Guest Blogger, Mark Terry

Today, my buddy Mark is taking the reigns at the blog. Mark and I have written for the same publisher and we also share a lot of the same interests and views. Mark writes full time and I admire his ability to approach writing as a job and a duty as well as a passion.

He is the bestselling author of the Derek Stillwater thriller novels, as well as several standalone mysteries, thrillers, and short stories. His novels have been called “blisteringly paced and unrelenting,” (Paul Levine) as well as having “the explosive power of a hollow-point bullet.” (Gayle Lynds). James Grady, author of Six Days Of The Condor says Terry’s work “is closing in fast on grabbing that big-action, ticking-clock thriller franchise market.”

A fulltime writer, Mark Terry is the author of three Derek Stillwater novels, THE DEVIL’S PITCHFORK, THE SERPENT’S KISS and THE FALLEN, as well as two standalone novels, DIRTY DEEDS, and DANCING IN THE DARK. In addition, he is the author of CATFISH GURU, a collection of mystery novellas, numerous short stories and literally hundreds of magazine and trade journal articles. His novels have been translated into French, German, and Slovak.

And now, Mark’s blog. (And if you got number 5 wrong i need to speak with you.)

Today’s Brand Name Book Quiz

I write a series of thriller novels featuring a troubleshooter for Homeland Security, Derek Stillwater. Derek has been compared by reviewers and blurbers to Jason Bourne and Jack Bauer. Although those are absolutely wonderful things to be said about your main character, one of the interesting things I find about it is that Bourne and Jack are apparently brand names, recognizable characters based just on their names. This is partly due to the effect of TV and movies, I know, and I’d be delighted if the general public, hearing the name Derek Stillwater, could snap their fingers mentally and say, “Yeah, know just who he is.”

Anyway, I thought I’d have a 10-question quiz to see how well you know your main characters and the authors who created them. Ready?

1. The creator of Kinsey Millhone is:

  1. Sara Paretsky
  2. Sue Grafton
  3. Sue Ezcanal
  4. Sharon Cone

2. Jason Bourne was created by:

  1. Robert B. Parker
  2. Robert Ludlum
  3. Eric van Lustbader
  4. Matt Damon

3. Mickey Spillane created the character:

  1. Matt Helm
  2. Phillip Screwdriver
  3. Mike Hammer
  4. Spenser

4. Spenser was created by:

  1. Tony Hawke
  2. Robert Ludlum
  3. Robert Urich
  4. Robert B. Parker

5. Duffy Dombrowski was created by:

  1. Tom Grace
  2. Tom Schreck
  3. Tom Bombadil
  4. Tommy the Who

6. John Rain was created by:

  1. Ian Flemming
  2. Barry Bostwick
  3. Barry Eisler
  4. Barry Bonds

7. Tres Navarre was created by:

  1. Percy Jackson
  2. Michael Jackson
  3. Rick Riordan
  4. Jesse Jackson

8. Bond, James Bond was created by:

  1. Cubby Broccoli
  2. Sean Connery
  3. Ian Flemming
  4. Daniel Craig

9. V.I. Warshawski was created by:

  1. Sara Paretsky
  2. Sue Grafton
  3. Sharon Cone
  4. Kathleen Turner

10. Alex Delaware was created by:

  1. Milo Sturgis
  2. Faye Kellerman
  3. Jesse Kellerman
  4. Jonathan Kellerman

So, how did you do?

Here are the answers, if you didn’t know.

  1. B—Sue Grafton’s Santa Theresa, California PI’s name is Kinsey Millhone.
  2. B–Amnesiac spy Jason Bourne was created by the late Robert Ludlum, although the series of books continue by Eric van Lustbader.
  3. C—Mike Hammer was the fictional character created by Mickey Spillane.
  4. Spenser, the Boston PI, was created by Robert B. Parker and played in the original TV series by Robert Urich, and later played by Joe Montegna.
  5. B—although we have not been able to prove that Tom Schreck isn’t a pseudonym for Chelsea Handler and Philip Roth, he or she is the creator of Duffy Dombrowski.
  6. C—John Rain, a Japanese-American assassin (who makes all his hits look like death by natural causes or accidents), was invented by Barry Eisler.
  7. C–Tres Navarre, the San Antonio, Texas PI, was invented by Rick Riordan. Riodan may have retired Tres after the amazing success of his books featuring demigod Percy Jackson.
  8. C—James Bond was created by author Ian Flemming. Interestingly, Flemming was also the author of a book called “Chitty Chitty, Bang Bang” which has nothing to do, as far as we can tell, with Chelsea Handler.
  9. A—VI Warshawski, the Chicago PI, was created by Sara Paretsky and played in a really pretty bad film by Kathleen Turner.
  10. D__Alex Delaware, a child psychologist who helps solve murders, was created by Jonathan Kellerman, typically assisting LAPD homicide detective Milo Sturgis. Faye Kellerman is a mystery author as well (his wife), and Jesse Kellerman is also a novelist, as is another child, Aliza Kellerman.