James R. Hannibal Shares 10 Fun Facts About The Fourth Ruby

Earlier this week we interviewed James R. Hannibal, author of The Lost Property Office about the second book in the series, The Fourth Ruby. It finally hit bookstores this week and is out in the wild and readers are able to devour Jack and Gwen’s latest thrilling adventure.

In our interview with James, he revealed his inspiration behind the series and what it’s like to create such a wondrous, detailed world for his characters to explore. It was a fascinating inside-look for fans of the series, but now he’s taking readers even deeper beyond the pages by sharing 10 Fun Facts About The Fourth Ruby. Get to know more about Jack, Gwen, and the electrifying Section 13 series.

10 Fun Facts About The Fourth Ruby:

FACT #1: As I mentioned in the interview, I have synesthesia, an intersection of the senses. In the editing process of both books, I had to tone down portions where Jack saw the world as I do because test readers had trouble with the believability of the synesthetic effects.

FACT #2: There really is a secret basement underneath the Great Fire Monument as seen in The Lost Property Office. Robert Hooke and Christopher Wren used the King’s money to build a scientific lab/observatory and dressed it up as a monument.

FACT #3: For The Fourth Ruby, I spent months researching three rubies from current crown jewel collections, along with a fourth that is well documented in legend. I tracked these cursed jewels across 800 years and a half-dozen empires, following trails of blood and betrayal. As far as I can tell, this is the first time the rubies have been tied together in one work, identifying their jaw-dropping common origin.

FACT #4: The dart guns in both books were originally miniature crossbows. In early testing of the concept, my wife shot a hole through our garage door.

FACT #5: The Black Prince’s Ruby is a giant spinel that resides in the British Imperial Crown. You can see it by visiting the Tower of London. Edward the Black Prince, son of King Edward III and the second documented owner of the jewel, was the original “moody Goth guy.” He earned his nickname for always wearing black into battle.

FACT #6: The inspiration for “dragonite,” the mysterious mineral that composes the Archive of the Elder Ministries, is labradorite. I discovered a labradorite sphere at a mineral show during my research, adopted it, and brought it to my office, where it grew into a giant collection of spheres made from many types of stone. Those spheres make a cameo in The Fourth Ruby.

FACT #7: The calico cat in the Archive was originally a spectacled bear. Think about it. A bear. On a hot air balloon. My wife intervened and saved us all from that disaster.

FACT #8: The absurd drone customer service form in The Fourth Ruby matches a form that US Air Force Academy cadets were once forced to fill out at every meal. A regulation dictated exactly what answers the cadets were allowed to give, making the form pointless.

FACT #9: With the exception of Rule 97, which gets its number from my Air Force Academy graduating class, there is a simple but special method behind all the regulation numbers in The Lost Property Office and The Fourth Ruby. Can you figure it out?

FACT #10: This fact is provided by us at YAYOMG! – Wondering why so many of James’ facts and references tie back to the Air Force? He served in the US Air Force as a stealth bomber pilot and a Predator mission commander. Like Jack Buckles from his books, he’s no stranger to secrets and adventure. Pretty incredible, right?

Now that you’re an expert on all things Section 13, why not discover your next favorite book?