Welcome author Lance Morcan in an exclusive interview with Review Buzzz
About the Authors
Lance & James Morcan are a father-and-son writing team based Down Under. Lance is a novelist/screenwriter/film producer living in New Zealand, while James is an actor/novelist/screenwriter/producer based in Sydney, Australia. They have co-authored three published novels – The Ninth Orphan, an international thriller, The Orphan Factory, a coming-of-age spy thriller, and Fiji: A Novel, an historical adventure. Book #3 in The Orphan Trilogy will be published in 2013. Their production company, Morcan Motion Pictures, is developing The Ninth Orphan and Fiji into feature films.
Exclusive for ‘Review Buzzz’ Feb.
8, 2013
-How did the authors start writing?
-What was the authors’ favorite part of the book(s)?
-What was the hardest part to write in the book(s)?
By Lance Morcan
(the ‘elder’ in the
father-and-son writing team, Lance & James Morcan)
-What inspired the authors to
write the book(s)?
I have
had a long-time love affair with Fiji, having visited ‘The Friendly Isles’ a
number of times. I’ve long thought it would be a wonderful setting for a
historical novel. Both James and I have a penchant for writing historical
novels and screenplays (we are also screenwriters) and so decided to co-write Fiji: A Novel.
-How did the authors start writing?
I’m a
journalist and former newspaper editor while James started writing as soon as
he left school. We first collaborated as screenwriters over a decade ago and
then as novelists about six years ago.
-What was the authors’ favorite part of the book(s)?
My
favourite part is all the action sequences. (There are plenty of them!). Fiji
wasn’t called ‘The Cannibal Isles’ for nothing, and we have highlighted this
aspect in our novel. I also like the lusty/romantic relationship that develops
between our two lead characters.
-What was the hardest part to write in the book(s)?
The
hardest part was showing Nathan’s character growth. He really was a piece of
work to start with and we had to drip feed his good points to the reader as the
story progressed.
-Its very rare when we get to see
a father-son duo penning down a full-fledged novel. Would you like to share
with our readers any of the memorable moments you shared with your son while
writing this book?
Yes I’m based in New Zealand and James is based in Sydney (we are
both New Zealanders) so we have had to do most of our writing long
distance. Father-and-son novel writing teams are almost unheard of,
and that does pose some interesting creative challenges. Add to that working in
separate countries and it feels like mission impossible at times. However, we
act as each other’s editor (and fiercest critics!) and that helps raise the
standard of our writing.
-What is the name of your most
recent book and if you had to sum it up in 30 or less words, what would you
say?
Our most recent book is
pending publication and should be available (on Amazon) by the end of February
2013 courtesy of Sterling Gate Books. It’s The Orphan Uprising, book three in our
top rated international thriller series, The Orphan Trilogy. The final book in
the trilogy is actually the sequel to book one, The Ninth Orphan, which has been a regular visitor to Amazon’s
bestseller lists; book two, a coming-of-age spy story titled The Orphan Factory, is a prequel to The Ninth Orphan and has featured
regularly in Amazon’s top rated lists for spy books.
To
summarise The Orphan Uprising – it’s
about Nine, the ninth-born orphan, and his sister Seventeen joining forces to
rebel against their former masters at the Omega Agency.
-Do you have plans for a new
book? Is this book part of a series?
Collaboratively,
we will also soon publish The Orphan Trilogy as a box set on Amazon, so readers
can buy all three books in one. We also have other novels in mind to
collaborate on.
As James and I are also
screenwriters and film producers, we've put Fiji
and The Ninth Orphan into development
with our production co., Morcan Motion Pictures, and have already adapted the
latter to a feature film screenplay.
And personally, I plan to complete
my epic historical novel, New Zealand,
which I’ve been working on for over quarter a century now! It’s a dramatized
account of the discovery and settlement of NZ by Polynesians and Europeans, and
spans five hundred years.
-What books have influenced your
writing?
Personally,
all of James Michener’s books, most of Wilbur Smith’s (earlier) books and just
about all of Jeffrey Archer’s books.
-Is there an Author that you
would really like to meet?
Without a
doubt – Michener! He was my inspiration for Fiji:
A Novel.
-Who designed the cover of your
book?
James
designed the covers of all our books.
-If your book was made into a TV
series or Movie, what actors would you like to see playing your characters?
In the
case of Fiji, I’d like to see Josh
Hartnett play Nathan, Kate Beckinsale play Susannah Drake and Sam Neill play
Drake Senior, Susannah’s father.
-Where can your readers stalk
you?
Our blog: http://morcanbooksandfilms.com/
Our Goodreads author page: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/7195856-sterling-gate-books
Twitter: @SterlingGate
IMDb movie site: http://www.imdb.com/company/co0239052/?ref_=fn_al_co_1
Is your book in Print, ebook or
both?
Fiji: A Novel and The Ninth Orphan are available as both
kindle ebooks and trade paperbacks. Our other novels are available as kindle
ebooks and soon-to-be-available as trade paperbacks.
Books by the authors:
Books by the authors:
