Mark Greaney (born 1967) is an American
novelist focusing on
thriller. He is best known as
Tom Clancy
Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. (April 12, 1947 – October 1, 2013) was an American novelist. He is best known for his technically detailed espionage and military-science storylines set during and after the Cold War. Seventeen of his novels have ...
's collaborator on his final books during his lifetime, and for continuing the
Jack Ryan character and the Tom Clancy universe following Clancy's death in 2013. He is also known for the ''
Gray Man
Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed o ...
'' series of novels, which was produced by
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...
into
a feature film.
Early life and education
Born in Memphis, Tennessee, he is the son of Ed Greaney, a presence at
WMC-TV
WMC-TV (channel 5) is a television station in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Gray Television. Its studios are located on Union Avenue in midtown Memphis, and its transmitter is located in northeast Memphis, ...
Memphis
Memphis most commonly refers to:
* Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt
* Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city
Memphis may also refer to:
Places United States
* Memphis, Alabama
* Memphis, Florida
* Memphis, Indiana
* Memp ...
for over 50 years and the namesake for the station's current newsroom. Greaney has degrees in political science and international relations, which would later play a major part in his writing career.
Career
''The Gray Man''
Greaney previously worked as a waiter and bartender for ten years,
then later in a surgical technology company, while working on two novels in his spare time. After finishing one of them, titled ''Goon Squad''
and was primarily about the aftermath of the
Bosnian civil war, he gave the first 20 pages of his work to his favorite author
Ralph Peters
Ralph Peters (born April 19, 1952) is a retired United States Army lieutenant colonel and author.
In addition to his non-fiction books, he has published eight novels under the pen name Owen Parry of which ''Honor's Kingdom'' received the Hamme ...
's agent, Scott Miller, in a book conference in September 2006. Miller liked the book but later did not go forward with it, saying that "it was unmarketable," according to Greaney. But he urged Greaney to write another one based from a character in ''Goon Squad'' named Court Gentry,
which would later be ''
The Gray Man
Grey man, The Gray Man or The Grey Man may refer to:
Concepts
* Grey man theory, a concept in everyday carry that one should blend in with the environment so as not to raise suspicion
People
* The primary nickname of American serial killer A ...
''. After finishing this novel, Miller agreed to represent him, and later found a publisher,
Jove Books.
The national success of ''The Gray Man'' made Greaney quit his job in the medical devices company and make the transition to becoming a full-time writer. He was later given a three-book deal by his publisher in 2009. In addition, The ''Gray Man''s success spawned an equally successful series, with eight more sequels as of 2021: ''
On Target'' (2010), ''
Ballistic
Ballistics may refer to:
Science
* Ballistics, the science that deals with the motion, behavior, and effects of projectiles
** Forensic ballistics, the science of analyzing firearm usage in crimes
** Internal ballistics, the study of the proc ...
'' (2011), ''
Dead Eye'' (2013), ''
Back Blast'' (2016), ''
Gunmetal Gray'' (2017), ''
Agent in Place'' (2018), ''
Mission Critical'' (2019), ''
One Minute Out'' (2020), and ''
Relentless
Relentless may refer to:
Film
* ''Relentless'' (1948 film), an American film directed by George Sherman
* ''Relentless'', a 1977 American television film starring Will Sampson
* ''Relentless'' (1989 film), an American crime film starring Jud ...
'' (2021).
The film adaptation of ''The Gray Man'' was directed by
Joe and Anthony Russo for
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...
, with
Ryan Gosling as Gentry and
Chris Evans as nemesis Lloyd.
Working with Tom Clancy
Greaney has been a fan of
Tom Clancy
Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. (April 12, 1947 – October 1, 2013) was an American novelist. He is best known for his technically detailed espionage and military-science storylines set during and after the Cold War. Seventeen of his novels have ...
for years and has read all of his books, beginning with
Patriot Games
''Patriot Games'' is a thriller novel, written by Tom Clancy and published in July 1987. '' Without Remorse'', released six years later, is an indirect prequel, and it is chronologically the first book featuring Jack Ryan, the main character i ...
. So when Clancy was looking for a new co-author, Greaney found out that his editor at
Berkley Books, Tom Colgan was also Clancy's editor at
G. P. Putnam's Sons
G. P. Putnam's Sons is an American book publisher based in New York City, New York. Since 1996, it has been an imprint of the Penguin Group.
History
The company began as Wiley & Putnam with the 1838 partnership between George Palmer Putnam and J ...
. His editor later referred to his agent, who asked Greaney to be Clancy's co-author. Commenting on the experience, Greaney recalled: "I wish I could say I was excited, but the truth is, I was terrified. After I caught my breath, I offered to 'try out' because there were some other authors also in the running. I wrote twenty-five pages, handed them in and soon thereafter, I was in Baltimore meeting with Tom Clancy." They later collaborated on Clancy's last three novels before his death in October 2013: ''
Locked On'' (2012), ''
Threat Vector'' (2013), and ''
Command Authority
''Command Authority'' is a techno-thriller novel, written by Tom Clancy and co-written with Mark Greaney, and published on December 3, 2013. It is Clancy's last major work of fiction and was released posthumously two months after his death. Set du ...
'' (2013).
After Clancy's death, with the backing of his family and estate, Greaney continued the Jack Ryan and The Campus Universe left behind by Clancy, and has written four more novels as of 2016: ''
Tom Clancy: Support and Defend'' (2014), ''
Tom Clancy: Full Force and Effect'' (2014), ''
Tom Clancy: Commander in Chief'' (2015) and ''
Tom Clancy: True Faith and Allegiance'' (2016). Regarding the publisher's decision to feature Clancy's name at the top in massive letters and having his name in smaller letters for the covers of the post-Clancy novels, Greaney commented: "It really feels like a humongous honor to do it. I get pretty good billing. The Tom Clancy name is one thing you can put on your book that will make it stand out from across the room".
On 19 February 2017, Greaney announced that he will exit the Jack Ryan Universe franchise. Replacing Greaney will be novelist
Marc Cameron
Marc Cameron (born 1961) is an American novelist. He is best known for the Jack Ryan series, which is part of the Tom Clancy universe, as well as for the critically acclaimed Jericho Quinn series of action adventure novels.
Early life
Cameron w ...
, previously known for his Jericho Quinn series of thrillers. Greaney later said of his departure from the Jack Ryan universe:
Other works
Greaney's first standalone work, a military thriller titled ''
Red Metal'' and co-authored with Lieutenant Colonel
H. Ripley Rawlings IV,
USMC
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through co ...
, was released on 16 July 2019. The novel debuted on the New York Times Bestseller list in August 2019. This was the first time Greaney appeared in the NYT Bestseller's list twice in the same calendar year. The book is notable for its comparisons to Clancy's novel ''
Red Storm Rising
''Red Storm Rising'' is a war novel, written by Tom Clancy and co-written with Larry Bond, and released on August 7, 1986. Set in the mid-1980s, it features a Third World War between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Warsaw Pact for ...
'' (1986), which is also his first standalone novel that deals with a large scale military conflict between NATO and Russia.
In 2020, Greaney and
Rawlings both announced via social media and web interviews that they had been contracted by Penguin Publishers to write the next in the ''
Red Metal'' series. The release date was unspecified but was said to be sometime in 2021. Greaney's audiobook thriller ''Armored'' was released on 9 December 2021, and will be adapted by
Sony Pictures and producer
Michael Bay.
Personal life
Greaney continues to reside in Memphis,
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
with his wife Allison.
[Karen Ott Mayer]
Greaney pursues right idea in first novel, lands sequels.''
In: The Commercial Appeal
''The Commercial Appeal'' (also known as the ''Memphis Commercial Appeal'') is a daily newspaper of Memphis, Tennessee, and its surrounding metropolitan area. It is owned by the Gannett Company; its former owner, the E. W. Scripps Company, als ...
, 2 July 2009.
Bibliography
The Gray Man series
* ''
The Gray Man
Grey man, The Gray Man or The Grey Man may refer to:
Concepts
* Grey man theory, a concept in everyday carry that one should blend in with the environment so as not to raise suspicion
People
* The primary nickname of American serial killer A ...
'' (2009)
* ''On Target'' (2010)
* ''Ballistic'' (2011)
* ''
Dead Eye'' (2013)
* ''
Back Blast'' (2016)
* ''
Gunmetal Gray'' (2017)
* ''
Agent in Place'' (2018)
* ''
Mission Critical'' (2019)
* ''
One Minute Out'' (2020)
* ''Relentless'' (2021)
* ''Sierra Six'' (2022)
* ''Burner'' (2023)
Jack Ryan series
Featuring characters created by
Tom Clancy
Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. (April 12, 1947 – October 1, 2013) was an American novelist. He is best known for his technically detailed espionage and military-science storylines set during and after the Cold War. Seventeen of his novels have ...
* ''
Locked On'' – with
Tom Clancy
Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. (April 12, 1947 – October 1, 2013) was an American novelist. He is best known for his technically detailed espionage and military-science storylines set during and after the Cold War. Seventeen of his novels have ...
(2011)
* ''
Threat Vector'' – with Tom Clancy (2012)
* ''
Command Authority
''Command Authority'' is a techno-thriller novel, written by Tom Clancy and co-written with Mark Greaney, and published on December 3, 2013. It is Clancy's last major work of fiction and was released posthumously two months after his death. Set du ...
'' – with Tom Clancy (2013)
* ''
Tom Clancy: Support and Defend'' (2014)
* ''
Tom Clancy: Full Force and Effect'' (2014)
* ''
Tom Clancy: Commander in Chief'' (2015)
* ''
Tom Clancy: True Faith and Allegiance'' (2016)
Standalone novels
* ''
Red Metal'' (with Lieutenant Colonel
H. Ripley Rawlings IV) (2019)
* Unnamed sequel (with Lieutenant Colonel H. Ripley Rawlings IV) (2021)
References
External links
Mark Greaney BooksAudio Interview with Mark GreaneyTalking about "True Faith and Allegiance", 6 December 2016
Modern Signed Books BlogTalkRadio Interview with Mark GreaneyTalking about "Gun Metal Gray", 28 March 2017
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greaney, Mark
21st-century American novelists
American male novelists
Living people
21st-century American male writers
1967 births
20th-century American novelists
20th-century American male writers