1.
For the
benefit of those who might not know you prior to this interview, please
introduce and tell us a little about yourself.
My pen name, for reasons that are as
mundane as an afternoon searching through Google for something relatively
unique, is Doug Strider.
I have been, and still seem to be,
involved in podcasts such as The BoxRoom Podcast, DWO-Whocast, Lost Bearings, Soldiers
of Tangent and The Bearcast. The last two are still stuck with me inside them
like a comedy parasite putting posters up in their intestines and ordering
pizzas with someone else’s credit card.
I’ve been a writer for over 20 years.
This is a bit of a fib. I wrote some things 20 years ago and then had a 20 year
break because of reasons but now I’m back, cursing Word and developing a
superlative beer tummy (although I’m also fighting it, no idea which side is
going to win).
2.
What is the
name of your most recent book and if you had to sum it up in 20 or less words,
what would you say?
Space
Danger! Which is a sci-fi, space-pulp-opera type affair. To sum it up I’d say:
The second-best crew in the fleet are given the task of saving the galaxy. Probably.
3.
What
inspired you to write this book? And how are your story ideas born?
Always loved sci-fi. It’s one thing my
dad and I had in common. My earliest memories are of me playing as a space hero
so I thought that getting back into my first genre love would be a fantastic
re-starting point.
It was originally going to be an audio
comedy/drama adventure in collaboration with Danny Davies (who I do The
Bearcast and Soldiers of Tangent with) but I asked if he wouldn’t mind me doing
a novel of it instead and he was happy for me to go ahead.
Story ideas are usually born of idle
speculation about stuff when I’m standing outside having a cigarette and
staring vacantly into the heavens. I’ve lost so many ideas though so I’ve
managed to start writing the damn things down. Generally they come from
what-ifs.
4.
What was the hardest part of writing your book? And if you had to do it
all over again, would you change anything in your book?
The hardest part is
finding the time! It’s mostly written in the pub on the way home of an evening,
hence the battle of the tummy barrel, so I have to figure out something else
really. This method of writing a few hundred, or less, words at a time
eventually works though, it soon builds up, but it can feel a little disjointed
writing in small bursts. Remarkably it seems to flow rather well when I read it
all back. Then I edit the shit out of it to make sure it flows.
I don’t think I’d change
anything in the book so far. Will see how I feel further down the line. Maybe
when I’m in a bit of a mood so I can call myself an idiot and have a fight with
myself (then buy myself a bottle of red wine to make amends. Any excuse
really!).
5.
Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
If you frequent a pub
long enough they give you a free drink at Christmas.
That and I’m rubbish at
planning. Background characters pushed their way to the front and made me make
them main characters, the cheeky buggers. Also, the destination I want them to
go is ignored because of the “What’s that over there?” factor and they go
trundling off over there and I’m left looking like a fool as I write down what
I didn’t expect them to be doing.
6.
Do you have
a favourite line or scene from your latest release?
I have a particular fondness for two
scenes in particular. The first where Midshipman Harris is suffering the
temporal bends and for no reason known to himself, or science, mimes paying for
an orange. The second is the escape pod scene further in with the third rule of
survival (I’ll not spoil that one!).
7.
Is there a
message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Not as such. Not really. This isn’t
about the best ship in the fleet, or the worst. It’s about the second-best. At
a push I’d say it’s more about living with that realisation, or grumbling about
it incessantly, and remaining British in the face of everything.
8.
Can you
tell us anything about your next book?
I’m releasing Space Danger! in four parts and am still working on Part 3 at the
moment. But I do have plans for my next project. Ideas are forming, characters
are peering out of the smog and dropping me notes to say whether they’re
available or not, the spirit of London is peering closely at my thoughts and
disapproving mildly, and there are small, strange things skittering around my
feet that I’ve only caught glimpse of out the corner of my eye.
9.
Do you
normally read other books in the same genre of your own?
Yup. Mostly! Sci-fi and fantasy are my
genres of choice so I flit between them like a dog with two owners calling my
name. I’m trying to avoid reading too much sci-fi while I’m writing in that
genre though. Likewise my next project is more fantasy based so will avoid that
type of stuff when I’m working on it. I hate to read things back and go, “Hang
on a second, that idea is from so-and-so. Bugger. Delete.”
10.
Who is your favourite author and what is it that really strikes you
about their work?
I can’t really say I
have one definitive favourite. I’m a keen observer of the worlds of Robert
Rankin, Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, Stephen Baxter, David Gemmell. Those
off the top of my head. I tend to steer
towards the more absurd than anything. Otherwise it’s atmosphere and stopping
every now and then to stare dumbly at the universe while I have a really good
think about things.
11.
What
books have made it onto your wishlist recently? And why?
I really should get a wishlist. How
much do they cost?
I’m a uselessly random book buyer. I
get recommendations from my partner Jen, Twitter acquaintances and I wake up
sometimes with a new book on my Kindle that was completely down to a drunken
whim.
I’ve recently read the PC Grant books
by Ben Aaronovitch and am this close to pre-ordering his new one Broken Homes which is out in July. So that probably counts. I really got drawn
into his London, the police procedure and the “weird shit” that is forcibly
suppressed by those in charge which is getting rather more tricky the more
Grant fucks things up. Great stuff!
12.
Any advice
for other writers/indie authors out there? And what’s the best advice
that you have been given when it comes to writing?
If you think you can’t write then you’re
probably wrong. Try it. You might like it. If you’re right then have a biscuit,
a cup of tea and then try again.
If you want to write then write. See
where it takes you. Take a notepad, jot down ideas as they occur. Work on one
project at a time!
It is also considered good luck to buy
me a beer. I don’t know why. I don’t make the rules.
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