1. When/why did you decide to become a writer?
I caught the writing bug in elementary school but only took it seriously when I was in high school. I was often sidetracked due since I also wanted to be a professional track athlete. I had a very wild imagination, so story ideas constantly came to me to the point I decided to write them down. Eventually I put together the first of several drafts which--after 12 years--would become PANDORA'S SUCCESSION.
2. What authors inspired you when you were younger? What books do you enjoy reading today?
Vince Flynn was the first author to inspire me after I read TERM LIMITS. Until then I thought that action/thrillers only existed in movies and wasn't something that could be found in books. Flynn opened my eyes to that genre, and it eventually led me to read from others such as Barry Eisler, Joseph Finder, and Eric Jerome Dickey.
3. What was the inspiration behind your novel The Demeter Code?
There were several news articles that inspired THE DEMETER CODE. I won't name them because doing so would reveal several spoilers. However, the first one which really sparked the idea was an article I read two years ago about accidentally creating a biological weapon through (spoiler). After I read it, I began reading several others and also watching documentaries about the same (spoiler) subject matter. I kept a list of all 53 articles and news reports which I then referenced at the back of the book.
4. The Demeter Code is a sequel. Will we see more stories featuring these characters?
Most definitely, and I also have thoughts of writing a sequel to my standalone thriller, CHILL RUN. I can't say when, but they're both in the works.
5. What is it about spies that interests you?
It's mostly the mystery. It's a world of secrecy and covert activities. From an entertainment standpoint, there's excitement when you never know who's who. I'm fascinated by how company and government secrets are obtained by their opposition, as well as the personal sacrifices that are made by the operatives who obtain them.
6. Were any of the characters personalities or emotions taken from real life?
Some of the characters in THE DEMETER CODE were based on real people who have either gone through or who have taken part in similar activities in real life as in the story. For instance, the arms dealer, Monzer Alghafari, in THE DEMETER CODE was based on the Syrian-born arms dealer, Monzer Al Kasser, who's currently in a New York jail after a successful sting operation by the DEA, thanks to the Patriot Act. I read extensively about him because his life read like a thriller novel. All that was left to do was fictionalize certain elements so that they could be incorporated into the story.
7. What other genres would you like to try your hand at?
I once wanted to write a horror story, but I put that on the backburner.
8. What would you do if you were Ridley Fox?
lol. If I were him I wouldn't give up on tracking down the person who murdered my fiancée and see to it that they're brought to justice.
9. I have to ask you about your short story collection, Unsavory Delicacies. In two of the stories, Ridley Fox is featured. In the other, it's about revenge via food. What inspired that?
The inspiration came from a true story out of Sydney, Australia, where a restaurant owner sued a newspaper because their food critic's review destroyed their business. It's funny you asked me this question because out of curiosity, I just googled this report for fun and just learned that last June, the restaurant won a libel suit against the Sydney Herald Times.
10. Would you like to see The Demeter Code and its predecessor as a film or TV show? If yes, who do you want to have play your characters?
Currently I'm writing the screenplay for PANDORA'S SUCCESSION after my friend talked me into it. As for who I'd like to play Ridley Fox and Nita Parris in the movie, here are my choices if the movie were released today.
11. Where do you see yourself and your career in the next ten years?
In ten years I hope to have at least five other novels published and PANDORA'S SUCCESSION in cinemas worldwide.
12. What would you be doing if you weren't writing?
I'd still be working in sales.
13. Can you tell KSR what you're working on next?
I'm still unsure whether or not to write the sequel to THE DEMETER CODE or the sequel to CHILL RUN. My ideas aren't solid enough yet as I'm still doing research.
14. What authors, dead or alive, would you like to collaborate with?
I'd love to partner with David Goyer on a Superman/Wonder Woman script. For a long time I had an idea for one. The only reason I never wrote it was because the chances of it being picked up by an unknown author--such as myself--are one in a billion.
15. Thank you for participating in the interview. Can you please leave the readers with three things that may surprise them about you?
1) I was once on the Canadian Track Team in the 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay at the World University Games in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, 1999.
2) I started back playing the violin after a hiatus of several years.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5PTfv65kP8&list=UUGvAga_6rslbyZltozyOYlw&index=2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvTXYesvSng&index=1&list=UUGvAga_6rslbyZltozyOYlw
3) I often like to recite passages from novels and put them on video.
http://youtu.be/qbln3o7Vsgk?list=UUGvAga_6rslbyZltozyOYlw
Find Russell Brooks online via:
Official site (the home page will direct you to all of his social media profiles)
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