It just shows, as a writer, you should always hang on to your earlier work - you never know when it might come in handy.

The main story in Deep Hostage originally came from a screenplay that was written many years ago. It was actually sent to Hollywood at the time, but as they were going through a romantic comedy phase - Pretty Woman, etc - it didn’t exactly fit in. While the McCready character hadn’t even been thought of back then, the basic premise perfectly suited a story that could exist in the McCready universe, and so was adapted for the novel.

The story also provides a great way to weave McCready’s evolving relationship, with ever-increasing real-world stakes that rapidly go from personal to global as things develop.

While some outlandish situations occur throughout the series, I always try to ground them in logic in the way they unfold, and also stay within the bounds of current technology, accepted science, and the laws of physics, though the technology front is sometimes pushed to the limit.

An example of this is the Skyline vehicle used by McCready to great effect in Deep Hostage. The basic concept was inspired by a real one-man submersible called Deep Flight, designed by Graham Hawkes. Obviously for the story, some additional capability has been added, but as with most things, you start with reality and then go from there!

Mike Seares