Frequently Asked Questions
When Michael Sloan isn't writing, he's researching the intricate elements, characters, and locales for his novels.
This involves considerable travel and exploration of major cities throughout the U.S., Europe, and Asia,
meeting with personal contacts in the worlds of law enforcement, politics, black ops, and
international intelligence services. Given that schedule, his time is limited, but
he's always eager to hear from his readers throughout the world,
many of whom have asked the following questions.
When Michael Sloan isn't writing, he's researching the intricate elements, characters, and locales for his novels.
This involves considerable travel and exploration of major cities throughout the U.S., Europe, and Asia,
meeting with personal contacts in the worlds of law enforcement, politics, black ops, and
international intelligence services. Given that schedule, his time is limited, but
he's always eager to hear from his readers throughout the world,
many of whom have asked the following questions.
How can I get an autographed copy of your latest book, "Killed in Action"?
I'm delighted to be able to offer a personally signed collectible copy of "Killed in Action" through VJ Books, who offers the book collector over 35 years of book collecting experience featuring collectible, autographed, first edition and limited edition books. I've partnered with VJ Books simply because their expertise, experience, and customer service are unsurpassed. The book you'll get from them is a personally signed hard cover first edition, first printing, mint, new-unread in a flawless dust jacket protected in an acid-free archival quality acetate cover. (It really doesn't get any better than that!) Why did you decide to write the Equalizer novels? I had wanted to write a thriller novel for years. The Equalizer character was close to my heart as I had “lived” with Robert McCall for a long time. I felt he would resonate with a thriller audience as an “older hero” with a moral compass, a sense of justice and a tough, take-no-prisoners persona. When McCall resigned from The Company, to help “ordinary people who had nowhere else to turn”, it was the calling he had been seeking for years. How many Equalizer books will there be? As many as I can write, as long as the public responds to the character and the writing. What do you like best? Writing TV or movies or books? The difference between writing an original screenplay and a novel is that, in a novel, I have the scope and room to expand the storyline I am developing for the reader. And that becomes very rewarding. How do you do all the research for your books? I spend a good part of each year traveling to those locales and haunts where Robert McCall finds himself. That means I get to wander the streets in cities like New York, Paris, London, Amsterdam, Moscow, and Milan seeking out those landmarks that that translate into very specific action and storylines. Did you create Robert McCall based on anyone real? Initially, when I was working out the TV Pilot at Universal Studios, Robert McCall was inspired by TV character “Paladin” in the TV series “Have Gun---Will Travel.” But McCall developed into a darker, more complex character as the writing progressed. What was Edward Woodward like as an actor? Were you friends? Edward Woodward was a wonderful actor, quirky and with a great sense of humor. He was a classically trained British thespian, equally adept at stage and television. His sense of where you were “in a scene” dramatically was second to none. I knew him because I had shot a short film called “Hunted” in the UK in which I got him to star. Prior to that, in my mercifully-short career as an actor, I actually appeared in a scene in a TV Movie with Edward Woodward about the life of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Can I send you an idea for a great Equalizer story? I am always open to reading a pitch for a terrific Equalizer story, as long the hook into it is compelling, and it is short – no more than a page and a half, please. Feel free to use the Contact form here on the website. I’m hoping to become a novelist too. Can you give me any tips? Work out an outline up front for your novel, so you know how your novel will develop. If you just start writing your book, with no idea of the steps, it will flounder quickly. Novelists who say that they “just go with it and see where their characters lead them and where they will take them” rarely produce a finished manuscript – although there are instances where, as a screenplay writer, I will tackle a tricky scene not knowing what is going to happen in it, hoping the characters will, indeed, take me along for the ride. But it is much better, as a screenplay writer or a novelist, if you have a solid outline to work from. It will undoubtedly undergo many changes, but the foundation should be there. Are they going to make another Equalizer TV series? If so, who would you want to be the star? I have no idea if Universal Studios have a thought to making a new TV series based on The Equalizer. The star should have the same lethal skills and sense of morality of Robert McCall. Who would I see playing him? I would have to give that some thought. Is it true that you’re married to Melissa Sue Anderson, the star of Little House on the Prairie? Yes, Melissa Anderson and I have been married for over 25 years. We have two children, Piper (26) and a son Griffin (21). Do you ever write any other books? I am working on a children’s book about Christmas called: “Lost in Christmas” for a UK publisher. It will be published in the autumn of 2018. I have several other ideas for novels that I am developing, and I'm currently working under a contract deadline on a book about my years creating and producing movies and TV shows in Hollywood (yes, I'll be "telling it like it is"!) Are you still writing for Hollywood? Yes, I'm still writing screenplays for the Hollywood market. What does Robert McCall do for a living? It doesn’t seem like he ever charges a fee for his “services”. Robert McCall has made a lot of money over the years taking on unauthorized missions outside of The Company. Will Robert McCall ever go to Australia on a case? Quite possibly. I would love to send Robert McCall to Australia where he can help a person in dire straits who has reached out to him. It seems like Robert McCall never forgets a name or a face. Does he have a photographic memory? Robert McCall does not have a photographic memory, but he notes the people he meets and the adversaries he encounters with razor-sharp recall. At what age did you decide to become a writer? Did you ever want to be anything else? I wanted to be a writer since I was a teenager, perhaps 13 or 14. I wrote “boy’s adventure books” for years, not that I did anything with them, but I realized that I had a passion for writing. There was never anything else I wanted to do, except be an actor, but that was a short-lived career choice! Although I occasionally, over the years, did do some acting here and there. Besides Robert McCall, who is your favorite Equalizer character? I think my favorite character in the Equalizer books is “Brahms.” What was your favorite TV show to produce? I loved writing and producing “Kung Fu: The Legend Continues” TV series that I made for Warner Bros that starred the late David Carradine. Beside writing for that quintessential character of Kwai Chang Caine, I also created over 50 auxiliary characters in the series, which was very rewarding for me as a writer. |
|