she’s got the resources that Marc is sorely lacking.
A terrorist attack is coming, one bigger and more deadly than has ever been seen before. With the eyes of the security establishment elsewhere, only Lucy and Marc can stop the attack before it is too late…
A DEVASTATING TERRORIST ATTACK IN CENTRAL BARCELONA.
AN ELITE UNIT FATALLY AMBUSHED IN NORTHERN FRANCE.
A SINISTER ORPHANAGE IN THE HEART OF THE DESERT.
A TRAITOR BURIED IN THE BRITISH SECURITY SERVICES.
Only one man can unmask the conspiracy – but only if he survives long enough…
–ADVANCE PRAISE FOR NOMAD—
‘An intelligent, likable and, above all, believable hero is faced with a frighteningly credible threat in a thriller that hits the tarmac running and doesn’t stop accelerating until its terrifying conclusion.‘
– Ben Aaronovitch, author of the Sunday Times bestselling PC Peter Grant novels
‘A terrific white-knuckle, lip-chewing thriller. Marc Dane is the British Jason Bourne. About bloody time!’
– Rhianna Pratchett, WGA Award-winning writer of Tomb Raider and Mirror’s Edge.
‘Exciting and thought-provoking in equal measure, Nomad is a thinking reader’s thrill ride. James Swallow has written a benchmark technothriller for the 21st century, one that’s as engrossing as it is plausible.’
– Richard Dansky, Central Tom Clancy writer on Splinter Cell, Ghost Recon, Rainbow Six and The Division.
To order a copy of Nomad, click Here! And if you enjoy the book, a positive review over on Amazon and Goodreads would be much appreciated!
.
