'Science or History ending in a question mark'

 

“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
 

One of two pen names used by veterinarian James Paul Czajkowski, Rollins is a writer of action-adventure/thriller novels who had been practicing veterinary medicine when he decided to "mostly" switch careers.   An amateur spelunker and a certified scuba diver, he also found those pastimes to be great background and settings for many of his writing. 

 

“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 Chicago on this date in 1961, he didn’t start writing until 1999 but has been almost unstoppable since, penning some 60 novels, and counting.  Among them is the wildly successful Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.  His first novel, Witch Fire – written under his other pen name James Clemens – and the “Sigma Force” series, now up to 18 novels, the most recent being this year's Arkangel.

    

Rollins also 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.”