The mother rakosh scene was a dream. I built Jack and the book around it.

Ok, now I have to ask. Did you actually dream of a rakosh? Or of some other type of "monster" (for lack of a better word), that became a rakosh?

P.S. -- On a more serious note, if you see a novel called "Shock" by the afore-mentioned Mr. Cook, I recommend turning and walking in the opposite direction. Do not approach the novel. In the event that you accidentally find yourself reading the novel, do not read any paragraphs beginning "He stared with unseeing eyes out the window as he thought about..." or "It was a lovely day in the quaint New England town..." In the event (approximately five times per chapter) that the two female leads high five each other or use the antiquated term "coed," remain calm. Do not throw novel at innocent bystanders. Mr. Cook shall not be held responsible for any mental or bodily injury caused by reading this novel, even though he should be.

I wholeheartedly agree with the warning about Shock. It's not good. Neither are the other Robin Cook novels I've read. After 3 of them, I quit. They were highly recommended by a close friend. I passed her a couple FPW novels and now she helps me spread his good, cliche-free, interesting, thought-provoking, writing around. that's better for all of us.

Neat, so you came up with a character and an entire novel from a dream! That must've been a real vivid one.

I think it's because you choose to break a lot of cliches in novel-writing that your books are so interesting and unique. Jack's a hero-type familiar to me, but I don't see many similar characters in most Western stories. And the research you do really shows. That hacking thing was one of the coolest things I've ever read, because it was so detailed.

I've read about hacking buildings in other books, and that kinda stuff, along with picking locks, fascinate me. How easily Jack gets in and out of places with his lock-pick set reminds me very much of a Nobel Laureate physicist who taught himself how to pick locks, then tried in vain to warn others that we all lock ourselves in with devices that won't protect us against those who bother to learn how weak they really are. Sometimes that's a scary thought...I'm glad Jack's not a bad guy.