Geeks, Lies and Spies, Oh, My!

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:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

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.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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?

Writing Sequels and Series

When I wrote my first book way back in 1992, I didn’t see myself as an author who wrote sequels or series. Back then I was a one-book kind of girl, no afterlife necessary for my characters. I focused on one book at a time and enjoyed myself, hoping my readers did too.

But one day, something unexpected happened. After publishing my third book, A Double-Edged Blade, (a time-travel romance set in Ireland), I received a slew of fan mail asking for a continuation of the story. At first I couldn’t imagine doing a sequel. I hadn’t planned it. I didn't have any extended character arcs planned. What kind of plot would I have? Could the characters live on? How? What would they do? How would they do it?

Shortly thereafter, I figured it all out and penned my first sequel, Across a Moonswept Moor. A few years later, I wrote my first series in conjunction with my sister -- a historical trilogy about three sisters who are descendants from the Salem witches. I wrote the first and third books; she wrote the second one.

There is no question that writing a sequel or a series is a challenge. A series requires a lot of foresight, planning and long-term character arcs. For me, plots have to be at least lightly sketched out for a few books in advance. If you have an exact number of books planned for your series, then it's easier. Either way, you need to have a firm idea of where you want to go with your characters and how you want them to change. Personally, I love to revisit my characters in novel after novel. In many ways they have become like family. It's fun to plot and watch their growth as people, lovers and friends.

Now I'm writing a humorous mystery series for Carina Press (www.CarinaPress.com) and having a blast. The first book, NO ONE LIVES TWICE, introduces geek extraordinaire, Lexi Carmichael, and her quirky friends. The second book, NO ONE TO TRUST, expands on those characters and their adventures.

So, how about you? Do you like series or books with sequels and prequels? Why or why not?

Just in case you are new to the series, here’s an short excerpt of NO ONE TO TRUST:

When I was seven my older brother Rock gave me a camera for Christmas. The science of photography fascinated me—the angles, depth and lighting. But I was more interested in how the camera worked than in what I was pointing it at. Fast-forward a few years and here I am, a twenty-five-year-old, single, white, geek girl who can’t take a decent picture of anything.

I’m also a semi-reformed computer hacker, a numbers whiz and a girl with a photographic memory. The whole photographic memory thing is totally overrated, though. Every human has the physiological capability. Most people just don’t have the film.

Lucky for me, I’ve got the film, but I’m also stuck with a geeky reputation. Counter to the stereotypical image, I don’t wear thick glasses held together by duct tape and I no longer own a pair of high-water pants. On the other hand, I’m no Miss America—just your basic tall, skinny girl with no curves and long brown hair. I double-majored in mathematics and computer science and have zero social skills.

You can follow Julie at:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Julie-Moffett-Author/123804877633091

Twitter: JMoffettAuthor

Website: www.juliemoffett.com