Tell us about Ragnarok.

Ragnarok is the fourth Jack Sigler thriller featuring the “Chess Team,” a special ops group that deals with terrorist threats against the United States, including otherworldly threats such as mythological creatures reborn through science, high-tech enemy forces and sinister corporations. In Ragnarok, the team faces a threat that is otherworldly and far more dangerous than anything they’ve faced before. It’s a mix non-stop action, interesting history, hard science, and of course—monsters.

Tell us about Jack Sigler.

Jack, Callsign: King, is the field leader of the Chess Team (King, Queen, Rook, Bishop, Knight). He’s fearless and smart, but has more heart than the average action hero. He’s in a long term relationship, rather than picking up a new girl in every book. He adopted Fiona Lane, a victim of an attack that wiped out the rest of her family. And he views the team as family—brothers and sisters for whom he would die to protect. He can shoot a gun with the best of them, but he’s also capable of great love, which I think sets him apart.

What genre are the Jack Sigler books? 

They’ve always been classified as thrillers, but that’s more so that bookstores will know where to put them. In truth, they cross genres more than most books are allowed. There’s a lot of horror elements, with monsters and dark forces. There is action-adventure, with ancient temples, lost maps, and clues unlocking strange mysteries. The thriller aspect comes from the pacing, in that the books never stop moving. From page one, I try to keep the action high. Science-fiction permeates the books, too, as science is the basis for most of the schemes, creatures and technologically advanced weapons. There’s really something for everyone. Even a dash of romance.

What kind of readers will they appeal to?

Readers who are looking for a good time/thrill ride enjoy the books the most. To enjoy my books, you have to be willing to suspend your disbelief, sometimes a lot. If you can do that, and not expect a science thesis on how a creature like the Hydra can exist, you’ll have a lot of fun and probably lose some sleep. If you need factual proof for every nook and cranny of your fiction, I’m probably not for you.

Complete this sentence for us: If you like ­­­­­­­­­­___________, you’ll love Ragnarok.

If you like ­­­­­­­­­­My Little Pony, you’ll love Ragnorak. Ha. Just kidding. If you like…non-stop action, unique creatures and exotic locations, mixing Crichton-like science with Matthew Reilly pacing…you’ll love Ragnarok.

Writing a book is never easy, but other than that, what has been the toughest part – editing or marketing?

Marketing, for sure. I’m very easy to edit and enjoy the process of making my books better. But marketing is something else entirely. First, it takes me away from what I really want to be doing—writing. But it also requires a lot of extroversion, which for an introvert like me, is draining and makes writing even harder. If I could have someone do all my marketing for me (except direct communication with fans) I would be a happy author.

You produce a dizzying amount of work. How many novels have you written or co-written in the past 2 years – and how do you do it?!

Discipline is part of it. Sitting down every day (weekday—I don’t work weekends) to write is sometimes tricky. Sitting down every day and writing two chapters is daunting. But it’s what I try to do and keeping that schedule allows me to write up to six solo novels per year. If I didn’t have to edit, or market, I could write nine! But I’d probably also burn out. As for totals…for the past two years, including what I’ve written but hasn’t yet been released, and co-written books, I think it’s right around eighteen. Yikes!

Do you prefer writing alone or with a partner?

That’s hard to answer. It really depends on the project. Some novels, like The Last Hunter books are deeply personal to me and I could never share them. But other titles, like the Jack Sigler books, have so many characters and so much potential for continuing stories that I could never cover them all by myself, no matter how fast I write. In those cases, it’s more fun to have collaborators.

Your books straddle various genres. Do you have a favourite?

My favourite genre is to straddle genres.  The idea of containing ideas or stories to a specific set of genre rules feels…yucky. I may unintentionally stick to a specific genre—Beneath is science fiction, without a doubt—but my interests are broad, spanning religion, all sciences, mythology, history, pop-culture, etc and those thing invariably find a way into most of my books. I’m not a fan of limits, genre imposed or otherwise.

You sometimes write using a pen name.  Why is that, and how do you decide if the novel you are working on should be a Jeremy Robinson book or a Jeremy Bishop one?

The Jeremy Bishop books ARE genre books. They are, first and foremost, horror titles. They are darker—some would say twisted—and don’t always appeal to the fans of my Jeremy Robinson titles (though there is a large number of overlapping fans). The reason for the name change is that is says, “Don’t expect a Jeremy Robinson story.” They’re really different in style, in tone, and in subject matter. The deciding factor between what makes a novel a Jeremy Robinson or Bishop book is genre. If it’s clearly horror, it’s Bishop. If it’s got horror, but also aspects of a thriller, action-adventure, sci-fi or mystery—it’s a Robinson book.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I’m basically a fan-boy geek who has always wanted to be a storyteller, and it’s all I’ve ever really done.  So I’m living the dream. My father was a science-fiction buff, and I grew up watching shows like Dr. Who, Battlestar Galactica and Buck Rogers on weeknights and Godzilla, Force Five and Robotech on the weekends. So my influences have been a never ending, steady stream of sci-fi action and horror. So if you don’t like my books, I blame my father. Speaking of which, I’m happily married and the father of three kids who will likely be even more sci-fi indoctrinated than I was by my father.

Have you got a blog where readers can keep up with your work?

Sure do. The blog is part of my website: www.jeremyrobinsononline.com. You can subscribe to the blog and also sign up for the newsletter, so that you never miss a book release…which is nearly every other month.

Where can we buy Ragnarok?

Everywhere books are sold! I love saying that. But seriously, if your bookseller doesn’t have it in stock, chastise them and tell them to get it.

What’s next?

A lot. October 23 is the release of Ragnarok. In November, the fifth and final Last Hunter book will come out, as well as a brand new stand alone novel, Project Nemesis. In January, 2013, the mass market paperback for SecondWorld comes out. In March 2013, my next hardcover, Island 731 comes out. And sometime in Spring 2013, the next Jeremy Bishop book, The Raven, will be out. Almost six books in six months, and those are just releases. I have a few more to write in that time, too. Again, yikes!