Fearless follows a woman with the unique ability to not feel fear, who finds herself being wanted by China’s MSS to be turned into a weapon for their world domination. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

​Fearless is the second book in my Trident Force thriller series and is the continuation of the story of a covert taskforce called Trident, established to thwart threats to America from emerging technologies. The inspiration for the series came from my former day job, where I worked at a major scientific research organization which, in part, explored ways to commercialize emerging technologies.

I worked in risk management, which required an understanding of the risks posed by these emerging technologies. And there were many risks! My time there inspired the idea of a team created to combat these risks and led to the first book in the series, Dark Cure. The setup of Fearless was inspired by transcripts I came across while conducting research for the series, of an interview with a woman known only as “Y”. She is afflicted with the same condition as Molly Jones, a protagonist in Fearless. Only 400 people in recorded history are known to have had this condition, so the story of the challenges she has faced throughout her life and how she had to find ways to compensate for her lack of fear, was enthralling to me. “Y”’s identity has been kept secret because of how attractive she would be to medical researchers and entities who want to exploit her condition. The idea of how irresistible she would also be to Trident and other, more insidious entities, inspired Fearless.  

Molly is an intriguing character that has to balance her lack of fear with her moral compass. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?

I was captivated by the real-life story of “Y”, and how her rare brain condition has impacted her life. Her lack of fear is a curse, not a blessing as some might think. Being unable to feel fear means her body does not have the normal fight or flight response, which has placed her in considerable danger many times. I really explored this with Molly. How would someone survive with no physiological fear response? How would they identify danger if they were never scared? How would they compensate for this lack of fear in order to get though life unscathed? I investigated these questions in detail as I developed Molly’s character which took me in some surprising directions as I wrote Fearless!

I also looked at other ways in which “Y”’s personality has been affected by her condition, as I developed Molly’s character. One unique side effect that particularly drove Molly’s character was recklessness. In Molly’s case, this character trait had some tragic outcomes that influenced her outlook on life and where she fits in the world. It also defines her interactions in Fearless with Karl Shepherd, a former U.S. Army Ranger in charge of the Trident team. The dynamic between this volatile duo and how their relationship evolves, became one of the most enjoyable things about writing Fearless!

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

The dangers posed by emerging technologies–in the wrong hands–is one of the key themes I am exploring with my Trident Force series. Major advances in biotechnology in particular have significant benefits to society–but can also be weaponized. In Fearless, the mapping of the human genome is harnessed to create a most unique biological weapon.

Espionage is another key theme I explore in Fearless. Emerging technology is big business and the new arms race of the twenty-first century. The lengths to which certain individuals, entities and superpowers will go to get their hands on valuable, paradigm-shifting technologies, is a driving theme in Fearless and in my Trident Force series.

What is the next book in the Trident Force series that you are working on, and when will it be available?

I am currently working on the third book in the Trident Force series. It involves the Trident team racing to stop a unique assassin harnessing futuristic technology against the U.S President’s inner circle. In doing so, they uncover a conspiracy that reaches the highest levels of U.S political power and has global implications.

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Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/05/18/how-do-you-identify-danger-if-you-are-never-scared/