Author Outtakes: Stephen J. Sweeney

I am here today with Stephen J. Sweeney, author of the Battle for the Solar System series. Hi Stephen. Tell us a little about yourself.

SS: My name is Stephen J Sweeney, and I’m a science fiction writer from England. I currently live in London and work as an IT contractor. I’ve been writing off and on all my life, but only recently decided to look into the commercial aspect of it. I’ve enjoyed the journey so far – there are certainly some interesting characters and people to be met, and the writing community is surprisingly warm and open.

JR: So far you have released two books in this series, The Honour of the Knights and The Third Side. What does the future look like for the series?

SS: The Honour of the Knights and the Third Side make up the first two parts of the trilogy. Reception of both books has been great, and I’m currently in the process of writing the final book. I’m working on the second draft at the moment, and am about a third of the way through it. This book will probably be the longest of the trilogy, and will be a lot darker than the first two. I won’t give any of the plot away just yet, suffice to say that things will go from bad to worse in the war against the Pandoran war machine.

I’ll be looking into the characters with a lot more depth in the final book, examining what makes them tick and showing the reader how the long war has affected them. Without too many spoilers, many, many of them will be suffering greatly from depression. Dodds will be considering whether he is being punished for his past actions, Estelle will be wondering if she was ever capable of reaching the goals she had aspired to, Parks will once again be tackling his own issues of being a fraud, and Kelly will finally find a reason to have maintained her journals so meticulously.

There will also be a bit of a nasty shock in store for the reader in the final book, which will become evident in the first couple of chapters.

JR: What inspired you to write this series?

SS: I was always a fan of TV shows like Battlestar Galatica, Star Trek and Babylon 5, and wanted to write a space opera just like them. The story lived and evolved in my head for a number of years before I decided it was time to free it and get it down on paper. I thought it would be best to show the story from the point of view of the starfighter pilots, as this would make it more exciting.

JR: Do you have any writing habits or rituals you follow before sitting down in front of a blank screen?

SS: When I’m writing, editing or proofing, I am to do so for an hour at the same time every night. It becomes something of a habit after a while, and you begin to miss doing it when you have a night off. Once you get used to the routine, you will it much easier to do. A blank screen can indeed be a bit daunting.

JR: Who is your favorite author? Is this reflected in your writing?

SS: My favourite authors are Stephen King, Terry Pratchett and Iain M Banks. I try to emulate their styles a lot, although I know I am a very long way from doing so (although, I’m not sure if I should ever attempt to fully emulate King – The Shining was one of the scariest books I’ve ever read, so I don’t want to scare off my fan base..!)

JR: What would you say is your favorite and least favorite thing to do when putting together a story?

SS: My favourite thing to do is to write that initial story, explore the world and the characters and see where it all goes. You can throw dozens of different ideas at the story and see what happens. My least favourite thing to do is then to go back on the written story and start to chop out all those bits that don’t work. Entire chapters and scenes go during that process, sometimes even characters. After that comes editing, and that’s even harder as it can mean disposing of a lot of hard work and starting over.

JR: When did you realize you could make it in this industry?

SS: After the great reception that Honour of the Knights had, becoming the #1 best selling science fiction novel on Amazon UK back in 2010, and scoring more than 200 ratings on the UK iBookstore store, I figured I’d written a story that people very much enjoyed reading. The fan mail and emails asking for the second book also helped a great deal.

JR: What do you do to overcome the lack the motivation to write?

SS: I go for a walk and try to more readily visualize myself within the story and the scene that I’m having trouble with. Failing that, I wait for inspiration to strike me where it always does best – in the shower!

JR: Some of my authors hate it when I call them during writing time (like I’m supposed to know when this is). What is your biggest pet peeve when trying to write?

SS: Noise… and people trying to talk to me. I need peace and quiet when I’m writing (although, I do find that popping in some headphones and listening to music is a good solution). But I don’t like to be distracted when I’m trying to write a scene. It’s sort of like being dragged out of an interesting world and being dropped back into quite a boring one, to deal with something you’d rather not.

JR: Where do you see yourself in the future? What is your ultimate goal in the industry?

SS: I’d very much like to become a full time writer, but I’m aware that this is a dream that only a select few achieve. Still, if I am able to find time to balance life, work, and writing, and can still get my stories out there, I’ll be more than happy.

JR: I allow everyone I interview to ask me a question. Make it good because you only get one.

SS: What was your favourite novel of 2011?

JR: 11/22/63 is phenomenal. The Percy Jackson series is great. But there is something special about Stephen King and time travel.

Short Answer

I think authors are… under appreciated for all the work they do, and what they ultimately do for culture.

Justin Bieber should… get a haircut

My last meal would consist of… chicken tikka masla, oinion bhajis, pialu rice, bombay potatoes and a nann bread. I do love my food!

We could boost our economy by… learning to all live within our means, and focus on spending more on what we all need, rather than what we want. We’re rapidly becoming a culture that is being twisted by a sense of entitlement.

I wish I had more time to… write more..!