Real Hero

When I began outlining my newest novel “Dead Hand Rising,” I faced a creative challenge that many writers of superhuman characters encounter: how do you create compelling tension when your protagonist has seemingly limitless physical abilities? Dave Anderson has demonstrated extraordinary capabilities throughout the series - invulnerability, super strength, speed, and more recently, adaptations from a fungal enhancement that improved his resistance to cold and environmental threats. With each book, the challenge becomes finding obstacles worthy of his abilities without resorting to increasingly outlandish scenarios. ...

Sometimes the most compelling story ideas come from unexpected places. For me, the seed of “The Quantum Vulnerability” was planted during a frustrating afternoon trying to pay for a subscription service that only accepted bitcoin. As I navigated the complexities of cryptocurrency transactions, my writer’s mind began to wander: What if someone could manipulate these digital currencies at their most fundamental level? This thought experiment coincided with the rising discussions about quantum computing’s potential to break current encryption methods. The intersection of these two technologies - cryptocurrency and quantum computing - sparked the core concept for Book 8 in the Dave Anderson series. But what began as a technology-focused plot soon evolved into something much more personal, both for the characters and for me as a writer. ...

After writing several books dealing with international conspiracies, environmental crimes, and neo-Nazi organizations, I felt it was time to bring Dave back to his roots. “Settling the Score” began with a simple premise: What if Dave had to help a friend in trouble, without the full backing of the agency? The story emerged organically from this concept. Markus Sullivan, trapped in an ever-tightening spiral of debt to a local loan shark, gave me the perfect opportunity to explore Dave’s character outside his usual world-spanning missions. I wanted to see how he’d handle a more personal challenge, one that couldn’t be solved simply by punching through walls or surviving explosions. ...

The Serpent’s Shadow represented a unique opportunity to merge two worlds that have long fascinated me: the realm of superhero fiction and the dark history of World War II. As someone who grew up immersed in comic books, I’ve always been drawn to stories of heroes facing moral challenges bigger than themselves. But parallel to this, my deep interest in the World Wars—particularly how the complex interplay of nations and ideologies could spawn such twisted beliefs—pulled me in another direction. ...

What if the delicate agreements that hold nations back from the brink of war were suddenly shattered? What if unseen hands manipulated age-old treaties, pushing countries toward chaos? Tides of Vengeance dives into this very idea, taking readers on a thrilling journey through the shadowy corridors of international politics and personal resolve. At the heart of this story lies the Indus Water Treaty, a real-life agreement between India and Pakistan that governs the allocation of vital water resources. This treaty, a rare symbol of cooperation amidst ongoing conflict, has endured decades of tension. But what happens when greed and ambition conspire to unravel this fragile peace? ...

There’s something uniquely captivating about the Arctic – its pristine vastness, the raw power of nature, and the delicate balance of its ecosystem. When I sat down to write “Dark Waters,” I found myself drawn into this fascinating environment, and the words seemed to flow as naturally as the currents beneath the ice. The story gave me an opportunity to explore themes that had been building throughout the series, particularly our relationship with the environment and the lengths some will go to exploit it. EarthWise’s illegal methane hydrate extraction operation wasn’t just a plot device – it represented the very real challenges we face in balancing resource exploitation with environmental protection. ...

In the third instalment of the Real Hero series, I wanted to explore what happens when there are no clear “good guys” in a conflict. Set against the backdrop of Venezuela’s political turmoil, “Shattered Alliances” puts Dave and his team in the challenging position of preventing both CIA destabilization efforts and North Korean influence in the region. This wasn’t a story about taking sides. Instead, it was about finding the right path when everyone around you is wrong. The Agency’s role as a neutral party allowed me to delve into the moral complexities of international intelligence operations, where objectives are rarely black and white. ...

Sometimes reality hands you the perfect plot. While brainstorming the second book in the Dave Anderson series, I couldn’t ignore the headlines about soaring utility prices and Europe’s energy vulnerability. The more I researched, the more I realized how fragile our energy infrastructure really is. A coordinated attack on key pipelines could bring Europe to its knees – and most people wouldn’t even know it was happening until it was too late. ...

When I set out to write “The Congo Conspiracy: Real Hero,” I wanted to explore a fundamental question: How would extraordinary abilities actually function in our complex modern world? The challenge wasn’t just creating a compelling character with superhuman capabilities, but placing him in a realistic setting where these powers wouldn’t simply solve every problem. The reality is that no individual, regardless of their abilities, can single-handedly address the world’s challenges. This became a central theme in developing Dave’s character and his relationship with the Agency. By positioning him within an organization that operates beyond governmental and corporate interests, I could explore how even extraordinary abilities must work within larger systems and team dynamics to effect change. ...

Like many writers, my journey to creating the Real Hero series began as a reader. From my late teens, I immersed myself in the worlds of science fiction and fantasy, before life and work pulled me in different directions. Years later, comics and graphic novels reignited my passion for storytelling, particularly through Batman – a hero who captured my imagination so completely that I ended up running a popular Batman comics website. ...