I hate reading paragraph after paragraph of the narrator telling the reader what’s happening. I’d much rather have the characters talk to each other like normal people and explain things through dialogue.
John Wilker – 20 March 2018
The Back Flap
Zephyr and Maxim are a pair of disgraced Peacekeepers, who’ve been framed by their superiors and left to rot. Wil, the first human in space, decides to break them out so they can join his crew on the Ghost.
Things go downhill from there. As they try to stock up on supplies, they pick up a new member. Bennie is a hacker who is creating clean identifies for the ex-peacekeepers ends up joining the crew as they are chased off the planet’s surface by actual peacekeepers.
Ok, things could be worse. Wil has his crew even if by accident. Now it’s time to get to work.
The crew is hired to break into a super secure criminal self-storage facility in deep space. The heist is a multi-POV (think Leverage) scene where the team discovers that they’ve stolen a robot. A robot Wil does want to turn on, so of course, they do. Now the crew numbers five.
The robot reveals a plot to destabilize the government of several non-aligned star systems to force them to join the Galactic Commonwealth.
It’s a race against time as the plot is already in motion and the crew decides to stop it. Maxim and Zephyr want to clear their names and Wil hate one of the principal conspirators, so taking him down could be fun.
It all comes to a head outside the Harrith star system with a massive space battle, some flight tricks, and not dying. At the end of it all, Wil feels more human now that he has a crew and people to care about, and that care about him.
The crew recuperates while the Ghost is repaired then flies off into the sunset while a court case of galactic proportions begins.
About the book
What is the book about?
Space Rogues is your straightforward sci-fi action adventure. It’s the kind story I’ve always loved reading and watching on screen. Witty banter, high stakes, minor criminal activity but for the good of the galaxy, that sort of stuff 🙂
When did you start writing the book?
I started Space Rogues as a NaNoWriMo 2016 effort. I’ve been entering NaNo for going on 10 years or so, but rarely get past five to ten thousand words. I didn’t have a plan or anything and just started writing. The story and the characters just kept things moving, and suddenly I was past my all-time high, past the month mid-point, staying ahead of the moving average to make it to fifty thousand. I was ecstatic.
How long did it take you to write it?
December 1, I’d have said, “One Month” but now I know better, LOL. I spent months revising, and letting friends read it, etc. I published August 2017.
Where did you get the idea from?
Nowhere, and everywhere. Guardians of the Galaxy, Farscape, Dark Space, Stargate, and more. That type of fun, action packed, dialogue heavy Scifi is my favorite.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
A few. I found a good ‘writing hack’ that helped when I got stuck. Throughout Space Rogues I mix in scenes from the Past, explaining how the Main Character got where he is. Taking a break to write one of those scenes usually helped. By the time I was done with that scene, I could usually jump back into the main story and pick up a thread I was struggling with earlier.
What came easily?
The dialogue. I’m a huge fan of dialogue heavy stories. I hate reading paragraph after paragraph of the narrator telling the reader what’s happening. I’d much rather have the characters talk to each other like normal people and explain things through dialogue.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
Entirely fictitious. Though heavily inspired by other works.
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
Joshua Dalzelle’s Omega Force was a big influence. Like I said, I love fun action packed sci-fi and he really captures that in that series. Similarly, Barry Hutchison’s Space Team series and John Scalzi’s Old Man’s War series. I love to laugh, and both of those authors make sure humor is an element in their story telling. Barry more than John, and sometimes a bit over the top, but overall, I really enjoy a story that makes me chuckle as I read. I strive for that in my writing.
Do you have a target reader?
I suppose, me. Someone who loves sci-fi, but doesn’t need to read page after page of technical specifications. I don’t explain how the ships move faster than light, or how communication systems work, etc. My target reader loves reading about a great crew that comes together having just met and meshes, at least enough, to get the job done.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
I probably should, but not really. I write when I can. I run my own business, so pick and choose what to focus on each hour.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
For Space Rogues, no. I had zero plan. For the sequel coming out spring 2018, I plot lined, so think through basic plot points. I’ve found that pretty helpful, since I tend to let the story unfold as I write, the plot line was helpful to remind me where I wanted to end up.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
Wait until I’m done. I typically finish the first draft, then wait a few days, then start at the beginning making revisions, and basic edits. After beta readers, I send it to an editor for the big clean-up work.
Did you hire a professional editor?
Not soon enough, but yes. I made the (I hope not unique to me, LOL) mistake of thinking, after a few people read it, it was good enough. I was wrong. I did finally hire an editor, who made a HUGE difference, and made me regret the few months that the book was out in the pre-editor state. The changes were enough, I got Amazon to push an update out to previous buyers.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
I do, I have music playing all day. No specific genre, as long as it’s not country (sorry country folks, no offense meant). Usually I’m drawn to ‘80s music as it has the most nostalgic punch.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
Nope. From the start, going the traditional route never entered my mind.
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
I’ve always had an indie streak. My business is very indie focused in its industry. I’ve always loved reading indie authors, and shopping indie book stores, etc. No specific event but being able to go it alone is important to me.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
Professionally done. Not by a professional book cover designer per-se
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
Winging it. Not intentionally but I just didn’t realize how much ‘work’ there was outside the writing. For my next I’m going to try to be a bit more focused on marketing, probably not a solid strategy, but at least not just hitting “publish” and hoping the underwear gnomes show up to handle the ‘profit’ part.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
I’m not anywhere near successful enough to have sage advice, but I’d say, write what you want to write. Be happy with what you produce. Don’t fret about not being an instant success. After book 2 or 3 (I think, I HOPE) things start to chug along more smoothly. Having a back-catalog readers can read is a big deal. Bigger than I thought, though as a reader and in hindsight, obvious. Keep writing.
About You
Where did you grow up?
All over the place. Not a military brat, but pretty much moved every three years until high school. Spent most of my growing up in Southern CA.
Where do you live now?
Very happy to have found a life in Denver, CO
What would you like readers to know about you?
Hhmm, tough one. I guess one big one would be, I’m a person. I find that putting work out into the world is often terrifying because people immediately forget that the creator is a person, somewhere. Reviews are savage for no reason but to be savage, etc. Beyond that I guess know that I take feedback seriously and welcome it. OH and I have an awesome wife and two fun dogs 🙂 Guess I could have lead with that 🙂
End of Interview:
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