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.
