Is there any order Steve's books should be read in?
His first three novels, The Amber Room, The Romanov Prophecy, and The Third Secret are stand-alone stories. The Cotton Malone series begins with The Templar Legacy, and continues in The Alexandria Link, The Venetian Betrayal, The Charlemagne Pursuit, and The Paris Vendetta. Though that is the stated order of the series, and if read in that order there will be things familiar, the stories are constructed so that a reader can start at the end, the beginning, or anywhere in between and not be disappointed.
How have Steve's books ranked on the bestseller lists?
His first two, The Amber Room and The Romanov Prophecy, were both national bestsellers. His next novel, The Third Secret, became an instant bestseller, debuting at #13 on The New York Times hardcover list and climbing to #5 on the Times paperback list. His fourth, The Templar Legacy, entered at #4 on The New York Times list and spent 8 weeks in the top 10. It also climbed into the top 10 on the USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Booksense bestseller lists. The Alexandria Link debuted on The New York Times hardcover list at #2. The Venetian Betrayal became an instant New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today bestseller in both hardcover and paperback. The Charlemagne Pursuit opened in the top 10 on both The New York Times and Publishers Weekly lists. It also was a USA Today bestseller and was selected as one of the 5 Best Thrillers for 2008 by Library Journal.
How many books does Steve have in print?
There are nearly 10,000,000 copies worldwide.
Are Steve's books sold in other languages?
Rights to his novels have been sold in 50 countries and 37 languages.
Have any awards come Steve's way?
Before being published Steve twice won the annual fiction contest of State Bar of Georgia. In June 2005, he was selected by the Georgia Writer's Association (based on The Romanov Prophecy) as its Author of the Year. Then, in October 2005, the Amelia Book Island Festival bestowed on him their Nova Award. More recently, The Charlemagne Pursuit was selected as one of the 5 Best Thrillers for 2008 by Library Journal.
Is Steve a member of any writing associations?
In November 2006 Steve was elected to the Board of Directors of International Thriller Writers. A year later he was chosen as one of ITW's co-presidents, a position he still holds along with fellow thriller writer, and friend, James Rollins.
What writers does Steve like to read?
He's a thriller junkie. For Steve, David Morrell is the best living craftsman today. He learned much about novel writing from reading David's work. Steve was also a Dan Brown fan long before The DaVinci Code, as he firmly believes that nobody paces better than Dan Brown. Clive Cussler is another of his favorites-the undisputed master of 'high concept.' Other writers Steve enjoys include, Robert Ludlum, James Rollins, Frederick Forsyth, Brad Thor, Steve Martini, Ken Follett, Sharon Kay Penman, David Hewson, Lee Child, and David Baldacci.
Where did Cotton Malone originate?
He was born in Copenhagen while Steve was sitting at a café in Højbro Plads, a popular Danish square. That's why Cotton owns a bookshop there. Steve wanted a character with government ties and a background that would make Malone, if threatened, a formidable opponent. Since Steve also loves rare books, it was natural that Cotton would too, so Malone became a Justice Department operative, turned bookseller, who manages, from time to time, to find trouble. Steve also gave him an eidetic memory, since, well, who wouldn't like one of those? At the same time, Cotton is clearly a man in conflict. His marriage has failed; he maintains a difficult relationship with his teenage son; and he's lousy with women.
How did Steve get into writing?
He made the decision to write a novel in 1990. It was something Steve thought about for years, but finally decided to act on. That first attempt was long and awful. The second and third attempts weren't much better. It wasn't until the fourth try that he began to appreciate the reality that writing novels is hard. Steve kept writing for 12 years and produced 8 manuscripts. Each one was a learning experience and, as he wrote, Steve studied the craft. His education was one of trial and error. He attended a writing workshop once a week for 6 years, where the participants would tear apart everything he wrote. Then he'd go home and put it all back together again, hopefully a little better than before. Between the workshop, the writers' group, and writing everyday Steve taught himself the craft. Not until six years into the process was he fortunate to land an agent: Pam Ahearn. She kept him around for 7 years until May 2002, when Ballantine Books finally bought The Amber Room. During those years Pam submitted five different manuscripts to New York publishers, each one was rejected, 85 rejections all total, until eventually, on the 86th attempt, the right-editor-at-the-right-time-with-the-right-story was found. Like Steve says, 'he may or may not know much about writing, but he's an expert on rejection.'
Where does Steve get his ideas?
They come in the strangest places and at the oddest of times. The Amber Room was born while listening to the Discovery channel. The Romanov Prophecy appeared during a tour of the Kremlin. The Alexandria Link was suggested by the host at a book event. Finding interesting things from the past and linking them with relevant events in the present is a challenge—one that's becoming harder and harder—but luckily Steve has solid ideas for his next few books.
How does Steve do his research?
He utilizes a lot of second-hand volumes, visiting old book shops around the world. Most of his materials are bought at the Chamblin Bookmine in Jacksonville, Florida. Steve utilizes around 200-300 sources for each novel. When done, he trades the books in for credit and starts again for the next novel. Sometimes on site research is necessary to fully develop the story. He flew to Russia for The Amber Room and The Romanov Prophecy and to Rome for The Third Secret. Time in France was necessary for The Templar Legacy. A visit to the abbey at Belem, in Portugal, helped complete The Alexandria Link. Trips to Venice for The Venetian Betrayal and Germany for The Charlemagne Pursuit were also productive. For The Paris Vendetta Steve spent four days in the city of lights.
