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STORM PEAK Q&A with John A. Flanagan
1) Jesse Parker is a fantastic character. How did
you go about creating him and what were your inspirations?
I’m not sure where Jesse came from. But I’m
glad you like him. He grew over a long period. I guess
I’ve always had a weakness for heroes who are kind
of one wing down. I like the fact that Jesse is human. He
has weaknesses (like Abby). But at heart, he’s a
good guy and a good cop. The funny thing is, initially I
had no physical picture of him in my mind. Any time I
tried to picture him, I kept coming up with a young
version of Tom Selleck. Then I was on a shuttle bus from
the ski fields in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, one day and I
found myself sitting opposite a dark haired guy who I
instantly knew was Jesse. I sat studying him intently for
the next 15 minutes, memorizing his features so I could
describe him. After a while, he became uncomfortably aware
of my scrutiny and I had to pretend to look away, then
sneak another peek at him when he wasn’t looking my
way. I’m not sure what he thought I was doing.
2) You live in Australia and STORM PEAK is set in
Colorado. How did you go about your research? What are the
similarities/differences between your home town and this
region of the U.S.?
Okay, second part first. There are no
similarities between Colorado and Australia —
particularly the beach side suburb where I live, called
Manly. This is why I loved Colorado — and the other
States I visited to ski — Wyoming, Nevada, Idaho and
Utah. It was all so different for me. I was lucky that in
the early to mid 90’s I was writing a newsletter and
other promotional material for an Australian ski resort
(Thredbo) and they set up an international ski travel
club. Naturally, I had to do research on the American ski
resorts we were selling. Well, hell, somebody had
to do it, right?
So, for about 8 to 10 years, my wife and I used to travel
each year to the States and ski at least two resorts
— all in the name of research. We spent the majority
of these visits in Colorado , two of them in Steamboat,
which was my favorite place. Bear in mind, I grew up in
the era of western movies and Steamboat, Jackson Hole and
Breckenridge all brought that era to life for me —
raised wooden sidewalks, people in cowboy boots and
Stetsons, shops with window displays of Colt .44
Peacemakers — and the skiing was excellent. The
initial idea for Storm Peak came during one of these
trips. I filed it away, as you do. Then one day when I had
time, I turned it into a book.
As an example of the difference, I remember one time, a
week after we’d been in Colorado, skiing in below
freezing conditions, I found myself drifting outside the
line of breakers at a local beach. I was bobbing up and
down on my body board, too lazy to catch a wave. The
water was green and clear and the bottom was
sandy and I realized that the water temperature (20
degrees Celsius — or 68 degrees Fahrenheit) was so
much warmer than the overall temperature where I’d
just been. It was a surreal moment.
3) Skiing figures prominently in STORM PEAK. Is
the sport a hobby of yours?
My wife and I were very keen skiers for about 15 years. We
were late starters and worked like mad to make up for lost
time. We were lucky that a lot of our friends were experts
and several of them were former ski instructors. But these
days, my knees send me warning signals. One downhill run
could mean no golf for six months. I still have a
hankering to get back to Steamboat and spend a few months
there — and just ski the easy green runs, very
gently. Then again, I had all my worst falls skiing gently
on easy green runs, so maybe that’s not such a great
idea.
4) You also author the internationally
bestselling Ranger’s Apprentice series. Tell us
about your process—how do you manage your writing
schedule? Do you have set hours to sit down and write?
I spent my formative writing years in advertising and
television, where I was always writing to a deadline and I
like having that discipline. Since the success of the
Rangers series, I’ve been able to write novels full
time. I find it’s best for me to have a definite
schedule. I have a three room cabin behind our house which
is my studio. I write five days a week, (Monday to Friday)
and I work from about 10 am to 1PM. I don’t start
writing a book until I have it completely planned and
outlined on paper — a chapter by chapter breakdown.
Usually, my writing time is the first three to four months
of the year. I may have to expand this if I’m going
to revisit Jesse and Lee’s world.)
5) Can you give us a sneak peak at what
you’ve got in store for Jesse Parker’s future
adventures?
Funny you should ask that. I’ve got the Australian
edition of Avalanche Pass beside me as I’m
writing. That’s the second in the series. It’s
set in Utah, in a fictional resort that bears a close
resemblance to Snowbird, in Wasatch County (I love
American place names!). Jesse discovers a plot to hold the
guests at a luxury resort to ransom. He’s working on
his own, behind enemy lines, as it were, while he and the
FBI Special Agent in Charge of the situation have to
figure a way to save the hostages. Loads of action, loads
of tension and some Wasatch powder skiing as well. I think
you’ll like it.
Again, the central idea for this book was triggered on a
visit to Utah. As before, I filed it away for future use
— as you do.
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