Authors Q & A

A. Renee – As far back as I can remember, my life has always been drama-filled and unbelievable! I find it therapeutic to apply these experiences to our characters.

Patrick – As a child, I used my family’s library cards to borrow nine novels at a time during our weekly trips to the library. After a while, I began creating fictional worlds and characters of my own.

A. We develop the plot outline and character arc before writing the first draft. No one
empathizes with an invulnerable hero, no matter how intriguing the plot twist! Emotional
depth is equally as important to the story and causes our readers to care about
what happens to the protagonist.

A. We are only at liberty to say we most enjoy exploring major and fatal flaws in our protagonists and antagonists.

A. The early stages are purely creative, where we entertain all ideas regarding the plot and the characters. The next stages are more structured, where the plot and characters interact within a three-act structure. The final stage is intuitive, where the characters say and do things that surprise us while driving the plot toward an exciting conclusion.

A. Everyone one of us can relate to grappling with anxiety, especially when undergoing major internal and external changes. Our readers are no different.

A. The novel is written from the third person omniscient point of view, to allow the reader to experience multiple characters, especially during the action sequences. Janice’s life depends on resolving her bouts with anxiety in real-time; meanwhile, the reader closely follows the antagonist’s next steps!

A. Our process starts with a plot idea or one of Renee’s vivid dreams, followed by the theme and lastly colorful characters.

A. Janice encounters the following combination of adversaries: Internal Struggle, Group Antagonist, Conflict Creator as well as the Ally Antagonist.

A. We closely studied interviews of former spies, combined with in-depth reports from the BBC, Reuters, and various news media outlets. Art does indeed imitate life.

A. MI6: Rise of the Jade Dragon leans heavily on human intelligence combined with major elements of Cybersecurity. We wrote with the intent to effectively differentiate our protagonist from Ian Flemming’s James Bond series.

A. Renee – Maya Angelou and Joel Osteen.
Patrick – My favorite authors were established early in my teens: Robert Ludlum, Issac Asimov, and Robert A. Heinlein.

A. Patrick is the plotter (i.e. plans the story before writing) while Renee is the pantser (i.e. lets the story unfold as she writes). Together, we make for one intense planster (a combination of the two)! 🙂

A. We collaborate on both the story and theme. Patrick maps the plot-driven first draft while Renee defines each character’s unique voice during the second round. We work closely together on the third and final pass.

A. The MI6 trilogy tracks the evolving crises that propel Janice from rookie spy to spymaster!

A. It has been an extremely positive experience! 👍👍

Q. Aspects of your novels read like screenplays. Why is this?

A. We spent years studying to be screenwriters before becoming novelists. We still see the story from the perspective of screenwriters.

A. Our characters are like noisy next doors neighbours! There are times we overhear them talking, while on other occasions we’re in the same room. However, they talk to each other, but not to us.

A. You often have to have faith in your God-given abilities long before there is external evidence for others to agree with your belief.

A. We were determined not to let gatekeepers keep us from achieving our dreams! This is why we decided to self-publish. It requires you wear multiple hats, but the journey to self-actualisation is satisfying.

A. The trend towards the merger of the large publishing house will continue. On the creative side, AI chatbots will increasing be used to support the writing process.

A. We write espionage, science fiction and action-adventure. Renee is revising on a semi-autobiographical novel called Remembering To Forget.