How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Mark Greaney Writes: Part One

The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience

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The #1 New York Times bestselling author, Mark Greaney, dropped by to chat about hanging out with Tom Clancy at The Pentagon, the elements of a great spy novel, and the latest in The Gray Man series.

"Even if you finish a whole book and it doesn't get published, I promise you you're a much better author at the end of that process than you were at the beginning..." – Mark Greaney

Mark's debut international thriller, The Gray Man, was published in 2009 and became a national bestseller and highly sought-after Hollywood property. He's released ten in that series to date including the #1 New York Times bestseller One Minute Out.

The Gray Man series has drawn comparisons to giants of the field including Brad Thor, Daniel Silva, and – of course – Tom Clancy. Mark is also the #1 New York Times bestselling author or co-author of seven Tom Clancy novels – he co-wrote Clancy’s final three Jack Ryan thrillers prior to his passing.

Mark's latest outing with The Gray Man is Relentless, a book bestselling author Lee Child called, “Hard, fast, and unflinching — exactly what a thriller should be.”

Netflix recently announced an adaptation of the first book in The Gray Man series, starring Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans.

Stay calm and write on ...

And Stay Tuned: I’m cooking up some extras for fans of the show in the coming weeks you won’t want to miss including the option to have episodes, extras, and added insights delivered straight to your inbox, and maybe even some Writer Files merch on the way.

Preview a sample of a podcast at the break from this week's sponsor Look Closer: The Found Fiction Podcast, more at foundfiction.org.

If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please "Follow" us to automatically see new interviews. In this file Mark Greaney and I discussed:

• His 15 year, overnight success
• How his extensive research differs from book to book
• What it's like to work with the Russo brothers (best known for their Marvel films)
• Why writers need to relax and enjoy the process
• And more!

Show Notes:

• MarkGreaneybooks.com
• Relentless (Gray Man) by Mark Greaney (Amazon)
• Mark Greaney Amazon author page
• Mark Greaney on Instagram
• Mark Greaney on Facebook
• Mark Greaney on Twitter
• Kelton Reid on Twitter

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