Inside the World of Jack Ryan’s Newest Writers | Andrews & Wilson on Co-Writing, Thrillers & Dark Rising

Send us a text In this episode of Authors Who Lead, I sit down with Brian Andrews and Jeffrey Wilson, the powerhouse writing duo behind the riveting thriller Dark Rising. Both veterans with storied pasts—Brian, a former submarine officer with business acumen, and Jeffrey, a trauma surgeon and Navy veteran—found common ground far from the battlefield: at a thriller writing conference. Their partnership, as Jeffrey jokes, was born of “stalking” at the International Thriller Writers’ ThrillerFest, where their shared backgrounds and values—family, faith, and service—formed a natural foundation for creative collaboration. But it wasn’t instant coauthoring. As Jeffrey explains, “Once we decided that we were gonna do this thing, we went into it knowing we"re either gonna become better friends or destroy this friendship forever. Let"s see." Thankfully, the outcome was a deeper bond and a writing team that has delivered years of explosive storytelling. Timestamp: 00:00 Teamwork in writing: military ethos 05:05 Balancing writing with distractions 09:39 Inspiration cycles for writers 13:14 Embracing pantser writing surprises 14:23 Characters’ voices shape the story 17:11 Curiosity and predictability in writing 21:46 Teaching writing to nonfiction leaders 26:19 Embrace imperfection in writing 27:52 Antagonist’s two-week mission 33:01 Balancing passion and obligations 36:33 Supporting veterans in new ventures 38:49 Principled characters in chaotic times 40:43 Honoring unsung heroes through fiction Full show notes COMMUNITY PROGRAMS 📚 Write and Publish your book CONNECT 📷 Instagram 🎬 TikTok 👫🏻 Facebook 💼 LinkedIn 🐦‍⬛ Twitter 🤝🏻 Apply to be a Guest LEAVE A REVIEW ✍🏻 Review on Apple Podcasts ✍️ Review on Spotify 🖱️ Episode Webpage