part 3
Q: This just as a side note, you said that Jean Reno would be David. How about Michael or Chen?
A: Michael has always been a bit vague in my mind as far as actors go. As far as Chen? Perhaps Lucy Lu. She can be commanding and venerable.
Q: When you start writing, do you know the whole story?
A: I know the beginning and the ending. The middle is always a bit fuzzy. It’s fun to take the characters to strange or emotional or dangers areas and then see how they’re going to get to the end of the story.
Q: It was suggested that you need to trim down the story.
A: By a third.
Q: Yes. How is that going?
A: (not the original answer since I have done that already) It was hard at first because it’s A THIRD OF THE BOOK! But I managed, as I posted here. I’m so much happier with the new version.
Q: What comes after Entropy Gate? More Science Fiction?
A: I have several ideas…but the EG series is quite intense at times and I’d like to write something that my wife might read. I’ve worked a bit, in my mind, on a Romantic Comedy called ARTIST’S KNIGHT.
Q: Romantic…Comedy?
A: So shoot me.
Q: Last Question. New last question, actually. Is Entropy Gate just a guy thing?
A: I’ve actually had a lot of positive feed back from women. In fact, one of the neatest compliments I received was from a lady who accused me of having my wife write the conversations between Abigail and Michael. That was cool.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Interview part two...
Q: Where did the idea for Entropy Gate come from.
A: I had an idea about a vortex of some sort that was destroying Jupiter and a group of Russian and American scientists explore it.
Q: Didn’t that happen in 2010?
A: Yeah…it sort of did. I was going to scrap the idea, but then I turned it around and went with Venus. Once I did that, any similarity to the movie (and book) dissolved.
Q: And Father Michael?
A: Yes?
Q: I mean, where did he come from?
A: I think he comes from the same place that all of my characters come from. He’s a combination of people I know and, I suppose, a little bit of me.
Q: And the others?
A: David Frank, possibly the most controversial character, isn’t anyone I know, but I always pictured Jean Reno as the actor to play him (if a movie was ever made) and some of the dialog is actually written to match his vocal cadence and vocabulary.
Q: Why do you say controversial?
A: Because I’m writing stories with strong, positive Christian themes and he’s a likable atheist.
Q: And his likeability is an issue?
A: For some it might be. But I have met nice atheists and agnostics who haven’t said I was an idiot for believing in God. I have met, one in particular, who was just a total jerk and threw his atheism around like a hammer challenging everyone who believed that there could possibly be a higher being to argue with him. He was at grad school. We kicked him out of a party.
Q: For being a jerk.
A: Yes. But sometimes the whole notion of having an atheist as a likeable character is odd for me.
Q: Because…
A: A friend I grew up with went from being a Christian to an agnostic to an atheist and I have a hard time with that sort of evolution.
Q: Has that changed your character at all?
A: Oh, no. David Franke is locked in. He’s a real person now.
Q: Real-
A: As real as the others. Michael, Chen, Artimus, their all like real people in my mind.
Q: Have you ever had to kill off one of these real characters?
A: Yes…it’s a rather funny story actually. In Return (book two) one of the main characters dies. I had always planned on having him not make it through the story, but my original plan saw him dying a completely different way. I wrote myself into a corner where he was the only one to be able save the rest and so he got killed. I went home from work, where I had written the chapter, and my wife asked why I was depressed. I told her that one of the characters died and she just rolled her eyes.
Q: Who dies?
A: Someone. I’m not telling.
Q: Where did the idea for Entropy Gate come from.
A: I had an idea about a vortex of some sort that was destroying Jupiter and a group of Russian and American scientists explore it.
Q: Didn’t that happen in 2010?
A: Yeah…it sort of did. I was going to scrap the idea, but then I turned it around and went with Venus. Once I did that, any similarity to the movie (and book) dissolved.
Q: And Father Michael?
A: Yes?
Q: I mean, where did he come from?
A: I think he comes from the same place that all of my characters come from. He’s a combination of people I know and, I suppose, a little bit of me.
Q: And the others?
A: David Frank, possibly the most controversial character, isn’t anyone I know, but I always pictured Jean Reno as the actor to play him (if a movie was ever made) and some of the dialog is actually written to match his vocal cadence and vocabulary.
Q: Why do you say controversial?
A: Because I’m writing stories with strong, positive Christian themes and he’s a likable atheist.
Q: And his likeability is an issue?
A: For some it might be. But I have met nice atheists and agnostics who haven’t said I was an idiot for believing in God. I have met, one in particular, who was just a total jerk and threw his atheism around like a hammer challenging everyone who believed that there could possibly be a higher being to argue with him. He was at grad school. We kicked him out of a party.
Q: For being a jerk.
A: Yes. But sometimes the whole notion of having an atheist as a likeable character is odd for me.
Q: Because…
A: A friend I grew up with went from being a Christian to an agnostic to an atheist and I have a hard time with that sort of evolution.
Q: Has that changed your character at all?
A: Oh, no. David Franke is locked in. He’s a real person now.
Q: Real-
A: As real as the others. Michael, Chen, Artimus, their all like real people in my mind.
Q: Have you ever had to kill off one of these real characters?
A: Yes…it’s a rather funny story actually. In Return (book two) one of the main characters dies. I had always planned on having him not make it through the story, but my original plan saw him dying a completely different way. I wrote myself into a corner where he was the only one to be able save the rest and so he got killed. I went home from work, where I had written the chapter, and my wife asked why I was depressed. I told her that one of the characters died and she just rolled her eyes.
Q: Who dies?
A: Someone. I’m not telling.
It is...it isn't...it is...now it's not!
Pluto is no longer a planet, it's a sub planet. So now there are only 8 planets in the solar system when only three days ago the newspaper made some mention about possibly adding a few more...
So???
Well, if you've read book one, you'll know that the 'bad guys' based part of their cult on less than nine planets and that throws off Michael's initial analysis on the writings he finds...so now I have to change the story AGAIN.
Pluto is no longer a planet, it's a sub planet. So now there are only 8 planets in the solar system when only three days ago the newspaper made some mention about possibly adding a few more...
So???
Well, if you've read book one, you'll know that the 'bad guys' based part of their cult on less than nine planets and that throws off Michael's initial analysis on the writings he finds...so now I have to change the story AGAIN.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Kablooie times 4
1. Computer died. (brother fixed it-but I've been going nuts not able to write)
2. Back went out and I was put on medication that made me into Mr. Hyde...been off of the drugs for a couple of days and I still feel weird, short tempered, edgy.
3. Kristi lost her job (unjustly - legal action is an option)
4. I'm back to three jobs instead of the normal two.
1. Computer died. (brother fixed it-but I've been going nuts not able to write)
2. Back went out and I was put on medication that made me into Mr. Hyde...been off of the drugs for a couple of days and I still feel weird, short tempered, edgy.
3. Kristi lost her job (unjustly - legal action is an option)
4. I'm back to three jobs instead of the normal two.
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