Tate Hallaway's Blog

Interview: David Louis Edelman

2008-07-16T11:01:00.004-04:00

David Louis Edelman's debut novel Infoquake was released by Pyr in 2006. Barnes & Noble Explorations called the story of cut-throat software entrepreneurs in the far future "the love child of Donald Trump and Vernor Vinge" and later named it their SF Book of the Year. The book was also nominated for the John W. Campbell Award for Best Novel, and Edelman was nominated for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer on the strength of that novel. Infoquake has just been re-released in mass market paperback by Solaris Books with a fancy new cover by Stephan Martiniere.

This week, Pyr is releasing book 2 of David's Jump 225 trilogy, MultiReal. The book continues where Infoquake left off, and has already been called "a thoroughly-successful hybrid of Neuromancer and Wall Street" by Hugo nominee Peter Watts.

In addition to writing novels, Dave has also programmed websites for the U.S. Army, the FBI, ExxonMobil, and Rolls-Royce; taught software to the U.S. Congress and the World Bank; written articles for the Washington Post and Baltimore Sun; and directed the marketing departments of biometric and e-commerce companies. Dave is well-versed in PHP, Ruby on Rails, WordPress, ColdFusion, HTML, Javascript, XML, and CSS, and is an expert in web usability, web design, search engine optimization, and writing for the web.

What was your inspiration for writing Infoquake and MultiReal?

Infoquake and MultiReal are two parts of a story I started writing in late 2000 about my dot-com experiences in the '90s. I'm a marketing guy and web programmer by trade, and I saw a number of crazy things during the dot-com bubble. Mostly I was interested in the personal dynamics -- how charismatic schemers like my protagonist Natch convinced so many people to invest in so many worthless companies.

So in 2000 and 2001, I wrote a novel titled Jump 225.7, which you might call a far-future satire of the dot-com era. I literally finished the first draft of it on September 10, 2001. Then suddenly the next day, satire seemed the wrong way to approach the story I was trying to tell. So when I started rewriting it, the story became much darker and more serious in tone. I tried to ask all the big questions about capitalism, about Western society, about human nature and greed and what the long-term prospects of the species were. The end result was the Jump 225 trilogy, starting with Infoquake and continuing with MultiReal.

Who are your favorite authors and books now and when you were growing up?

Growing up, my favorite author had to be J.R.R. Tolkien (unless Stan Lee counts).

Interjection: Of course Stan Lee counts!!!

I'm sure I read the whole Lord of the Rings saga (including The Hobbit and The Silmarillion) half a dozen times. Then in adolescence I fell in love with Kurt Vonnegut, with a special reverence for Cat's Cradle and Slaughterhouse-Five. College brought John Barth to my attention, and I've been running the biggest fan website for his books since about 1996 or so. If I had to name my favorite author since college, I'd have to pick either William Gibson or Thomas Pynchon.

What is it about fantasy/science fiction that attracts you?

I think for me it's the ability to rethink absolutely everything about the world, down to the smallest nanoparticle. I'm a worldbuilding addict, so I like being able to examine and reconfigure the politics, the history, and the sociology of my world to suit the story I'm trying to tell. For the Jump 225 trilogy, I considered all of those things and more -- I even got down to the level of thinking up new building materials and trying to invent ways that people would move goods from place to place in the absence of trucks and an interstate system. I can't really think of any other genre you can do that in.

Why did you decide to make Natch a software entrepreneur?

When I started writing the Jump 225 trilogy, I followed the axiom of writing what you know. I'd worked for several high-tech start-ups run by young, charismatic, slightly unhinged software entrepreneurs. And so that's who I started with.

The supporting characters are also based on character types I'd met in dot-coms. Horvil is the heavy-set, brilliant engineering guy who prefers to run things behind the scenes and leave the politics to the boss. And Jara is the serious, no-nonsense marketing woman who has something of a love/hate relationship with the company.

What (besides writing) do you do for fun?

I'm incredibly boring. I read. I putter around on the computer and tinker with my websites. I watch a lot of movies, and I keep up with the news. I'm looking forward to having children so I can have the excuse that I'm "spending quality time with my family."

What sort of research did you do to write these books?

Infoquake is heavily concerned with biologic software (or "wetware," as it's sometimes called). I know something about software, but I know very little about biology or physiology. So I certainly had to do some basic research into how the human body works. The main technology behind MultiReal also involves quantum physics, so I had to beef up on that a bit too. I admit that I don't tend to delve very deeply into the subjects that I research; mostly it's just your basic Wikipedia and Google searches, combined with long involved discussions with subject matter experts I know.

Natch is a compulsive workaholic. Are you that way too?

Absolutely not. I'm actually not very much at all like Natch or Jara, the two main protagonists of the novels. Although I suppose I do share certain characteristics with them. If I had to name a character who was closest to me in temperament, I'd have to say Horvil, the fat cheerful engineer who's always putting up with Natch's crap.

The political factions in the Jump 225 trilogy are divided between governmentalists and libertarians. If you were a character in the books, which would you be?

A lot of people who've read Infoquake assumed that my sympathies lie with the libertarians, because that's where Natch's sympathy lies. But I'm definitely more conflicted in my politics. I like to pick and choose among the different parties and philosophies. I have some definite liberal tendencies but a number of conservative ones as well.

You'll discover in MultiReal that the political situation is much more nuanced than Natch makes it out to be in Infoquake. The central government, which really seems like the epitome of evil in Infoquake, is a conflicted organization itself with some do-gooders working in the fringes. And the libertarians are full of self-interested schemers who'll stab you in the back.

What are you writing now?

I'm currently about 80,000 words into Geosynchron, the third and final book of the Jump 225 trilogy. I'm a very slow writer and I write a million drafts, but I'm hoping to finish the whole thing by the end of the year.

Did you always want to write? Or did you stumble into it? How did you get where you are now?

Yes, I always wanted to write, ever since I was a little kid. I wrote my first "novel" when I was about 6 years old, and I spent much of my childhood building up a pantheon of superheroes with my brother. I studied creative writing in college at Johns Hopkins, and tried to write a novel in my early 20s. It wasn't until I had given up on the writing and spent half a dozen years in the trenches of high tech that I came up with an idea that I could follow through on. And that was the Jump 225 trilogy.

What does a typical writing day look like for you? How long do you write, that sort of thing?

I've never been very good about setting a concrete writing schedule. Maybe that's why it takes me so long to finish anything. I typically work about three days a week at my part-time web programming job, and then write whenever I have the free time and the inclination.

Where do you write?

I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit that I'm one of the guys you see sitting there at Starbuck's with his laptop for hours on end. For some reason, I find it easy to write with background chatter. But when I'm not writing there, I'm sitting on my couch at home with one dog on the back of the couch behind my head and one dog nestled between me and the armrest.

What is easiest/hardest for you as a writer?

The hardest thing for me as a writer is discipline. I have an easy time coming up with great ideas, and I find it very easy to sit down and start pecking on those first few paragraphs. But then I quickly burn out. If you're ever going to finish anything, you need to be able to batter your way through those burnout times, and I have a difficult time with that. And then I'm so rarely satisfied with what I write, it always takes me to forever to finish.

Thanks for the interview, David. If you want to know more about David Louis Edelman, check out his website at: http://www.davidlouisedelman.com/

New Vampire Drink?

2008-07-15T12:12:00.002-04:00

I had a very weird dream last night. I only remember snippets of it, of course, but one detail stuck with me. I was a vampire, and I was drinking blood bottled with garlic and stinging nettle. Weird, huh?

I think my brain was figuring that the garlic, being posion to a vampire, would act like acohol, and the stinging nettle would numb the vamp a bit so s/he could drink more...? Not sure about that last part.

Now I'm only bummed that I'm not sure I can find a way to use it in my writing. I almost NEVER get ideas from dreams, so this is pretty unusual.

It's Monday...

2008-07-14T12:02:00.001-04:00

... so, per usual, I'm over at "Something Wicked." However, this week all the authors are doing a re-release party for our various books, and I'm kicking it off with a contest for a signed copy of Romancing the Dead. If you want to participate, head on over here.

On-Line Synopsis Class

2008-07-10T10:55:00.003-04:00

***OKAY TO FORWARD***

Online class: August 6-31, 2008
"Tips From Madison Avenue: The Selling Synopsis"
by Laurie Schnebly Campbell
Registration $30 at www.WriterUniv.com/

No wonder so many great novelists have a tough time writing a synopsis -- the two jobs require completely different skills! Advertising copywriters have discovered a variety of techniques that make people want to buy a specific product, whether it's a bike or a burger or a book. So this hands-on workshop teaches those same techniques, including:

* Finding your unique selling points
* Headlines (or openings) that grab a buyer
* Identifying your target market
* When details matter, and when they don't
* Brainstorming a creative plot strategy
* Highlights that sell your product
* Changing format, emphasis or both

An advertising copywriter for 25 years, Laurie Schnebly Campbell was amazed when she realized her day job made it easier to "sell" editors on her books. So far she's sold six to Silhouette, including one that beat out Nora Roberts for Best Special Edition of the Year, and loves sharing marketing techniques with people who DON'T work on Madison Avenue.

***OKAY TO FORWAD***

Booksigning Woes

2008-07-09T10:48:00.003-04:00

Mason, at least, had a good time at the signing last night. I bought him two new Calvin & Hobbes and a new three-pack Garfield. The other ladies were fairly impressed at how quietly he sat absorbed in his books. He got a little squirrely at the end, and, of course, we had to take a break to eat, but I think it was fairly successful given I had my four year old in tow.

I, of course, sold no books.

Before you cry for me, Argentina, I have long ago come to the realization that book signings are really for booksellers and for authors. The booksellers get a stock of signed books, which, according to at least one bookseller I talked to actually sell pretty well off the shelf -- and better than their unsigned cousins, at any rate.

The author benefits the most, I think. The author gets a chance to meet-and-greet the booksellers, who, as we know, are the ones who do any and all "hand-selling," which can be key to a book's success. The author also usually leaves with a sense that many of the books won't end up as stripped returns. (Note: I worded that very carefully, because I'm well aware of the fact that in many cases signing a book does NOT save it from being returned. Plus, sometimes the booksellers will crassly admit to returning as many as possible. It's only crass because all the authors I know tend to take that stuff personally. We know it happens; we just don't want to necessarily hear about it.)

But, back to the positive. Personally, I also really like to do "multi-author" signings, because then the authors also have a chance to catch up on industry gossip and whatnot. Plus, the time goes a lot faster when there's someone else to talk with.

I sometimes wonder why we bother, since, like so many things in the publishing industry, booksignings feel like they come from another era -- one that's being overshadowed by "promotional" opportunities on the that crazy Internet thing all the kids are into these days.

I suspect that book tours -- the kind that are sponsored by publishers for gigantically best sellers (who, in my humble opinion, are the ones who need it the least, but then much of capitalism makes very little sense to me) -- still perform some important function in terms of boosting book sales and maybe even just allowing fans and opportunity to see that Big Name Star is just and average guy who puts his/her pants on one leg at a time... I'm not sure. I just know that I'll probably continue to sit in empty Mall bookstores staring at the wall for many years to come... at least until the bookstores stop asking me, that is.

Brain Dead...

2008-07-08T10:52:00.003-04:00

Maybe that'd be a good Garnet book title, eh? BRAIN DEAD. It's actually a description of how I feel today. I'm always a bit stupid when Shawn is away (she's at a conference in Washington, D.C. until Thursday), and today is no exception. I stayed up late working on my small press project, which, I'm happy to say, finally has a little wind in its sails. I need to get one of those progress bars so many writer-bloggers have. But, today was all about sleeping in too late for a school day, getting Mason half way there and realizing we'd forgotten his backpack full of birthday party invitations. Had to turn around and were almost late for school.

I have a booksigning tonight at Northwood Mall, and because I'm minus one babysitter, I'm planning on bringing Mason along. I know that probably sounds crazy, but if I buy Mason a couple of Garfield books, he'll sit quite as a mouse on my lap and read them. And, you know, these things are always dead. Anyway, if you happen to be local and at loose ends for tonight here are the details:

On Tuesday, July 8, 2008 from 5:00 - 7:00 pm I'll be signing at the Waldenbooks in Northtown Mall with Lois Grieman and Michele Hauf. Waldenbooks is located at: 212 Northtown Drive Blaine, MN 55434. For more information call (763) 780-1264.

Also, I need to run off and go work out. I appear to have lost a pound or two, and if that's the case I should probably keep at this whole thing. (I'm only not sure because my scale is really old and not terribly accurate.)

Gender Bias in SF Conversation

2008-07-02T09:51:00.002-04:00

My alterego was invited to participate in a conversation about gender bias in the SF/F publishing industry and what to do about it. The conversation is archived here: http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/006846.html. Please check it out and join in the conversation (there are a lot more interesting and articulate people than me participating.)

Also, check out the YouTube video promoting the mega-author signing we had last night in Woodbury: http://youtube.com/watch?v=HXdiKexw7Jo. The signing, btw, was actually a great deal of fun, not because I signed a lot of books but because it's always so cool to hang out with other awesome romance authors.

It's Monday...

2008-06-30T10:42:00.003-04:00

...So I'm over at "Something Wicked..." writing about Kids and Writing.

Sorry the post isn't very intelligent, but I'm actually a bit hungover. Not that I was out partying... no I just drank too much Mike's Hard Lemonade while eating popcorn and watching old episodes of "Lost." Duuuuude.

But all I have to say is....yum, Sawyer. Hey, and we're almost related. His last name is Holloway.

Marvel Moping

2008-06-27T10:47:00.002-04:00

If your interested in my (or rather my alter-ego's) take on Marvel's Secret Invasion storyline, I'm blogging about it over at the Mid-Ohio ComicCon's site: Who Do You Trust?

The article is not nearly as geeky as you might think. You don't have to necessarily know comics to understand why I'm hesitant about what Bendis is up to, though I don't really explain the storyline because of the assumption most Marvel readers are up on the whole thing.

In other news, it's Friday. Hooray!

Check Out My New Gig

2008-06-24T14:29:00.002-04:00

After WritersareReader.com's author Terry Spear reviewed my book Romancing the Dead, the folks there offered me a gig reviewing books for them. Since I absolutely adore (or ish that a-"whore"?) anything to do with FREE books, I said yes. My first reivew for them is up! I reviewed Dan Waddell's The Blood Detective. Check it out!

Have An Afflatusous Day!

2008-06-24T10:37:00.002-04:00

I subscribe to the word of the day from YourDictonary.com, and I got this today:

Afflatus (noun)

Pronunciation: [ê-'fley-tês]

Definition: A strong creative impulse from a muse or higher power, divine or supernatural inspiration.

It's Monday, so...

2008-06-23T11:05:00.003-04:00

You can find me blogging about my addiction to Internet research over at Something Wicked...

In other news, I've neglected to post that Mason and I, who had been playing the license plate game several months ago (we won: we saw all fifty states, even Hawaii, Alaska and Rhode Island), just saw a brand new plate. It was one we'd never seen before, and frankly, living here in Saint Paul, MN, I would never have thought we would: Puerto Rico.

New Review: Dead Sexy

2008-06-20T10:38:00.003-04:00

I just got word of a review for Dead Sexy, here at: CK2S Kwips and Kritiques: Dead Sexy. They gave me four shamrocks! I guess they like me, they really like me!

In other news, I'm off to go buy "the thing at the place" as Shawn and I have been referring to it. It's a secret birthday present for little boy...

Mighty Marveling

2008-06-19T11:53:00.002-04:00

My alterego, comic book geek that she is, posted a review of THE INCREDIBLE HULK over at the Mid-Ohio Comic Com's site called, "Days Without Incident: 0". Check it out.

In other breaking news, working out makes me tired.

Me, Everywhere

2008-06-18T10:58:00.002-04:00

So, here's the latest places you can find interviews of me and other interesting bits (like a contest for the latest book!)

Interview with me at Amberkatze's Book Blog: Interview with Tate Hallaway, plus a bonus silly picture of me at the Uncle Hugo's signing for Tall, Dark & Dead,

and Jackie Kessler's character Jezabel interviews my character Garnet at "No Rest for the Witchy" with even more bonus weird pictures of me.

Too Much Coffee Makes Me Strange

2008-06-16T11:25:00.003-04:00

I posted a "that kind of day" complaining song and a deep philosophical questioning over at Something Wicked... this morning.

People like to ask authors why they write urban fantasy/paranormal/fantasy stuff, and I realized that I don't really have a good answer to that. I mean, I can enumerate the reasons I like it, but some of it is actually deeply visceral. When we get to that part in the story when the heroine realizes the cute guy sitting next to her on the bus is actually a werewolf my heart speeds up. I get a real, honest-to-goddess adrenaline rush that I can't really explain.

I know that it's this rush that keeps me addicted to urban fantasy/science fiction. It's really a lot like a drug (luckily, the only side-affect is loss of sleep when you get wrapped up in a story and realize that you've stayed up well past your bedtime and it's a work night.)

I really notice this when watching TV shows based on my drug-of-choice. Battlestar Galatica will actually make me sit on the edge of the seat of the couch, my heart pounding. When the show is over (certainly during the first season, anyway,) I actually felt physically drained, like I'd run a marathon.

But why am I like that? Why is it that space dog-fights get my juices flowing? Why is it that once magic shows up in a novel, I'm hooked?

I don't know. Except maybe it's because that's the first hit I ever took -- the first grown-up novel I read cover-to-cover was THE HOBBIT, and I must have imprinted on it, like a baby duck. I really couldn't tell you. How about you??

New Review (RtD)

2008-06-11T10:57:00.001-04:00

This isn't a very huge review, but an interesting perspective, none-the-less: Cerulean Siren: Another Book Down

New Review

2008-06-10T11:25:00.002-04:00

Here's a UK blogger who has somethings to say about Romancing the Dead that are pretty interesting: This Fleeting Dream.

Me... Everywhere

2008-06-09T12:01:00.002-04:00

I posted variations on the same theme in a number of different places this morning. If you want to read them in chronological order (to watch the progression of the idea go from rambles to a tongue-in-cheek confessional), here's how:

In-Between
In a Weird Place
Project Monogamy

In other news, I watched Appleseed Ex Machina last night and now I'm totally hot for a cyborg with rabbit ears. Help me.

More Reviews and an Event

2008-06-02T11:14:00.002-04:00

Thank the Goddess for Google Alert or I wouldn't know that I'm supposed to be here this Saturday....

Also, I noticed a couple more reviews for my books on various blogs. One for Romancing the Dead on Amberkatze's Book Blog and one for Dead Sexy on Anna's Book Blog.

More Blah, Blah, Bloggin'

2008-06-02T10:35:00.003-04:00

Since I love the internet so much, I've joined another group of paranormal romance/urban fantasy writes called "wicked writers" at Something Wicked... I'll be doing the Monday morning posts.

Also, there's a new review of Romancing the Dead at Coffee Times Romance. Here's some of the nicer bits:

I love Garnet. She is an amazing character. Ms. Hallaway has a unique twist to her story, with both Garnet and Sebastian. The reader is led on a merry chase to uncover who is behind the vampire napping. I read this in one sitting and kept trying to guess who the culprit was. Ms. Hallaway hides the truth until the very end and closes her book with a bang. I will be reading more of this series in the future, I am sure.

Also, Toni L. P. Kelner forwarded a picture of the cover to the German edition of Many Bloody Returns. Check it out!

Romancing the Dead Review (and an Interview)

2008-05-30T10:11:00.002-04:00

Here's another review of Romancing the Dead, this one by The Book Girl.

Also, there's a very short, but nice interview with me in the Minnesota Women's Press, called "A Bite of Vampire Romance." A word of warning: I do mention a particular part of the male anatomy in clinical terms, and if such a thing could potentially be offensive to you, stop reading the article about three paragraphs from the end.

Save That Vampire!

2008-05-29T10:36:00.003-04:00

I got this in my mailbox the other day and thought I should share it with all y'all:

I was just writing to ask if you happened to be a fan of Moonlight the vampire tv show?? As you may or may not know, CBS has recently cancelled this amazing series after just one season.

I'm part of a massive online group to ‘save’ the show or alternatively have it moved to a new network (www.moonlightarmy.com, www.moonlight-united.com)

The fans have worked so hard - we held a Moonlight Blood Drive for the red cross to bring attention to the show, and recently held a rally outside the Warner Brothers studio to show support for the production company - and it is truly an international movement (I'm from Australia!).

If you are willing and able, I was wondering if you could draw attention to the cause on your site? Just a word from you would encourage a rabid vampire fan base to champion the cause, and we all need a bit of Vampire love! (especially when they look like Mick!)

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Sincerely,
Megan

Review of Many Bloody Returns

2008-05-28T10:30:00.001-04:00

Google Alerts let me know about this review: http://nichtszusagen.blogspot.com/2008/05/many-bloody-returns.html, which actually reviews "Fire and Ice and Linguine for Two" from Many Bloody Returns.

Interview with Simon Haynes

2008-05-27T10:05:00.002-04:00

Simon Haynes is the British/Australian author of the bestselling, award-winning Hal Spacejock series, featuring an over-confident but woefully under-skilled freighter pilot and his wise but obsolete robot, Clunk.

If you enjoy TV shows like the Young Ones, Blackadder, Red Dwarf and Dr Who, or books by Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, Tom Holt or Jasper Fforde, then the Hal Spacejock series was written for you.

If you’ve never heard of Hal Spacejock … surprise! It’s only available in Australia.

However, to coincide with the launch of Hal Spacejock 4: No Free Lunch, the full text of Hal Spacejock Book One has been made available as a free download. To grab a copy in text, rtf or html format, visit http://www.spacejock.com.au/Hal1Download.html

(Yes, it’s a free ebook. And you’re welcome to share the download link …)

Simon, what was your inspiration for writing Hal Spacejock No Free Lunch?

My publisher phoned me and said 'can we have another one?', and I find that sort of thing very motivating. Fortunately, I'd already completed two drafts. Unfortunately, the book I handed in didn't result from either of them.

My other motivators are Hal and Clunk themselves. These characters are very dear to me, and I love putting them in life threatening situations, sending them broke, taking away everything they care about and generally giving them a really hard time.

Hey, I'm a parent. It's in my nature.

Who are your favorite authors and books now and when you were growing up?

When I was growing up I read all the usual suspects for a British kid in the 70’s: Enid Blyton, Arthur Ransome, Agatha Christie, Jerome K Jerome, Tolkien, Showell Styles, Frank Richards, Richmal Crompton, Michael Bond, WE Johns, Isaac Asimov, William F Temple ... and about a hundred others.

We moved to Spain in 1976 and English books were suddenly very hard to come by, so I read anything I could get my hands on. Westerns, thrillers, SF and so on. Mostly the sort of holiday books people abandon when they go home again.

Nowadays I enjoy humour, satire and SF, plus the occasional horror novel or murder mystery. I studied eng lit for my BA, which was enough to put me off the classics for many years, but I'm slowly coming round in my old(er) age.

What is it about fantasy/science fiction that attracts you?

Every novel begins with a blank slate, and the possibilities are endless. Whether you’re reading the things or writing them, or both, it’s a journey into the unknown and the unexplored.

Also, speaking of my own stuff, I just love the idea of self-aware robots. Despite their supposed loyalty to humans, the robots in my books often have their own agendas and desires, and rather creative methods of getting what they want. If you’ve ever struggled with a wayward computer program you’ll know the feeling.

Why did you decide to make Hal a space courier?

I needed someone with a valid reason to travel the galaxy. Also, Hal's a careless type and there's a lot of humour to be found in his clumsy destruction of valuable cargo. His chosen occupation puts him in competition with customers, other pilots and all manner of officialdom, and we all know conflict drives novels.

It’s not just freight disasters giving Hal problems … there’s a spare cabin aboard his ship, which means I can throw in the occasional passenger. They’re inevitably bad news for Hal, and that’s fun to write.

A few people have asked whether I modeled Hal on Han Solo, from the Star Wars series, and the answer is no. Hal Spacejock is a terrible pilot, is law-abiding and is fearfully over-confident while being woefully under-skilled. I’m not even a big SW fan, have never read any of the books associated with the series, and am still trying to expunge Episode I from my memory. Anyway, my influences are mostly British and Australian.

As for Hal’s name … I began writing book one in 1994, and when I reached for “brash, over-confident, loud, unintentionally funny, unaware of his failings, secretly insecure”, the name ‘Hal Spacejock’ instantly popped into my head. Anyone proudly calling themselves ‘Spacejock’ has a lot of complex issues for me to uncover.

What do you do for fun?

I love DVDs, particularly watching them on my laptop with headphones. It’s more personal and involving than watching on a big screen. I rarely watch live TV, thanks to the ads, watermarks and scrolly banner things, so boxed sets are a great escape.

Apart from my DVD-watching hobby I also count golf and archery amongst my favourite activities. In truth, it's four or five years since I swung a golf club in anger, but I just rekindled my interest in archery and am looking forward to nailing a few targets.

Finally, I write a lot of software, particularly for readers and writers. I make it all available free via the Spacejock.com website.

What sort of research did you do to write this book? What kind of preparation do you do when you are writing?

I don't do any research. I just outline the thing to death, send a two-page doc to my editor and await her go-ahead. The writing always diverges from the plot outline, but I rarely force it back again. An outline is just a map, and writing the novel is the journey.

Preparation … I stock up on coffee, chocolate, biscuits and spare batteries for the exercise bike. (I built a shelf on the handlebars for my laptop, and only allow myself to watch DVDs when I’m peddling.)

Hal Spacejock loves his food, and particularly coffee. Is that your favorite too?

Yep – instant coffee by the bucket. These days I limit myself to three cups a day, but I try and get them all in before 10am. Then I switch to t-tea and t-try not to l-let the j-jitters get to m-me.

I rarely eat out, and can’t be bothered with fancy restaurants. Give me Thai or Indian and I’m happy.

I enjoy cooking, and have a page on my website with my favourite recipes. Nothing flash – I like healthy, filling food which tastes good. I’m not in bad shape for a writer – 1.92m and 90kg (6’3” and 200lb) – but I can see that balancing health, fitness and writing long-term is going to be a struggle. In case I’ve given you the impression I’m a health nut, I’ve not seen the inside of a gym since 1985. I just try to burn more calories than I consume.

You say Hal Spacejock is law-abiding, so how come he gets into so much trouble?

Because his author is a right bastard. If I wanted all-round nice guys and do-gooders in my books I’d go write picture books with an eye to the lucrative education market. As it is, my books are popping up in school libraries all over Australia, so I’ll accept some of the blame for the parlous state of modern youth.

The thing is, I’m a firm believer in actions and consequences. If Hal is forced to ‘borrow’ a truck in one chapter, you can bet your booties he’ll regret it later. There is NO easy way out for any of my characters, EVER. Just like real life.

What are you writing now?

I’ve just dashed off yet another plot outline for Hal Spacejock 5. Every time I come up with a new plot I know THIS is the one… until I come up with the next one. I like the other plots, but they can always form the basis of book 6, or 7, or 14 …

Did you always want to write? Or did you stumble into it? How did you get where you are now?

I majored in Creative Writing at university, but despite that handicap I still maintained an interest in fiction. The problem at uni was that there were so many Serious Writers pouring their hearts and souls into passages of deep, moving prose. Handing out copies of my work for class discussion was like chucking hand grenades into a chook pen.

As for where I am now, that’s a long story. (The grotty details are on the Spacejock website, but in brief I self-published three books using my own imprint, and was literally plucked from the shelves of a local bookstore by a proper, real, honest-to-goodness publisher. The old ‘don’t call us, we’ll call you’ .. and it worked!)

What does a typical writing day look like for you? How long do you write, that sort of thing?

I see the kids off to school, mess around with email & internet until two hours before they’re due home again, then do two thousand words in a right old hurry.

Where do you write?

Propped up in bed. I kill the wireless network and get on with my daily word count, safely tucked away in a quiet corner of the house. It’s relaxing, and I enjoy the familiar surroundings. Also, nobody can sneak up behind me and read the early first draft rubbish over my shoulder – it’s strictly backs-to-the-wall stuff.

What is easiest/hardest for you as a writer?

Hardest? Hitting 3000 words with 92,000 to go. I have no idea where it’s going at that stage. How many months will it take me to finish? Will the deadlines trample my grave? Will I disappoint my fans?

Easiest? Hitting 3000 words with 92,000 to go. I have no idea where it’s going, and I love it! It’s going to be the best Hal book yet, I have months to work on it, and I gesture rudely at impudent deadlines.

This isn't your first book. Tell us a little bit about what else is out there?

This is the fourth book in the Hal Spacejock series, so there are three more of those for starters. In each title Hal finds new and exciting ways to destroy his business, his cargo and his reputation. Funny, too.

The books are available in stores across Australia and New Zealand, so those living elsewhere have to make do with (expensive) imports. My publisher and my agent are on the lookout for overseas rights deals, but are facing two problems:

One, US publishers aren’t sure how the UK-style humour will translate to their market. (To which I say, bugger the translation. Just print the books as-is and trust your audience. I’ve tested the books on US bloggers and readers, and none have dismissed the weird limey humour as incomprehensible.)

Two, UK publishers regard Australia as their home turf. When they publish a book in Britain, up to a third of the print run sells to Australia, so books which are already published here are far less attractive than home-grown ones.

On top of that, several US publishers indicated they’d be interested in the series if it did well in the UK first. To which I say Aaaaaarrggh! Sometimes I swear I’m living in a Monty Python sketch.

Anyway, I console myself with the thought that each Hal book, each positive review, each appearance in a bestseller list, and each additional printing of the books is jacking up the price these publishers are eventually going to pay. I’m in no hurry, but I’m not happy when I have to reply to emails from UK and US residents asking me why they can’t get Hal in their local store.

In light of this, my publisher recently agreed to release the first Hal Spacejock novel as a free ebook: http://www.spacejock.com.au/Hal1Download.html

The press release with the reasoning behind the choice of a drm-free, publicly available ebook is here: http://www.spacejock.com.au/EbookPR.html

Ordering links for the Hal Spacejock books

The bad news is that Hal Spacejock is only widely available in Australia and New Zealand. You can order the books from Amazon and Powell’s, but they’re imports and the cost of postage is high.

Because of this, Fremantle Press has put together a bundle of all four Hal Spacejock novels including worldwide postage for just A$79.80* (That’s the same price Australians pay in bookstores.) http://www.spacejock.com.au/BuyHal.html

* This price is subject to change – follow the link for details.