Toxic Game, interview with author Christine Feehan

Christine Feehan has published more than 40 novels. Dark Series, Sea Haven and Ghostwalkers are some of the series: Toxic game is the recent novel.

Q. The story is set in Indonesia. Why did you choose this setting?

A. I’ve used this setting before and it was perfect for this story. There really are terrorist cells in Indonesia.  And the location allows for such isolation, which I needed for this story.

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Christine Feehan book

Q. Your story involves a virus that threatens to consume the human body. You like to tell stories that explore physical and mental strength: why?

A. I think we all face challenges in our lives and hope to be strong enough to meet those challenges.  For me, it’s the ultimate in storytelling to have heroes and heroines who must overcome odds to survive or find their happy ever after.  They look for their inner strength both physically and mentally to combat whatever is keeping them from their goal.  

Q. What is unique about your Toxic Game novel compared to some of your other GhostWalker novels?

A. I always strive to make each and every book unique. Like most GhostWalker novels, this book is heavily researched. I actually had a team of scientists helping me with research since the story involves a hemorrhagic virus and the complications you might expect from something as horrendous as that. I also wanted to show how people fight a deadly outbreak, both in the lab and on the ground. I’ve never written anything like this before and it was both challenging and fun to write.

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Christine Feehan

Q. What relationship do you have with technology? 

A. A bad one. A really bad one! I have no real tech knowledge. I’m lucky I can work my smartphone and believe me, I try not to touch the thing. I’ve even been known to destroy my laptop a time or two… or three. That includes the time I melted my hard drive and lost a good portion of a book I was writing. And when I say “melted” I mean got hot and nearly caught fire! I’m pretty sure technology hates me. And the feeling may be mutual.

Q. Do you find inspiration from technological innovations?

A. I absolutely do. Though I may not be able to interact with technology with much success, I love it when it comes to inspiring my imagination. I read science journals and do a great deal of science research.  I want my books to be grounded in as much real science as possible.

Q. What is your favorite movie?

A. I love The Last of the Mohicans. I’ve watched it a million times. The love story, both actually, are amazing. The cinematography is breathtaking and the attention to detail inspiring. 

Q. Is it true that your children help you in editing manuscripts?

A. I want to clarify that my “children” are all grown adults. I have a daughter who is my personal assistant and she does a variety of things for me. She’s extremely busy since I write five books a year! One of the things she does is an initial edit of each of the books prior to submitting to the publisher.

Q. What is your next project?

A. I am currently writing Lethal Game, which is Malichai’s book. Next up will be a Shadow Riders book.