CAMP PENDLETON — Renowned action adventure author James Rollins stopped in Camp Pendleton Dec. 18 on his 15-city book tour for “The Bone Labyrinth.”
Rollins met with Camp Pendleton fans at the base superstore. Some readers bought a signed copy of the book as a holiday gift. Others met the author, were intrigued by the story and purchased a copy to read.
“The Bone Labyrinth” begins with attacks on two different continents at the same time. One occurs during an archaeology discovery in Croatia, the other at a primate research center outside of Atlanta.
Commander Gray Pierce and the Sigma Force work to rescue the victims, and find themselves in a battle for the future of humanity.
The story explores a historic leap forward in human intelligence, human DNA that is shared with other animals, and scientific genetic modifications.
“It’s the whole slippery slope of genetics,” Rollins said.
Rollins said his military fan base is very large, and very flattering. He joined fellow authors in the Operation Thriller USO tour in 2010. He also teamed up to help USA Cares, and is on the advisory board of US 4 Warriors, based in San Diego.
“The Bone Labyrinth” is the 11th novel in the Sigma Force series.
Rollins describes Sigma Force as scientists with guns. They are former special forces agents who are trained in a science discipline.
Each book in the Sigma Force series is self-contained, so they do not need to be read in order, but characters do develop through the series.
The novels are about 75 percent factual. Rollins includes a section at the end of each book that explains factual elements in the story.
“It pulls the curtain back on what is grounded in facts, and where it comes from,” Rollins said. “Readers are surprised how much was real.”
Rollins said with each novel he looks for a historical mystery to solve that involves cutting-edge science and spiritual reasoning. Then he researches, and puts the story together like a puzzle.
“My goal is to construct a rollercoaster, to entertain,” Rollins said. “I believe it’s a great thing to keep you up at night turning pages.”
Rollins said he starts with a story outline in mind. During the writing process he stays true to his characters and how they would respond to situations.
“I’m firmly invested in the characters,” Rollins said.
Rollins described his workday as an eight-to-five routine of writing, research and connecting with readers through social media.
He said he is usually writing one book, while researching the next one, and promoting the latest one published in a steady output of two books a year.
Rollins has written over three dozen novels, including those under the pen name James Clemens. “The Bone Labyrinth” is his 36th published book. His 37th book will be released in April.
Rollins’ books are translated into 40 languages and sold internationally.
1 comment
Comments are closed.