Jon Land's 28th novel, STRONG ENOUGH TO DIE, introduces a new series character to his amazing body of work. Caitlin Strong is Land's first female protagonist, but as one of the elite Texas Rangers, she proves to be as strong and forthright as Blaine McCracken, Jared Kimberlain, or Michael The Tyrant Tiranno. Jon Land discussed the origins of his latest thriller and a glimpse into his many years of giving readers high-quality adrenaline rushes.When writing about the Texas Rangers, Land decided to make the main character a woman. He said, "75 percent of all books are bought by women and people at my publisher had been discussing the lack of a female action-thriller hero. I'm talking about a woman akin to Jack Reacher or Cotton Malone or Mitch Rapp. I wanted to create a protagonist that women wouldn't just buy, but could also relate to. I'd always wanted to write about the Texas Rangers, the most famous lawmen in American history who still exist in all their glory to this day. So once I decided I wanted to create a female action hero, it became a perfect fit. Comes down to the credibility being a Texas Ranger instills in Caitlin's character. You buy into her because Texas Rangers have to possess her skills and attitude."
Land came up with the concept behind STRONG ENOUGH TO DIE from a comment by his editor. "Natalia Aponte, my terrific editor, pointed out the existence of torture recovery centers for victims of torture to me and a light went off in my head immediately: female Texas Ranger with a tortured past of her own seeks redemption in one of these centers and finds her believed-to-be dead husband is a patient there. That's an irresistible plot point, especially because of the societal implications at the time with the Bush administration basically trampling over civil rights formerly held sacred. Caitlin gets a chance to slay her demons and so, I guess, did I. On a broader level, it instantly raised the book to a different level of thriller. Something relevant that would resonate with and move people in ways books like this seldom do."
Land discovered the research of the Rangers was blending perfectly into the storyline. He commented, "The history of the Rangers is shrouded in ambiguity. In frontier times these were men who had to make up their own rules in order to survive. They were and are true heroes, but that doesn't mean they always followed the law. Meanwhile, what I didn't realize when I started the book was that I was writing about characters--Caitlin, as well Cort Wesley Masters, the modern-day outlaw with whom she ends up joining forces--who are defined as much by their flaws as their strengths. Their own characters, then, mirror the duality I found in the history of the Rangers. There have been a lot of terrific books written about the Rangers history and I read a bunch of them to capture not just that history, but also their sensibility and attitude. The Ranger motto of "One Riot, One Ranger" is pretty much a proven fact."One of the issues with creating a female Ranger was believability. Women continually find themselves at odds in predominantly male roles such as police and the military. Land remarked, "These were men who could and did clean up lawless towns single-handedly. Even today only one in a hundred who applies actually becomes a Ranger. This kind of elitism makes them a law enforcement version of the Special Forces, which I've also written about extensively. But it also makes accepting women into the ranks a non-starter. There's only one active female Ranger on record and that didn't last very long. That's why I made Caitlin Strong a fifth generation Ranger to explain why she's so readily accepted into the traditionally all-male ranks."
Strong joins the ranks of outstanding thriller heroes from Land's active imagination. Readers unfamiliar with Land's work should be prepared for a ride that few thriller writers deliver as consistently. With the success of the 'James Patterson brand,' and other authors starting to throw the word 'brand' around, what does Land see as his own? He remarked, "Not selling nearly as many books as Patterson! I've reinvented myself so many times; it's kind of hard to say. But the thing that holds all my books together is pace. You know with me you're going to get a great story you can't put down. John D. McDonald defined story as "Stuff happens to people you care about." I always keep that in mind when I'm writing, and I think STRONG ENOUGH TO DIE matches that definition better than anything I've ever done before."
With Land now dabbling in screenplays, has he ever thought about adapting one of his novels for the screen? He answered, "First off, the structure of a book is so different than a screenplay that's it's essentially apples and oranges. I enjoy writing both, but turning one into the other is a very difficult proposition because it requires starting from scratch with an entirely different mindset. Let me be frank: I don't think it can be a labor of love, I think it has to be a labor of money. If somebody hired me to do it, sure. Otherwise, I'll keep my apples and oranges in separate baskets. Of all my books, though, I think STRONG ENOUGH TO DIE is my most camera-ready because it has a containable budget and terrifically castable characters. And I think it'd most like to see it go forward because it's the most contemporary and close to my heart right now."
When asked about his next book, Land commented, "Strong Justice is the tentative title of the sequel, due out next June. Without giving too much away, it's a little more of a traditional thriller with even an appearance by al-Qaeda--imagine Caitlin taking them on! But the real challenge with these books is the emotion and defining where these characters are, and what's changed for them, a year later. How has Caitlin and Cort Wesley's relationship progressed or not progressed, for example? Plotting is easy; building deep, complex, and fully drawn characters is where the real challenge lies and that's what sets this series apart."
Does he plan on bringing back any of his other series characters? "It is a question I get from time to time but I'm so much of a different, and I hope better, writer now, it would be tough to know where to take them. The McCracken books, as much as I enjoyed writing them, were built around massive action set-pieces; basically blowing a lot of stuff up. I kind of feel after Caitlin Strong, that would be a step backwards. I've had a blast with Caitlin and think I'll stick with her for a while."
Land is the Vice President of Marketing for ITW. When asked about the organization, he said, "You know, I've never been involved in any writer's organization before this and maybe there isn't another like ITW. There's an old saying that you're no better than the company you keep. Well, the company I keep at ITW to a great extent has changed the way I'm perceived as a writer. It's opened so many doors for me and introduced me to so many people in the industry that I can't even come close to quantifying what I've gotten from the organization in return for what I've contributed. And how often do you get to meet and become friends with your idols, but that's the way it is for me with David Morrell. Maintaining the traditions that he and co-founder Gayle Lynds, another great friend of mine, established is the least my efforts can do to make up for the great friendships and relationships I've formed thanks to my involvement with ITW."
Contributing editor Jeff Ayers is the author of VOYAGES OF IMAGINATION: THE STAR TREK FICTION COMPANION Pocket
Books-November 2006. He frequently reviews thrillers for Library
Journal and regularly interviews authors for LJ, the Seattle
Post-Intellgencer, and Writer Magazine. 
