Starfarers
and Tharnians in Space
looks like a fun Sci-Fi book. Is this a stand-alone book or is this
part of a planned series?
I’ve
certainly left the door open for a sequel but who knows if I’ll
ever get time to write one? Jarre’s character arc hasn’t been
completed so there’s always a chance.
What
do you think makes a great story?
Character-driven
stories that people can relate to. The character should drive the
story.
Love,
fear, lust, envy, betrayal, hurt, loss, greed, selfishness and
selflessness are all here. I like feelings to come out in books –
to see the cracks, the flaws. We’ve all got them and society
encourages us all to keep them hidden.
I
like characters to step out of the box of ‘normality’. We’re
all on a journey to ‘find ourselves’ – to find something
worthwhile that makes us get up each morning. I want my characters to
have a reason to be driven. I look for these things in other stories.
What
inspired you when writing Starfarers
and Tharnians in Space?
I
already had the spine for this story but after I finished studying at
QPIX, wanted to rewrite it completely. This time, it had to adhere to
the paradigms of the hero’s journey, the three act structure,
turning points … and all the other elements that make a story work.
Every line was questioned – did it advance the story, reveal
character or get a laugh? If not, the line was deleted. The call to
adventure, threshold guardians, mentors and allies, tests and trials,
obstacles and goals … and a strong villain: it’s all here.
Inspiration was proving to myself I could pull a story together that
had something to say but also adhered to the paradigms that worked.
I’ve
also enjoyed the likes of Dr Who, Blakes 7, Wing Commander (the game,
especially Heart of the Tiger), Star Wars, Star Trek and Firefly. For
books, the ‘Gap’ series, the ‘Amtrak Wars’, ‘Bio of a Space
Tyrant’ and Asimov’s Robot series gave me a great deal of
pleasure. I wanted to create something in the ‘Space Opera’ world
that others could enjoy.
Playing
games in my youth like ‘Elite’, ‘Mercenary’ and ‘Damocles’
stretched my mind. The made me think about sitting in a space ship
and allowed me to leave planet Earth for a while. I’m grateful for
those times – and I’m sure they inspired this story too. Planet
Earth is a cruel place – it amazes me that we always portray
ourselves as the ‘good guys’ and aliens as the villains in
Science Fiction. I think it would be the other way around. This story
reflects that, I think.
There’s
also a parallel in the story to the invasion of IRAQ by the U.S.
which asks questions along the way. What was that war really about?
What is this war really about? Are they so different? Who is really
pulling the strings?
Finally,
so many futuristic space stories have people still eating animals. In
my view, this isn’t the sign of a progressive society with a
conscience. I wanted to weave that subtext into the story and
challenge readers to ask themselves if participating in the eating /
exploitation of animals aligns with their own moral compass. Why love
a dog but eat a cow?
Tell
us a little about the Tharnians!
They
are nasty, brutal creatures but in terms of their cunning, they can’t
hold up a candle to humanity. When I imagine them, I think of them as
similar to the ‘Kilrathi’ from the Wing Commander games.
Despite
being the bad guys, I’ve got a scene where the antagonist’s son
dies. I try to show the fractures of war: the loss of family. No
matter who we consider to be the ‘bad guys’, everybody hurts.
No-one is immune to suffering. There’s always another side to every
story. We all wrestle with darkness and each day; try to come out on
top.
When
did you decide to become a writer?
I’ve
written on-and-off all my life – though I’m still not sure I’m
a writer. I guess that’s for others to decide. I studied journalism
but that just made me even more cynical rather than improving my
writing.
When
writing Starfarers
and Tharnians in Space
did anything stand out as particularly challenging?
Something
I remember from QPIX was ‘come into the scene as late as possible’
and ‘get out as early as possible’. I’ve tried to do that in
the narrative. It’s lean – no pages spent describing how curtains
blow in the breeze. It’s a roller-coaster.
The
other thing I tried to do was throw as many obstacles at the
protagonist as I could. To keep putting him in his worst possible
situation. I think I threw everything at him except the kitchen sink.
How
did you come up with the story of Starfarers
and Tharnians in Space?
I
have a vivid imagination. The characters had stories to tell. Ideas
have come from school life, working life, social life and elsewhere
over decades. Writing something outside your own reality is
liberating.
What
do you like to do when not writing?
I
like sport and beer, cricket and rugby league in particular. I also
enjoy travel as it broadens the mind.
Staying
at home with the dogs, cats, hens and turtle is the perfect day.
There are 15 rescue animals here and they’re great company.
Playing
a small part in standing up for others, e.g. animals and humans who
are oppressed or exploited, also occupies my thoughts and time.
I
still make time for classic gaming now and again, too. Galaga,
Pacman, Street Fighter 2. They were such great time wasters (and
still are).
You
can also see video previews and other stuff at:
There’s
also the app, available on IOS and Android.
Android:
Apple: