Steve Berry | The Mystery of Charlemagne

Charlemagne is a historical figure you don't see a lot of in thrillers. Katherine Neville is the only writer I can recall who’s made good use of him. But he's fascinating. He ruled for 47 years, and lived to be 74, at a time when kings rarely reigned more than 5 years, and people died long before age 40. He unified a continent, laid the groundwork for the formation, centuries later, of a modern Europe, and many of his policies and practices became proven models for western civilization. He was a visionary who surrounded himself with smart people and, for the first time, placed the needs of his subjects before royal ambition. He was so progressive that it begs the question—did he have help? Was he privy to special knowledge?

Both questions spurred my imagination.

Within The Charlemagne Pursuit I utilized an actual artifact known as the Voynich Manuscript. It’s preserved in the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University . Supposedly created sometime in the 15th or 16th centuries, its folios are penned in a language that no one has ever been able to decipher. In addition, there are a multitude of colorful, odd drawings. By general consensus the Voynich Manuscript is probably an elaborate medieval hoax, designed to fleece a royal patron out of a hefty payment. But no one knows for sure. Writing may well have been the single most important creation of human kind. Once we learned to memorialize our thoughts, in languages that could be understood by others many millennia later, human civilization rose to new levels. The Charlemagne Pursuit explores this all-to-real-phenomena.

The Charlemagne Pursuit is an intensely personal journey for my recurring hero, Cotton Malone. For 38 years he’s pondered what really happened when his father died in a submarine disaster in the North Atlantic. Then I came across the book Ice, by Marianna Gosnell, which described the amazing affects of Antarctic cold. Once I realized what was actually possible, I increased the intensity of Malone’s journey. As a writer, I struggle with character development. This book, my seventh novel, allowed me an opportunity to work on that aspect of my craft. It's much more character-driven than the others (though I don't scrimp on plot). I only hope reader’s regard my effort as a positive one.

In writing the story, I visited the Zugspitze in Bavaria and rode the same cable car, 10,000 feet up, that Malone finds himself trapped on. I also loitered around the cathedral in Aachen for four days, trying to conjure up the Charlemagne pursuit. Biltmore Estate in Asheville is one of my favorite places. I’ve visited several times, especially at Christmas. As for Antarctica, unfortunately I didn’t make it there (thank goodness the good Lord created National Geographic). My goal is to walk upon all seven continents. I have two to go.

Steve Berry
www.steveberry.org

Karna Small Bodman | Up Close Political Thrills and Suspense

I was scheduled to be in the staff car with White House Press Secretary Jim Brady on March 30, 1981 – the day of the assassination attempt against President Reagan. I was Jim’s Deputy at the time. At the last minute, Jim said, “There’s a lot of work to do today – a lot of press calls to return. Why don’t you stay back. I can handle this one alone – you go tomorrow. This is just a speech to some union group over at the Hilton. I’ll be back around 2:30.” As we all know, he never came back. That day, along with many others will always be seared in my memory, and when I sat down to write my first novel CHECKMATE, I spent time reflecting on those personal experiences, figuring I had a ton of material for a series of political thrillers.

Authors are always asked, “Where do you get your ideas?” Of course, any daily newspaper offers a veritable Petri dish of plot points, but I decided that “being there” is even better. When I later took the job as Senior Director of the National Security Council, we were dealing with crises almost on a daily basis – any one of which could be turned into a pretty good novel: the attempted assassination of the Pope, the terrorist attack on the cruise ship, “Achille Lauro,” the shooting down of the Korean jetliner with an American Congressman on board (I use that one in the sequel, GAMBIT, out next February), the explosion of the space shuttle with the school teacher on board as well as the usual conflicts with Congress.

The actual inspiration for CHECKMATE President Reagan’s announcement of his program to develop a missile defense system (“Star Wars” as some dubbed it). So I put together a story about a beautiful young scientist who invents a breakthrough technology for a missile defense system, foreign agents trying to steal it, a handsome National Security Council staffer trying to help her, and a lecherous Congressman more interested in her bod than funding her project (just trying to make it authentic!)

I wanted to weave in a romantic sub-plot – always a challenge in a fast-paced thriller. After all, how quickly can they get together when dealing with a count-down? But check my website: www.karnabodman.com for more on the story. I also keep the romance going in GAMBIT where a love triangle develops involving the charismatic Vice President of the U.S. Bottom line: with these stories, I want readers (men as well as women) to feel like White House “insiders” showing scenes in the Oval Office, the Situation Room and providing a seat at classified briefings. As George Bernard Shaw said, “The best way to get your point across is to entertain.” And that’s exactly what I’m trying to do!

Now, I’ve been on a crazy book tour with over 80 speeches/events for groups around the country (my husband says I’m certifiable!) Again, there are details of many events on my website: www.karnabodman.com. If you’re nearby – please stop and say hello or drop me a note. I’d love to be in touch.

Karna Small Bodman