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| Final Option with Boyd Morrison |
I’ve been fortunate enough to know Boyd Morrison since the first-ever ThrillerFest back in 2005. While Boyd currently co-authors with Clive Cussler in the Oregon series—Final Option is their latest collaboration—he’s also a successful and talented writer in his own right. It’s always fun getting into the heads of other writers to find out how they work and how they think. I don’t know about you, but I always learn something that helps me in my own writing. Here are 9 things you might not know about Boyd Morrison. I hope you enjoy!
1. Which is harder: writing the first or last sentence?
The first sentence is always the harder of the two for me. At the beginning of a novel, there is an infinite number of directions that the story can go. But at the end of the novel, the previous 100,000 words have been leading up to this one moment. Sometimes, I know the last sentence months before I get there, but I think they are both equally important. My view is that the first sentence (and chapter) sells this novel, and the last sentence (and chapter) sells the next novel.
2. What’s your favorite word?
I’d say “Yes” is my favorite word. Usually something good happens when someone says “yes.” In the publishing business, we get a lot of rejection, and “yes” is the perfect antidote.
3. Where do you like to write?
Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of my writing on a laptop in my living room. There’s a comfy chair where I can see the Cascades above a lake near our house, even on the ever-present cloudy days we have in Seattle, and I have a nice little table next to me for my drink and snacks. I only wish I had three hands so I could type and simultaneously pet my dog, who likes to sit next to me while I work.
4. What do you do when you need to take a break from writing?
I either take my dog to the park to chase the ball or swim, or I watch TV. When it’s raining, TV always seems like the better option.
5. If you could have lived in a different time period, what would that be?
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| The Ark: A Tyler Locke Novel |
I’ve never longed to live in the past. I like my creature comforts too much, and I know that even rich folk two hundred years ago lived without running water. Or TV. So I’d probably opt to go into the future to the point when we had daily flights to the moon.
6. What’s your favorite drink?
I’m not a coffee drinker, so my go-to beverage for caffeine is Diet Coke. I try to limit myself, but it’s my favorite indulgence when I’m on a deadline.
7. When you were ten years old, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Definitely an astronaut. I thought we’d have those daily flights to the moon by the time I was an adult. Alas, I’m still waiting. I did work at Johnson Space Center for a couple of years and was lucky enough to fly on the Vomit Comet, where I experienced zero gravity, so I have gotten just a taste of it.
8. Do you have a literary hero? A teacher, mentor, family member, author who has inspired you to write stories?
Clive Cussler was the writer who got me hooked on thrillers in the first place, and I couldn’t wait for each of his books to hit the stores. So it’s absolutely amazing that I now work with him and talk to him on a regular basis. He’s taught me so much about great storytelling that I feel like I’m getting a private master class every time I sit in his office to plot our next book.
9. Do you write what you know or what you want to know?
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| Boyd Morrison |
I write what I want to know. Doing research is one of my favorite parts of the job, and I love learning about history, technology, and exotic locations, all of which feature in the books I write. It’s astounding how little I have to invent for my stories, to the point that I have put Afterwords into my own books to explain what is real and what is fictional. I want to create an adventure not only for my readers, but for me as well.
Boyd Morrison is an engineer, actor, Jeopardy! champion, and #1 NY Times bestselling author. He has flown on the Vomit Comet at NASA, earned sixteen patents at RCA, and tested Xbox games at Microsoft. His debut novel THE ARK was an international bestseller and has been translated into more than 20 languages. He has co-written five novels with Clive Cussler in the Oregon Files series, the latest of which is FINAL OPTION. www.boydmorrison.com
So great to have Boyd here on our Rogue page today — terrific interview. I agree with him about a favorite word being "yes" — and his preference to live in the future rather than the past. Now I can't wait to read FINAL OPTION.
Boyd, thanks so much for stopping by! I really enjoyed your interview, and look forward to reading FINAL OPTION!
I know what you mean about first and last words. I have no problem writing endings, but I’ll rewrite the first page or first chapter a million times and never really be happy with it.
What a thrill that Boyd has joined us for this guest blog, Robin. I admire his work a lot, too. And I was tickled about his working on his laptop in a comfy chair in his living room. I do that a lot, too, as a break from my desk. Also agree about first & last words. Amazing how much we writers have in common! 🙂
Yes! Wonderful word. Thanks for being here and thanks for the great books!