Lost Empire by Clive Cussler and Grant Blackwood

By Jeff Ayers

Grant Blackwood continues his trend of writing terrific reads with the biggest names in the business.  His latest collaboration with Clive Cussler, Lost Empire, is the second book in an ongoing series featuring the married couple Sam and Remi Fargo.

What sparked the idea for Lost Empire?

When Clive and I started talking about the second Fargo book, we came back to an idea we’d toyed with for the first book: The Aztecs.  There are a lot of unanswered questions about their empire, and we thought it would be a perfect adventure for Sam and Remi Fargo.  Once I got into the research a theme kept emerging that eventually grew into the plot of Lost Empire.  The theme was based on straightforward, if not simple question: What if the accepted history of the Aztec Empire is only the tip of the iceberg?

How is the collaboration with Clive?

I’ve said it before, and there’s really no better way to say it: Working with Clive is a dream come true.  Not only is he the reason I got into this business, but he’s a hell of a nice guy.  I couldn’t be happier.

What have you seen in terms of the response from fans in launching this new series?

The response has been fantastic.  Fans love Sam and Remi.  The books are all about pure adventure:  lost treasures, ancient history, riddles lost to time….  Speaking as an avid reader, it doesn’t get any better than that.  Plus, Clive’s idea of Sam and Remi Fargo, a husband-and-wife treasure hunting team, is unique.   Readers have a blast following them around the world.

What’s next for the Fargos?

I just started on the third Fargo Adventure.  As we speak, Sam and Remi are high in the Himalayas hunting for a relic related to ancient Tibetan mythology.