I was, once upon a time, a psych student. You may not be surprised that I’m interested in human behavior and why people are the way they are, since I write fiction for a living, and that’s generally what fiction is about.

One of the continuing questions in psychology is how much of who we are is what we’re born with and how much is what the world makes us. Being born a sociopath, who has limited-to-nonexistent empathy, doesn’t mean that you’ll become a serial killer or a criminal. Likewise, having the worst parents imaginable by no means absolutely leads to you becoming a terrible person, too.

Which is where SAVAGE THINGS begins. What if you took people you’ve identified as being sociopaths and nurtured the savage part of their nature? Actually, do one better—make sure they have the classic homicidal triad that serial killers are prone to having in their youth. Get them young enough that you can really shape their minds.

You get kids who are smart and strong. You weed out the weak ones. You train them as hard as you train special forces, and for longer. You give them doctorate-level education in how to sow terror and dread, and the skills to execute that education. What do you get when nature meets nurture like that?

Nightmares. That’s the premise of SAVAGE THINGS, which, pretty broadly, could be called espionage horror. It’s something that’s been brewing in my head for a long, long time, and I hope once it’s out in the world you enjoy it, too.

SAVAGE THINGS #1 by Justin Jordan, Ibrahim Moustafa and Jordan Boyd will be in stores Wednesday, March 1st.