Ask the Author: John Gilstrap
Answered Questions (17)
John Gilstrap
Hi, Julie. I'm sorry to hear this. I actually have no involvement with the logistics of Goodreads giveaways, but I'm happy to see what I can do to help. Please send me an email at john@johngilstrap.com, and I can forward that to my publisher for whatever action they can take. I think we can work this out.
John Gilstrap
Thanks for the kind words. I'm thrilled that you enjoy my books. I'm not the one who makes the decisions about KU and other release outlets. My publisher is in charge of that. All I do is write the stories and send them in. All the the large scale marketing plans come from them. Sorry I can't give you a clearer answer.
John Gilstrap
Hi, Pat. I'm sorry to be so long getting back to you on this question. Somehow, it slipped through the cracks. I know there will be at least one more after BLUE FIRE. I'm currently writing WHITE SMOKE, will close the loop on the currently open plot points. But if people like it, there are tons of other stories to tell inside that world. As for being a TV show, I agree entirely. Any producers out there reading this??
John Gilstrap
Hi, Cathy. At least three. I'm writing WHITE SMOKE now. It will come out about this time next year.
John Gilstrap
Hi, Ian. I'm a little shocked that you're the first person to ask me this. My original intent was to kill Gail off in DAMAGE CONTROL. I had drawn her character arc poorly, I thought. To me, she'd become whiny and repetitive. Then, in the final edit, I realized that would be a mistake. Not only would it anger a lot of readers, it would also close creative doors for the future. So, with very little time left before my deadline, I reversed course. I'm disappointed that it feels like an afterthought, but it kind of was. And then I was stuck with a new problem because she was pretty badly hurt, and I didn't know how I wanted to handle that. In the next book in the series, HIGH TREASON, she doesn't make an appearance at all. In later books, as she comes back, she has to deal with lingering injuries. That's probably more than you wanted to know, but there it is.
John Gilstrap
Thanks, Josh! It's always nice to receive kind words from satisfied readers.
John Gilstrap
Wow, I had no idea. I just tried to add to the biography and was informed that I need to have "librarian status" to change my profile. Anyway, to your question: Jonathan Grave is a former Unit (Delta Force) operator who now uses his hostage rescue skills for the benefit of the civilian community. He's the person people turn to when they want to be reunited with the loved ones who have been taken from them, and don't much care what happens to the bad guys in the process. He's also the guy Uncle Sam occasionally turns to when they need tasks performs that cannot be performed by governments.
Beginning February 23, 2021, I'll be launching a new series with Crimson Phoenix, which takes my work in an entirely new direction. In it, World War III lasts about eight hours, and when it’s done, the United States is left in ruins. With all the infrastructure gone, and elected leaders unable to communicate with people outside of the bunkers that protected official Washington, it falls to individual citizens to figure out a way to continue living. It doesn’t take long for the weak to turn feral. In one corner of West Virginia, though, a single mom named Victoria Emerson turns out to be the leader that everyone’s been looking for.
Beginning February 23, 2021, I'll be launching a new series with Crimson Phoenix, which takes my work in an entirely new direction. In it, World War III lasts about eight hours, and when it’s done, the United States is left in ruins. With all the infrastructure gone, and elected leaders unable to communicate with people outside of the bunkers that protected official Washington, it falls to individual citizens to figure out a way to continue living. It doesn’t take long for the weak to turn feral. In one corner of West Virginia, though, a single mom named Victoria Emerson turns out to be the leader that everyone’s been looking for.
John Gilstrap
SCORPION STRIKE will hit the stands on or about July 1, 2018.
John Gilstrap
Oh, my goodness, I should have answered this a long, long time ago. My apologies. All of my books--certainly all of them that hev been released in the last 12-15 years--are available in audio.
John Gilstrap
Marcy, from your lips to God's ear! Warner Bros. bought the movie rights to Nathan's Run over 20 years ago, and there hasn't been progress since then. As for FINAL TARGET, I've received no offers (yet). That said, it's a complicated thing to sell the movie rights to a single book in a series, because the purchasing studio typically wants exclusive film rights to the series character (in my case, Jonathan Grave) in perpetuity. In fact, the contract language reads, "forever and throughout the universe." Thanks for your ongoing support!
John Gilstrap
I hope you find great success!
John Gilstrap
Hello, Florence. Hey, that's Mama Alexander's first name! I've always loved it. Sorry to be so long in getting back to your question, but the timing of it was awkward. Now, I can officially announce that there will be at least three more books in the Jonathan Grave series. (I signed the contract just before the Holidays.)
John
John
John Gilstrap
Hi, Peter. Thanks for your note. The short answer to your question is yes, I do intend to do some more "background" novellas and short stories to explain parts of Jonathan's life and past that don't warrant full-length books. I particularly want to explore elements of his childhood, and I also want to get more into the inner-workings of Resurrection House, the school he sponsors for the children of incarcerated parents.
John
John
John Gilstrap
Okay, this is a really old question. Sorry about the delay. I'm fairly new to Goodreads, and my email isn't sure how to handle incoming inquiries.
The answer is sort of a hybrid. I know the beginning, a couple of points in the middle, and what I think is going to be the end. As the writing unfolds, I make new choices all the time and pray that I'm not gong to screw myself up at the end.
The answer is sort of a hybrid. I know the beginning, a couple of points in the middle, and what I think is going to be the end. As the writing unfolds, I make new choices all the time and pray that I'm not gong to screw myself up at the end.
John Gilstrap
Hi, Ronna! Thanks so much. Now, please go out and tell all your friends!
John Gilstrap
My advice to aspiring writers is the ultimate cliche: write and keep writing. Remember that reading about writing and writing about writing is not actually writing. (Unless your goal is to write about writing.) And now I find myself on a mission to see how many times I can write the words write and writing in the same sentence!
A second bit of advice is share your writing with others and to seek honest input. You don't have to heed the advice you are given, but it's helpful to know what resonates with readers and what does not. That's the only way one's writing can grow and improve.
Finally, don't over-think your work. Trust your writerly instincts to take you in the proper direction. Then polish and polish and polish.
A second bit of advice is share your writing with others and to seek honest input. You don't have to heed the advice you are given, but it's helpful to know what resonates with readers and what does not. That's the only way one's writing can grow and improve.
Finally, don't over-think your work. Trust your writerly instincts to take you in the proper direction. Then polish and polish and polish.
John Gilstrap
Right now, I'm splitting my writing time between the page proof edits for AGAINST ALL ENEMIES (July, 2015), and writing the first draft of FRIENDLY FIRE, which is the Jonathan Grave book coming out in July of 2016. And I'm working hard to catch up with the 21st Century social media-wise.
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