Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a “visioneer” – I have a long career in software engineering and now I’m a senior Architect, which involves creating visions for the future state of technology. So it’s little surprise that I come to find myself envisioning future worlds! So far I’ve written only one novel, but I have grand designs. In my first story universe, I expect to write three trilogies with a variety of ancillary novels telling related tales.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The first novel is Rebellion’s Martyr, but it’s better to talk about the inspiration behind the series: Ascension. I can’t say too much without it being a spoiler alert, but what I would say is that I took inspiration from news in about 2016, I think, that a company called Nectome had devised a way to crystalise the brain with neurons intact, with the idea of uploading them into a computer. The snag is that it’s fatal – so once you’ve made the decision to Go Virtual, there’s no turning back. There’s no being uploaded into someone else’s brain. The “Ascension” title comes from the common vision that humanity may some day evolve into a state of pure energy – think Daniel’s story line in StarGate SG-1. Since computers run on energy, and all data is states of energy, then making a consciousness electronic or digital is to transcend the corporeality of humanity – and therefore to ascend into a state of pure energy. Other bits and pieces have inspired me along the way. In Rebellion’s Martyr, we discover Neurotrophic Electrodes and attribute them to Dr. Philip Kennedy. He’s a real person and Neurotrophic Electrodes are real things. I expect to bring them back in the last book of the first trilogy. We also explore quantum computing – there’s a quick explanation of how that works.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I thought I had Writers’ Block, but actually it’s probably the autism. That might be true for far more authors than realise it: I suspected I may be autistic but didn’t get a professional opinion until quite recently. However, this “block” has affected me all my life in different ways. And so I have developed a mechanism for coping with it. If I find myself “blocked” I just do something else, until that “block” moves and I feel inspired to write.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
The whole HitchHikers guide series to begin with. I have a terrible dad-joke sense of humour, and I was very, very tempted to put some comedy into Rebellion’s Martyr. But it got a bit serious in the end, and I think I’m going to have to keep the humour out of the whole series now. Pratchett’s humour is also a huge influence. But even if I’m not using the humour directly, that “askew view” of the world leads to some interesting places.
What are you working on now?
I am plotting the second and third novels in Ascension Part One, which is Lex’s journey. The second will be Beyond Reality and the third, Viral Agent. I’m also working on a plot for a sort-of prequel which centres on a different character.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
I don’t know how well my methods suit others. I like to start with a big picture, and refine it, but I don’t feel I need to refine it linearly. I could refine the ending, then the beginning, then write some actual paragraphs to go somewhere in the middle, then go back to the ending and fill in some more detail. It’s more like painting that way: You start out with a sketch in pencil, then paint the background with very broad strokes, and then start filling in detail. But it doesn’t matter what order you tackle things. Importantly in both cases, don’t be afraid of going over what you’ve already done: if a section is too tedious or just not right, paint over it and take it out completely, or just do it differently. Don’t get emotionally attached to the words you’ve already put down – they could end up holding back your bigger vision.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Finishing up Lex’s trilogy and starting on the next trilogy, which at the moment I think will be Military Scifi.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I know a lot of people would be thinking of what to read, but I’d have one on semaphore and at least one on survivalism. I would prefer to live and write more than die of hunger.
Bearing in mind this seems like it would be a planned event, I would do some more fine-grained research into the best books for survivalism and semaphore closer to the time.
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