tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21169134355213915642024-02-20T22:18:25.483+00:00THE ACCIDENT MAN IS BACKSamuel Carver returns in THE SURVIVORTom Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14839322531328592229noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2116913435521391564.post-38896291314428126432008-07-22T14:55:00.009+01:002009-03-12T13:51:09.202+00:00Visit <a href="http://authorsplace.co.uk/tom-cain/">Tom Cain's profile page on Author's Place</a> - the brand new home for authors published by the Random House Group.Tom Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14839322531328592229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2116913435521391564.post-27038069426572999172008-08-06T17:42:00.002+01:002008-08-06T18:20:38.052+01:00The story behind The Survivor<span style="font-weight:bold;">Ali Karim</span> - a total legend among thriller-writers for the incredible dedication and enthusiasm with which he spreads the word about the work we do - recently sent me a bunch of questions about The Accident Man and The Survivor. The full interview is available on <a href="http://therapsheet.blogspot.com/2008/07/surviving-second-novel.html">The Rap Sheet</a> ... but meantime, here's a brief extract, just as a taster ...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Q Tell me how the plot of rogue suitcase-nukes and religious nutters threatening Armageddon came to you?</span><br /><br />Well, I can trace each individual strand quite easily. The whole fundamentalist Christian angle, and the notion of ‘the Rapture’, which is their term for the moment when the believers will physically be gathered up into heaven, was inspired by an article I read in Vanity Fair (and which I credit in the book, in the interests of full disclosure). I already had that notion a few years ago, and was going to use it in a plotline involving a US President, that I later abandoned. So I recycled it this time around. The fact that parts of the book are set in Kosovo was simply a consequence of it being set in 1997-8. I looked around the world at what was happening then, and the biggest issue seemed to be the former Yugoslavia, so I had that in mind as a possible backdrop. The combination of religious Armageddon and civil war led me naturally to think about nuclear weapons and by pure chance, rooting around online, I stumbled upon a news-story about a Russian general telling a US TV show, on 7 September 1997, that his country had lost 100 suitcase nukes. Well, The Accident Man ended on 6 September 1997, so that was too good to be true. So those were the basic ingredients of the story. How they coalesced into the final plot, though, is a total mystery to me!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Q I felt that Alix Petrova [Carver's girlfriend] could actually warrant her own series as her backstory is fascinating, and I feel that as her creator, you seem to like her a lot……..?</span><br /><br />Alix is a really interesting character to me, for one major reason, which is that she refuses to die. I had originally planned to kill her two-thirds of the way through The Accident Man. But she survived into the final act. Then I was certain that she would die at the end of the book, mirroring the death of the princess at the beginning, as the price Carver paid for that earlier killing. Turns out he paid the price himself. So then we get to The Survivor and she was absolutely, categorically going to snuff it, but … well, I can’t say without spoiling everything. Suffice it to say that she will not be the lead female character in the third book … but that does not mean we’ve seen the last of her. I do like her, and I’m quite proud of her, too. Of course, she’s a stereotypical character in some ways – gorgeous Russian spy-chick: not exactly a new idea! – but I’d like to think she has complexities which take her beyond that cliché. And I like the idea of her own series … thanks for that!Tom Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14839322531328592229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2116913435521391564.post-26211708618566203702008-06-27T12:28:00.003+01:002008-06-27T12:31:36.581+01:00The Survivor - Your CommentsHave you read The Survivor?<br />Are you pleased to see the return of Samuel Carver?<br />Did you think it was even better than The Accident Man?<br /><br />Post your comments here...<br /><br />Simply click on the 'The Survivor - Your Comments' header above, then on the 'post a comment' link, which will then appear below.Tom Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14839322531328592229noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2116913435521391564.post-9527755618846957842007-02-16T10:44:00.002+00:002008-06-27T12:27:38.949+01:00The Accident Man - Your feedbackHave you read The Accident Man?<br /><br />Here's what others had to say about it. <br />Feel free to add your comments...Tom Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14839322531328592229noreply@blogger.com22