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Welcome to Up Around the Corner, Sean. Could you
tell us a little about yourself and your writing?
I
love escapist fiction. As far back as I can remember I was drawn to science
fiction and fantasy, but when I saw the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark, I was sucked into the gravity well of high
adventure—particularly stories involving the search for lost treasure. I
devoured everything from King Solomon’s
Mines to Michael Crichton’s Congo,
and along the way, discovered Clive Cussler’s novels. I think the appeal to me,
as a kid, was the possibility that I could be one of those heroes…a Quatermain,
Indy, or a Dirk Pitt. I might never be able to pilot a space fighter or slay a
dragon, but finding a lost city or a sunken pirate ship? That could happen
right?
Writing
those daydreams out was always a part of it as well. When the school assignment
was to ‘write a story about…’ I was all over that. I definitely always knew
that I wanted to write, and by the time I finished high school, I was actively
trying to find a way to make it a career.
I’ve
had my fair share of missteps and false starts, but I guess that was the path I
had to follow to get where I am. I’ve got a ton of student loan debt, and a
degree that I would love to use, but I’d rather write stories and there’s only
so many hours in the day. That’s the lesson life is trying to teach us. That
thing you’ve always dreamed of doing? Stick with it. I wish I had realized that
thirty years ago.
In addition to writing
novels on your own (so to speak), you’ve collaborated with other authors. As
you see it, what are the benefits and the additional challenges to writing as a
co-author?
The
new reality of mainstream publishing is branding. Bestselling authors are a
sure thing, and publishers know that they will make more money putting out, say
ten new Patterson novels, than they would releasing ten novels from relative
unknowns. The bottom line for aspiring authors, particularly in genre fiction,
is that it is now even less likely that a mainstream publisher will take a
chance on you. At the same time, there are so many other options that many new
authors (and quite a few cast off mid-list veterans) are skipping the
traditional route, and doing quite well with independent publishing
alternatives. I’m somewhere in between. I have my reservations about
traditional publishing, but I’m not ready to throw in the towel on it. I think
collaboration is a valid path to success, and I’m not being cynical about that.
The process isn’t much different from an apprenticeship, and who wouldn’t want
to work with a master of the craft?
I’m
in a slightly different category than the guys working with the bestsellers.
The books I’m co-authoring aren’t being published by mainstream houses, but the
authors I’m working with are hugely successful in indie publishing. Jeremy
Robinson, with whom I’ve written several Chess Team/Jack Sigler novels as well
as the original stand-alone thriller Flood
Rising, is a traditionally published author, but the books I’ve written
with him are indie published. What that means is that the books aren’t going to
be in brick and mortar stores, but digital sales will be very strong, and as a
direct result, I’m getting new readers for many of my own titles because people
who read ebooks tend to read A LOT of ebooks, and they’re always looking for a
new favorite author.
I’ve
been very lucky in that the authors I’ve worked with give me a lot of freedom
when it comes to using their characters. I do try to stay faithful to spirit and
style of the original works, but sometimes you have to bow to the creator’s
expectations as well as the audience’s.
Can you share a
little bit with us about your most recently published work?
The
timing on that question couldn’t be better. I wrote a total of five novels in
2014, and only one of them was not a collaboration. As luck would have it, the
most recent book is that solo project, Descendant,
the second book in the Dark Trinity/Mira Raiden adventures. It’s very much in
the vein of the Tomb Raider video games or the Rogue Angel novels. The series
chronicles the adventures of Mira Raiden, who has precognitive abilities and an
on-again/off-again relationship with the CIA. The first book, Ascendant, kicked off with Mira
(freshly booted from the CIA) using her unique abilities to locate an outpost
of Atlantis, and with it, a dangerous relic called the Trinity. The second book
picks up where Ascendant, left off
and sees our heroine swept up in a search to find TWO (count ‘em) lost cities
of legend—Shambala a.k.a Shangri La, and Lemuria, often called the Atlantis of
the Pacific. Lots of crazy action in these books, as well as some crazy
history, science and magic.
What inspired you
to become a writer, and what is one of the things that has surprised you most
in the process?
One
of the things that really inspired me early on was on the ‘about the author’
page in one of Clive Cussler’s early novels. It talked about how Cussler spends
his spare time looking for shipwrecks and lost gold mines. That sounded perfect
to me. If I became a professional adventure novelist, then I could travel and
have real adventures, all in the name of research.
I
guess the biggest surprise is that I finally made it…sort of. I’m not exactly
where I dreamed of being, but the very fact that I’m now able to write full
time seems almost too good to be true.
If you had the
opportunity to sit down with any three individuals for dinner (living or
deceased), who would they be, where would you dine, and what would you hope to
discuss?
Let’s
go with Marco Polo, Jesus, and Dan “D.B.” Cooper. Marco, because there are
people who question whether he even existed at all, and because his Travels
hint at stories untold. Jesus for much the same reason. Cooper because then
we’d finally know who he was and what happened to him. We’d go to a Mongolian
grill place and I’d have Marco write the review for Yelp. Jesus could say grace,
and Dan could leave the tip.
Name one of your
novels and list five words that best describe it and then name one of your
co-authored novels, and list five words that best describe it. What do you
think the resulting words indicate?
Gosh,
look at the time….
What are you
reading now and what motivated you to select that book?
The Forgotten by David
Baldacci. I’ve been wanting to check out some other thriller authors and
Baldacci was at the top of my list. Of all his work, the books about Army CID
agent John Puller sounded the most appealing, so I’ve been working my way
through the series. They aren’t my usual cup of tea, but that can sometimes be
a rewarding experience.
What can readers
expect from you in the future?
More
books! I’m continuing my very successful partnerships with David Wood and
Jeremy Robinson. David and I are currently working on a new Outrigger series
featuring characters from his Dane Maddock novels, and there’s a second Jade
Ihara novel—the sequel to Oracle—in
the works as well. Jeremy and I are putting the final touches on the next Chess
Team/Jack Sigler novel—the eighth title in the series—which will explore the
fate of the famed Lost Colony of Roanoke Island. I don’t want to give too much
away, but the book is titled Cannibal,
so…take a wild guess. That should be out in early February. Jeremy and I are
also working on a couple other projects, but those are hush-hush for now.
Hopefully, there will be time for me to write the next Mira Raiden adventure in
there too.
As this interview
is coming to a close, is there anything else you’d like to add or share?
I
was just reading a science article about the mind-boggling field of quantum
dots. As I stumbled through the information, started wondering what the world
would be like if all 7 billion of us—that’s 7,000,000,000 people—understood
what the article was about. What might we be able to accomplish in such a
world? Now, how do we make that happen?
Thanks you Sean, for taking the time to answer my questions.
You're welcome, Terry, and thank you for the opportunity.
Below is a list of
places (links) where you can find out more about Sean Ellis and his works:
Name one of your novels and list five words that best
describe it.
