Planet Janitor: Custodian of the Stars -- Interview with Chris Stevenson

Today we welcome back author Chris Stevenson to catch up with his publishing life.

Hi, Chris, and welcome back to We Do Write. Catch us up on your publishing journey since we last spoke. What's new with you?

Let’s see…Intrigue Press published The Girl They Sold to the Moon, a YA SF story. It won a major grand prize award, sponsored by a publisher, so I was happy about that. I was equally happy in getting so many offers for my next YA dark fantasy, Screamcatcher. My agent and I decided it wouldn’t that bad of an idea to make it into a series, which I did with two more books. That one is now out on major sub. I finished and polished a paranormal thriller, Earth Angel; a children’s picture book, The Mysteries of the La Brea Tar Pits; finished a military espionage thriller entitled Iron Maiden; got halfway through a sequel to Planet Janitor and a third of the way through a dystopian SF called Sky High. You can tell it’s been some time since I’ve been here!  

Yeah, you've been busy! Let's hear more about Planet Janitor. What's the story about?

It’s the story of a ragtag group of space junk collectors who get an offer they can’t refuse from a famous celestial real estate company. The mission requires a 12-year light speed jump and cryo sleep out to a newly discovered planet in the Tau Ceti system. The exact instructions are not given to the crew, but only hinted at: they must clear and cleanse a huge track of land and construct tall barrier walls. Before they even start the job they find a terrible sight, and have to deal with it while they finish construction. Soon all hell breaks loose, suffice to say. Planet Janitor, the new release, is a small omnibus with new front matter stories, revision/rewrites and cover. It can best be described as Robinson Crusoe meets Starship Troopers.  

Did you do research for the book?

I had to do some simple calculations on orbital mechanics and light speed limitations. I had to really figure how I could invent a “nuclear bang pod drive” that would propel the ship to near the speed of light without blowing the craft to pieces. I used “chopper gun foam” for the barrier walls and had to look up heavy construction equipment and give the machines a new high-tech face.  

Describe your main character in five words.

He’s the Clint Eastwood type.

Without spoilers, what's your favorite scene in the book?

One of the male crew members is out picking flowers in a lush valley on the foreign planet. He sees another crewmember gathering flowers, too. They both ask each other what’s up. One of them admits that his girlfriend has told him that she is pregnant.

The other crewmember rolls his eyes and says, “It must be contagious. Mine gave me the same news yesterday.”

To which his friend nods at the flowers and says, “Do you think these will do any good?”

“Not a chance.”

Were there any scenes that had to be cut?

None cut, but one had to be added. I had to give Captain Zaz a temper tantrum for losing something very precious to him. In fact, he goes on a rampage, which just isn’t like him at all. Oh, I had to cut down on some ship’s log entries.

Got any tips for aspiring writers in this genre?

Space opera science fiction? Uuhg—read the new stuff and see where it’s going and how much more innovative and creative it is compared to the past. Be patient and let an extraordinary premise grab hold of you. Try to find something very unique. Research all that you have to so you can properly world-build. Keep in mind that a great number of science fiction writers have degrees in the core sciences, and/or they are very smart tech nerds. The competition is blisteringly fierce, especially for this genre. Give it a lot of thought before you proceed.

Any parting words of wisdom?

If you hit a wall and find yourself blocked, take the advice of Stephen King, Jo Rowling and Anne Rice—push your way through it. Your eyes are the wrong eyes to be prematurely critical. You can bet that your writing (of that book or short) is not that bad at all. You’ve been mistaken. It’s like having hallucinations inside your imagination. Accentuate the positive—eliminate the negative. Guess what movie that’s from.

Thanks so much for stopping by the blog, Chris!

It’s always a pleasure to be here. I’m in love with your blog and blog site.

*blushes*

Author Bio

Chris Stevenson , originally born and raised on the beaches of southern California, moved to Sylvania, Alabama in 2009 and settled in with his twin sister. His occupations have included newspaper reporter, front-line mechanic and federal police officer. He has been writing off and on for 36 years, having officially published books beginning in 1988. Today he writes science fiction, fantasy, paranormal romance, young adult, adult thrillers and horror. He has a total of 10 titles appearing on Amazon. He was a finalist in the L. Ron. Hubbard Writers of the Future contest. He writes the informative blog, Guerrilla Warfare for Writers (Special Weapons and Tactics), hoping to inform and educate writers all over the world about the high points and pitfalls of publishing.

Amazon link to all books:  http://www.amazon.com/Chris-Harold-Stevenson/e/B001K8UUBK/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

FB Author’s Page:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chris-Stevenson-Author-Page/177979902302440

Book Excerpt: The Girl They Sold to the Moon, by Chris Stevenson

Hey there, hi there, ho there! It's March 20th! Do you know what that means? It means this is the LAST DAY OF WINTER!!!!

So, let's celebrate with a book excerpt, shall we?

It’s bad enough when her father pawns her to Family Trade and Loan for a huge cash advance. But when the Tilly Breedlove is forced to headline an act as an exotic dancer for filthy, but filthy rich ore miners at Tranquility Harbor, she feels like stepping out of an airlock and sucking vacuum. Then there’s the jealous superstar who wants to sabotage her on stage, and the pink slips for breaking the fraternization rules. It all pales in comparison to a catastrophe that leaves her surrounded by death and a massive cover-up, making her wish she would have never boarded that shuttle to end up 240,000 miles from home.

AMAZON    B&N    GOODREADS

EXCERPT

“I’m Reginald Breedlove.  I’m here to pawn my daughter.”
           
I’m here to pawn my daughter.  Tilly Breedlove knew they had another word for it—they called them “kickouts”, people who were sold to the establishment to cover debts. She and her girlfriends used to laugh at the K-Span commercial on late night Holoview.  She wasn’t laughing now.  She’d never seen so many kids gathered in one spot, except at a school assembly.

The first floor of the auditorium-sized building had at least twenty standing lines and a waiting area filled to capacity. This building area was reserved for the Sunflowers, teenagers who ranged in age from 13 to 19 years-old. At 17, Till fit right in.  Sure, there were sniffles and tearful goodbyes, with an occasional knock-down-drag-out, but the worst scenes were reserved for the six to twelve-year-old kids, the next wing over.

Those kids were on the Daffodil Plan, commonly called Daffys, and their screams pierced through the air conditioning vents. She’d seen the entrance door for the Daffys on the outside of the building, next to the Sunflower entrance, which was her admission portal. The Daffys were hardly equipped to handle the emotions of severing bonds with their parents, and Tilly couldn’t even begin to understand what kind of jobs assignments those kids would have in order to work off a debt for their parents.

“Pawn is a term reserved for the intercity establishments, Mr. Breedlove, most notably found in the vicinity of Forty-Second Street, “ said the check-in receptionist, who didn’t crack a smile when in a husky contralto, she added, “You cede, or relinquish custodianship of your ward here at Family Trade and Loan, for a specific time period.  Do you have your identification wafer and DNA cube, sir?  I don’t want your hard-card identification.”
           
Reginald unsnapped the lid on his wrist-held Omnicomp and handed a small wafer diskette and cube to the woman.  “Pawn, sell, loan, trade, it’s all the same,” he said.  “I’ve already been through the psychogram and background check.  So I’d appreciate it all to h*** if I was not held up any longer.”
           
The receptionist, whose name tag read Aurora slipped the wafer and cube into a console and adjusted her monitor.  “Bear with me while I double-check the contract-application.”
           
“Mother Mary on a wagon wheel,” muttered Reginald.  “It’s taken me three hours to get to this counter.  I’ve got varicose veins as thick as rope, ready to burst from standing in this line.”
           
Tilly chanced a look around and saw a few eye rolls, mixed with a few sympathetic smiles from the other kids. This place was drama central. Her father wasn’t helping any with his over-the-top exaggeration. The man had always been brutally impatient.
           
Aurora remained calm, steadfast.  “I’ve already had microsurgery for such an affliction, sir, so you are not alone…and…I think we have a winner.”  She pulled down a headset magnifier and grimaced.  “There seems to be one discrepancy here…I cannot make out the residence location.  Is it Sealand Condominiums or the Sealand Community Housing Authority?”
           
Reginald raised his voice above the din. “Neither of the above.  I’m housed at the Pier J Settlement on Long Island. I live in a converted Sealand transport container.”
         
 Her eyebrows shot up.  “Oh, my mistake. You mean the projects.”
           
“Used to call ‘em steel deals without the wheels,” boomed someone behind Tilly.  “They became low-income housing for the financially impaired in 2019 during Palin’s administration.”
           
Tilly heard a few gasps and guffaws behind her.  Way to f***ing go, Dad, another cringe-worthy statement. If she could find a crack in the floor, she’d cram her shamed self inside it.  She could feel the stares burning holes in the back of her head. But she had vowed from the start she would get through this and hold her temper.
           
“And you must be Tilly Breedlove,” said Aurora, locking eyes with her.  “What a bright-looking, attractive young lady!  May I have your identification wafer and DNA cube?”
           
And you must be Aurora Borealis, as in Bore-me-Alice, with your smile ready to bust collagen bags in your face, and your head stuck firmly up your liposuctioned a**. Tilly bit her lip and handed the items over. “Thank you very much, Miss Aurora.  I’m looking forward to a pleasant stay at my Eff-TALC assignment.”  She implied a bit more meaning in the company acronym than intended.  The whole place could eff-off as far as she was concerned.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chris Stevenson , originally born and raised on the beaches of southern California, moved to Sylvania, Alabama in 2009 and settled in with his twin sister. His occupations have included newspaper reporter, front-line mechanic and federal police officer. He has been writing off and on for 36 years, having officially published books beginning in 1988. Today he writes science fiction, fantasy, paranormal romance, young adult, adult thrillers and horror. He has a total of nine titles appearing on Amazon. He was a finalist in the L. Ron. Hubbard Writers of the Future contest, and just recently took first place grand prize in a YA novel writing contest for The Girl They Sold to the Moon. He writes the popular blog, Guerrilla Warfare for Writers (special weapons and tactics), hoping to inform and educate writers all over the world about the high points and pitfalls of publishing.

Author Update: Chris Stevenson

Don't you love return guests? So do I! That's why I'm glad to announce that author Chris Stevenson is back to chat with us. He's got a new book coming out, so let's learn more about it.

Welcome back, Chris! Tell us about THE WOLFEN STRAIN. What’s the story about?

Tagline/Hook:

Seth Anson, a lovelorn forest ranger, never thought that he would shoot the first eligible woman he met after his divorce. Nor did he think that he would fall in love with her after nursing her back to health. But he certainly isn’t prepared to find out that she is the result of a DNA cloning experiment gone horribly wrong and, is in fact, a hybrid wolf/human. To complicate matters, she also has no idea of her true identity.

Seth finds out early on that Melina Salinger is a handful. He mistakenly believes that she suffers from hypertrichosis (werewolf syndrome), and that she has escaped from a care facility. She confesses later that she has been confined in an underground missile silo by her geneticist father, Davis Salinger, and the only thing she knows about everyday life has been gleaned from video movies and television. Now she wants to be a normal girl.

It isn’t easy trying to indoctrinate a woman into society who pants, growls and thinks that Emerald City is a real place somewhere over the rainbow. The ritual shavings and skin maintenance are enough to drive him crazy. Moreover, when she goes into a feverish estrus cycle, sex and passion seem like blunt-force trauma.

Just when Seth thinks he has things under control, Melina becomes deathly ill. Her mysterious father shows up to offer aid, and then shockingly confesses that she carries ancient wolf DNA. After recovering, Melina, shamed and traumatized by this knowledge, becomes suicidal and runs away. Only her father left out the part about her other litter mate – a grotesque monster, Romulus, has just broken out of the silo compound. Romulus is bent on finding her for the purpose of mating and will kill anyone who gets in his way.

Seth has to use his skills as a ranger to find Melina in the Wyoming wilderness. He has Romulus out in front of him, the National Guard, the sheriff’s office, a maniac cryptozoologist, and every monster-hunting vigilante in the state hot on his heels. He has to decide if it is guilt that drives him on his quest to find Melina, or that somehow, this wild and beautiful female was destined to be the love of his life.

The Wolfen Strain examines the lurid morality issues that are dealt with in The Island of Doctor Moreau. Yet the predominant theme is that of forbidden love, found in Beauty and the Beast, only with the gender rolls reversed.

How did the idea of the story come to you?

When my second agent went to the BEA a few years back, he did so with the express purpose of asking each editor he met what (exactly) they were looking for as pertains to the next big thing. He made a lot of face to face contact and scribbled voluminous notes. One publisher, the small black and white bird from the Antarctic, replied that they would love to see a new spin on a werewolf tale. My agent queried me and asked if I was up to the task. I said I was, and that I had conditions. The conditions were, that I would not follow the general trope—howlings, full moon, Lycanthropy and silver bullets. If they wanted a unique concept, I would really give it to them. I thought about what Michael Crichton had done with Jurassic Park, and thought about the current Thylacine Project, and how ancient DNA was being processed to resurrect extinct, hybrid animals. So I devised a way to find and reproduce the genome in an ice dire wolf. But this dire wolf was a man-eater. When the scientist performs the experiment, his protocol serum somehow replicates the human gene, which gives birth to a human/wolf hybrid. In addition, two other litter mates are spawned: a true ice age dire wolf and a grotesque monster. Of course, with this three-pack combination, all hell breaks lose.

Without giving too much away, what's your favorite part of the book?

Melina Salinger is just the strangest female creature that Seth Anson has ever seen. He has a lot of trouble teaching her about ladylike behavior and what is expected of a woman in today's society. The funniest part is when she enters an estrus cycle and chases Seth around the tower room, demanding a mating ritual. He more or less gets raped when she overpowers him. It's an awkward, but memorable scene.

Best time of day to write?

I try to get in a major chunk of writing during the morning hours. That's when I have most of my energy. Then I have to do my farm chores, which might take about three to four hours. I'll come back to the house, shower, and attempt to pull another stint at the keyboard. I steal as much time as I can during the day, and have been known to writer into the late, wee hours of the night and early morning.

Who are your top three favorite characters from books by other authors?

Ethan Fortune, in Alan Dean Foster's book, Icerigger, is a favorite character of mine. He's stranded on an ice world with a race of furry giants, and just can't seem to get with the program, without embarrassing himself or breaking some kind of cultural law. Skua September (from the same book), is the opposite of Ethan—he's brash, reckless and a fighter, who doesn't really care who's cultural laws he steps on. Philo Skinner, from the book, Black Marble, is an unforgettable rogue who schemes his way through every hour of the day, taking advantage of anyone who crosses his path. He's disgusting, smokes three packs of cigarettes a day, and gags so frequently that he cannot speak at times. He cries often, and wonders why life has dealt him such a terrible lot.

Where can we find your new book online?

As of this writing, The Wolfen Strain is not up on Amazon yet. But it will be this month, after June 26^th. You have only to Google it in the Kindle section. A trade paperback will be released two months after the ebook release. You can find it also from the publisher's website here:

http://lachesispublishing.com/

Thanks for updating us, Chris. Good luck with your new book!

Interview with Chris Stevenson

Today we're talking with multi-published author Chris Stevenson about his latest release, PLANET JANITOR: CUSTODIAN OF THE STARS.

Welcome, Chris. Tell us a bit about yourself.

I'm California born and raised, and have just moved to Alabama, which is quite a culture shock for me. I've been a mechanic most of my life (35 years), having served in all areas of auto repair, products, management and sales. I served as a federal police officer for three years, responsible for patrol and post duties for the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park and Palo Alto, California. The law enforcement gig was the most exciting and interesting. I received a commendation for bravery from the government, for putting out a building lab fire and evacuating the area.

How long have you been writing?

I've been writing for about 36 years, but only began submitting material to agents and publishers 23 years ago. I read my first short story in Twilight Zone magazine and got the notion that I could write just as well as the author did, and proceeded to do so. It took me a year and about 90 rejections to sell about 18 short stories, three of which were prestigious enough to land me in the Science Fiction Writers of America. I've written about 18 novels and non-fiction books, seven of which have sold and are published.

PLANET JANITOR: CUSTODIAN OF THE STARS is certainly an interesting title. What’s the story about?

Captain Zachary Crowe and the crew of Planet Janitor Corporation are adept at handling environmental clean-ups and close system jumps to collect precious ores and space trash. The problem is they have yet to complete an assignment without a mishap to add to their not so stellar record. Scraping the bottom of the barrel, Orion Industries contracts Planet Janitor for a clandestine operation that no one else wants, offering them more money than they could spend in three lifetimes. The mission entails a 12 light-year trip to a newly found habitable planet in the Tau Ceti system. The crew will lose 26 years on Earth due to the cryo jump, but that is the least of their problems. What they find on Tau Ceti will rattle their wits, test their courage, and threaten their very survival.

How did the idea of the story come to you?

I really wanted something different about Planet Janitor to stand out. The original idea did not spring from my forehead all at once, but came in stages. I had a friend who wanted to start a water ionization business called Planet Janitor, 15 years ago. He never started the company but I never forgot the company title – it had an environmentalist quality about it. Fast forward 14 years; I thought what would happen to a crew who landed on a planet that was knee-deep in skeletons from horizon to horizon? That idea simmered. A few weeks later, I read an article about space junk, reclamation, retrieving and recycling precious metals, like titanium, gold, silver, magnesium and aluminum. This gave me the idea for a crew who were adept at capturing space trash. Suddenly I knew I had the entire plot structure and outline for a book. I had a planet besieged by a genocide and a naive crew of environmentalists. Land the crew on the planet, to accomplish a routine mission, but confront them with the planetary killers responsible for the genocide. That’s when I knew I had a Starship Troopers meets Robinson Crusoe on Mars.

What are you working on next?

I'm putting the final editing touches on a YA distopian tale. It takes place in the near future, when the economy has tanked, over-population and housing is stressed, and we've had yet another stock market crash. A system is devised by which heads of households can pawn off family members to a corporation called Family Trade and Loan, so they can pay bills and avoid prison terms. So dad gets it in his head to pawn off his only daughter to cover gambling bills and back-taxes. My MC is an 18 year-old female, who is ranked 8.5 on the talent and desirability scale, sent off to the Tranquility Harbor Moon base, which houses a huge mining facility. My gal ends up as an exotic dancer, forced to entertain the grubby, disgusting (but filthy rich) miners, who are called Prairie Dogs. Of course, her father defaults on the loan and she becomes temporary property of FTAL. She then has to devise a way to escape this brutal and possessive company.

Besides your agent, do you have a critique group/partner or beta readers, or do you self-edit?

My beta readers are mostly women who help me put essential character touches on my female leads. I need help with female emotion, sensitivity and motivation more than anything else in my writing. I wrote a book that was a cleverly disguised female "Iron Man" which everyone is chomping at the bit to read. Alas, my paraplegic female lead needs that critical emotional essence before the presentation is perfect. I've got to take some of the Terminator edge off of her before she is believable and simpatico with the reader. Otherwise, I'm a lone wolf editor, praying for the best. My agent does give me some help, but not in a detailed copy-edit venue.

Are you a planner or a pantser?

I definitely fly solo without an outline. I find that if I outline my plot, I most often deviate from it because I feel trapped or confined. The characters most often run away from my plots, doing things that I least expected – changing the storyline, creating new sub-plots, acting out of character, and just plain being unpredictable. I’m too safe when I outline. I take great risks when I fly by the seat of my pants. Great stories demand risk, with a certain breeziness and non-conformity. I'm usually two chapters ahead in my plotting, and that's the way it's always been for me. While I'm writing one, I'm thinking how it will spill into or dovetail into the next. I believe in really prominent chapter hooks, ala Dan Brown.

What’s the hardest part of writing for you?

I love to write; it's no chore. Editing is a necessary bother. I'm totally in love with submitting to agents and editors, and that's where I differ from the normal writing crowd. But promotion and marketing are the most time and labor-draining aspects of this entire business for me. Marketing online is an art form that requires finesse, maturity and persistence. Social networking is so important for an author’s book launch, that without it, sales and reviews can suffer in direct relation to its neglect. Conference attendance, radio and TV interviews, book signings, answering fan mail – all of it is so important for effective promotion and marketing, yet it is so devastatingly, so emotionally and so physically draining for me that sometimes there is not enough time in the day to craft one sentence, let alone fill a word quota.

What do you absolutely have to have nearby when writing?

Must haves: fresh coffee, a line-ruled notebook and a pen that won't skip, and Roget's thesaurus. I also have my time-out set for five minutes, so if I'm blocked or stuck on a passage, my screen goes to my default picture, which has the lovely Judy from Lost in Space, smiling at me and telling me to get back to work and stop mind-wandering.

Best cures for writer's block?

Sit down with an entirely different attitude when you're blocked. Writer's block is nothing more than work avoidance. And there lies the problem--don't look at writing as work. Consider it an escape, guilty, sneaky pleasure. Fun. Before you begin your first sentence, repeat after me, "I don't even have to do this, so I'll just mess around for now." Give yourself that slack to play with it. Writing is play time, writing is play time. Try and impress yourself with a stunning first paragraph, if you're the more serious, disciplined-type writer. Then tell yourself you can do that again. It won't be long before you convince yourself that the ink you've just splashed is a keeper.

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

I'd like to be Flash so I could write a hundred books a year. And out of that hundred I would hope that one was good enough for New York. Even if it took me five years. Oh, and I could speed-read too, catching up on ALL the latest bestsellers, allowing me to study and learn from them.

Can I have those powers too? LOL. What's the weirdest thing you've googled?

"Green Boots." Green Boots is the story of a mountain climber who to attempted to scale Mt. Everest, but froze to death during a storm. Nobody could get this poor man down into the safety zone to save his life. They had to pass right by him from both directions, knowing that he would soon die. Green Boots did die, and he still is up on the mountain, along with 202 other individuals, all frozen in some horrific death poses. So sad.

That's awful, wow. Switching gears—Quick writing test! Use the following words in a sentence: monsoon, escalating, and exclamatory.

The escalating monsoon prompted the captain to give out an exclamatory order. "Slacken the main, pull in the mizzen and hoist the storm jib, mateys. We're if for real blow!"

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

I want to thank everybody that has bought and reviewed Planet Janitor Custodian of the Stars. It has recently rose in sales beyond my expectations, until readers began to take notice, and this has been just recently. Thanks for pushing me in the top 100 lists. Thank you for the word of mouth praises. Thank you for your ideas and support.

SPECIAL THANKS TO DOROTHY FOR ALLOWING ME TO SPLASH INK HERE!

You're welcome!

I feel I'm not worthy of these holy pages, so I have to thank God I'm here.

And finally, where can people find you online?

I've spammed myself to the world, so there's several places:
My blog, Guerrilla Warfare For Writers:
http://guerrillawarfareforwriters.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2012-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&updated-max=2013-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&max-results=13


My cheap, no nothing website:
http://www.freewebs.com/uncle1/


My Planet Janitor Website, which has some astonishing artwork:
http://planetjanitor.com/Home.html


I'm a senior member of the AbsoluteWrite forum. My handle is Triceretops (yep it's spelled wrong).

It was great having you on the blog today, Chris. I wish you lots of success with all your books!