Author Interview with Patrick S. TomlinsonAuthor bio:
Patrick S. Tomlinson is the son of an ex-hippie psychologist and an ex-cowboy electrician. He lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with a menagerie of houseplants in varying levels of health, a Ford Mustang, and a Triumph motorcycle bought specifically to embarrass and infuriate Harley riders.
When not writing sci-fi and fantasy novels and short stories, Patrick is busy developing his other passion for performing stand-up comedy.
You can find Patrick online at his website:www.patrickstomlinson.
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Hi Patrick, welcome over at The Book Plank and for taking
your time to answer these few questions for us!
BP: First off, can you give us a short introduction of who Patrick S.
Tomlinson is? What are your hobbies, likes and dislikes?
PT: Patrick S.
Tomlinson is an author/comedian about yay high who likes to talk about himself
in third person. He works out, watches football and baseball, rides motorcycles
and drives Mustangs, builds sci-fi models, and argues politics with those not
yet fortunate enough to share his views. Oh, and he writes sci-fi novels and
says horrible things on stage for money.
BP: You have been writing short stories for a few years now. The Ark is
your first full-length book was it difficult to write a full-length story?
PT: The Ark was actually my third book, just
the first that someone else thought was as awesome as I did. So I’ve already
had some practice with long-form outlining, plotting, etc.
BP: Did you encounter any specific problems when you were writing The
Ark?
PT: Very few,
actually. It was, as novel writing goes, fairly straightforward and free of
stumbling blocks.
BP: What has been your favorite scene, chapter or moment to write
about?
PT: There are a couple that really stood out, but Chapter six
and seven, during an EVA that goes awry, were really fun action scenes to think
through, visualize, and then write out. Also, any scene involving Devorah
Feynman, the Museum curator. She was an immensely fun character to write.
BP: What gave you the idea behind The Ark? And how long did it take you
to put the thoughts clearly onto paper?
PT: I’ve always
been fascinated with the concept of generation ships. One afternoon, I was
watching a show on Discovery about the problems and perils of building one. Instead,
I started thinking less about the ship and more about the sort of society that
would develop onboard it. Who gets on, and what kind of people get off again
centuries later? The basic outline of The Ark came to me in a fit of creativity
over the course of just a few hours. I wrote the rough draft in six months,
which while not nearly as fast as some authors, was still a third the time it
took to write my first novel.
BP: If you had to describe The Ark with a single sentence, how would it
go?
PT: The Ark is a “Sealed Airlock” murder
mystery thriller set onboard a ten-mile long starship.
BP: The Ark is described as Sherlock Holmes meets Space Odyssey. Those
are big names. Having your book compared to those must feel good. Does it also
put more pressure on your shoulders?
PT: I think the
comparisons are very generous. Maybe too much so. I try to keep a realistic
view of my work and my own abilities. Otherwise you get ahead of yourself
pretty quickly. And my ego doesn’t need any help as it is. No, the pressure I
feel comes mostly from within. While I appreciate all of the support, reviews,
recommendations, and so forth that I’m getting, they don’t change my opinion of
the work, or my desire to do even better on the next project.
BP: The Ark was published earlier this month, if you were given the
chance to redact all published books and make one final change, would you do
so? If yes, which part would you change and why?
PT: Wow, that’s
rough. Like saying, “Your first child was born earlier this month, given the
chance, what part of them makes you want to stick them back in the womb until
they get it right?” I’d probably say no to going backwards. For one thing, I
haven’t touched the book in months already. I’ve written and rewritten the
sequel draft in that time. I gave The Ark
the best chance I could to be a success. My mind has already moved on to the
next several projects. Besides, there’s never ‘One last change.’ Any change I
would make would lead to another change, and another. You never really finish
perfecting a book, you just run up against your deadline.
BP: The Ark already has one sequel planned, have you already mapped out
the events for that book or do you write as you go? Do you have more books in
the making?
PT: The immediate
sequel is called Trident’s Forge, and
it’s all but finished. My editor has already been through it and given me his
recommendations for the final rewrite, which I started yesterday. It’s
scheduled to come out next April. After Trident’s
Forge, I have at least four more books sketched out in the series, should
sales of the first two justify a new deal with the publisher. Number four is
REALLY cool. I’m excited just by the possibility of writing it.
BP: Do you have any other projects besides the Children
of the Dead Earth series that you would like to pursue in the near future?
PT: It’s
already happening. The very first novel I wrote was a sci-fi comedy in the
tradition of Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett, two of my biggest literary and
comedy influences. It’s titled A Hole in
the Fence, and I’ve just finished a massive rewrite of it after four years
away. It’s about to go out on submission to editors, and I couldn’t be more
excited.
BP: Everyone enjoys science fiction/fantasy in their own way. What do
you like most about it?
PT: Hope. The
hope of a brighter future, where humanity reaches out and chases after its full
potential, both technologically and culturally.
BP: If you had to choose your top 5 favorite books, which would they
be?
PT: In no
particular order; Speaker for the Dead,
Dune, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy books as a unit, the Discworld books as a unit, Implied Spaces by Walter John Williams.
BP: Can you give us a sneak peek of what will be in store for us in The
Ark?
PT: Murder,
mayhem, knife fights, and commentary on the modern surveillance state and
environmental sustainability, which weren’t planned ahead of time but found
their way in regardless.
BP: Thank you very much for your time Patrick and good luck with your
future writing!
PT: Thanks for
having me.
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