A warm welcome to author J.T Rogers joining us today here at Love Bytes to talk about new release “In from the Cold”.
I’ve always thought there was something deceptively telling about the Pivot Questionnaire, as made famous by James Lipton on Inside the Actor’s Studio. To celebrate the release of my debut novel, In from the Cold, I thought it’d be a fun exercise to sit down with two of my leads and go through the questions.
J.T.: Flynn, Grant—thank you for joining me today.
Flynn: Well, we could hardly refuse.
J.T.: Let’s start with you, Flynn. As an English Lit major, you probably have some thoughts on this one. What is your favorite word?
Flynn: …Odyssey.
J.T.: Grant, same question.
Grant: Innovation.
J.T.: What is your least favorite word?
Grant: No.
Flynn: Gone.
J.T.: What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
Flynn: I’m not sure I’m comf—
Grant: People. I’m allowed to say that, right?
J.T.: There are no wrong answers.
Grant: Then people. Figuring out what makes them tick. People.
J.T.: What is your favorite curse word?
Grant: Fuck.
Flynn: That’s a little—
Grant: On the nose?
Flynn: Coarse.
Grant: It’s a curse word, Flynn, I don’t have a degree in the damn things but I think that’s the point—
Flynn: All right, it’s uncreative, then.
Grant: Well, that stings.
J.T.: What’s yours, then, Flynn?
Flynn: If I have to choose, it’s probably… rat bastard son of a bitch.
Grant: What.
J.T.: What sound or noise do you love?
Grant: [pauses] Listening to my daughter, Rosemary, master a new piece on the piano. She’s very talented, but I love hearing her mess up the same part, over and over, until she gets it.
Flynn: When Wes would laugh. There was always this kind of hitch to his voice, like he was trying to bite it back for half a moment, and then… [gestures]
J.T.: What sound or noise do you hate?
Flynn: Frank’s snores. Christ.
Grant: I was going to say the exasperated way Hunt always says my name, but I’ve changed my mind. I’m stealing his answer.
J.T.: What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Flynn: Writer. I always kept journals as a kid.
Grant: Not anymore?
Flynn: You write down to remember, and there was a lot I was trying to forget.
J.T.: What about you, Grant?
Grant: Pilot.
Flynn: You have your license.
Grant: Yeah, but it’s not the same as doing it all the time.
J.T.: What profession would you not like to do?
Flynn: Politician.
Grant: You didn’t even have to think about that one, did you?
Flynn: Can you blame me?
Grant: Yes, but only because I think you’d excel in public office.
Flynn: You’re entitled to your opinion.
Grant: See?
J.T.: Grant?
Grant: Soldier.
Flynn: Not sure if I should be offended.
J.T.: Care to elaborate, Grant?
Grant: I’ve never been a fan of rules.
J.T.: The CIA doesn’t have rules?
Grant: They’re not as picky about them being broken if it means I get results.
Flynn: Why am I not surprised?
J.T.: Because you’ve met him. Okay, last question: if Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
Grant: No, they didn’t make a mistake.
Flynn: You can wait for your friends over there.
Blurb:
Robert Flynn abandoned a sterling military career when his best friend and fellow soldier, Wesley Pike, died under his command. More than a decade later, Flynn’s quiet life is disturbed by the troubles of a fledgling CIA and Alexander Grant, a flashy agent with a lot to prove. As the space race between the United States and the Soviets heats up and the body count rises, the two men fight to find common ground. Grant knows Flynn believes in the cause, but all Flynn sees is the opportunity to fail someone like he failed Wes. An attack by a Soviet agent spurs Flynn to action and a reluctant association with the agency, and tilts Flynn’s world on its axis with a shocking discovery: Wesley Pike may be alive and operating as a Soviet assassin.
With Grant to bankroll the operation, his superiors looking the other way, and Flynn’s hard-earned peace officially forfeit, Flynn reunites his old team with the singular goal of finding Wes. But they get more than they bargained for—Wes is amnesiac and dangerous, brainwashed into becoming the perfect weapon. Flynn struggles to reach his friend, lead his team, and navigate his charged relationship with Grant—something neither of them expected and aren’t sure how to parse—while coming to grips with his long-buried feelings for Wes.
Buy:
J.T. Rogers grew up wanting to be either a superhero or a spy—but rather than pick one over the other, she chose to become a writer instead so she could be both in her spare time. Her fiction reflects her childhood obsessions, blending together the distrustful, cloak-and-dagger world of spies with the high-octane action and camaraderie of her favorite superheroes.
The product of a bilingual education and an alumna of a handful of universities, J.T.’s passions include history, comic books, and Shakespeare. She has lived all over North America and loves to weave threads of authentic local color into her stories. Just ask her about Lucy the Elephant.
Currently, she’s living the dream of being overworked and underpaid. She writes to stay sane—or that’s the story she likes to tell, at least.
Website: https://jtrogers.wordpress.com/
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