The Frequency follows a pawnshop owner who accepts a collection of Inuit maps and writings in exchange for a favor, sending him on a journey he never expected. Bronx is a distinctive protagonist. Which came first for you: the former hockey player, the Marine, the pawnshop owner, or simply the personality?

When I first met Bronx, I met the retired minor league hockey player who had hung up his gear and opened the pawnshop in Warroad. Only later did I learn he’d been a Marine, trained for high-altitude missions only to land in the deserts of Iraq. But I only learned of it when he told me. As is the case with many of the characters with whom I work, I often learn more about them as a result of closely listening to what they have to say, and how they say it — and in many cases, why they say what they said and how they felt about it when saying it! Bronx was definitely one of those characters. There were times I was working with him that I felt more like his scribe, rather than his author. It was a partnership of sorts. For me, that’s when the magic happens. And to call Bronx distinctive is a kind choice of words. So, thank you. If asked, I’d say: “He’s complicated . . . and then some.” But he was great fun!

The inherited Inuit materials become the bridge between the modern conspiracy and a much older understanding of the Arctic. What inspired that element?

Ultimately, Bronx needed a roadmap. The Inuit materials provided it — literally. But I couldn’t just give him a map with a big X on it showing where to go. Bronx would need to work for it, just like those who had been watching for that same map for decades. For the idea to work, the map needed to be hidden — in this case, by a language few in the world still speak. And once translated, the truth was hidden under a second layer I hadn’t expected: the language of the writer of the letters themselves. Imagine it: in 1944, a fourteen-year-old Inuit boy sets off on a vision quest, hoping for a sign from the spirits. Four days into his journey, without food and very little water, he witnesses something truly unimaginable. Unfathomable. And almost impossible to describe. So, how would he describe something he could never conceive? He used the only language he knew, and from his perspective, his vision feels just like that — a supernatural event that left in its wake ashes in the shape of men, and a whale turned to stone. Given his background, it could be nothing else. But there is another, more dangerous truth awaiting discovery. Those who know of the map have a good idea what that secret is. What they don’t know is where to start looking. Bronx now has the map, but he needs to know the starting point. And when he does, he knows a truth worth killing.

The novel raises the question of who has the right to control transformative knowledge. Do you think the greatest danger surrounding revolutionary technology usually comes from the invention itself or from the scramble to control it?

Oh, for sure, the dangerous part comes from who controls the technology. For all of time, humans have been inventors. But we’ve also proven that just about every invention can be used for good or evil. Think on that for just a second; we are the only species on planet Earth that can ascribe such motives. Sure, other species do things to one another WE might call evil, but it’s not. It’s nature. And she can be one cruel Mother. Humans, on the other hand, have the ability to inherently know what is good and what is not. Yet many purposefully choose to do evil. I’ve always thought technical innovations are largely benign. Humans decide what is dangerous. And we are really good at doing so.

What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?

In all, over the past 25 years, I have now authored sixteen novels. As of last month, that number was fifteen. But in the last three-plus weeks, book sixteen, THE HARVEST, came into focus and practically wrote itself. The first draft took barely two weeks to write. Start to finish. The flow state was incredible. That said, it was a first draft. It will be a few months still before the polishing is done, but I have fourteen others ready to go. My current plan is to release COVENANT next. Like THE FREQUENCY, this story is about a man who has spent his life working for a group called The International League of Exceptional Skeptics: TILES. Their mission is to disprove faith healers, channelers, mystics, and others who claim to have supernatural abilities. As the story starts, we get to watch our protagonist, Ransom Dunn, do just that. And he does so with spectacular flair. But shortly thereafter, Ramson is faced with something he never expected to meet: a healer he cannot disprove. And then what?

As far as a release date, I want to give Bronx his due. So, I am planning to keep Ransom on the shelf for a while, let THE FREQUENCY find its place, and then think about what comes next. The book is ready. But I don’t want to sharp-elbow Bronx out of the way too soon.

How’s that for a tease?

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