Interview with E.J. Simon , Author of Death in the Kremlin (Michael Nicholas Book 5)

What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Death in the Kremlin (Michael Nicholas Book 5)?

My fascination with AI since watching “2001 Space Odyssey”, where HAL, the onboard computer, takes on a life of his own and takes control of the spaceship and the astronauts.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of Death in the Kremlin (Michael Nicholas Book 5), what would they be?

“You Only Live Twice” – Shirley Bassey (from James Bond movie of same title.

What’s your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

(non-fiction): History; (Fiction): Thrillers & Mystery

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

“A Death in Cornwall” by Dan Silva; “Munich” by Robert Harris; “Paris 1874” by Sylvie Patry.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

Chapter 31 where Putin calls Donna Nicholas, Alex’s widow, while she is in bed in her home in Queens.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

I enjoy having background music to fit the mood of the scene I’m writing and I find it stimulating to be writing in different public places (ie Paris hotel lobby) and watching the world there go by as I think and write.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow, learn as if you were to live forever.” Gandhi

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

To think about what comes after.