Criminal Element Book Club, Week 4: Q&A with Olen Steinhauer, author of The Tourist
By Crime HQ
January 27, 2020
Now that you’ve had a chance to begin reading (or finish) The Tourist, this week we wanted to give you a chance to ask some questions. We’re opening up the floor to book club participants for an exclusive Q&A with Olen Steinhauer.
Here’s how it will work:
- Submit your questions about The Tourist or the Milo Weaver series directly in the comments section of this post.
- Make sure to log-in to your Criminal Element account before you comment.
- Criminal Element moderators will choose a select number of questions from the comments section which Olen Steinhauer will answer on the site in a few weeks.
- The best questions will help contribute to the book club conversation around The Tourist, so be thoughtful, and feel free to submit more than one question.
- If your question is selected to be answered by Olen Steinhauer in his post to follow, we’ll contact you and send you an early copy of the newest book in the Milo Weaver series, The Last Tourist.
With that in mind, please fire away with your questions in the comments below! Please join us again next week when we’ll be following up with a new guest post from Olen Steinhauer.
Only discovering the Criminal Element Book Club now?
Check out these posts to catch up:
Criminal Element Book Club ft. The Tourist by Olen Steinhauer, Week 1
Criminal Element Book Club ft. The Tourist by Olen Steinhauer, Week 2
Criminal Element Book Club ft. The Tourist by Olen Steinhauer, Week 3
About The Last Tourist by Olen Steinhauer:
In Olen Steinhauer’s bestseller An American Spy, reluctant CIA agent Milo Weaver thought he had finally put “Tourists”―CIA-trained assassins―to bed.
A decade later, Milo is hiding out in Western Sahara when a young CIA analyst arrives to question him about a series of suspicious deaths and terrorist chatter linked to him.
Their conversation is soon interrupted by a new breed of Tourists intent on killing them both, forcing them to run.
As he tells his story, Milo is joined by colleagues and enemies from his long history in the world of intelligence, and the young analyst wonders what to believe. He wonders, too, if he’ll survive this encounter.
After three standalone novels, Olen Steinhauer returns to the series that made him a New York Times bestseller.
Comments
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Which [reasonably well known] author’s writing is most similar to yours?
Where do you get your ideas?
Where do you get ideas for your books from?
What do you find helpful when you get writers block?
How do locations play a role in your books?
Whose input do you most look for during your writing progress?
I was struck in The Tourist by how you gave us information about Milo and Tina’s meeting and subsequent marriage in small pieces throughout the novel. Was that a deliberate choice to keep us reading or did you have some other motive?
I really enjoyed All The Old Knives and love a copy of your new book! Do you ever travel to Canada on book tours?
Thank you..
Why this genre over others?
Do you travel to the areas that you are writing about before each book?
What do you do for fun?? Any hobbies??
I’m new to the series so forgive me if this is one of those things that are common knowledge among those “in the know”. Is there a real life inspiration for Milo Weaver? Is there any part of the character that you think of as your secret alter ego?
Do you have problems coming up with themes for your books or is it easy for you
How do you come up with character names?
How do you develop the storyline? Is it something you plan on multiple sheets of paper or do you use your computer for this? What does it look like? And how do you keep track of the characteristics and the appearance of each person of your story?
How has your success changed your life?
How did you decide upon the type of novel you would write? Was your research in depth?
Did you visit all the places that you had Milo go to in this book? The descriptions of the various venues were very realistic.
Did you have experience in the world of espionage (ex CIA, etc) prior to writing this novel?
As a writer , what other authors inspire you
What was the impetus to create the character Milo and the plot?
What genres least appeal to you and why?
What is your best advice for aspiring authors?
When writing in this genre, where do you feel an author needs to draw the line between factual information and creativity?
What is the best way you suggest to write when there are distractions, i.e., children?
I am new to you as an author so could you please discuss a little about your background and experience with the CIA?
What kind of books did you read while growing up? Any particular genres?
Is Milo Weaver based off of any real life person living or dead?
Where do you get “names” for your characters? How about Milo Weaver’s name?
How do you ensure continuity in tone and facts across novels in a series?
When you were a child and adolescent, what authors, book series, and genres were your favorite ones to read?
Do you ever compare your series with any other book series, same/different genre?
Do you model your characters after actual people?
Do you go back and read each book in the Milo Weaver series after they’re published?
Has your storytelling skills changed from each book in the series?
What did you think about the ending?
Is location like another character for you ?
Did you consider writing this series under a pseudonym?
What type of book/genre do you like to read?
What inspired you to write this book?
What food/drinks help you write the best?
Did you come up with the characters or story first?
Anything that was removed from the book during the editing process?
Who/what do you enjoy reading?
What inspired you to write this book?
Will we see more of Berlin Station or another TV series from you?
If you were able to cast the characters for a movie, who would you choose?
Who do you read when you’re relaxing?
Has this series been everything you imagined it would be? Do you feel there is more you need to tell about the characters in future books?
Sill Milo Weaver be coming back as an aide in another series?
Will not Sill
Hi, Please tell me how you choose the characteristics of the young CIA Analyst?
Thank you, Cindi
Do you begin knowing the ending of the book or do your characters lead you to the end?
There is very little information on the Internet about your background outside where you have lived and your education. How do you research and where do you gain the information to add enough credibility to your fiction (just enough believable truth) to write a fiction story which could be close enough to a real life case?
Where did your inspiration come from with this book?
Of all the central components in your story, the struggle is maybe the most essential to stress. The contention lies at the core of each great account, so ensure perusers comprehend what your contention is inside the initial not many parts.
I have never read any of your books yet but I am eager to start. Which book should I start with, The Tourist or an earlier book of yours?
Do you base any of your characters on real people? Why or why not?
Please tell me this book will be a movie or PBS special. I loved it! You have so many details woven into the story like the CIA office in the World Trade Center and the precursor to the CIA, the Pond. Did you find these true facts before you wrote “The Tourist” or did you add them later? Was there an advisor who had intelligence work knowledge you worked with or is this all online, maybe CIA museum and imagination? Did you travel to the locations you described like Venice, the Platinum Glam Cub and Disney World? Not quite finished yet but loving every minute of the ride you are taking me on! Thank You!
How in depth do you do research for your books and if the research will be too much, do you avoid it and choose a different path that would be easier?
Do you find it difficult to keep a series going? When do you know how long to continue with it?
I love the idea that the spies are “tourists”. My question is this. Since the “Tiger” was so elusive that Milo, whohad been tracking him for years, was surprised to learn that he was a Christian Scientist – how did his killer know that he was so that he could kill him with the aids virus. And now did the Tiger reconcile his profession with his religious beliefs.
DO YOU HAVE ANY SAY IN HOW THE COVER OF YOUR BOOK LOOKS?
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Does it become a habit for you to go back and read each book in the Milo Weaver series after it is published?
You’ve got a lot of interesting articles to share. It will benefit me, my family, and my friends tremendously. Thank you for making it available to us.
I have read this book, it is very good and engaging. But I wonder, is the main character based on any image, why is it so real?
This is the fourth week of our ever-expanding Criminal Element Book Club. This week we’re reading The Tourist by Olen Steinhauer, a thriller about an ordinary family man who becomes entangled with a ruthless criminal elite while vacationing in Paris. Our books and discussion questions are available on this page.
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