Okay, I admit it. I’m a
James Bond geek. As a teen I read most of Ian Fleming’s books and then saw the
movies. I adored the danger, the thrill of a complicated plot, the
international action, and even the over-the-top chase scenes. Once in college,
I decided to join the CIA, majoring in Political Science and Russian
Language and going all the way through four years of the interview process, including taking a tour of the site, meeting my prospective boss in the
Psychological Profiling Unit, and taking a lengthy lie detector test. (By the
way, did you know that the CIA cafeteria at Langley has two sides to it: one
side for the ordinary agents and one side for the covert agents? I kid you
not!!) At the very last moment, however, I changed my mind, opting instead for
a less restrictive career in international journalism. But my love for all
things spy and Bond remained.
So when I began to write a
new series several years ago, I decided to do it by turning the James Bond
concept on its head. I would, therefore, create an action/adventure character (Lexi Carmichael) who would be an antithesis to 007. She would be plain, lacking in social skills, and a complete fashion disaster. Instead of using her debonair
charm and good looks to save the day, she’d use her brain. A super-charged
geek brain. To help her out I’d pair her with a set of esoteric genius geek twins
to get her through the crisis (as opposed to Q). Her best friend would be the Bond-girl-type and would help Lexi navigate the tricky waters of dating,
socializing, and finding a decent bathing suit. Yet I’d still give Lexi a geeky obsession
with all things Bond, leading to many humorous moments in the series.
The newest release in the Lexi
Carmichael series, NO
MONEY DOWN, came out on Monday. Here’s the back cover blurb:
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Me and the legendary Zimmerman twins--it's a friendship made in geek heaven. And it all started back when I worked for the NSA...
My best friend Basia dragged me to the beach for her idea of a vacation. All those annoying people, sand in embarrassing places--not exactly R & R for a girl who doesn't like the sun, the ocean or bathing suits. I couldn't wait to get back to work.
But things started looking up when I ran into Elvis and Xavier Zimmerman. We discovered we had a lot in common: gaming, anchovies, hacking. After that, the vacation was perfect--until I accidentally broke some poor guy's fingers. Then Broken-Fingered Guy disappeared, and things got really dicey. With the Secret Service and a bunch of thugs suddenly after me, all I wanted was to solve the mystery and enjoy what was left of my vacation--preferably alive.
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I’m often asked whether I have a favorite Bond actor and which of the books are my favorite. I do, but I’m going to wait and see what's the consensus here. So, who is it for you? Connery, Moore, Craig, Dalton, Lazenby, or Brosnan? Anyone have a favorite Bond book, too?
13 comments:
Congratulations on the release of No Money Down, Julie! What a lot of fun your series is. Now, I'm embarrassed to admit I've never read a Bond book, but I've seen most of the movies, and Sean will always have a special place in my heart....
Julie! Our very own spy girl. No wonder your books are so good. Congrats on the new release.
Never read the Bond books, either, but I love the movies! I don't know if I have a favorite actor to play James Bond...loved them each for different reasons. :)
Loved hearing about your background - fascinating! And the excerpt sounds fabulous. :)
Back in high school we were set a creative writing assignment to write a fanfic James Bond. I hadn't read any of the books and inadvertently made M the baddie. Oops. Favourite bond? Gotta be Pierce.
A new Lexie book? The first one was such fun and the second is on my Nook. I can't keep up with all the wonderful Carina books!
There's a trend here, haven't read the books; seen all the movies. I'm a sucker for the early ones - that I don't take any of this seriously twinkle. Of the newer ones, Pierce. Cause he's Pierce. And now that I think about it, he had that I know it's not real attitude too. :)
Thanks for the comments, ladies! Interestingly enough, the Bond books were aimed at a male audience, but women bought them by the drove, too. I must admit my favorite Bond was Roger Moore, but I'm REALLY liking the intelligent, broody Bond portrayed by Daniel Craig. :) Oh, and favorite Fleming Bond book: Goldfinger.
I don't think you intended it but your dumping Bond stlye characters on it's head is more realistic. Most who engage in our intelligence work be it international spies or local law enforcement are people just like Lexi. People who just have a certain skill and an average life. I see someone like Alyson Hannigan playing Lexi when the movie option gets picked up. Look out Lifetime!
I am of the same era as you, Julie, so I liked Roger Moore. I'm so happy that Lexi is back. I think Toni's idea for Alyson Hannigan playing her is PERFECT.
Congratulations to you on another wonderful book!
I think I might have swung to the Daniel Craig club although I love them all. :) Ah, Lexi. She's almost as talented as her creator :) <3
The tweet caught my attention because I'm a big James Bond fan too.
My favorite James is Pierce Brosnan. What can I say, he rings my bell. LOL!
Will definitely check out No Money Down and the others.
How do you chose between Bonds? :)
t's like trying to pick which Beatle. Or Team Edward v. Team Jacob. (Except there's like 6 of them.)
My fav Bond movie I've watched a hundred times is Live & Let Die. Perfect mix of cool and camp. My husband and I still look at things that are weird hybrids and immediately say to each other: "That's one of them new cahr-boats," in our best Jackie Gleason impression.
Go Spies go!
Lexi sounds marvelous. An antidote to Bond's sexism. (I always thought Bond sexy in the person of Sean Connery but a good man to stay away from.)
I just finished No One to Trust--LOVED it. Had to wince at some of the scenes--just HURT for the character they were so embarrassing! What a fun read and just what I needed!!!
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