Wednesday, December 1, 2021

Passing the (Literary) Baton



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 
– 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. 

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.

76 comments:

  1. Congratulations . . . “Rogue Asset” sounds like an adventure all Griffin fans will enjoy.

    Certainly it seems as if it would be an honor to be asked to continue a series for an author’s estate, and the idea of writing the best story you can that honors both the characters and the universe seems like the perfect advice.

    But I doubt that it's as easy as that sounds . . . what did you find to be the hardest part of stepping into Griffin’s universe? Is there anything you wish you’d done differently?

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    1. Oh, what a great question, Joan! Cannot wait to hear the answer! xx

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    2. Thanks so much Joan. No question that stepping into ANY universe you didn't create, but especially one created by such a legend, is daunting. For me the hardest part was making sure we got all the little details right. Sure we were fans of the books, but that's not as intimate as creating them, so tons of time was spent going through the previous books to honor the character of Charley Castillo. It DEFINITELY helped that we were able to incorporate the time passed, but it still felt daunting.

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  2. First of all, after reading about Brian's and Jeff's work other than writing, my question is why aren't the two of you characters in a series? It sounds like between the two of you, there would be a wealth of story material. But, I guess that's where your action-adventure and covert operations novels come in, using all that experience. And, now you have added this W.E.B. Griffin series. I admit that I haven't read Griffin or Andrews and Wilson, but I know what audio books I'll be looking at for the next car trip with my husband. My husband is ex-military, Lt. Col. in the Army, and I just know he's going to be onboard to listen to your books.

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    1. Oh, I so agree, Kathy! Amazing. ANd they both have some incredible stories. And oh, your husband is going to swoon, too. Jonathan was completely hooked on The Tier One and Sons of Valor series--he read them all in a row. I've never seen him do that! And he's excited for WEB. (I see these books under your tree...)

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    2. Thank you both so much. It's an honor that Jonathan reads our work!

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    3. Kathy, if you're an audiobook fan, then you're in for a real treat! Ray Porter performs our TIER ONE and SONS OF VALOR series and Scott Brick is performing Rogue Asset!

      Since you're new to our work, I recommend SONS OF VALOR first. For a limited time, it's in the Audible Plus catalog, making it credit free to Audible subscribers. It just passed the 5,ooo review mark with a 4.8 rating so the book is definitely resonating with people. Here's a link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9ehhx5

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    4. AND...if your hubby is a former Army, please have him drop us a note at jb@andrews-wilson.com and we can mail him a Sons of Valor unit patch. Tell him thank you for his service from us!

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    5. Oooh, downloading on Audible now! Thanks for the tip, Brian! I'm really looking forward to getting into this series.

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    6. Brian, thank you so much for the information about where to start with your books and the Audible link. I am an Audible member, and while I usually use audio books mainly in the car, my husband will listen at home, too. And, a thank you to you and Jeff for your service.

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    7. For fans of Audible and audiobooks, I highly recommend the company and app Chirp. The offer marvellous discounts on a whole host of audio books.

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  3. I can see how it would be an honor and a thrill, but terrifying at the same time. I doubt I'd want to take it on. Congrats for stepping up, and it sounds like you found a great way to pull it off.

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  4. I am looking forward to Rogue Asset. I have missed W.E.B. Griffin’s books. Hopefully your collaboration will be a success and there’ll be more to come! I’d love to see more James Crowley as well as Charley Castillo.

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    1. Cronley, not Crowley. Autocorrect strikes again.

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    2. Thanks so much! We loved putting Charley back in action. One thing we did not do, quite intentionally, is bring back all the cast of characters from the previous books. While that would have been fun, the trap we found ourselves needing to avoid was killing the pace and creating a muddy convoluted story by being forced to bring readers up to date with the backstories of a dozen characters over eight years fictional time passing. So, we focused on Charley and brought 2 other influential characters back in new roles that fit the story. As the series advances, I think there will be time and space for other favorites to return like James

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  5. BRIAN AND JEFF: Thank you for sharing your decision and journey to continue the W.E.B. Griffin books, and congratulations on the upcoming release of ROGUE ASSET next week. It sounds like you made the right decision to write about an older Charley partnering with his to-be successor.

    I have read a few beloved mystery series that are continuing with estate authors. All of them have kept the original sleuth/protagonist. Sometimes, the protagonist's "voice" and behaviour do not seem authentic to what was portrayed in earlier books by the original author. I am willing to try a couple of books by the estate authors but I have often been disappointed, and have moved on.

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    1. A FEW QUESTIONS: You both worked in different branches of the military (navy, air force). How did you meet? Can you give details on how/why you decided to work together to write military thrillers? Do you each have distinct roles in your books? For example, is one of you responsible for writing most of the scenes with Charley (and P.K.McCoy) or do you do this jointly?

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    2. Grace already asked my questions. (Stop reading my mind, Grace. LOL)

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    3. Oh, great questions, you two! Eager to hear the answers! xxx (I do know how they met...maybe they'll tell!)

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    4. Hi Grace! Brian and I both served in the Navy, Brian aboard fast attack Submarines in the Pacific and me with Naval Special Warfare as a combat surgeon with the SEALs. We never met while in service, but connected later, as debut authors at ITW's Thrillerfest in NYC (where most of our treasured relationships in the writing world were formed). The decision to write together was tough for me. I had written alone for many years, first in shorts and later with my first three novels. It wasn't that I didn't find the idea exciting, I just didn't see the HOW of writing together. I am so glad I agreed to do it, because it is the most fun I have ever had in writing, as well as the most productive.

      We write in all of our series jointly. While we split up the chapters and write simultaneously, we switch the character POVs back and forth so we each have the opportunity to get inside the head of all characters. We also swap chapters after each of us has written 2-3 chapters or so, with the other guy doing a no holds barred re-write before the chapter makes it to the master file. By the end, both of us have had our hands on every page, every line, and the work is truly and Andrews and Wilson creation.

      Would that work for other writers? I have no idea! But with our shared military backgrounds and the "Team and mission before self" ethos that comes with it, it is natural for us. And, its working so far!

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    5. That is such a brilliant process, and I love that you worked it out in tandem. Wow--a no holds barred rewrite. I guess that means egos are checked at the door--and the goal is to make the best book possible, not to WIN a "discussion."

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    7. JEFFREY: Thank you for your answers to my (and Judy's) questions!
      Kudos to you both for finding a system that works for you to write your books.

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    8. Hank, you couldn't be more right about the egos checked at the door. We decided early on that for this to work there could be no ego--- no "you're work" and "my work". It all has to be Andrews and Wilson work and that means no edits or changes are off limits. That requires a lot of trust, just like in our military service, that your teammate has your back. That is never a worry in this partnership.

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  6. So many congratulations, gentlemen, and what great advice you were given. I'm also curious about answers to Joan and Grace's questions!

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    1. Hmm. I would be even more nervous about that than these guys were, Hank! Plus, I heard Sue stay too many times that she never wanted movies/TV shows made from her books, so, no, I wouldn't write Z.

      I did get an offer to continue The Cat Who series - and I declined.

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    2. EDITH! That is SO interesting! Wow. Lots to unpack there.

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    3. EDITH: Wow, that is interesting that you were asked to continue THE CAT WHO series (which I absolutely loved reading).

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  7. Congratulations, Brian and Jeff! Great advice from Tom--giving you a way into Griffin's universe. Did your experience as writing partners prove helpful to tackling this project? Or, did you find yourselves having to adapt your writing style(s) in your approach to Griffin's characters?

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    1. I think having fifteen or so books behind us as a writing team most definitely was a help. It was a big lift to make sure we got things right in the world Griffin had created, and having each others back, having two sets of eyes and two brains to brainstorm carrying the series arc forward was a tremendous stress reliever!

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  8. Wow, between the two of you guys, what haven't you done? Impressive resumes. It's like you've done all the jobs!

    As a Little Free Library steward I end up with a lot of new-to-me books and authors, including several by WEB Griffin. Only so many books fit into that little house, so I keep a bookcase full of donated books in our big house. My husband just read one from the overstock shelves last week, and he raved about it. I guess I need to get on board!

    What an honor it must be to be asked to step into such big shoes.

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    1. I agree! Can you imagine all of the authors who probably would have also jumped at the chance? But sounds like the fab Tom Colgan know what he (and he estate) wanted...

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  9. Apologies-- you plug me in and I revert to copyright lawyer mode.

    Whether someone can write a work using a deceased author's characters or "universe" depends on the status of the author's estate and of the copyrights in particular works (usually found in the book contract and related documents). Copyright includes the right to prepare derivative works and lasts in countries that are signatory to the Bern Convention (most of the world) for no less than life of the author plus fifty years; in the US it is life of the author plus 70 years. However, some heirs at law hold a right of potential termination of any grant of rights, even if the author has assigned those rights. (Watch the language in those contracts, and confer with a copyright lawyer in collaboration with your estate planning lawyer.)

    This is true for most literary works, but not those legitimately categorized as works made for hire, which are a wholly different discussion.

    Just thought I ought to mention this.

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    1. You always know! Is it something that authors should put in their wills? Or would that matter?

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    2. There is a default-- copyrights are intangible personal property and if you have a will that doesn't mention them specifically, they usually get lumped under the "rest, residue, and remainder" clause. But the answer to your question would fill a blog post.

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  10. I have not read WEB Griffin, but as a Clancy fan, it sounds like something that might be up my alley.

    While I'm sure your military experiences inform your writing, is there anything where you say, "No, we just can't talk about that?" when it comes to the novels?

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    1. Great question and the answer is yes. We are bound by both legal and professional covenants from our prior service. OPSEC or "operational security" is something we take very seriously. We never want to reveal tactics or methods that could endanger or jeopardize the men and women currently serving out there on the pointy edge of the spear. Our rule of thumb is that anything which is in the public commons of knowledge we can include. Otherwise we fictionalize in a way that is plausible

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  11. This is taking me WAY back to when I'd read all 14 Oz books written by L. Frank Baum and tried one of the ones written after his death by Ruth Plumly Thompson. Even as a 10-year-old I knew her books didn't have the same je ne sais quoi of Baum's. The problem is that if you KNOW and LOVE an author enough to keep reading books written "BY" but not-by them, there will always be ways in which the new books are different. Have to be. But if the new books are good in a new way, that can work.

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    1. New in a good way, yup, SO agree, that's the key! And all the Nancy Drews and the like were the "same" even if written by many people. SO many variables!

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    2. I remember reading the last Amelia Peabody, finished by Joan Hess after Barbara Peters passed away. That book was different, but also still very good.

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    3. YES, if the new books are good in a new way, I will keep reading. But if that "je ne sais quoi" takes me out of the scene or prevents me from enjoying the book, then I stop reading the series written by the estate authors.

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  12. WOndering about the names on the cover "Andrews & Wilson" - wondering why they chose that versus their full name. Curious minds...

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    1. OOH! (Maybe because it can be..bigger? ;-) )

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    2. Ha! Yes, size certainly matters (font size that is)...but the main reason is because Andrews & Wilson is because that is how we brand ourselves on all our books. Similar to Preston & Child, that's how most people know us :-)

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  13. Impressive background and bona fides! Looking forward to some great reads.

    This paragraph caught my eye and earned a fist pump: "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." I love it when estate writers capture the flavor, but wondered how they saw their role.

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    1. Yes, it seems like a lot of thought and philosophy went into this process. That's so touching and reassuring, isn't it?

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    2. Thank you Kait. We really had fun writing this book, but the fun only started after our editor gave us permission to be us and write the story using our own voice. Writing is so much about confidence. If you're feeling uncertain or insecure, that translates to the page. Readers appreciate bold voices, not timid ones and that's the trick about estate writing

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    3. Oh, that is BRILLIANT. Bold with a portion of respect. Difficult juggle!

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  14. Welcome to JRW, Brian and Jeffrey. Congratulations on Rogue Asset. What a great story of how you came to take this writing assignment. Not having read Griffin, this is an opportunity for me. I think I will read your book first! Your books have been on my TBR list for a long time so, it works out perfectly! I know that my husband will want to read them, too. We often share action/adventure books and mysteries. I'm heading off to look for your book!

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    1. Thanks so much Judy! You can easily jump into the series with ROGUE ASSET even though it is book #9, there has been an 8 year gap. We knew many readers would need to get familiar or "refamiliar" with the series so we wrote the book in a way you don't have to know the cannon of the series to appreciate it

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    2. If your husband likes military thrillers, consider Sons of Valor for him. It's our new Tier One SEAL team series from Blackstone. https://tinyurl.com/2p9ehhx5

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    3. Yes, perfect! WOW, he is on the way! xx

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  15. I need to read your books, all of them! I used to read that genre regularly, but fell out of it because other styles also began to appeal to me. So many books; so little time!

    I would love to know about living and working and cooking on a submarine!

    Thank you!
    DebRo

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    1. Hi Deb, thanks for chiming in! Submarine life was quite the adventure. To keep you psyche and emotional health intact, the key is to try to chill out and not take everything personal. Thank God there's no submarine Twitter, LOL. Communal living in tight, crowded quarters requires giving your fellows "emotional space" to compensate for the lack of physical space. The guys that were uptight, insecure, and easily offended were miserable

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    2. Food plays an important role in crew moral. When the fresh food and frozen food runs out and you're stuck with canned food, the moral drops. We had a really talented cook who was a marvel in the kitchen for part of my tour. When he rotated to a shore billet, moral dropped and people were grumpy

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    3. Can you ever forget that you are under a million pounds of water?

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    4. The ocean reminds you incessantly. The hull groans and pops. The submarine rolls and pitches...you're at the ocean's mercy. But, unlike a surface ship, when the weather gets bad a submarine can go deep and escape all the rocking and rolling. We gave the middle finger to cyclones, lol

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    5. La dee dah. The ocean reminds you. That is so chilling. And it rolls and pitches? Kidding me? I've never thought about that. DO you get to somehow...practice before you really submerge in a real sub?

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    6. Hmmm, food affects crew morale? Fascinating, I never thought about how important that would be onboard on a submarine.

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    7. So interesting about food and logistics! Do subs carry things like MREs in case a deployment is extended? I just read a novel that takes place on a British navy ship in the 1870s and I was fascinated by how the food and stores were managed. The officers were definitely better off in those days!

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    8. Oh, yes, I have talked with Brian about what it was like on ships those days..Yeesh. Gruesome. (And smelly.)

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  16. If you're interested in hearing some sea stories about my service, check out this episode of Combat Flags where I talk about my experience and lessons learned: https://www.combatflags.com/blogs/the-combat-flags-podcast/015-brian-andrews

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  17. I'm so excited to see ROGUE ASSET out and about! Like everyone else, I'm struck by Tom Colgan's advice, and your take: to tell the story with the same passion and enthusiasm as the original.

    Well, I know you two bring a ton of passion and enthusiasm to all your books, so I know this one is going to be a doozy!

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    1. Thank you so much Julia! We're so excited about this book and we hope the readers love it too!

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  18. Congratulations, Brian and Jeffrey! What an exciting project to take on. I've never read Griffin (ouch, I know!) but I loved Clancy and Ludlum back in the day so I'm sure I missed out. I will be a newbie for Rogue Asset and I'm really looking forward to it!

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    1. Yes, remember reading The Hunt for Red October? I had NEVER read a book like that! And was enthralled. And the Ludlums were life-changing.

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    2. Thank you so much! If you do pick up Rogue Asset, you don't have to worry about not having read the earlier books. We know there will be lots of new readers so we make sure to bring the reader into the Presidential Agent's world without referencing every little detail from the series cannon.

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