Mickey’s Corner

I am an avid reader who loves movies. In my 20s, I traveled a lot for work. I don’t naturally travel well, so I made myself a deal. I dedicated myself to taking mini-vacations during business travel. I read books, chatted with strangers at the airport bar, read, and did zero work on the plane. During this period, I  made notes to write a serial killer book series that I will eventually revisit. During COVID, I read over 150 books in 10 months, watched too many movies, and ran out of entertainment. After reading so many thriller books over my lifetime, I felt confident I could tell a story. I wrote a 75-page book about Iceman. The book included Zeus and Colonel Sullivan in supporting roles. Entertaining, the book was one-dimensional. I used the experience of writing Iceman to refine my writing style. I put the project on hold and reread 15 of my favorite books, not as a fan but as a critic. I returned to my project after watching my favorite movie for inspiration, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Newman and Redford’s relationship set the foundation for Iceman and Zeus.

I started with my favorite thriller writers—Jack Higgins, John Le Carre, Vince Flynn, Ian Flemming, etc. I wanted to write a unique thriller, something I had never read before. I solicited inspiration from artists I admire outside of my genre. I am crazy about Quintan Tarantino’s use of dialogue to paint vivid pictures—two examples from Pulp Fiction. The Royalle with Cheese scene captures traveling in Europe perfectly. Have you ever given a foot message nails that improper intimate relationships are not defined by sex. JK Rowling had the most significant influence on the Collins Twins Series. Following her one-year timeline to chart Harry Potter’s journey brings a fresh perspective to the assassin theme. Harry struggles not as a wizard but as a teenager. The twins battle the challenges of young adulthood. Wizards, assassins, and accountants all face similar obstacles. No one is exempt from challenges with shitty bosses, intimate relationships, balancing work and family. I love Faye Dunaway’s character as the therapist in Thomas Crowne Affair. Given the demands the twins face, I wanted to use them to tackle the stigma of seeking professional mental health. Of course, everything ties back to Butch and Sundance. Using the foundation of Jack Higgins and adding Tarantino, Rowling, and the bromance of Butch and Sundance built a unique thriller. Watching my favorite movie for inspiration, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Newman and Redford’s relationship set the foundation for Iceman and Zeus.

I built the twins to evolve like Forrest Gump, who wanders through life, making powerful social statements with humor and innocence. Society expects the South Side of Chicago basketball player to be black and the Irish rugby player to be white. I use their backgrounds and experiences to challenge social prejudice. The series addresses several forms of discrimination, such as class, sexual, and mental health.

I am not. Ian Fleming drew on his experience as one of Winston Churchill’s boys working in Naval Intelligence in WWII. Fleming was not James Bond, and I am not Iceman. We share some qualities, such as self-deprecating humor, a belief in individual freedom, and distrust of authority, but Iceman is his own man.

I love all the questions I have received, but this one is special. It took me a year to figure out my writing style and process. Trust me, I had plenty of struggles. I had read that the Nolan brothers used whiteboards to map their Dark Knight trilogy. I figured if it were good enough for them, it would be good enough for me. I covered the walls of my home office and hallways with brown moving paper. It was impressive. While hanging the paper was challenging, filling it was tricky. I began by writing a timeline for the first four books in the series. There’s no sense in throwing the dart and drawing in the dartboard. I charted their journey and worried about the villains later. Each sheet of moving paper represented a short story in the twins’ lives at that moment, and each section of the wall tied the short stories together to form a book. The entire walls tied together the books. Using this method benefitted the twins’ journey, specifically their supporting characters. Knowing a character would emerge in Book Three, I was able to develop the character in Book 1 subtly.