Interview: Andrew Skinner

When I first came across the news that South African author, Andrew Skinner, had signed on with Solaris to publish his debut novel, Steel Frame, I immediately jotted down the details in my reading journal, circled it twice and wrote "ONE TO WATCH OUT FOR" in big red letters. That was a bit more than a year ago and Steel Frame is finally being released this month. I jumped at the opportunity to ask Andrew some questions about his work, inspiration and experience writing science fiction as a South African.

Hi Andrew, thanks for agreeing to this interrogation. Err... interview. I meant interview. Let's start with the obligatory life story. Could you tell us a little about yourself. Who are you really? What keeps you up in the dark of the night?

AS: Sure! Thanks for having me.

I am a nerd from smalltown South Africa; coalfire country, with huge mining headgear, chimney-tops and walking dragline machines always on the horizon. I’ve ended up in Johannesburg, somewhere a little madder and a lot bigger, but I don’t think I’ve ever lost my awe of industry.

I’m busy doing my PhD in archaeology, researching ancestral memory in places written histories don’t reach. Like any good grad student, that spiel about humans basically being cucumbers with anxiety resonates a little too closely for comfort.

You work as an archaeologist and anthropologist. How does that influence your writing?

AS: It’s tricky to say what seeps through and what doesn’t, but there were a few choices I made in Steel Frame that probably say a little about where I come from. You could call archaeology ‘object-orientated’ - we infer human behaviour from the material traces people leave behind, and I wanted to work that kind of logic in where I could, especially considering my chosen sub-genre.

Mecha is a great format to explore objects as characters, and you’ll see that in the machine called Juno, in some ways the titular ‘steel frame’. It’s old, and that means that it has a very different shape to the machines and environments around it – it comes from a different time and place, after all, intended to do things the characters in the present can only guess at. As the humans in the story begin to find themselves out of their depth, Juno shows itself to be the right kind of monster for the moment.

The threat in the story is similar; it’s slowly revealed by the shapes it takes, and by the objects the characters encounter in its wake.

Your debut novel, Steel Frame, is out this month. Can you tell us about it?

AS: It follows a small group of jockeys – each the heart and soul of a shell, the huge machines that wage corporate wars across battlefield skies on a hundred different worlds. Each of them disgraced, war criminals and deserters, now offered a shot at freedom.

But there’s a catch – they need to ply their trade in an endless sea of storms, somewhere on the fringes of settled space. A place NorCol, their new employer, barely understands. They’re here to wrestle the company’s competitors for whatever might be hidden in all the cloud and chaos.

They soon come to realise that the storms were made. That there’s a reason you can’t see past the wash and interference.

At the start, you meet Rook, one of the first to understand what the companies have gotten themselves into. Her shell is an ancient Juno, part of an abandoned experiment to see if machines could be made to think for themselves. It’s another prisoner, in a way, and something with scars just as deep as hers. Together, it’s all they can do to keep from being dragged into the dark.

The Steel Frame features giant war-machines duking it out. Where did you draw your inspiration from? Is it the influence of childhood cartoons or more modern blockbusters?

AS: The influences are all over the place. Obviously, Steel Frame has anime in its heritage; the weirder elements owe a lot to Evangelion, and the aesthetic was heavily shaped by Knights of Sidonia and Last Exile, among others.

At the same time, I wanted to capture some of the feel of Ridley Scott’s extended Alien/Blade Runner universe. I love that portrayal of frontier space, and humanity tripping over things in the dark; that bleak and relentless treatment of emergent AI.

Obviously, there’s no getting away from Pacific Rim..

If you had to sum up Steel Frame in just 5 words what would those be?

AS: The steel frame remembers (everything).

I'm always excited to see speculative fiction from South African authors. South Africa has such great genre talent, but it seems that it's extremely difficult to find a market locally. What was your experience with getting your work noticed?

AS: It was pretty obvious, early on, that I had no prospects with mainstream local imprints. I watched for open submission periods, checked websites and social media, but they always made it clear that they weren’t interested in genre. Whether or not that’s a ‘market’ thing, I really couldn’t say. If barely anyone’s publishing local genre, how do you speak to the state of the market?

On the indie side – my first submission was to a small press, but the company went under after ~18 months in operation, not even long enough to get back to me. A friend of mine had a similar experience with another press, not long after publishing their work.

(Shout out to Sera Blue, a small press here in Joburg, who are doing some spectacular work, hauling out new titles on a literally weekly basis. They’re carving themselves a niche, whatever the ‘market’ may say, and it’s pretty amazing.)

In my case, I decided to go the most traditional route possible. It was the process that I could research in most detail (there are plenty of articles on how to find an agent overseas, but next-to-nothing on navigating the local scene), and it worked out for me. In Jamie Cowen, my agent, I found someone who was willing to deal with the distance, the grainy Skype calls, and fleshing out details over email. He’s also been massively understanding about my general anxiety at the whole process happening in another hemisphere, completely out of reach and sight.

What's next for you after Steel Frame? Anything else in the works?

AS: There’s more from the Steel Frame universe in the works (hopefully more news on this soon!). Rook’s story is fairly self-contained, but there’s a lot that you don’t see, plenty of secrets still to be revealed.

In the long run, I’d like to emulate Iain M. Banks’ habit of writing (mostly) disconnected stories against a common background. Mythology is a powerful tool, and I’d like the opportunity to develop one of my own.

Are there any authors that influenced your work or acted as inspiration?

AS: I owe debts to more writers than I’ll remember right now, but writing Steel Frame involved learning a couple of lessons that are really clear to me in retrospect.

I set out aiming for the hardest SF I could manage, but the more I kept the scientific details in focus, the less satisfying the story became. There’s an art to it, I’m sure, but that’s a skill that’s still very much in development for me.

What I realised, though, was that I also didn’t really want something meticulously scientific. In fact, my favourite stories were by people like China Mieville, Yoon Ha Lee, Cassandra Khaw, and Jeff Vandermeer. Not to say that their writing is implausible – rather the opposite. They maintain a kind of essential logic and plausibility behind everything, while going places that are fundamentally, delightfully strange.

Dan Abnett taught me that conflict should always come with loss, and I really tried to reflect that in Steel Frame. It’d be easy to have my jockeys hurling themselves into the fray, over and over, and come out with little more than scratched paint and empty magazines. Too easy, in fact. But I didn’t set out to write an unmitigated power fantasy – I wanted these people to be like the rest of us; often scared, nearly always uncertain. More importantly, they always lose something in contact.

What's your favourite science fiction read? That one book you'd take with you on a trip around the Moon and back.

AS: Yoon Ha Lee’s Ninefox Gambit tickles a really particular place in my brain.

Pick your poison: Robotech, Voltron or Transformers?

AS: Macross.

(And it’s not as much of a copout as it sounds.)

Thank you so much for taking the time. Steel Frame sounds kwaai (amazing) and I'm sure it's going to kick some serious metallic butt!

Order your copy of Steel Frame now!

More about the author:
Andrew Skinner grew up in South Africa’s coal-mining heartland, amidst orange dust and giant machinery. He now works as an archaeologist and anthropologist, interested in folklore, rain-making arts, and resistance; but the machines aren’t done with him yet. Steel Frame is his first novel. You can follow him on Twitter @apocrobot.

Interview: Paul Crilley

Paul Crilley’s Poison City is the fantastical love child of Supernatural and a Lauren Beukes novel. Part urban fantasy, part crime novel it is a pure twisted reading delight. I recently had the opportunity to do a Q & A with Paul about his career, his novel and a certain alcoholic dog... If you haven't read Poison City yet, you are definitely missing out!

KJ: Firstly, time for the big introduction. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your work?

Paul Crilley: I was born in Scotland and my family moved to South Africa in the eighties. My parents were a bit fickle though, and we moved back to Scotland two years later, only to head back to S.A. again, another two years later.

I started reading Hardy Boys books when I was nine, then moved on to Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams. Reading those authors was like a slap in the face, as it opened up fantasy and science fiction to me. As well as humour. Pratchett and Adams were a huge influence on my style. I love weaving humour into stories.

Poison City is my first adult novel. Before this my books were all YA and MG. The Invisible Order is a Middle Grade series set in Victorian times about a hidden war fought on the streets of London between the races of Faerie and mankind. It may or not be set in the same universe as Poison City. And The Adventures of Tweed & Nightingale is a YA steampunk series about the young clone of Sherlock Holmes.

KJ: You’ve worked in various different types of media including writing for TV, computer games and comics. Having such an impressive repertoire, did you find that storytelling through these varied media allowed you to more easily bring the characters and world of Poison City to life?

PC: Definitely. But storytelling is storytelling, no matter the form. It boils down to writing something you want to read and that you hope entertains your readers. But I’ve always loved movies and screenwriting, especially writing dialogue. So I guess the screenwriting helped with the more cinematic style of Poison City, as well as the banter between the characters.

KJ: Dog definitely steals the show. I found him to be the perverted spiritual successor to Terry Pratchett’s Gaspode. How did the idea of an alcoholic dog as a spirit guide come about?

PC: I didn’t intend it that way, but can totally see the resemblance. As I said, I grew up reading Terry Pratchett, so it was inevitable that his work influenced my own writing style.

KJ: Poison City could very easily have been set in any part of the world. Why did you choose to set it in South Africa and Durban in particular?

PC: For one, I wanted to set it somewhere that hadn’t been used before, to try and make it a bit different. And secondly, I live close to Durban (In Hillcrest, actually, another town featured in the book), so thought it would be easier for research purposes.

KJ: The orisha and other supernatural creatures found in the novel are drawn from a huge variety of myths, superstitions and beliefs. Did you research the various mythological creatures before incorporating them into the novel?

PC: Definitely. I spent about 6 months planning and researching the book before starting to write. It’s the most research-intensive project I’ve ever worked on. But it’s all fun.

KJ: There is a very dark and unsettlingly twisted version of Christian mythology that sets the stage for the events in Poison City. Without giving anything away, did you set out to subvert that traditional belief system from the start or was it part of the natural progression of the story?

PC: I like to subvert familiar tropes where I can. I don’t always succeed, and when you fail you run the risk of it falling into cliche, but I did want to put my own spin on the Christian mythology. One of my many failings is that I sometimes tend to have a low opinion of the human race (and organised religion in general) and I think that did feed into the story. But it’s the story that I wanted to write, using my own beliefs and opinions. I think that’s really important. Always write the book that only you could write. Your own upbringing, your own particular experiences etc, will make the book you write different to anyone else, even if the subject matter is the same.

KJ: Magic (shinecraft) comes at a huge cost to its wielder. Akin to an addiction it changes them irrevocably, with often fatal consequences. This is something you seldom see in most fantasy novels. Why did you decide to have magical ability exact such a terrible price?

PC: Again, I just wanted to subvert the tropes of wizards having this amazing power and it being all cool and powerful. I like the fact that London’s tattoos want to eat him. I like the fact that every time you do magic you run the risk of turning yourself inside out. It gives an element of uncertainty to their power. And also it gives them limits. If these guys really had unlimited power they’d be ruling the world. But if you run the risk of your eyeballs melting every time you use magic, that tends to calm the ambitions of any possible megalomaniac dictators.

KJ: The sequel to Poison City is titled Neon City. Can you give us any hints on what awaits Tau and Dog on their next adventure? When can we expect to see it on our shelves?

PC: Neon City is still a tentative title. I’m not sure how much I can say about it, but the gang will be traveling to London to chase down the seven sins, and we’ll be meeting some of the mythological creatures from Britain’s early days as well as folk from Armitage and London’s past.

KJ: Lastly, a bit of fun. If you worked for the Delphic Division what would your spirit guide turn out to be and which type of shinecraft do you think you’d want to specialise in?

PC: I’d like the dog, to be honest. He’s fun and psycho, and if he has your back, he has your back. (Unless he’s drunk or watching his soapies.) As to my type of shine craft, that’s a difficult one. I think I’d like to check out the Fae magic systems a bit more, see what they have on the menu. Bet they’d have something interesting.

More about the author:
Paul Crilley is a Scotsman adrift in South Africa and has been writing professionally for the past 17 years. In that time he has worked on over thirteen television shows, one of which was nominated for an international Emmy award. He recently completed an X-Files novella and a Hardy Boys novel. Poison City is his debut adult novel.

Follow Paul Crilley on Twitter

Interview: Raymond E. Feist

Magician was the Harry Potter of my generation. It got me hooked on fantasy as a teen and I remember how we fought over who got to check out the next book from the library first. Many joyful hours were spent with Pug and Tomas as they journeyed through Midkemia. A reread is long overdue and now I have another reason to move it up the old TBR mountain.

Raymond E. Feist will be visiting South Africa from 17 to 25 September and I was lucky enough to get to interview him via email. I had hundreds of questions, but I managed to contain my fanboy glee and limit them to a far more manageable ten. (Wouldn't want to scare the author away...)

If you aren't geographically disadvantaged like me you’d be crazy to miss out on this rare opportunity to see one of fantasy’s greats! You can find his full tour schedule over here.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your novels?

I’m a native Californian, and pushing an age where you’d think I’d know more, but I don’t. Still, I find out new things every week. I began writing just after graduating from the University of California, San Diego, just to see if I could do it. I guess I showed I could. That was over 32 years ago. My books for the most part are about the mythic world of Midkemia, and follow the very long progress of a lad named Pug and his evolution into the most powerful magic user on that world.

The Riftwar Cycle spans 30 novels which can be quite daunting prospect for newcomers. Is there a preferred reading order or certain novels that would be a good point to jump in without necessarily starting at the beginning?

I call it the world’s longest trilogy. The reading order thing has been discussed enough there’s a small article on it on my website, Crydee.com. One is publishing order, the other is “if you want to make some sense of the time line” order. I’ve also written some “jumping in” books for those who don’t wish to start at the very beginning. Magician, obviously, is first, but you can also start with Shadow of a Dark Queen, Talon of the Silver Hawk, Flight of the Nighthawks, Rides a Dread Legion, or A Kingdom Besieged. The later you start, the less the backstory makes sense, but not to a debilitating level. I tried to make the start of each series a good entrance, and each series within the larger arc, a complete series.

The world of Midkemia apparently started out as part of a D&D campaign. That's an unusual origin for what became such an epic series. Can you tell us how that came about?

Not quite D&D, but rather our own game system, predicated on D&D. Anyone who remembers the original D&D three pamphlet set know it was semi-incomprehensible, as it was originally a supplement for a medieval miniature models, table top war game system called “Chainmail.” The world was build as a response to the need for coherency among a half-dozen or more game masters who needed to keep things standardized from campaign to campaign, so dungeons needed overland routes to get player’s characters from one place to another, and that meant villages, towns, and cities, and that led to rules how to travel overland and interact in urban environments, etc. So we all built different bits. I created Novindus and the Far Coast, while my friend Steve Abrams gave us Krondor and the Principality, his roommate at the time Jon Everson gave us LaMut and Yabon. So it went.

What drew you to becoming a fantasy author? Do you think fantasy as a genre gives an author more freedom to play around with ideas since there are no boundaries to what could be possible?

Actually I was drawn to it for two reasons. It was selling. And it was as close as I was going to get to the “boys adventure fiction” I read growing up. There are plenty of boundaries in fantasy, though they may not be apparent. It’s axiomatic the reader will accept the impossible in fantasy, but he or she will not accept the improbable any more than in a detective novel, a western, etc. You’re magic has to “make sense,” in an intuitive way or the reader will sense a cheat.

As a long-standing fantasy author have you seen a shift in how fantasy as a genre is perceived? Do you think the popularity of Harry Potter and Game of Thrones has made fantasy more mainstream?

It has been for a long time, just most people weren’t aware of it. There’s a common confusion between genre and publishing category. They are not the same thing. So it’s become mainstream in the sense we have smashing great movies and TV series about fantasy now, but fantasy novels have been hitting both Times (NY and London) best seller lists for decades now. What has happened more recently is it’s now considered “worthy” by mainstream critics and readers who in the past had looked down on it. Look at how many copies Terry Brooks, Steven Donaldson, and others were selling thirty years ago when I was breaking in and you see the reading public had already begun to move more towards fantasy.

People often have this romanticized view of authors. What would you say is the best and worst thing about being an author?

The best thing is you’re creating something, which most people can relate to, I’m certain. On a short tangent, you can be creative in many ways, including parenting, mathematics, cooking, managing a warehouse, picking trucking routs and schedules, and many things most of us never consider, so many people get the rush of creating something good. End of tangent. Also I’m my own boss, and set my own hours.

The worst thing is the risk of living alone too long inside your own head. It can be a highway to clinical depression if you’re prone, and I discovered I was and battled mind numbing, soul crushing depression for more than seven years. Like anything else you love doing, if you get too deeply into it, you can sacrifice other things in life that are vital. Finding a balance can be difficult.

A note on the romanticizing of authors. People often wrongly assume things about the writer from the writing. Big mistake. I’ve met some lovely people who were terrible writers, no matter how mightily they struggled in their craft. I’ve met some total horses’ asses who are brilliant writers. Be cautious.

When readers meet me they are (I hope) for the most part amused and feel it worthwhile, but from time to time I get a shocked reaction when they discover I am a sports junkie and watch pretty much anything (I even have an autographed Boke jumper from the ’95 World Cup team, sadly lacking the world cup badge—I have one of those with the Lion Lager badge), I drink single malt whisky instead of claret, Champagne, or cognac (I’ll drink if offered, but I order Glenfiddich most times), or I’ve written a TV pilot project, not fantasy, but a crime drama centered around a strip club in Miami (well, maybe that’s fantasy after all). So, when you’re meeting with an author you admire, park your expectations at the door and you won’t be disappointed.

Magician's End brings the Riftwar Cycle to a close after more than 30 years. Is it difficult to leave behind the world and characters you've spent so much time bringing to life?

Difficult only insofar as I know the rules. Midkemia is as real a writing environment to me as Missouri and the Mississippi River was to Mark Twain, or Victorian London was to Charles Dickens. With my new world of Garn (name subject to change at whim), I have to re-engineer the politics, magic, economics, technology, etc. That takes a bit of getting used to.

You are already working on a new series. Can you tell us anything about it?

A bit. Garn is a world with six continents, the larges of which is Ilinthia. On that continent, Five Great Kingdoms dominated for centuries, and a less than gentle peace had existed for over a century, because of the Covenant. That consisted of pledges by each king and their Oathmen—sworn nobles—and the Free Lords, nobility not affiliated with any Kingdom. The Covenant also refers to a stretch of land running across the entire continent, unclaimed by any ruler, a free zone where the peace was insured by all five Kings.

The first book, King of Ashes, begins when the Covenant is broken, when four kings betray the fifth, and a orphaned child sets forth on a life journey to bring revenge on those who murdered his family. I will say no more.

If you could own any magical item what would it be and what power would it bestow?

Tough one. I’m torn between a whisky glass that rejuvenates, I would love to have my 31 years old body back (best shape of my life), and throw in my 19 year old endurance. Or a magic credit card with no limit where everything I charge is instantly paid. Very tough choice.

And lastly, is there anything you’d like to say to your South African fans in particular?

I am very much looking forward to my first visit to South Africa. I have always wished to visit and like many Americans denied myself the pleasure under the old government, but since 1994 I have been conspiring for a way to come and see the “Beloved Country.”

More about the author:
Raymond E. Feist was born and raised in Southern California. He was educated at the University of California, San Diego, where he graduated with honours in Communication Arts. He is the author of the bestselling and critically acclaimed Riftwar saga among other books.

You can visit his website at www.crydee.com.

Interview: Lettie Prell

Tell us a bit about yourself and your work.

I was bent on going through college majoring in something practical that would lead to a good job. Yet I filled every elective class I had with literature or writing. I graduated and got the good job; I’m currently research director of the Iowa department of corrections and I’ve enjoyed my career in the justice system very much. But the other side of me insisted on being expressed as well. In my free time I wrote poetry, science fiction and fantasy, and worked on my writing skills by taking more classes and attending critique groups. I used to tell myself it was a hobby, but I have an intense drive to excel at everything I do so to call it a hobby now would be laughable.

The Performance Artist focuses on the merger of humans and technology. That's a very interesting theme to explore with so many possibilities. Do you see humanity actually heading in that direction?

Questions like this are impossible to answer. If I were to say no, it feels like I’m denigrating all the work I put into thinking intensely and in detail about this. If I say yes, I sound a little loony; it’s a bad sign in a science fiction writer to worry about stuff you write coming true. Yet I see people walking around staring at their phones, living inside that world and dangerously close to preferring it—and I wonder what this is leading to.

Most people nowadays seem to neglect reading short stories. They are under the impression that only a novel can provide a fully developed story. Do you think that opinion is warranted? Is it important for people to rediscover the wonder short stories have to offer?

Actually, it’s odd short stories aren’t more popular. The format would seem to fit right in with this fast-paced society known for its short attention span. You can read an entire story during a commute, on a lunch hour or before bed. It’s not a huge investment and if you don’t particularly care for one, choose another. Maybe short stories need a marketing campaign with billboards and prime time commercials.

It's said that writing a good short story is far more difficult than putting a novel together. Do you agree? What would you say the hallmark of a good short story is?

My natural inclination tends toward the novel. I can try to keep it in check, but sometimes the world I create is simply too big to fit into a short story. So it’s a relief when I finish writing a short story and it actually works as a story. Stories are lean body-builders compared to novels. They have to be tight—nothing wasted—with every image supporting the overall piece. Novels can afford to take time to appreciate life; they do a bit of lounging around eating bon bons and talking about fascinating things.

Where did your interest in science fiction start; what drew you to the genre?

I grew up with older brothers and a sister who liked Star Trek, so I watched it, too—we’re talking re-runs in the 1970s. Then in the high school library I discovered Asimov’s Foundation. After reading the trilogy, I worked my way around the room reading all the science fiction: Bradbury, Clarke, Heinlein, Herbert, and so on. What hooked me was the imaginative genius of the writers, and reading about the future. I especially liked reading about aliens because their strangeness challenged the way I looked at things. I liked my mind being pulled in these crazy directions.

Do you have any favourite authors you can recommend?

I admire Nekropolis by Maureen McHugh, and M. John Harrison’s Light. I’ve read quite a bit by Octavia Butler and William Gibson, and I’ve enjoyed reading Ted Chiang and China Miéville. There are many more I can get excited about, but I’ll stop here.

And finally, if you could integrate yourself with one piece of technology what would it be?

Well, not presently, but when I’m close to natural death, I’d like to be integrated with the Large Hadron Supercollider. Think of it, experiencing the thrill of atom-smashing. But also, can you imagine becoming one with something that learns the secrets of the universe?

More about the author:
Lettie Prell is a science fiction writer who likes to explore the edge where humans and their technology are increasingly merging. In addition to Apex Magazine, her stories have appeared in Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine, Paranormal Underground and elsewhere, and have been featured on the StarShip Sofa podcast. She is also a poet and her haiku were featured in the Iowa Drama Workshop production of Kali Ma!

You can visit her website at lettieprell.com or follow her on Twitter - @lettie_prell

Interview: Neal Asher

I managed to catch up with science fiction author Neal Asher after his return from Crete where he has a holiday home. We talked about the release of his newest novel, The Departure, his forthcoming titles and his views on ebooks. There's also a sneak peak at the blurb for Zero Point, the next novel in the Owner trilogy, so don't miss out.

KJ: Hi, Neal. I know you are currently hard at work on the rest of the Owner series. I really appreciate you taking the time to answer a few questions.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

NA: I was born in a small town in Essex called Billericay in 1961, the child of parents who were a primary school teacher and a lecturer in applied mathematics. Being a product of our seriously screwed-up comprehensive education system, I left school with just a couple of ‘O’ levels and a scattering of CSEs. I obviously loved reading weird stuff from an early age since I still remember, when learning to read, being bored by ‘Janet & John’ but fascinated by a book called ‘A Wasp Without Wings’ (it was an ant, so the oak tree told it) and then seemingly without transition reading Lord of the Rings, and books by E C Tubb and Edgar Rice Burroughs. I also had numerous interests: biology, physics, chemistry, art and writing, and in my teens (I think) chose writing as my main interest, thereafter learning as much as I could about it, including taking an ‘A’ level English when in my twenties.

Meanwhile I started work, training as an engineer, and going on to do numerous manual jobs, and from the ’87 storms going self-employed doing council grass cutting, tree-work and much else besides. During this time I wrote a fantasy trilogy plus the first book of another trilogy, briefly had an agent for them but no luck, started submitting stories to the small presses and gradually worked my way up the writing ladder. All this time I had also been perpetually submitting synopses and sample chapters to the big publishers and by the time Gridlinked and The Skinner hit I already had numerous short stories published in the small presses, along with a collection of those stories and a couple of novellas.

Also, while all this was going on, I hooked up with Caroline and we married in 2000. I packed up my day job in 2001 to concentrate on writing and now, in total, have had about 20 books published, live seven months of the year on Crete, and hope to have published at least 50 books before I turn up my toes.

KJ: How would you describe your books to someone who is completely new to them? What would be the best novels to start out with?

NA: Space opera is the relevant label, though there is a lot of biological stuff in them, some of them are set on the surface some planet or other, and I have published one time-travel novel. The books have plenty of high technology, action and violence, weird life forms and ecosystems and nicely convoluted plots.I aim for entertainment and try to hit the reader with a bit of sensawunda.

KJ: Your latest novel, The Departure, came out in September. Can you tell us a bit more about it?

NA: In my collection The Engineer (updated version being The Engineer ReConditioned) I told some stories featuring a character called ‘The Owner’ – a ten-thousand-year-old super being who owned worlds and swanned about in a space ship the size of a moon. I decided I would like to tell the story of how he came into being and set to work on that. He arises from a near future dystopia. Here’s one of the blurbs:

Like Wellsian war machines the shepherds stride into riots to grab up the ringleaders and drag them off to Inspectorate HQ for adjustment, unless they are in shredding mode, in which case their captives visit community digesters, or rather whatever of them has not been washed down the street drains.

Pain inducers are used for adjustment, and soon the Committee will have the power to edit human minds, but not yet, twelve billion human being need to die before Earth can be stabilized, but by turning large portions of Earth into concentration camps this is achievable, especially when the Argus satellite laser network comes fully online…

Alan Saul has taken a different route to disposal, waking as he does inside a crate on the conveyor into the Calais incinerator. How he got there he does not know, but he does remember the pain and the face of his interrogator. Janus speaks to Saul through the hardware implanted in his skull, sketching the nightmare world for him. And Saul decides to bring it all crashing down…

KJ: The novel is a departure from the familiar Polity universe which fans have come to know and love. This has led to some very mixed reactions. Was this an intentional choice and do you think tackling a new setting provides more of a writing challenge/opportunity?

NA: As I said above: it’s another string to my bow. Too many writers end up trapped in a small niche by the demands of their fans and by fear of failure, and being trapped often end up failing because their own boredom with their niche begins to show through. You have to try something new else become stale and formulaic. Yes, it was an intentional choice.

Those ‘mixed reactions’ stem from the dislike fans have of change, and from the politics in The Departure. However, politics is unavoidable if you’re creating a near-future dystopia, for I needed to give a plausible depiction of why it existed. Unfortunately many people did not like to see an extrapolation of the dogma they adhere to, while others, less narrow-minded, looked around at our world and saw just how close to the truth that extrapolation was. It was a book that polarized opinion but, as is usual, the tribal ideologues were the noisiest.

KJ: The Departure is set in a very bleak and disturbing world which makes Orwell’s 1984 look almost like a utopia. Why did you choose to go this route? Did 1984 feature as an inspiration?

NA: No, 1984 was not an inspiration; I took my inspiration from what seems to be the steady march towards totalitarianism in Britain and Europe. It was written in the shadow of steadily increasing state control and interference in our day-to-day lives, the destruction of real science and its replacement with ‘post-normal science’ and the increasing sacrifice of power by our leaders to bureaucrats. And it was published just before we saw democratically elected national leaders in Europe being ousted and replaced by EU ‘technocrats’ (as they are wrongly labelled). My hope is that the EU and other unelected supranational organizations like it, whose instincts seem totalitarian, come crashing down, and that the future depicted in The Departure doesn’t come to pass.It is a small hope.

KJ: The Departure is the first novel in the Owner Trilogy. Can you tell us a bit about the forthcoming titles and when we can expect them to be released?

NA: The next novel is Zero Point and should be coming out in maybe August or September next year. With this, and the ensuing Jupiter War, I’m much more back on home territory for the trilogy is about Alan Saul, ‘The Owner’, leaving Earth. More of these books is set beyond Earth and there’s more of that‘space opera’ and ‘sensawunda’. Again the title has a double meaning. The Departure was Saul departing Earth but also I departed from the Polity (which doesn’t mean I’m not going back to it), while Zero Point takes a look a zero-point energy and the Alcubierre drive, but is also related to the ‘year zero’ beloved of a nasty individual by the name of Pol Pot. Here’s the blurb:

Now free of Earth and out of danger, Alan Saul explores his expanded mind and reflects on a route to immortality opened by Hannah Neumann, and upon the newly revealed secrets of Argus Station. The ghastly experiments in Humanoid Unit Development may have resulted in something numinous, while a madman might hold the keys to Interstellar flight…

The warship the Alexander still sits in its construction station in Earth orbit and, more immediately, Argus Station is hurtling towards the red planet, with whomever, or whatever trashed Earth still aboard. But VarDelex is retaining her grip on power in Antares Base on Mars, and has a plan to take it from danger…

Breaking out of their sectors, the billions Zero Asset citizens of Earth no longer face extermination from orbit, for Saul has all but annihilated the Committee by dropping the Argus laser satellite network on its infrastructure of control. The ZAs are free, for the shepherds, spiderguns and razorbirds are somnolent, govnet is down and Inspectorate HQs are smoking craters…

However, scrambling from the ruins, comes Serene Galahad, who has the means to act, decisively and ruthlessly, before the remnants of Committee power are overrun by the masses. And the agents of Earth, determined to exact their vengeance, are closer to Saul than he knows.

KJ: You’ve recently tried your hand at self-publishing some novellas on the Kindle starting with The Parasite. Has this been a success and do you see yourself publishing more novellas/short stories in this way?

NA: It was a success in that I’ve had quite a few sales, but I still love paper books. Certainly I’ll publish more on Kindle, in fact I have my very first novella, Mindgames: Fool’s Mate, lined up and ready, but I will be concentrating on the books for Macmillan because I know which side my bread is buttered on. Maybe, as and when I get free time, I’ll put out more novellas as e-books, and maybe they can be collected and issued on paper.

KJ: Any thoughts on the whole ebooks vs. printed books debate? Which do you prefer and do you own an ebook reader?

NA: I prefer paper books because I’ve been reading them all my life, but I can see the utility of e-readers especially when, for example, I pack a suitcase with books and weigh it. Inevitably e-books are going to take over and publishers are even now facing the problems the music industry faced. How it will all pan out, what with piracy and so-on, I don’t know, but what I do know is that no matter the medium, people will always want good stuff to read and they won’t get it if the writers aren’t paid. This is, I guess, why I just haven’t yet made up my mind about the DRM debate. No, I don’t have an e-reader, yet.

KJ: Who are your favourite authors? Any that inspired/influenced you as a writer?

NA: That question is always a difficult one to answer. In the acknowledgements of The Skinner I thank all those wonderful people from Asimov to Zelazny, since I’ve probably read most of them. If you search ‘Neal Asher Top Ten’ you’ll find a couple of lists – one being SF and another being fantasy – but my likes and dislikes change all the time, and when I start compiling lists they get very long and I always forget something. If you check out my blog and look for my book collection (which is buried deep) you’ll see the books I retained, and often there you’ll see reviews of books I’ve enjoyed too.

KJ: Anything else you’d like to add or say to your fans?

NA: If you like my stuff then say so, loudly. And I’ll keep writing the books if you keep buying them!

KJ: Thanks, Neal.  I definitely can't wait for the next installment!

You can find out more about Neal and his novels over on his blog or follow him on Twitter.

My reviews of Neal Asher's novels:

• The Departure (Owner #1)
• The Line of Polity (Cormac #2)
• Brass Man (Cormac #3)
• Polity Agent (Cormac #4)
• Line War (Cormac #5)

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Interview: Amanda Coetzee

Amanda Coetzee, South African based author of Bad Blood, was kind enough to take some time out of her busy schedule as writer, deputy principal and mother to do a quick interview.

Bad Blood is published by Pan Macillan SA and is currently available at all good bookstores. If you haven't done so already be sure to read the review of Bad Blood posted earlier.

Firstly, thanks for taking the time to answer some questions. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Would be delighted! Am 43 years old, originally from England and emigrated to RSA when I married my South African husband 13 years ago. We have a 2 year old son and four dogs. I am the deputy principal of a busy school in Rustenburg and love (almost) every second of my chaotic life.

Bad Blood is your debut novel. What has the experience been like of having your first novel published?

It has been a long time dream to see my work in print and that’s probably the best way to describe it. A dream shared and fulfilled. The process of publishing a book is more complex than I imagined, and there are a lot of people/systems involved in getting it from a draft form to finished product. I have yet to get over the thrill of seeing my book on the shelves, although most local book stores are long over me hanging around like a potential shop lifter…

How would you describe your work to someone who might see Bad Blood on the shelves and wonder if it would be something they would like.

It is a crime thriller that focuses on the why rather than the who in the crime. I hope it grabs your attention and keeps you reading avidly to the last page. It contains violence and love in equal measure and is based around the secretive and nomadic Irish Travelling community.

Where do you get your ideas? What is your writing process like?

I start with a topic that interests me and then research much more information that I could ever use or need. I normally choose a title before I start planning and writing and spend hours thinking about possible plotlines and characters. Eventually I draw a flow chart for the basic storyline and then I start to write. I often plan chapters, dialogue etc in my head before I put it on paper, so by the time I begin to write, I have a pretty good idea of what I want to say. I am also fairly disciplined. I set myself targets in terms of daily word counts, as I think it is a lot easier to edit poor writing than stare at a blank page.

Bad Blood is set in Bedford, England, but you are a South African author. Why the choice of an overseas setting rather than a local one?

I have written a locally set novel too but Pan Macmillan decided to go with the English story. I do feel I have a more authentic voice when I write about England as I lived there for the first 26 years of my life. South Africa still thrills and shocks me in ways that quickly identify me as an immigrant but I love my adopted homeland and read a great deal of local fiction.

The dialogue in Bad Blood really stands out. Did you put extra effort into getting it sounding just right or is it something that comes naturally?

I studied Performing Arts and although my ability to speak in different accents is notoriously appalling, I have a good ear for tone and inflexion. The Irish Travelling dialect is almost impossible to understand by outsiders, so research was an essential tool in trying to make their communication accessible but realistic.

The depiction of the Traveller (gypsy) community, their lifestyle and customs seems very authentic. Did you spend any actual time with them or is it based purely on research?

There was a great deal of research involved, but pretty much everyone in England has an experience or opinion of Travellers. My initial interest was piqued by my Aunt who spoke of our Romany blood and my grandmother’s clan, the Seths. The Travellers are seen as less romantic than traditional gypsies and are often associated with general lawlessness and crime. My father worked with them on the farm as a young man, which we had never spoken about until he read a draft of the book and asked how I knew about Shelta (their language). I also met a group that attended our high school for a short period and many of the descriptions of Mikey and Seamus stem from that brief interaction when I helped them read in a special group during register period.

Children, and more importantly missing children, play a huge role in the book. Is that something that’s of particular importance to you?

Definitely. The innocence of a child is so fragile and the world is unforgivably careless with our children. I know I would kill to protect my son and expect my husband to avenge anyone who tried to hurt him. I think that’s the Badger in me.

The protagonist, Harry O’ Connor is a flawed and conflicted character with a huge amount of emotional baggage. Why did you choose to go this route instead of just having a run-of-the-mill hero swooping in to save the day?

I wanted to create a character who was a paradox and whose layers would be revealed throughout the novel. I never wanted his personal story to overwhelm the plot, but I wanted him to be interesting enough to exist past Bad Blood. I love Harry, his doubts coupled with his uncompromising character really appeal to me. I wanted the male antagonist to combine ruthlessness and tenderness and be capable of both.

You’ve signed a three-book deal. Will we see some more of Harry or will your next novels be unconnected to Bad Blood? When can readers expect the next one?

Redemption Song features Harry and is due for release in 2012. The third book is currently undergoing potential construction in my head, but ultimately Pan Macmillan will decide if Harry O’Connor will be part of a trilogy.

Who are your favourite authors? Any that inspired/influenced you as a writer?

I love Karin Slaughter, Lisa Gardner, Lee Child and Harlan Coben for the intriguing characters that form the backbone of their series. I like good storytelling, with damaged characters and a dose of humour and/or love to counter the violence.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Do not give up. Rejection letters are great firelighters for the braai and necessary scars for an author to temper their talent and stamina upon. Let people read your work and be prepared to learn from their comments. Keep trying, keep writing and find the story you really want to tell, then you are far more likely to tell it really well.

Anything else you’d like to add or say to your fans?

Thanks for reading Bad Blood and I’d love to hear what you think on the Facebook page.

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A huge thank you to Amanda for doing the interview. I know I will definitely be picking up Redemption Song as soon as it is released. I can't wait to see what Harry gets up to next, hopefully there will be some more unusual dialogue involved!

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