I’m neither an archeologist nor quantum physicist myself, but I’ve long enjoyed reading about both fields. I’ve studied whatever I could find, absorbed what I could, maybe come to my own conclusions, for good or ill. I’m as intrigued by the lost civilization of the Maya as I am by the potential existence of multiple states of reality. What I lack in the academic foundations of each discipline, I supplement through research and study and, frankly, imagination. I’m a fiction writer, after all.
In a lot of ways, Dan Kotler represents me, in his universe. We share a dry wit, and a propensity for both getting ourselves in over our head and figuring out a way out of it. We both share a love for the unusual among the unknown. We both get bored with pure research, and want to shove our hands in the muck just to find out what’s under there. Dangerous, sometimes. But fun. And fuel for more stories than I can write, I think.
I owe a tremendous debt to Nick Thacker for goading me into this direction for my career. I’ve seen more success come from publishing these Dan Kotler stories than I saw from the entire rest of my catalog of books, which is nice. But more important to me, and the one thing that can motivate me back to the keyboard every single day, is the fact that I love telling these stories, more than I loved even my first generation of books—those once-close friends and relatives whom I occasionally see on holidays, or follow on Facebook.
I have ideas for non-thriller stories all the time, and it’s likely I will write those books, or novellas, or short stories, here and there. But I have fallen in love with this genre, due mostly to its range. It’s just the right fit for me.
I can tell virtually any type of story in this genre. Science fiction? Fantasy? Romance? All that can fold in nice and neat within a thriller. If I have a daring and capable hero who can solve a mystery and save the day, I can fold in all the additional elements I want, as long as I put a gun in someone’s hand, and aim it at the protagonist at just the worst possible moment. It’s possibly the most freeing genre of them all.
Which isn’t to say it doesn’t have its challenges.
Get a gun wrong, and you will hear about it. Get the history of a culture out of whack, and you will receive letters. Make your science too soft, or too detailed, or too esoteric, and you lose readers right away. Thriller readers, in my experience, tend to be brilliant and attentive, and utterly unforgiving if you get it wrong.
God bless ‘em.
I love that about them, though, because I’ve come to think like that myself. I can be very forgiving of an author’s work—I can overlook typos and grammar gaffs, if the story is good. I can even overlook farfetched ideas with no basis in reality, because it is fiction after all. Tougher to swallow, though, are errors regarding real-world concepts. Get the guns right. Get the cultures right. Get the science right. And if it’s wrong, give me a good reason to accept it, to overlook it, and to go on. Write a fantastic story, and I’ll forgive you.
I have plenty of critics. Some have very good points. I listen and weigh every bit of criticism that comes my way, and though I probably ignore 90%, I implement about 10%. Call me a softy.
But I say that to point out that the important component of a thriller, to me, is whether I’ve grabbed a reader to the end. Thrillers have more movement than just about any other genre. They’re a river. And if that river doesn’t have a strong enough current to carry you all the way to the end, the book has failed. If it carries you, but there are slow bits where you could get out if you choose, and you stick around anyway, that’s a win. I’ve had plenty of readers write and complain about “scene X” or “scenario Y” or “grammar gaff B.” But what I weigh their comments against is whether they finished the book. I can fix errors in the next release of the book, but if the story didn’t keep them, there’s little I can do but start over with the next tale.
Dan Kotler has been compared to Indiana Jones, Robert Langdon, and numerous other thriller protagonists. My writing has been compared to Clive Cussler, Dan Brown, David Morrell, and others. I love all those comparisons, but more importantly they’re telling me that these books hold up. They fit. The gut instinct I have about Kotler and Denzel and these stories is right on. I’ve found the niche that I fit best. For a season, at least.
I have more of these on the board, ready to be written. In ‘Devil’s Interval,’ I laid the groundwork for the next book, for which I’ve already done a great deal of research. That research, itself, is a powerful motivator for me, because it means immersing myself into books and films and television programs about a topic I’m already interested in, and exploring it from every angle. Most of what I learn won’t be used in the book, but it sure helps to feed the background of the story. It feels good, actually, to write a scene and reveal certain details, knowing (as Kotler knows) a whole lot more about the topic than time permits me to say.
All of this to say, I truly enjoy writing these books, and I enjoy even more hearing that you like them, too. I feel I’m still learning and growing as a thriller author, but it’s an education I’m very happy to embark upon. And I’m so grateful to you for being a part of this, and helping me to grow into the role. Thank you. I owe you a lot for it.
Kevin Tumlinson
Pearland, Texas
June 21, 2017
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About the Author
Kevin Tumlinson is an award-winning and bestselling novelist, living in Texas and working in random coffee shops, cafés, and hotel lobbies worldwide. His debut thriller, The Coelho Medallion, was a 2016 Shelf Notable Indie award winner.
Kevin grew up in Wild Peach, Texas, where he was raised by his grandparents and given a healthy respect for story telling. He often found himself in trouble in school for writing stories instead of doing his actual assignments.
Kevin's love for history, archaeology, and science has been a tremendous source of material for his writing, feeding his fiction and giving him just the excuse he needs to read the next article, biography, or research paper.
Connect with Kevin:
kevintumlinson.com
[email protected]
Also by Kevin Tumlinson
Dan Kotler
The Coelho Medallion
The Atlantis Riddle
The Devil's Interval
The Girl in the Mayan Tomb
The Antarctic Forgery
The Stepping Maze
The God Extinction
Dan Kotler Short Fiction
The Brass Hall - A Dan Kotler Story
The Jani Sigil - FREE short story from BookHip.com/DBXDHP
Citadel
Citadel: First Colony
Citadel: Paths in Darkness
Citadel: Children of Light
Citadel: The Value of War
Colony Girl: A Citadel Universe Story
Sawyer Jackson
Sawyer Jackson and the Long Land
Sawyer Jackson and the Shadow Strait
Sawyer Jackson and the White Room
Think Tank
Karner Blue
Zero Tolerance
Nomad
The Lucid — Co-authored with Nick Thacker
Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Standalone
Evergreen
Shorts & Novellas
Getting Gone
Teresa's Monster
The Three Reasons to Avoid Being Punched in the Face
Tin Man
Two Blocks East
Edge
Zero
Collections
Citadel: Omnibus
Uncanny Divide — With Nick Thacker & Will Flora
Light Years — The Complete Science Fiction Library
YA & Middle Grade
Secret of the Diamond Sword — An Alex Kotler Mystery
Wordslinger (Non-Fiction)
30-Day Author: Develop a Daily Writing Habit and Write Your Book In 30 Days (Or Less)
Watch for more at kevintumlinson.com/books
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