Most people know, I believe, that Jerry and I were the creators of the men’s adventure series, THEY CALL ME THE MERCENARY by Axel Kilgore.” How may of you know that we never wanted to write it, had no interest in doing it and when more or less coerced into it, fell in love with the main character and his subsequent sidekicks?
In the late 1970s, the Prepper Movement was in its mainstream infancy, thanks to publications like Mother Earth News and the like. Falling off the grid wasn’t as important to most of us then but self reliance and sustainability was something to strive toward. Relations with the Soviet Union were very chilly. What would happen if that all important red button got pushed and World War III commenced? Many thought it would never happen or hoped so but Jerry and I couldn’t stop talking about “if.” We quickly came up with a workable scenario, centered on a somewhat believable family and subsequent supporting characters and Jerry, who could sell the proverbial refrigerator to Eskimos, set out to find a suitable home for the series. I will have to say that most editors turned down the idea very politely.
One young editor at Zebra Books turned the tide for us. She liked the idea of a survival-type series well enough but she had another idea in mind – a hard boiled, killer mercenary with psychological problems and a missing body part. This concept was partially based on the fact that Jerry had a new products column called Terrain and Situation in Soldier of Fortune magazine and mercenaries and far away wars were becoming hot items. They were the new BAD BOYS.
After lots of negotiating and not a lot of money up front, it was decided that not only would we be doing THE SURVIVALIST but we would be penning THEY CALL ME THE MERCENARY by Axel Kilgore. Jerry had a business associate named Axel and we drove through Kilgore, Texas and thought it had a neat sounding name. We were thrilled to finally have a home for John Thomas Rourke and his entire fictional family, but now we had to cope with doing two series simultaneously.
I don’t remember how exactly the name Hank Frost evolved but you've got to say that its simple, easy to remember and rolls easily off the tongue – a perfect name for a series character. As to his physical attributes or lack of, we were in a quandary. An action hero with a missing limb just didn’t seem right at the time so we settled on a missing eye, giving him an eye patch and an attitude. Along the way, he also acquired a bad back and as his character evolved a sense of humor.
Next time, I’ll tell you more about this great guy and his horrible jokes and how he met his true love, Bess and his one and only friend, Mike O’Hara. THEY CALL ME THE MERCENARY series is available through Speaking Volumes www.speakingvolumes.us in print and ebook format as well as audio.
Sharon