Local Author Jon Land on His New Book 'Strong Rain Falling'

Caitlin Strong, the gutsy, resourceful Texas Ranger in Jon Land’s bestselling action-packed series is back in the all-new thriller, STRONG RAIN FALLING. #1 New York Times bestselling author Nelson DeMille said of the new book: ”Caitlin Strong, Texas Ranger, rides again… This one, involving the Mexican drug trade, grabs you fast and holds you tight. Land knows how to write, how to plot, and how to tell a hell of a story. One of the best and most original thriller series written today. An excellent read.”

So how does Jon Land create original characters and edge-of-your-seat plot twists in novels that just seem to get better and better? I sat down with the well known Providence-based author to discuss the craft behind creating a series that resonates and keeps fans hooked, how he gets into the heart and mind of a female protagonist, his advice for aspiring novelists–and an exclusive hint about his next book and what’s in store for our inimitable heroine, Caitlin Strong.

What can readers expect from the latest Caitlin Strong novel? Why do you think this will appeal to readers?

“I love that question—well, both of them. Readers can expect a great ride of nonstop action and suspense. But just as important they can expect to see some old friends back in the saddle again (figuratively, anyway) and better than ever. The appeal of STRONG RAIN FALLING, and all the books in this series, lies in creating emotional vesting in the characters so you honestly care about them and root for them to succeed. The great John D. McDonald once defined story as “stuff happening to people you care about.” I couldn’t agree more and that’s what you’ll find in STRONG RAIN FALLING.”

How do you write a woman protagonist so well? What do you find fun/ challenging about it?

“Well, I don’t think a man can totally “get” a woman entirely in fiction any more than in reality. So with Caitlin as much as possible I try to stick to the way she responds to certain stimuli—specifically, the investigations in which she’s involved and dastardly plots she’s always trying to thwart. In those respects, she is an action hero first and a woman second. That said, the fact that she’s a woman presents me with the biggest challenge, as well as the greatest opportunity, in her ever-conflicted relationship with Cort Wesley Masters and his sons. That’s because it highlights the constant push-pull in her character between the old-fashioned gunfighter that Caitlin unquestionably is and the loving maternal figure she finds herself becoming for Cort Wesley’s two sons. I think Caitlin’s scenes with those boys, most notably the opening of STRONG RAIN FALLING when she’s taking 18-year-old Dylan on a college visit to Brown University, are the scenes where Caitlin springs most to life and all her emotional conflicts are most on display. This isn’t a part of her life she’d ever expected or planned for, but she wouldn’t trade it for anything. Writing action is easy compared to writing emotion, but it’s emotion that makes the Caitlin Strong books truly special.

As far as what I find challenging, the biggest challenge—the only real challenge actually—is getting to know and developing your characters enough, so that they dictate to you how they feel, how they react and proact. Caitlin’s thoughts and actions are her own more than they are devices I’m inscribed onto her. I know that may sound crazy, but it’s one of the most important secrets of successful storytelling.”

In what ways did STRONG RAIN FALLING challenge you creatively and personally?

“A book very, very seldom ever challenges me personally. As a writer, you have to be able to take yourself out of the story and let the characters and the story be. Creatively—well, that’s something else, and I think the biggest challenge in this book was crafting a female villain in the vengeful Mexican billionaire Ana Callas Guajardo who was Caitlin’s equal. The idea of placing two women defined by their power in different ways on opposite sides of the moral spectrum is the theme by which STRONG RAIN FALLING will be judged and will succeed or fail. Beyond that, the villainous nature of Guajardo’s character was a challenge in that I was creating a human monster whose capacity for excess, an desire for vengeance, knows no bounds. You need read no further than the prologue to see what I’m getting at. Even though it happens off screen, it’s a scene of incredible evil—perhaps the most violence scene I’ve ever written based purely on what is suggested. Right from the start we see Guajardo’s willingness to cross a moral line that renders her ultimately irredeemable and absent of all ambiguity. Indeed, there is very little gray in her and characters who are this dark are a challenge to keep grounded and real.”

What are you working on now? And what are some of the exciting elements of that project for you?

“I’m actually working on three books: a sequel to my bestselling THE SEVEN SINS, a second book I’m doing in tandem with the great Heather Graham that’s a terrific and ambitious project, and I’m about a third of the way through STRONG DARKNESS, the next book featuring Caitlin that takes her and Cort Wesley Masters to a very dark place potentially. I’m going to take her right up to the edge, but hopefully not so close that she slips over. That’s a very exciting element all on its own but what’s really got me excited about STRONG DARKNESS is the timeliness of the plot and that, as was hinted at in STRONG RAIN FALLING, the action returns to Providence and Brown University where Caitlin’s surrogate son Dylan is playing football. Let’s just say something bad happens to him and it’s not on the football field!”

What are you reading right now?

“I’ve been saving the great James Lee Burke’s last book CREOLE BELLE to use as inspiration before I start my twice-daily writing sessions on STRONG DARKNESS, and Burke has never been better. Also the equally great Lee Child’s new Jack Reacher book NEVER GO BACK which is as great as all the others in the series. You wanna know Rule #1 of a successful author: Never disappoint your readers!”

At the STRONG RAIN FALLING launch party tomorrow night, we are raffling off a first chapter critique to budding novelists. What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

“Tell a story. Sounds simple but developing an instinctive sense of beginning, middle and end, of knowing how to build suspense, how to pace, how to make your book impossible to put down is what it all comes down to. You have to write so that every scene, every paragraph—hell, every line—contains conflict and gives the reader a reason to keep reading. When you think of great oral storytellers, think of the way they use the cadence and rhythm of their voices to keep those gathered around the campfire leaning forward. Well, finding that voice is just as important for storytellers who use written words as their tool instead.”

Join Barrington Books on Friday, August 23rd from 5-7pm for the official launch party of STRONG RAIN FALLING, an all-new Caitlin Strong novel!

featuring a book signing and reception!

Are you a budding novelist? Enter our “Lunch with Land” raffle for the chance to win a one-on-one first chapter critique with the author!*

[*No purchase necessary to enter]