Thomas Locke

Posts Categorized: Behind the Mind of Thomas Locke

Greetings from Singapore

I thought you might like to hear what’s been happening creatively at my end.  Three years ago I was invited to teach at a Singapore conference run by two major Christian publishers, one US and the other UK, intended to help develop the creative, editorial, and publishing work in developing countries.  There were three hundred…

On Writing Books in a Series

Recruits is book 1 in a three-book sci-fi series for young adults. Readers often ask me how I come up with the storylines for the second and third books. Before I begin writing the second or third book in any series, I ask myself two questions that twine together like braids: How do I raise…

Romantic Twists in ‘Recruits’

In Recruits, my upcoming sci-fi novel for young adults, 17-year-old twins fall in love. There are three issues at work in this scenario. First, everybody loves a good romantic angle. Well, okay. I love a great romance. I love how it spices up even the taut friction of a solid thriller. Second, it was two guys,…

Behind the Scenes of ‘Recruits’ Sci-Fi Novel

Very early in my career, I wrote three YA sci-fi novels using the Thomas Locke pen-name. A couple of years later, Bethany House Publishers decided the stories had been successful enough to re-issue the trilogy as one big fat book, Dream Voyagers. I had plans in place to continue with a new series. Then Janette…

How I Weave the Element of Danger Into my Techno-Thriller, ‘Flash Point’

In my new techno-thriller, Flash Point, some of the voyagers “ascend” to a realm beyond physical confines. When they return, they’re possessed by a reptilian-like beast. My purpose in introducing this inhuman element of evil was straightforward. I wanted to rock the readers’ world. The issue was how to introduce an element of danger within…

To achieve the impossible, we must first change our perspective

In Trial Run and Flash Point, two of the characters, Trent and Lena, “hear” their future selves giving them instructions. They are the only characters who have this ability without using technology. Let me explain why. When I started work on the Fault Lines techno-thriller series, one of the issues that dominated my thinking was…

Q&A with Thomas Locke: How to Pronounce Milantian

A reader of Merchant of Alyss writes: I have enjoyed Merchant of Alyss. I have a question that didn’t bother me when I read Emissary but does in Merchant. How did you pronounce Milantian in your mind when you made up the language? I have thought through three different pronunciations: My lan teean Mylanshun, like…

Michael Crichton: My inspiration for techno-thriller writing

In this new feature, I’m responding to reader questions about writing – specifically, writing fantasy and techno-thriller novels. Here’s today’s reader question… and my response. Q: Author Michael Crichton has been an inspiration to you. Can you elaborate on that? Thomas Locke: When I started writing, I read how 90 percent of a professional athlete’s…

New Feature: Behind the Mind of Thomas Locke

I asked readers to send me your questions about writing – specifically, about writing fantasy and techno-thriller novels – and you responded. Here is our first reader question… and my response. Q: How do you research sci-fi, considering most stories in this genre are futuristic? How do you keep it real while inviting the reader…