Here's the blurb.

Joe Ledger and the DMS (Department of Military Sciences) go up against two competing groups of geneticists. One side is creating exotic transgenic monsters and genetically enhanced mercenary armies; the other is using 21st century technology to continue the Nazi Master Race program begun by Josef Mengele. Both sides want to see the DMS destroyed, and they've drawn first blood. Neither side is prepared for Joe Ledger as he leads Echo Team to war under a black flag.

The Dragon Factory is the second Joe Ledger novel following Patient Zero, which is has been recently nominated for the 2009 Bram Stoker Awards, Best Novel category (Congratulations!). The sequel's title sounds apt considering this review from Publishers Weekly:

"Joe and his comrades from the Department of Military Science (DMS) take on enough villains and their world-threatening plots to fill half a dozen ordinary thrillers. A humorous, over-the-top cross-genre thriller."
Booklist describes it as: "...a video game on steroids mixed with The Island of Dr. Moreau."

So without further ado, Jonathan, can you tell us a little about Joe Ledger and what makes him tick?

Joe is a dichotomy.  On one hand he's a very capable operative: skilled with weapons and very advanced in unarmed combat; an experienced police detective; and a man with compassion and honor.  On the other hand, he's damaged goods.  As a teenager he suffered a terrible tragedy that's left him emotional scarred and psychologically fractured.  There are several people living inside Joe's head.  The three most dominant personalities are the Modern Man, the Cop and the Warrior.  The Modern Man is the idealist who is optimistic and perhaps a bit naive about humanity's better nature; the Warrior is the violent and savage aspect that wants to take it to the bad guys in very bad ways.  The Cop is the most balanced personality, and it's usually the one in control.  The Cop is a problem solver, balancing intuition and observation in practical ways.  Joe is aware of his own damage and has managed to get the various aspects of his mind to work as a team.

Joe's reactions are based partly on my own views and teachings in martial arts, and on the kinds of reactions and reflexes I've seen in men I've met who work in SWAT and Special Ops. Immediate reaction without hesitation is a prized skill, and very often it's the dividing line between those who can hack it in Special Ops and those who can't. It doesn't make someone more or less of a good person, but it does qualify them for a certain kind of work. 
Joe's also a real smartass, and that makes him fun to be around.  He's a bit of a geek and he occasionally wears his heart on his sleeve.

What makes him a good leader of Echo Team?

Joe is a 'get it done' sort of guy.  He's an Alpha who prefers to lead a pack of wolves who are as tough, smart and focused as he is.  He doesn't suffer fools gladly, and when he's pushed he tends to push back.

And why the black flag?

Joe is NOT a 'my country right or wrong' type --he won't pull a trigger unless he believes in his mission.  However if he feels that his mission is righteous, then nothing except his own death is going to stop him.

In The Dragon Factory, Joe encounters some villains whose agenda is truly appalling.  The bad guys are promoting ethnic genocide on a global scale.  Innocent people are being hurt in dreadful ways.  If the bad guys decide that 'no mercy' is the only option, then it's the only option for Joe, too.

I heard you had an online contest to come up with the name of Joe Ledger's dog. Is this true, what name won, and why?

We had 6,821 entries to the contest, and I had a couple of retired K-9 officers tabulating and judging the results.  The winner was 'Ghost', and the officers suggested that I make the dog a white shepherd.  So...Ghost became a character in The King of Plagues, the third Joe Ledger adventure, which will be published by St. Martins Griffin in April 2011.

How important is social media becoming to your sales and to the personal connection to your fans?

It's crucial. Even before the economic downturn, publishers have being either unable or unwilling to spend dollars on publicity.  Since the advent of the Internet authors have been able to do much of this for themselves.  Social media -Twitter, Facebook, blogs, LinkedIn, and so on--allow authors to reach out to potential readers, booksellers, reviewers, librarians, and the media without spending much money.  Twitter has become a promotional monster.  With the right placement of a single short sentence, or a short comment and a link, writers can cultivate new fans and partner with booksellers to get the word out about new releases, pending releases, reviews, signings, tours, and other news.

Social media is also driven predominantly by positive messaging.  An author who concentrates on upbeat messages -and who takes the time to participate in reciprocal postings and endorsements--can engender a lot of good will.  That good will often translates into sustained buzz on their products.

It's also fun.  It's like being at a huge party where everyone has something fun to say.  Sure, some of the messages posted on Twitter and Facebook are nonsense, but even that helps sustain a sense of immediacy and urgency.

Recently I've participated as a speaker at Twitter-based events such as Jeff Pulver's celebrated Hundred and Forty Character Conferences.  The people paying attention to social media aren't tweenage computer geeks -they're captains of industry, political figures, and other major players.

In The Dragon Factory, where did the transgenic premise come from? How much research did you do in this area and how does your research influence your writing?

I'm a research junkie.  I love info and I've always been a science geek.  I gobble up mainstream magazines and trade journals on science.  Once I find an idea I dive into it, partly to satisfy my hunger for information and partly to try and find that aspect of a given topic that presents a story idea.  I got to transgenics via some articles I've been reading on the ethics of biotechnology.  Remember in Jurassic Park when Michael Crichton offered the comment that, "We spend so much time trying to see if we can, we often don't stop to consider whether we should."  That's a solid point, and when I was reading about ethical issues surrounding cloning and gene therapy, I -being a thriller writer--let my mind drift toward speculation on how these aspects of science could be misused, and who would profit from the misuse.  Money really is the root of all evil.

Then I thought about what products will be brought to market for the pleasure of the super-rich once certain thresholds are crossed in genetics.  And, that led me down some darker paths which took me into the minds of the villains of The Dragon Factory.

It's funny, but since I turned in the manuscript over a year ago I've seen one news story after another that touches on themes I built into the book.  As much as I love science, when I think about how it is--and will be--misused in the real world scares the bejeezus out of me.

You're writing for comics, for young adult, non fiction and fiction. You've written about occult beliefs and about martial arts. What's the most fun? How does one feed the other? What skills cross over?

It's all fun.  I love every part of the writing biz.  The research, the writing, the editing, the back-and-forth with editors, the promotion...all of it.  I also love writing in multiple genres.  It's like going from one amusement park to another all day long.

Right now writing thrillers is the most fun, because it touches on more areas of personal interest than most of the other genres.  I get to play with science, martial arts, humor, big concept stories, science fiction, monsters, suspense, action, and even a little horror.  I am sooooo being entertained by the process of writing thrillers.
But I like the diversity.  On any given day I might be drafting a comic book script in the morning, doing a couple of hours of research for a nonfiction project -book or article; editing a short story, writing a chapter of a novel, working the social networks, and answering reader mail.  How can I not love that kind of a job?

The research I do for my nonfiction projects is almost always useful as seed material for short stories or novels.  I got the idea for Patient Zero while researching prion diseases for my nonfiction book, Zombie CSU.  I came up with the insect DNA info for my short story, "Deep, Dark" while talking bugs with an entomologist at a cocktail party.

Speaking of that story, it takes place just before The Dragon Factory and is available for free online. Here's the link: http://jonathanmaberry.com/download-the-free-joe-ledger-story-deep-dark.

Can you tell me about writing for young adult? How does your writing change when you target this audience, or is it more a question of the age of protagonist?

I was reading adult books when I was a kid, so I know that teenagers are able to keep up with complex characters and themes.  Even as a kid I wouldn't read anything that I thought had been 'written down' to teens.  So, when I sat down to write my dystopian novel, Rot & Ruin (Simon & Schuster, September 2010), I simply wrote a novel.  Not specifically to teens, but a novel that anyone could read.  The main difference between that and my adult fiction is that the protagonist is a teenager and some of the harsh language has been toned down.  Some, not all.
Rot & Ruin takes place fourteen years after a zombie plague wiped out most of humanity.  There are some small fortified towns in central California, but everything else, as far as the characters know, is a wasteland of the living dead.  Fifteen year old Benny Imura and his friends are the next generation.  The adults have lost all faith in the future, but Benny wants a future, even if he is inheriting a broken world.  The book also deals with some heavy issues involving life and death, and about what it means to be 'alive.'

Advance buzz on the book suggests that it has strong crossover appeal to the adult market as well.

Jonathan, I've heard you described as mentor to other writers, someone who truly cares about fostering their success. You host the monthly gathering of Writers Coffeehouse. How important is this mentorship to you and how do you balance your time?

I'm not sure 'mentor' is the right word.  I've been working on strengthening the community of writers, locally and nationally.  Writers helping each other; writers helping booksellers stay afloat; writers supporting libraries; writers supporting literacy.  And writers helping to cultivate a love of books.

At the same time, I'm a realist about the way things work.  Publishing is an industry, a business.  It's a crime to see talented writers waste good books by trying to market them as art rather than as products in a business that sells art.  The artistic connection is between the writer and the reader, but that connection can't be made unless the author learns how to work within the business.   When that happens, the book has a much better chance of being read by the people who are most likely to benefit from it.

I've met some writers who act as if the book world is a back-biting competition, and I don't give them the time of day.  Most of the writers I've met, however, are generous and supportive.  When I was a teenager I got great career advice and support from Ray Bradbury and Richard Matheson.  They didn't have to take the time to talk with me, or offer advice, but they did.

I started the Writers Coffeehouse a few years ago to give writers of all genres, all kinds, and all levels of experience a place to meet with other writers.  Currently we meet at the Willow Grove Barnes & Noble in Pennsylvania on the last Sunday of every month, from noon to three.  We get between thirty and fifty people at each session.  No fees, no publishing credits required.  Just writers sitting around talking with other writers.  About the business, about the craft, about the writing life.  No agenda.

I also co-founded the Liars Club (www.liarsclubphilly.com) , a group of professional writers of various kinds.  We initially formed to do some mutual networking, and we do a lot to support one another.  But we expanded outward.  In 2009 we had our Liars Tell the Truth About Independent Bookstores tour in which we threw a party each month for a different indie store.  Times are tough financially and we want to see the indies stay afloat.  We also did a number of events at the chain stores 'cause we love them too and some of them are taking hits. This year we'll continue with that but we're also launching a tour in support of libraries.  The modern library is a marvellous thing, and too many folks don't have a clue about all that a library has to offer.  And, with funding being slashed for libraries, the Liars Club is determined to rally support from writers and readers to keep the doors open and the lights on.

As far as support for other writers...I believe it's incumbent on all writers to help our colleagues, and that includes absolute beginners as well as friends on the bestseller lists.  Writers should help writers.  It's more fun when there are a lot of kids in the playground.

Since you spend so much of your time trying to help out writers at an earlier stage, what advice would you give a writer just starting out?

My best advice to a new writer: Learn the business. Manage your own career. Secondly, learn your craft.  We're either born with the storytelling gene or we're not; but the craft of writing is learned.  A good story well told is what we should all be striving for.

And, be relentless.  Finish what you start.  Start something else right away.  Get each piece polished and pretty and get it the hell in the mail; and while you're waiting for a reply, write something else.  If you get a rejection, consider whether you really need to make changes, if not, get that piece of writing the hell back into the mail.

Obviously you think writers groups are important, what do you get out of The Philly Liars Club and how does one get in?

It's invitation only, and for now we're keeping our membership small-ish (we have thirteen active members and three 'liars at large'.  The active members work together to do programs, give workshops, and support one another.  We are planning on opening satellite chapters in other cities, but we're designing that so these new chapters continue with our mission of supporting booksellers, libraries, literacy programs, readers and each other.
In terms of requirements to join, certain qualities of mind: optimism even in the face of the publishing industry's financial troubles; enthusiasm for the craft and the business; a sense of fun; and a willingness to participate in projects that wouldn't always directly benefit you.

Some have suggested that our requirements for membership also include low personal standards, a fast-and-loose attitude toward the truth, and no outstanding police warrants. But those are probably lies.

And, most importantly. I've noticed a propensity for authors to wear more than their share of Hawaiian shirts. What gives? Is this the advice not to take yourself too seriously in action?

You can hide a lot under a baggy Hawaiian shirt.  Anything from love handles to a handgun to a pet ferret.  Why wouldn't you want to wear one?  Besides, anyone who takes themselves too seriously is probably misinformed about his own worth.

What's next for Joe Ledger?

The third, Joe Ledger, The King of Plagues deals with the rise of a secret society who are using weaponized versions of the Ten Plagues of Egypt to destabilize the global economy.

Beyond that...who knows? I have ideas for at least a dozen other Joe Ledger novels, each built on a different aspect of science. Although some characters (particularly Joe's crew in the Department of Military Sciences) may appear in other series entries, each threat and each villain is likely to be unique. I don't plan on returning to ground I've already covered.

Thanks for your time, Jonathan!

Look out for The Dragon Factory in March 2010, and if you want to learn more about Jonathan, visit his 'Big, Scary Blog' at www.jonathanmaberry.com.

Michael F Stewart is the author of several graphic novels published by Oxford University Press Canada. 24 BONES is his debut supernatural thriller. His next novel, HURAKAN, will be released in early 2010. Michael lives and writes in Ottawa, Canada.