on into software development. It is estimated that Clancy earned 16 million dollars in 1996, and 34 million dollars in 1997(Schindehette 2). Clancy has also become involved in the education of the military. He has done lectures for the FBI Academy, CIA, and the NSA. Clancy has also made a large impact on the audio world of literature. An expert in the audio book field could best describe Clancy's work by saying, "His techno-thriller idiom had a cinematic feeling that lent itself readily to spoken adaptation"(Zinsser 1). No matter what the entertainment community has demanded of Clancy, he has been able to assimilate his work for a recipe that equals nothing but success.How Clancy is able to take the brilliant imaginations formed in his head and put them down on paper is a question often wondered by many. Clancy starts his explanation of the tedious process by describing his schedule, "Generally I work from about eight o'clock until lunch, and it's usually all I can stand to do on a continuous basis." (Greenberg 58). However, Clancy finds the forming of the storyline to be slightly easier, "You start off with a basic idea: what if? What if an American tourist got in the way of an assasination attempt in London? Follow that thought to what you hope is a logical conclusion."(Greenberg 57). The conclusion to the "what if" statement is often not as obvious to Clancy as many would think, "I write my 5 to ten pages and it's as much a discovery process for me as it is for the reader." (Greenberg 58). The fact that every story is a whole new adventure for Clancy, is just one reason why Clancy enjoys his work so much, "I am living the life I wanted, not actually, but through the books I write"(Cerasini 78). There is no doubt that Clancy will be able to continue living this fantasy.Though there is no question that Tom Clancy's books have reached a level of popularity that some authors only dream of, not all those who read his books ar...
