JAMES ROLLINS

I wish! Hollywood has optioned many of the books, both for film and a television miniseries. But nothing has gone into full production. So at this time there are no splashy plans for Deep Fathom (which came close) or any of the other novels. Keep your fingers crossed.

Much as I’d love to visit every city and town in the country and beyond, I usually only tour when I have a new book out — the rest of the time I’m busy writing and researching my next book.Because my publisher determines where to send me — based mostly on requests they receive from bookstores, libraries, and other venues where books can be sold — the best way to get me to come to you area is to have your local bookstore, library, or other venue contact my agent, Russ Gallen, here and make a case for me to visit.

The price of ebooks is one of the most controversial matters to hit publishing in years. Recently the Department of Justice sued the nation’s top publishers, including mine — HarperCollins — over this very issue. The publishers were accused of collaborating with each other, and with Apple, to set prices artificially high. As you can imagine, with the Federal Government suing my publisher over ebook prices, the author is the last guy to have any say. I could only be a spectator as these two elephants fought with each other. The lawsuit was recently settled but it could be a long time before we see what its effects will be. What’s true today may not be true tomorrow, so I will come back to this space from time to time to keep my answer accurate and up to date.As I understand this new settlement, ebook retailers like Amazon will soon be free to set the selling price on ebooks. The publisher will set the retail price, but it’s up to the retailer to decide what kind of discount to offer. It’ll be like hardcover books, where the list price might be, say, $24.95, but it might sell for various lower prices depending on which store you visit, how recent the book is, how well it’s selling, and whether there are any special sales or promotions that week.The good news is that the Federal suit is expected to bring lower ebook prices. The bad news is that with the ink barely dry on the settlement, no one knows precisely how it’s all going to work. Prices may change from day to day or hour to hour. If you think the price is too high, try again tomorrow — it might be different.Authors have very little influence in this area. However, I believe in low ebook prices and I have always urged my publisher to keep prices low. An author wants to be read more than anything else. Any obstacle to that, like prices that are higher than they need to be, is something I will always be opposed to. My publisher has heard this from me loud and clear.

All of my books have been released as a hardcover edition. Most are still in print, thought increasingly more difficult to locate.  If you are look for a long out of print edition such as Amazonia, Ice Hunt and Sandstorm.  You can find these editions both new and used through a variety of online stores: eBay and Amazon as well as your independant book collector stores: VJ Books and The Poisoned Pen.

I had a huge party with friends and family. But you’ll have to ask them about it. For some reason, after countless bottles of champagne, I can’t seem to remember the details.

My main goal is to entertain, but I think the best entertainment also strives to make us think and to challenge our view of history or the world around us. It’s important to leave readers with something to contemplate after they turn that last page. When I hear a reader say that a certain novel intrigued them enough to explore a detail raised in a book, I know I’ve done my job well: to entertain, to intrigue, but also to leave something to explore afterward.

Suspense is the true heart of all good adventures, the proverbial cliff hanger. You take your character (and reader) to the edge of disaster, have him peer over, then push him from behind when he least expects it. And the crux of a good thriller is to make those cliffs higher and higher throughout  the novel. Strive for tightening that noose notch by notch. Each level of suspense should build upon the previous one.  Each situation must be unique, each outcome more inventive. Lester Dent (author of most Doc Savage novels) once suggested: “Never kill characters the same way twice.” He was right — always strive to be unique. Finally, let the reader rest between events, then just as they think they’ve caught their breath, hit ‘em again and again and again. And one last note on the practical side, always end a chapter with a note of peril, whether physical or emotional. Make that reader want to turn that next page to see what happens.

(1) Have the character demonstrate exceptional skill at his/her profession or some other task. (2) Have the character be funny/humorous. (3) Have character treat others well. (4) Have the character demonstrate kindness to pets/kids/elderly. (5) Have the character afflicted or suffering from undeserved misfortune. (6) Show other people demonstrating affection for the character. (7) Give the character some physical/mental/educational handicap, or make them a massive underdog.

My goal when I set out to write is not to examine the human condition or explore the trials and tribulations of modern society. When I set out to write, I aim for pure balls-to-the-wall adventure, pure escape and entertainment. I follow the three M’s of storytelling: murder, magic, and mayhem. But with that said, I don’t think any adventure story will work unless you do indeed engage the reader on a level deeper than pure popcorn-entertainment. He must care about the characters, or why join you on this journey? She must be invested in the characters to care about their fate. So though entertainment is the goal, it is equally important to craft characters who will live, breathe, and bleed in your reader’s heart and mind. As such, the human condition of your characters must be addressed and examined. They must be brought to life with all the frailties and quirks and problems and nuisances that the reader brings to the books. For the reader to relate, he must find something in which to relate. This must not be neglected. I strongly believe that character and plot must be tightly interwoven, especially in adventure fiction. One will not work without the other.