Ask the Author: Brad Taylor
Answered Questions (56)
Brad Taylor
Damn it! I know better than that. I can't believe I put that in there. At first, I thought, "That's not true. No way would I have written that." But, alas, I did. One throw-away sentence about a victory meal. You're absolutely correct - especially about Jaipur - and yes, I'll try to edit that for future editions. No matter how hard I try, I always make some mistakes. Sorry about that, and thanks for the observation! Glad you enjoyed it otherwise.
Brad Taylor
That's like asking me to choose between my kids. If forced to, I suppose it would be the origin story in One Rough Man, Enemy of Mine to close the loop from One Rough Man, No Fortunate Son because I just love that one, End of Days because it introduces Aaron and Shoshana, and Daughter of War because I love that one too. There are probably more if I thought about it, but that's off the top of my head.
Brad Taylor
Joshua,
Nope, the books can be read in any order, as they all stand alone. The one thing that might happen is you get a spoiler from a previous book, as they follow a linear timeline, but that knowledge won't affect the plot or understanding of the current book.
Nope, the books can be read in any order, as they all stand alone. The one thing that might happen is you get a spoiler from a previous book, as they follow a linear timeline, but that knowledge won't affect the plot or understanding of the current book.
Brad Taylor
I learned early on that publicly stating who I thought should play Pike or Jennifer was unfair to the reader. Yes, the reader may build a movie in his or her mind, and honestly that movie is just as correct as any movie that was in my mind when I wrote it. Since I am the author, my answer is viewed as definitive, and I don't feel that's fair, so since One Rough Man, I've decided to keep my views to myself. Sorry! Who are they in your mind?
Brad Taylor
Don't know why I wasn't notified about this question. Yes, Hannister is Veep's dad, but in Ring of Fire he's the Vice President - hence the callsign VEEP.
Brad Taylor
Hopefully, but really, that's not a question for me but for Hollywood. While I'd like it to happen, whether there will be a movie or TV series is not up to me.
Brad Taylor
Yes, but not actually on the ground. There are plenty of photos, news reports, and dissedent statements on the place. It's fairly well known, and in fact can be found using simple tools like Google Earth.
Brad Taylor
I weave in a lot of real history into the stories, so past administrations do factor in without actually naming them, but I steer clear of purely political aspects in my books, dealing strictly with national security issues. I'm a reader first, and I don't like it when a writer tries to push his or her political agenda, so I steer clear of politics. I've published 17 books and have never even said what party the administration belongs to for that reason.
Brad Taylor
They allow me to flesh out the various characters within the "Pike Universe" that I can't otherwise do in the full length novels. Yes, I intend to write more in the future.
Brad Taylor
That's sort of a trick question. Every rifle is built for a specific application, and Pike's "favorite" will be based on the situation. Does he need to get it into position clandestinely, sacrificing accuracy for the ability to infiltrate the weapon? Or can he just lay flat with a 24 inch barrel and plenty of leg room to find his target? And we haven't even started with the caliber of the weapon. Does he need to reach out past a thousand meters to disable the engine block of a car, or hit a human head behind a hostage at 500? I guess the answer is "Yes, he has a favorite rifle for multiple specific situations, but each favorite will change based on the mission he's given".
Brad Taylor
Unfortunately, no. The Knights factor heavily in the book, but due to COVID, I couldn't travel to Malta itself for research. So it ended up not making the book. Sorry.
Brad Taylor
Veep crawled through a second story window to help with that one bathroom, then went back outside. Just kidding. I just looked it up and you're absolutely right. I cannot believe with the number of people who've read that book before publication - including me at least seven times - that that mistake made it through. Thank you for pointing it out. We try mightily to catch such mistakes, and inevitabely something slips through. You are the first to find this one, but I'm sure you won't be the last.
Brad Taylor
Thank you! Glad you're enjoying the series. As for returning to Memphis, due to COVID everything right now is up in the air. I'd love to come back, but I have no idea what's going to happen in the future.
Brad Taylor
Thank you! Glad you're enjoying them. Stay safe!
Brad Taylor
Short answer: No. The price of the books are established by the publisher, not the author, be it eBook on Kindle or hard back in a bookstore. At that point, much like any other commodity, the end seller can then establish whatever price point they want - like a 2 for 1 Coke purchase or half-off ice cream at the supermarket. In this case, Barnes and Noble can sell a book at 25% off and Amazon can do the same, but I, as the author, have no control over it.
Brad Taylor
Thanks! Glad you're enjoying the series. My most recent, Hunter Killer, came out last January (Jan 2020). The next will be in January of 2021.
Brad Taylor
Thank you! Glad you're enjoying the series. As for who would play what character, I learned early on to keep that opinion to myself. Each reader has their own idea of who would be a good choice, and me as the writer saying what I think is basically telling readers with a different opinion that they're "wrong", when they're not. So, I never answer this question. Sorry.
Brad Taylor
Sorry to hear the troubles finding the books, and thank you for the praise. Glad you're enjoying the series! And yes, my latest book, Hunter Killer, came out in January. Currently banging away on Book 15!
Brad Taylor
I guess that would depend on the book. As I answer this, I have 14 out, and all of them are a little different. There are some curse words - but no more than what one would hear in everyday military life. There is definitely violence, because the subject matter itself is violent, but there is no gratuitous violence, and no set piece torture scenes (I think I did have some torture scenes in The Polaris Protocol when illustrating the Mexican drug cartels). I can say with absolute certainty there are no sex scenes. I was told early on that if you want to look like a fool, try to write a sex scene. All of that happens off the page.
Brad Taylor
Uhhh....Nope. Apparently I have to type more to get this to load on Goodreads. So my answer is "No, I am not left handed."
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