Great writers write,
and great characters live on!
June 22 - One thing is certain when it
comes to great writers . . . they write - even after their time has
passed. In recent years, some
of the finest writers at work in modern fiction put aside their own
characters and story lines to pick up the mantle for those authors who
can no longer pen their own stories.
I am excited to have learned that Don Winslow
is hard at work writing a sequel to Trevanian's hallmark work Shibumi,
and Jeffery Deaver
has been chosen by the family of Ian Fleming to write the next James
Bond adventure.
This trend becomes even
more evident as best selling authors join forces and combine talents to
bring us unique stories and exciting new characters. Clive Cussler
has teamed up with others to expand his franchise from his Dirk Pitt
series. Since 1999, Cussler
co-author Paul Kemprecos
has brought us stories of the Numa Files, while NY Times bestselling
author, Jack DuBrul, has
left his hero Phil Mercer parked on a stool at Tiny's bar, while he
writes The Oregon Files featuring Juan Cabrillo. Cussler even passed the
Pitt series to his son Dirk in 2004
with BLACK WIND. Clive
recently shared with me that he has just finished editing the fourth
book written by the father-son team, CRESCENT DAWN, scheduled for a
November release.
Last year Cussler
brought Grant Blackwood
aboard to co-author his new series featuring Sam and Remi Fargo. Blackwood, a gifted author who
brought us the Briggs Tanner stories, has also found time to co-author
the next Jack Ryan novel with Tom Clancy. Clancy has worked with many
co-authors in the past, but with Dead or Alive this is the first time he
has entrusted the Ryan character to another.
The recent release of THE
BOURNE OBJECTIVE marks the fifth time that Eric Van
Lustbader has revisited the world of the late Robert Ludlum's most
visible superspy, Jason Bourne. Since
Ludlum's death in 2001, several best selling authors have carried his
trademark style forward including Gayle Lynds, Philip
Shelby, Patrick Larkin, and James
Cobb.
This brings us to Justin Scott. His second Isaac Bell adventure,
co-written with Clive Cussler, THE
SPY, opened at #3 on the NY Times list. Justin has just shared with us that a new Isaac Bell
called THE AVIATRIX is scheduled for next June, and Scott, writing as
Paul Garrison is at work on another book in the Paul Janson series, for
the estate of his old friend Robert Ludlum.
Great writers write,
and great characters live on!
Good reading,
John
