HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: It’s a touchy decision, isn’t it? When a beloved author dies, should their stories and style go with them?
Nicholas Meyer and Anthony Horowitz and others have done Arthur Conan Doyle proud, and Sophie Hannah is brilliant as the new Agatha Christie. Robert B Parker––reincarnated by several others ––still keeps his millions of fans, too. Ludlum. Clancy. And in this very space, we were talking about what would happen to Sue Grafton’s books ––since her family has sold the movie rights, can a new book be far behind? (Does anyone want to write Z is for… but that’s a question for another day.)
But today, we celebrate.
A dear friend and his writing partner--two amazing and talented best-selling authors--are carrying on the tradition of another beloved author who is no longer with us on earth. And the way Brian Andrews and Jeffrey Wilson are approaching this delicate and daunting task is incredibly respectful, and incredibly exciting.
PASSING THE BATON
A dear friend and his writing partner--two amazing and talented best-selling authors--are carrying on the tradition of another beloved author who is no longer with us on earth. And the way Brian Andrews and Jeffrey Wilson are approaching this delicate and daunting task is incredibly respectful, and incredibly exciting.
PASSING THE BATON
– Estate Writing for W.E.B Griffin
by Andrews & Wilson
In track & field, the relay race is one of the most thrilling events to watch because the race is not won or lost based on the talent of a single runner. With each leg of the race, the baton is passed to a new runner whose job is to meet or exceed the pace set by his or her predecessor. As co-authors, we are no strangers to the concept of teamwork and sharing the load, but when Tom Colgan at Penguin-Random House approached us about taking over the Presidential Agent series for the W.E.B. Griffin estate, he definitely brought new meaning to the expression “passing the baton.”
For those of you who aren’t familiar, W.E.B. Griffin (aka William Edmund Butterworth III) is the iconic author of 59 detective and military thriller novels, within seven series, written over the span of six decades. He passed away in February 2019 at the age of eighty-nine with over 160 publishing credits to his name including non-fiction works. One of Griffin’s most celebrated and well-known characters is Charley Castillo, the hero of the New York Times Best-Selling Presidential Agent series.
Our first reaction to Tom’s offer was an enthusiastic “hell yeah,” but that excitement quickly turned to dread as the reality of what we had agreed to began to sink in.
We started saying things to each other like: “Dude, I think we might have bitten off more than we can chew. How can we write a book that measures up to such a legendary name? How do we honor the characters and universe Griffin created without being able to talk to him about it? And…what happens if we mess it up?” Suddenly, the weight of that baton in our hands felt very, very heavy.
That’s when Tom stepped in with coaching advice that became our lodestar. “Guys, I’m not asking you to write WEB Griffin,” he said, with a knowing smile, “No one can write Griffin except Griffin himself. What I want you to do is write the best Andrews and Wilson novel possible and write it in a way that honors the characters and universe Griffin created. Do you think you can do that?”
With those sage words, Tom empowered us to run our own race, instead of stumbling down the track looking over our shoulders. In talking with other estate authors—Marc Cameron, Mark Greaney, Don Bentley, and Josh Hood—we found this to be a common theme. Writing in the shadow of the masters (e.g., Tom Clancy, Robert Ludlum, and W.E.B Griffin) is a daunting proposition.
by Andrews & Wilson
In track & field, the relay race is one of the most thrilling events to watch because the race is not won or lost based on the talent of a single runner. With each leg of the race, the baton is passed to a new runner whose job is to meet or exceed the pace set by his or her predecessor. As co-authors, we are no strangers to the concept of teamwork and sharing the load, but when Tom Colgan at Penguin-Random House approached us about taking over the Presidential Agent series for the W.E.B. Griffin estate, he definitely brought new meaning to the expression “passing the baton.”
For those of you who aren’t familiar, W.E.B. Griffin (aka William Edmund Butterworth III) is the iconic author of 59 detective and military thriller novels, within seven series, written over the span of six decades. He passed away in February 2019 at the age of eighty-nine with over 160 publishing credits to his name including non-fiction works. One of Griffin’s most celebrated and well-known characters is Charley Castillo, the hero of the New York Times Best-Selling Presidential Agent series.
Our first reaction to Tom’s offer was an enthusiastic “hell yeah,” but that excitement quickly turned to dread as the reality of what we had agreed to began to sink in.
We started saying things to each other like: “Dude, I think we might have bitten off more than we can chew. How can we write a book that measures up to such a legendary name? How do we honor the characters and universe Griffin created without being able to talk to him about it? And…what happens if we mess it up?” Suddenly, the weight of that baton in our hands felt very, very heavy.
That’s when Tom stepped in with coaching advice that became our lodestar. “Guys, I’m not asking you to write WEB Griffin,” he said, with a knowing smile, “No one can write Griffin except Griffin himself. What I want you to do is write the best Andrews and Wilson novel possible and write it in a way that honors the characters and universe Griffin created. Do you think you can do that?”
With those sage words, Tom empowered us to run our own race, instead of stumbling down the track looking over our shoulders. In talking with other estate authors—Marc Cameron, Mark Greaney, Don Bentley, and Josh Hood—we found this to be a common theme. Writing in the shadow of the masters (e.g., Tom Clancy, Robert Ludlum, and W.E.B Griffin) is a daunting proposition.
The key to success as an estate author is not to emulate the greats who came before you, but to tell your story with the same passion and enthusiasm they did. The readers will never accept a second-rate copy, nor should they be asked to. What the readers really want to experience is the next leg of the journey. The writer might have changed, but the race is still on and so long as it’s just as thrilling the readers will be satisfied.
Interestingly, we took this idea of “passing the baton” to the page as well. With ROGUE ASSET, our tasking was not to reboot the series, or reboot Charley Castillo for that matter. He’s the same Charley, he’s just in a different place in his life.
Time has passed. People in power have changed. The geopolitical landscape has evolved. When the novel opens, Charley is retired out of the spy game and living on his ranch. Then, the Secretary of State is kidnapped and the government calls him out of retirement. However, the ask isn’t exactly what he imagined it would be.
The Presidential Agent program is back, but leadership surprises Charley by tasking him with finding and training his successor. That successor turns out to be Marine Raider P.K. McCoy (grandson of another beloved Griffin character) which allowed us to pay homage to the iconic Corps Series as well. Ironically, as the story unfolded, we discovered that Charley still had plenty of gas left in the tank, which led us to an unexpected pivot. Instead of Charley fully passing that baton, in ROGUE ASSET a brand-new partnership is forged.
As stewards of the Presidential Agent series, we have gained such incredible respect for our fellow genre authors who write for the Clancy and Ludlum estates. It’s both an incredible thrill and responsibility to write larger than life legacy heroes—like Charley Castillo—known by millions of fans. Our only regret is that W.E.B. Griffin himself is not here to share our excitement about this book, but we believe in our hearts he would be proud.
HANK: Awww… And I should tell you ROGUE ASSET is published by GP Putnam & Sons and launches December 7th. And you can hear more from Brian Andrews (with Vera Kurian, Scott Shepherd and Kimberly Belle!) in The Back Room on Sunday, Dec 5. (As you know it’s free, but space is limited. Just like in the submarines where Brian served as an officer. Ask him—he has some amazing stories. Ever think about what it might like to cook on a vehicle that’s always tilted?)
Anyway. Did you ever read W.E.B. Griffin?
And don’t you love the amazing Tom Colgan’s advice—to honor the author’s characters and universe? And isn't it clever that A&W “passed the baton” in their book, too?
And one more thing: Andrews & Wilson write action-adventure and covert operations novels honoring the heroic men and women who serve in the military and intelligence communities. And check out their bios—they know whereof they speak. And we salute them!
What questions do you have about their writing—or their military experiences?
Andrews & Wilson is the bestselling writing team of Brian Andrews and Jeffrey Wilson, the authors behind the Tier One, Sons of Valor, Shepherds series and Rogue Asset, the ninth book in the W.E.B. Griffin Presidential Agent series.
Brian is a former submarine officer, entrepreneur, and Park Leadership Fellow with degrees from Vanderbilt and Cornell. He is also a principal contributor at careerauthors.com, a site dedicated to helping aspiring authors.
Jeff worked as an actor, firefighter, paramedic, jet pilot, and diving instructor, as well as a vascular and trauma surgeon. During his fourteen years of service, Jeff made multiple deployments as a combat surgeon with an East Coast–based SEAL team.
To learn more about their books, sign up for their newsletter online at andrews-wilson.com. Follow them on Twitter: @BAndrewsJWilson and Instagram/Facebook: @AndrewsandWilson.
Interestingly, we took this idea of “passing the baton” to the page as well. With ROGUE ASSET, our tasking was not to reboot the series, or reboot Charley Castillo for that matter. He’s the same Charley, he’s just in a different place in his life.
Time has passed. People in power have changed. The geopolitical landscape has evolved. When the novel opens, Charley is retired out of the spy game and living on his ranch. Then, the Secretary of State is kidnapped and the government calls him out of retirement. However, the ask isn’t exactly what he imagined it would be.
The Presidential Agent program is back, but leadership surprises Charley by tasking him with finding and training his successor. That successor turns out to be Marine Raider P.K. McCoy (grandson of another beloved Griffin character) which allowed us to pay homage to the iconic Corps Series as well. Ironically, as the story unfolded, we discovered that Charley still had plenty of gas left in the tank, which led us to an unexpected pivot. Instead of Charley fully passing that baton, in ROGUE ASSET a brand-new partnership is forged.
As stewards of the Presidential Agent series, we have gained such incredible respect for our fellow genre authors who write for the Clancy and Ludlum estates. It’s both an incredible thrill and responsibility to write larger than life legacy heroes—like Charley Castillo—known by millions of fans. Our only regret is that W.E.B. Griffin himself is not here to share our excitement about this book, but we believe in our hearts he would be proud.
HANK: Awww… And I should tell you ROGUE ASSET is published by GP Putnam & Sons and launches December 7th. And you can hear more from Brian Andrews (with Vera Kurian, Scott Shepherd and Kimberly Belle!) in The Back Room on Sunday, Dec 5. (As you know it’s free, but space is limited. Just like in the submarines where Brian served as an officer. Ask him—he has some amazing stories. Ever think about what it might like to cook on a vehicle that’s always tilted?)
Anyway. Did you ever read W.E.B. Griffin?
And don’t you love the amazing Tom Colgan’s advice—to honor the author’s characters and universe? And isn't it clever that A&W “passed the baton” in their book, too?
And one more thing: Andrews & Wilson write action-adventure and covert operations novels honoring the heroic men and women who serve in the military and intelligence communities. And check out their bios—they know whereof they speak. And we salute them!
What questions do you have about their writing—or their military experiences?
Andrews & Wilson is the bestselling writing team of Brian Andrews and Jeffrey Wilson, the authors behind the Tier One, Sons of Valor, Shepherds series and Rogue Asset, the ninth book in the W.E.B. Griffin Presidential Agent series.
Brian is a former submarine officer, entrepreneur, and Park Leadership Fellow with degrees from Vanderbilt and Cornell. He is also a principal contributor at careerauthors.com, a site dedicated to helping aspiring authors.
Jeff worked as an actor, firefighter, paramedic, jet pilot, and diving instructor, as well as a vascular and trauma surgeon. During his fourteen years of service, Jeff made multiple deployments as a combat surgeon with an East Coast–based SEAL team.
To learn more about their books, sign up for their newsletter online at andrews-wilson.com. Follow them on Twitter: @BAndrewsJWilson and Instagram/Facebook: @AndrewsandWilson.
