Now that I got your attention, it's time I share my knowledge on Ultimate Agent - A novel trilogy from Canadian author Derek Borne.
With the sweet aroma of the best Finnish pizza, I managed to lure him to reveal some highly confidential information on his series and life as a storyteller.
Before that, it's time I share my classified information on this saga. This message will self-destruct In five seconds, so read quickly.
You probably already guessed what genre Ultimate Agent deals In, if not from my spy clishe's, then from the title.
UA is not only an agent story. It's also a superhero story. Imagine Jason Bourne In the Marvel universe.
Epic, sure. But the very Core of the story is the friendship between the two main characters, Brett and Devon, the two agents In secret service called the Ultimate Agent. And the love triangel between them and the third agent, Jade Hathaway. As if that wasn’t enough, the headaches are offered by Russian terrorist Maximus Romanov. But what's the deal with his sister, Valeriya? You'll have to plug In to find out.
But now it's time to let the Man himself reveal few secrets. His name is Borne, Derek Borne.
When did you first decide to become a writer?
Ever since I was little, I loved writing my own silly little stories. I was about 14 when I got a bit more serious about writing. About 3 years ago, though, I decided to finally make the jump to publish through Amazon and get even more serious as a writer.
How long did the idea brew, before you decided to write it down?
It didn’t take much to brew, actually. I’m a pantser when it comes to writing, so things shaped up as I went along. I like being able to surprise myself with the ideas I come up with!
How long did it take from idea to published book?
Well, I originally wrote it when I was 14, which is 17 years ago now. Because I'm a pantser, it took me between half a year to a year to write
The UA world seems like a combination of Marvel movies and Jason Bourne. Is there one bigger inspiration for the story?
Those are really the main two inspirations. Other than that, I wanted to tell a story about family, and how anybody who comes along in life can become a part of your extended family too.
These characters have been with me for a while, which is what has made it so hard to end the series.
How did it feel?
I cried
Some writers come up with the characters first, some with the story and some with the world. What was the first in the UA?
The first thing was the general idea. I was chatting with a friend and we said “Wouldn’t it be cool if there was a superhero who was a spy, or vice versa?” And that’s how the Ultimate Agent was born. I knew I wanted to set it in our world, but still give it enough of a Sci-Fi feel with the tech and abilities.
Would you wish to bring UA in any other form (Movies/TV-show, videogames, etc)? If Yes, what would be your favorite platform?
If UA ever made it to be a movie, that’s the “Ultimate” dream… see what I did there? Anyway, it’s a bit of a toss-up between a feature film or a tv show on a medium like Netflix or Amazon. A show allows you to get even deeper into the story, but either way would be AMAZING! And for video games? Why not? You could play it over and over again just like being able to read the book as much as you want.
Is there a real-world inspiration for Devon and Brett?
Devon and Brett are basically me and the brotherly friendships I have with most of my guy friends. The banter, the teasing, the inside jokes, that all comes from real life buddies of mine.
What about Jade and Valeriya?
Jade is based on a girl I liked when I was 14... but as time went on and the rewrite came, Jade is a lot more like my wife.
Valeriya is just more of the characteristics I love and respect about a lot of my women friends
What about the Romanov siblings? What was their inspiration? Any connection to the czar family?
I’m aware of the Czar family, as I did my research, but there’s no true connection there. When I was younger, I always thought the surname had a certain sinister sound to it and so I ran with it. I knew I wanted to have villains with a Russian background, and it just seemed to fit for Maximus Romanov. When I was younger, before Avengers came out, I originally had Valeriya’s name be Natalia, but then I realized how close it was, so I changed it to Valeriya. As for their dynamic, there’s so much I can’t say without getting into classified territory…
Any classified information you're willing to sell?
Depends on what intel you're looking for 😆 I accept pizza bribes 😜
UA3 just launched. What can we expect from it?
This is an emotionally-driven story with back-against-the-wall tension. This is a story that took a lot out of me to write, and I hope readers will be able to tell how much of my heart I truly poured into this one. When it comes down to it though, when you think you have everything figured out, expect the unexpected!
What can we expect from you next?
Next up, I’m finishing writing a dinosaur/time-rift novel that’s subtly connected to the UA-verse (thanks to a certain cryptid that pops up in the superhero series). It’s my passion project before I move on to other planned spin-offs from the UA-verse. There may or may not be more bigfoot stories to tell 😉
What is your ideal reader?
The ideal reader… I would say is someone who loves action, some sweet romance, loves to laugh, and is super into Sci-Fi. I’ve had 12-year-olds read my work and love it (because I write clean, no sex, swearing, etc.)
What advice would you give to aspiring storytellers?
Write what you know, and be genuine with your storytelling. Write with your heart, because readers can tell when you’re putting books out with a stale story with no heart.
Don’t write for the dollar signs. Write to change someone’s life.
"Write to change someone's life". Could it be said any better? That's not only the dream of every storyteller. It's the power of every story.
I hope you enjoyed this interview as much as I did. I also hope you got the same vision of Derek as I did: He's just like his text. Funny and likable.
Be sure to get the Ultimate trilogy and the anthology of short adventures, Helios Files while you still can. This post will self-destruct In five seconds.
5... 4... 3... 2... 1...
Oh...
Bummer! A dud! At least the book's aren't. Please comment, what did you think of them. Also, be sure to share this so any Ultimate Agent can get their share of information!
Thanks for reading!
-Alex
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