“This is an opportunity to allow more readers to see themselves as the hero.” An in-depth conversation with Kim Sherwood
With the first book in her new trilogy, Kim Sherwood has blown the world of Bond wide open - and then some! In this far-ranging conversation we discuss diversifying MI6, seeing 007 from different angles, setting up MCU-like threads for the future and much more.
Although there are no plot spoilers in the interview, we do discuss character details from the beginning of the book. Several of these were ‘oh my gosh’ moments when I read them for the first time. So if you want to go into the novel completely unspoiled do not watch/listen/read on until you have read at least the first 50 pages of Double or Nothing.
Available as video or podcast
In our discussion, we cover the following topics (not an exhaustive list!):
Being obsessed with Bond; which of Kim’s grandfather’s Bond film performances she prefers; why Die Another Day will always hold a special place in her heart; sustaining the legacy of women writing Bond; identifying with characters who challenge gender stereotypes; taking a Christopher Nolan approach to rebooting MI6; the research she did into each character’s background, including taking inspiration from Tomorrow Never Dies, Lady Chatterley’s Lover and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine; the DNA her writing shares with that of Fleming; moving forward the treatment of disability in action narratives; seeing Bond from so many characters’ points of view; making Q a quantum computer; why it was finally time to give Moneypenny a promotion; what influenced her putting M in Converse trainers; writing about exotic locations during lockdowns; what Bond has in common with Doctor Who; what to expect from the next instalment of the trilogy.
Most thrillingly of all for me personally, we got to discuss the development of Dryden: the first gay-identifying Double-0.
Mentioned in the interview
Kim took part in this year’s Jim Fanning Friday.
We discuss Johana Harwood’s writing of Bond films, which I addressed in some detail here: https://www.licencetoqueer.com/blog/queer-re-view-dr-no
