Please welcome scifi author Patrick Stutzman to the blog, on the release of his latest novel Alone in Paradise. :)
Please tell us a bit about yourself:
I, Patrick Stutzman, being of sound mind and body...what am I doing? This isn’t a last will and testament! I am an American science fiction author, gamer, game designer, and an avid scifi fan. I live in the Midwest with my wife, two daughters, and a veritable menagerie of pets. I am a jack-of-all-trades, so I have a hand in just about everything.
Tell us about Alone in Paradise:
Alone in Paradise, or AiP, is the second novel of my book series subtitled The Chronicles of Anna Foster. It picks up almost immediately after the end of the first book, Alone on the Edge, where Anna is marooned on the moon that she discovered part way into the first book. Since she had spent her entire life living in the city or around an urban-like setting, she has to learn to survive in the untamed wilderness of an alien world. As she is adapting, she discovers secrets about her new home that leads her to believe that she may not be as alone as she originally thought.
What inspired you to write this particular story?:
I left the end of the first book open for a sequel. I couldn’t leave my readers hanging!
Which comes first for you – a character's looks, personality or name?:
I approach creating a character much like I meet somebody new. The first thing I notice about this person is their physical appearance. Following a brief introduction, I learn the person’s name. From there, I interact with them and learn more about who they are and what their personality is like.
Any tips for aspiring authors?:
One tip that I offer is something that I learned from Michael Stackpole and has been valuable to me. Many starting writers write their first chapter and then go back to perfect it before moving on to the second. Needless to say, there are a lot of first chapters in the world. What you should do is write your first chapter, then move on the next one and the next one after that until you have completed your first draft. Then, go back and edit the work.
Questions for fun:
If you had the power of time travel, is there anything you would go back and change?:
No
Why/why not?:
If being a scifi fan has taught me anything, it’s what is known as the “butterfly effect”. When one goes back in time and accidentally steps on and kills a butterfly, it has a tremendous impact on the world you knew back in your original time. If I go back and change one thing, it has the potential to screw everything else up. It’s best to just leave it alone, learn from the past, and change your present.
What super-power would you choose?:
Telekinesis. It has so many applications for a creative person, such as pushing yourself off the ground to fly, pushing across a large area against incoming bullets to create a shield, pulling people away from danger, etc.
If you could have three wishes, what would they be?:
1. Put me and my loved ones in peak physical health and let us remain in that condition until the day we die.
2. Grant me and my family enough money to pay off our debts, set up a sufficient college fund for my daughters, and allow us to live comfortably until the day we die.
3. Give me telekinesis!
Coffee, tea or wine?:
I’m not a hot coffee or hot tea drinker. I don’t drink alcohol. So, I suppose my choice would have to be iced coffee.
What is your favourite book? (aside from one of your own!):
To date, it would have to be The Girls fromAlcyone by Cary Caffrey. LOVE that book and everything about it! (nice choice!)
Favourite genre and why?:
It would have to be science fiction. I have always looked to the future ever since I was a kid, and science fiction allows us to do so in so many ways and give us so many insights into ourselves as well as painting the different possibilities for us that may come.
Favourite colour?:
Black. I don’t care what color the fashionistas say is the new black. Black has always been cool. And if I may say so myself, I look darn good in it.
Upcoming news and plans for the future?:
I am currently writing the third book of The Chronicles of Anna Foster titled Alone in the Crowd. After that, I have a few other book ideas coming down the line, at least one is in the same universe as my current series. I also have a roleplaying game of my own design that I need to finish.
Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us!
Blurb:
After the destruction of the mining station that was her home for 6 years, Anna Foster crashes on the newly-discovered moon she calls Paradise. With no way of calling for help, she must learn to survive in the untamed wilderness while trying to find a way back to human-controlled space.
While she adapts to the new environment, Anna stumbles across some of the moon's hidden secrets and quickly discovers that she is not as alone as she originally believed.
Find Patrick on his website (http://patrickstutzman.swtft.com)
on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/patrick.stutzman)
on Twitter (@PatrickStutzman)
and Google+ (https://plus.google.com/112838542883956275738/about).
Great interview - and your books sound fab! I'll look for them.
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