Lifer Blog Tour: Interview with Beck Nicholas PLUS Giveaway

Today we're chatting with author Beck Nicholas as part of the LIFER blog tour. Grab a cuppa and come get to know all about Beck.

Hi, Beck! Welcome to We Do Write. Tell us a bit about yourself.

Thanks for having me. I always wanted to write. I’ve worked as a lab assistant, a pizza delivery driver and a high school teacher but I always pursued my first dream of creating stories. Now, I live with my family near Adelaide, halfway between the city and the sea, and am lucky to spend my days (and nights) writing young adult fiction.


Tell our readers a bit about LIFER.

Asher is a Lifer, a slave aboard the spaceship Pelican. A member of the lowest rung of society, she must serve the ship’s Officials and Astronauts as punishment for her grandparents’ crimes back on Earth. The one thing that made life bearable was her illicit relationship with Samuai, a Fishie boy, but he died alongside her brother in a freak training accident.

Still grieving for the loss of her loved ones, Asher is summoned to the upper levels to wait on Lady, the head Official’s wife and Samuai’s mother. It is the perfect opportunity to gather intel for the Lifer’s brewing rebellion. There’s just one problem—the last girl who went to the upper levels never came back.

On the other side of the universe, an alien attack has left Earth in shambles and a group called The Company has taken control. Blank wakes up in a pond completely naked and with no memory, not even his real name. So when a hot girl named Megs invites him to a black-market gaming warehouse where winning means information, he doesn’t think twice about playing. But sometimes the past is better left buried.

As Asher and Blank’s worlds collide, the truth comes out—everyone has been lied to. Bourne Identity meets Under the Never Sky in this intergalactic tale of love and deception from debut novelist Beck Nicholas.

How did the idea of the story come to you?

It started with Asher. I knew she was a slave in mourning but not who’d died or why. I felt her grief and needed to find out what happened. At the same time there was another boy who kept nagging at me but neither of us (me or him) knew who he was.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Maybe a mix. I can’t begin writing until I know the characters really well and the ending but how they get there (and the details of that ending) have a habit of changing as I write and the characters take over. I find that if I let them act and react I can (mostly) trust them to take me where I need to go. Sometimes the story takes unexpected twists and turns but I get into dead ends if I try to force anything.

What’s the hardest part of writing for you?

The hardest part about writing for me is that I’m naturally shy and I believe to make characters real I need to dig deep in them and therefore in me. Sure I haven’t lived on a star ship (yet) but I’ve felt fear and hope and pain and I need to put that on the page as the character feels these emotions. It feels a little bit like baring my soul.

What do you absolutely have to have nearby when writing?

A bottle of water and a pencil and paper. Whenever I’m stuck I find that writing ahead in my notebook or jotting a few notes for the next scene gets my brain moving again. And post-its. I love lists and reminders and they are stuck everywhere around me.

What are you reading right now?

A book written by a people smuggler. It’s research for my work in progress. I’ve read books written by refugees but to read one from the other side has been interesting.

If you could have any super power, what would it be?

I would fly. No doubt at all. The thought of swimming through the blue sky is simply magical for me. I love the water but to fly, I imagine, would be even better. Although, I’m terrified of heights so maybe it’s lucky it’s impossible for now.

What's the weirdest thing you've googled?

Probably how to give myself a home-made tattoo.

Finish this sentence: If I'm not writing, I'm probably ...

Reading. If I can get the chance. I love to escape to other world and other lives. It makes the rest of the world fade away. I try to exercise to make up for the chocolate I love too much. And spending time with family and friends is always fun.

Here’s the part where you thank the people who are supporting you. Let's hear your shout outs.

First, I need to thank everyone who has bought and read my books. To hear feedback from readers is simply incredible. Thanks to blogs (like this one!!) who have me to visit and make me feel so welcome. My publishers and agent who have supported my writing and made my dreams come true. I have some amazing writing friends who keep me going and make me laugh on a daily basis. My family and friends are my rocks and I adore each of them to pieces (which sounds more gory than it is).

Thanks so much for joining us on the blog today, Beck!

Thanks again for having me.


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