Trivia
Ξ March 13th, 2007 | → | ∇ Uncategorized |
WARNING: The following trivia may contain plot spoilers! Read at your own risk.
Alister Gammaldi is James’ best mate from high school. They played in the same football team and cycling club, and James was best man at Gammladi’s wedding. They are yet to single-handedly save the world but that day cannot be too far away.
FOX HUNT is the second storyline that James started with. “Initially, in ‘95/96, I was writing the novel for my VCE Writing Folio, and the story was set in Sydney around a terrorist attack on the Sydney Olympics. A couple years later and some 20,000 words in to the novel, I left it alone as Tom Clancy published Rainbow Six (a story about a terrorist attack on the Sydney Olympics). “
Most of the character’s names in the books are names of friends and people that James has worked with over the years. Some examples include the GSR security team are names from the concierge desk of the Windsor Hotel in Melbourne, where James worked while at university. Some White House staff get their names from that hotel too, while the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, Bill McCorkell, was an architect that James worked with on the Federation Square design team. FBI Special Agent Andrew Hutchinson is a novelist mate, Louise Truscott is an editor friend, John Birmingham is a fellow writer, James’ agents Pippa Masson, Faye Bender, Kate Cooper and Russell Galen all make an appearance in some way. Emily McDonald, Wallace’s PA, is one of his closest friends.
The USA and USSR were both working on rail and coil gun technology as part of a missile defence system. Future weapons systems, such as electric tank or ship guns, may well use this technology as it does away with conventional gunpowder ballistics.
The Seagram building exists and is a beautiful example of modernist architecture in NYC. It’s designed by two of my favourite architects, Mies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson. When looking for a HQ for my fictional GSR, it was the first building in NYC that came to mind. You can see some real-life pictures of it from Google Images here.
The Global Syndicate of Reporters (GSR), is based partly on the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).
James’ make of model of car and computer are mentioned in FOX HUNT. “If Gulfstream are willing to provide me with a private jet for all the product placement that I give them, feel free to do so!”
James and Lachlan are the same physical size: 187cms and 90kgs.
The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, occurred as James was writing the final pages of FOX HUNT.
In PATRIOT ACT, the nickname of the B2 stealth bomber that drops bombs onto France, is “Spirit of New York.”
The football team that the US President supports is the New England Patriots. McCorkell supports the Jets.
The US president and Bill McCorkell did their undergraduate studies at the University of Notre Dame. This is a homage to Jed Bartlett, the great fictional president from Aaron Sorkin’s television drama series, The West Wing. This Roman Catholic school is located in Notre Dame, Indiana.
McCorkell met Tas Wallace while the pair were doctoral students at Oxford University. They remain friends and catch up to exercise together by rowing or running.
Lachlan Fox and Alister Gammaldi have been friends since meeting at high school. They attended the Australian Defence Force Academy together, Fox studying Politics an Economics and Gammaldi a Bachelor of Science. Fox went on to work in Naval Intelligence and later in the special forces role of leading a Clearance Diver Team. He left the Navy as a lieutenant following events in Timor. Gammaldi left as a Naval pilot over a year later.
In a homage to the writer/director Kevin Smith, James put in a dick and fart joke into PATRIOT ACT. A giant spider and polar bear are mentioned in regards to the Greenland scenes, a reference to material regarding Smith talking about his Superman script from the DVD “An evening with Kevin Smith.”
The two stoner NSA techs at Greenland station are referred to as Harold and Kumar, from the 2004 cult movie “Harold and Kumar go to White Castle.”
The alias that Christian Secher uses on entering the US is Winston Smith. This is the name of George Orwell’s protagonist in 1984.
Two of James’ brothers, Ben and Chris Beasley, feature in FOX HUNT.
More trivia coming soon…
