“Whenever
I start a novel, I'm always looking for two things: a bit of science that makes
me go 'what if?' and a piece of history that ends in a question mark.”
– James Rollins
A writer
of action-adventure/thriller novels who had been practicing veterinary medicine
when he decided to "mostly" switch careers, Rollins is an amateur
spelunker and a certified scuba diver who found those pastimes to be great
background and settings for many of his writings.
“But, I don't actually have a one
wellspring of inspiration,” he said. “I subscribe to National Geographic, Scientific American, Discover, and a slew of
other magazines. And it is while reading articles for pleasure and interest that
an interesting 'What if?' often will pop into my head.”
Born in August 1961, he didn’t start
writing until 1999 but has been almost unstoppable since, penning dozens of
novels (and counting), among them Indiana
Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
His very first novel, Witch Fire – written under his pen name
James Clemens – was “discovered” as an entry in a Hawaiian writing contest. His most recent novel is the bestseller, The Seventh
Plague. 
Rollins continues to practice
veterinary medicine, particularly helping abandoned or abused animals. And, he says he’s found a secondary benefit
from his writing. “Generally, if you preface a request with, 'I'm an author
writing a book,' for some reason, that seems to open a lot of doors.”
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