SPSFC 3 Author Interview- Jeff Walker

1.  What inspired the world, characters, or core concepts of your story? Was it a particular event, piece of media, or a speculative scientific idea?

There wasn’t a specific idea or event that directly inspired me when creating this story. I’ve been influenced by numerous sci fi books, movies, and even artistic imagery over the years. Coming up with new stories can be a bit of a challenge because of this, but you’ve got to know how to navigate those influences and come up with something new. Creating worlds and different types of environments are elements any SF author loves to delve into. One needs to imagine what visiting those places would be like, how you would get there, and make it a journey of the mind. It’s also a journey for the characters as well. They need to reflect the type of story you’re creating. How would they react landing on such alien worlds? Wouldn’t they be the invading alien species then? Would they understand the environment and respect it? Or would they find a way to exploit it for their own gains? These were some of the thoughts running through my head when developing the story.

1. How did you approach the creation of your main characters? Were they modeled after real-life figures, or did they evolve organically as you explored the world of your story?

Katelan Driscoll is a well-educated Astrobiologist, who just happens to be part of a crew that’s only there for the money and not so much for the wonders of new discoveries. They’re a dysfunctional family, basically. Like any family they tend to fight, joke with each other, and get into each other’s space from time to time. When you’re travelling through space for months or even years on end, that’s bound to happen. I guess I modelled it after my own or others, I suppose. Maybe more extreme mind you, but that’s just a bit of creative license. The more I wrote of their interactions, the more I understood their characters. I could even hear them chatting to each other in my head as I thought about the next paragraph. Is that weird?  

2. Science fiction often delves into questions of ethics, technology, and humanity. What central theme or moral question does your story grapple with, and why did you feel it was essential to explore?

I guess it would have to be, do we know what’s waiting for us out there? I mean, we’re going to launch ourselves into space, visit other worlds we know very little about, and just assume we can adapt quickly to it. Humans are the most stubborn, overconfident, and naive species of this planet. We constantly walk into to trouble and expect to resolve it with our superior intellect. Well, I just thought this story would be a gentle reminder that perhaps, just perhaps, we’re not as smart as we like to think we are. There always consequences to our actions and that we can be easily led astray from time to time. We need to respect the world and all those new ones we’ll be heading for.

3.  How did you approach the integration of futuristic technology or scientific concepts in your story? Did you base them on existing theories or let your imagination run wild?

I would say a bit of both really. I know some basics of the science and what’s necessary for the technology to work, but other parts, I just kind of toy with and make up as I go. That’s pretty much every sci fi writer by the way. It’s not always science fact, it’s Science Fiction, we’re all just guessing of what the future will bring. Who would have guessed many of the tech on Star Trek would have been nearly spot on, right? They predicted cell phones (the communicators), digital tablet pads, planetary conditions, and even warp speed! That’s an actual working theory now. So, maybe we can estimate what might come in our future, of a sort.

4.  The sci-fi genre provides a canvas to depict diverse cultures, species, and worlds. How have you incorporated representation and diversity in your work, and why do you think it's vital for the future of science fiction?

You know, I don’t even give that a second thought. I just put in diverse characters no matter what. I know this is a world full of different people, with different believes, politics, and cultures. I don’t need to remind readers that this stuff exists already. But do I think it’s important in science fiction? Well, yeah, of course it is. I just won’t overly flaunt it or stress the issue about it chapter after chapter, people come to read a good story, to mentally escape to an exciting future and beyond. My role is to entertain, not lecture. I’ll make the odd point of conversation about it, but I won’t make it a pivotal plot of the book. Diversity has always been around us; we just need to open our eyes more and embrace the common humanity we all share.

5. Every author has a unique writing process. Can you share a bit about yours? How do you manage world-building, plot progression, and character dynamics in such a complex genre?

I wish I could say that I plot this out and flesh out characters over and over, but... no, I don’t do any of that. I tend to dream mine or envision the entire book like I’m watching a movie or tv show. Seriously, that’s it. Once I’ve got the story in my head, I know where the plot is going, who the characters are, the resolution and so on. In my mind I can see it all, every character, their dialogue, the cool visual effects, and the locations. I can’t really explain it. I just write the stuff as it comes to me. But from beginning to end, I know how it all goes, and can pick up where I left off no problem. I’ve always been very imaginative. Even as a kid, I was daydreaming about travelling to distant worlds, taking off in time machines, and saving the world as a superhero. But always, at the heart of my imaginative worlds, I knew there had to be a very good and well-thought-out story. I still do to this day.

6.  What's next for you after SPSFC? Are there any upcoming projects you can share with us?

Well, have you got about a year to spare about all the stuff I’ve got on tap? There’s like over twenty novels, short stories, and novellas I’m back and forth on. Okay, well, I’ll just give a few of the ones that are in the works. I’ve got two sequel books following The Massive Planet: The Adventures of Deep Contact, there’s also my sequel/prequel book of The Long Lost War, but it might be a while for that one. I’m close to finishing part one of my paranormal thriller-horror of The Burning Fire Rises (The Mysterious World of Professor Darkk and Miss Shadow), that’s going to be their official first full novel. I did Book #0 previously, with a collection of their short stories, so, this has been a challenge for sure. I guess the next few sci fi titles that might be coming soon are Space Rockers, about a group of asteroid miners, and Send in The Dead, a sci fi horror-gore type of novel. That may or may not be ready for next year. Who knows if I can cram in some writing time sooner to get that out faster.  Till then, keep watching my website for any updates on it.