Today is something special at the blog. Below is an interview with Todd Hunter, author of two "Aston West" sci-fi novels and several short stories. Todd asked me questions at his blog; find 'em here.
RC: What is your latest novel?
TH: My latest published novel is Friends in Deed, a playful little romp through the universe of space pirate Aston West, where he discovers sometimes friends aren’t always all they’re cracked up to be.
RC: What else have you published featuring Aston West?
TH: My first novel Heroes Die Young came out in September 2008. In addition, I’ve had several short stories featuring Aston published in online magazines such as Ray Gun Revival, Residential Aliens and Golden Visions Magazine.
RC: How did the character come about?
TH: Aston actually came from the remnants of a novel I started many years prior. In that book, the main character discovered his cargo was a container full of slaves, and he made it his mission to save them. The novel never really panned out, but in retrospect, it probably served as the basis for one of my more popular short stories, “Redemption” (seen in Residential Aliens, November 2009). When I had the dream that started me down the path of creating Heroes Die Young, I just knew that character would fit.
RC: What are your plans for Aston?
TH: Aston’s the primary focus of most of my writing. Within the in-work queue, I have several short stories, a little novella featuring a mind-reading psychic, as well as the third novel in the Aston West series. The last two short stories I had on contract were just published through Ray Gun Revival and Residential Aliens, so I plan to get more out there soon. The only other item I have on the way is a ten-story collection which Residential Aliens will be publishing soon, entitled Dead or Alive. There’s plenty of material left to write with Aston, so I don’t see an end in sight.
RC: Have you thought about writing outside of Aston and his universe?
TH: I’m actually editing a novel entitled The Cure which is not related to Aston (yet). Fans of the series will likely see some similarities in the world it’s set in, but other than that, it’s a completely separate story. Not to say I won’t use this novel to generate a plot line for a future Aston novel...
RC: What inspires you to write?
TH: I love to tell stories, because some just beg to be told
RC: When and where do you write?
I generally write anywhere I can, before I go to work in the morning and between the time I get home and bedtime (so in other words, every waking moment I can). Things have been much improved since I was convinced to get a netbook which I can take almost everywhere. Before that, I used to handwrite material and then transcribe it into the computer. As you can imagine, that was a very time-consuming process. Honestly, the netbook has truly been the best writing purchase I’ve ever made.
Thanks for having me, Robert! And if anyone is interested in learning more about my novels or short stories, stop on by Aston West.com.
One last thing: if you post a comment, you'll have a chance to win a copy of one of Todd's novels! I'll choose a post at random, and you pick which novel.
