Hello and welcome to my blog, Author Interviews. My name is Fiona Mcvie.

Fiona: Let’s get you introduced to everyone, shall we? Tell us your name. What is your age?

My name is Michael Carroll, and I’m currently 51 years old. I say
“currently” because for some unfathomable reason my age keeps
changing. Weird, that.

Fiona: Where are you from?

I’m from Dublin, Ireland. I’ve lived here my entire life.

Fiona: A little about yourself (I.e., your education, family life, etc.).

There’s not much to tell… Well, no, there is, but not a lot of it
would be of interest to other people. So instead I’ll briefly
summarise: I have one older sister, two younger sisters. In 1982 I
left school at the age of 16 and spent the next few years working for
the postal service. During that time I taught myself how to program
computers and in 1985 I left the postal service and joined a software
company. I remained in the computer industry until mid-1999, at which point I started writing full-time. I’m married to Leonia, and we have two cats and zero children.

Fiona: Tell us your latest news.

I’ve just finished the first draft of a novel that should be appearing
next year… But I can’t talk about it yet. I’m about to start work on
a new project that’s particularly exciting, but I can’t talk about
that one either. Sorry about that! Often writers don’t like to (or
aren’t permitted to) talk about what they’re currently working on!

Oh, here’s something: I have a Judge Dredd story currently running in
2000AD (the legendary British science fiction anthology comic). Plus
an old short-story of mine has been reprinted in a new horror
anthology, Thirteen, edited by Kevin Hall.

http://www.lulu.com/shop/kevin-hall/thirteen-vol-3-the-never-ending-nightmare/paperback/product-23457817.html

Fiona: When and why did you begin writing?

I don’t remember! I think I’ve always wanted to be a story-teller of
some form. I do recall wanting to be a comic-book artist when I was
about seven or eight, but then I realised that it was easier to learn
to write than learn to draw (many years on, I’m not entirely sure
that’s true… but it’s certainly easier to fake being a writer than
fake being an artist!)

Fiona: When did you first consider yourself a writer?

Probably when my first short story was published. That was about 1988 to 1989, I think.

Fiona: What inspired you to write your first book?

I’d started and abandoned novels many times, always promising myself that I’d get around to completing a book one day, but then in 1991 I met Irish writer Michael Scott at a convention, and I commented, “I’ve always wanted to write a novel.” He simply asked me, “Well, why haven’t you?” I wasn’t able to answer that. Why hadn’t I? I realised at that moment that the difference between being a would-be writer and being an actual writer is the writing part. If you want to write a book, write it. Don’t talk about it. Just do it. I decided to write a novel-length sequel to a short-story I’d had published a year or two earlier.

Fiona: How did you come up with the title?

The book is about a human colony on another planet awaiting the
arrival of the last starship that left Earth before a devastating
nuclear war, so the title is The Last Starship. Some novice writers
agonise over finding the perfect title but they’re just making work
for themselves. There’s no great mystery with titles! I generally have
a working title such as “Book 1” or “Spaceship novel” and along the
way a proper title will emerge during the writing process, or from a
line of dialogue, or just out of the blue. Or sometimes the title
might be suggested by the editor or the publisher.

Fiona: Do you have a specific writing style? Is there anything about your style or genre that you find particularly challenging?

I think I’m fairly flexible with my writing styles and genres: I’ve
written comedy, science fiction, horror, fantasy, romance, gothic,
western, mystery, thriller, crime… I’ve written short stories,
novels, comic-book scripts, plays, movies, TV documentaries, school
text books, poetry. Every project has its own challenges: I don’t
think I’ve never found any particular style or genre to be more
difficult than any other… with the exception of radio plays! They
can be tough because you can’t always rely on the background
sound-effects to let the listeners know what’s going on. Sometimes the characters have to tell each other what’s happening: “Here comes Tom now. Wait, is that Barbara with him? I didn’t think she’d be out so soon after the accident.” In a movie or TV, the audience can SEE Tom and Barbara approaching – that’s a lot simpler!

Fiona: How much of the book is realistic and are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

A couple of my romance novels were inspired by real events. For
example, the protagonist of Loving the Stars had briefly dated her
best friend’s boyfriend, and he just couldn’t get it into his head
that they were over. The heroine was stuck in the awkward situation of trying to dump her ex without offending her best friend. That aspect of the story was based on a real-life relationship a friend of mine had, but by the time I was done with the book it had changed completely, so she never knew.

Fiona: To craft your works, do you have to travel? Before or during the process?

I almost never have to travel for the books, but it’s almost a
guarantee that when I DO travel I come back with a lot of new ideas!
Travel broadens the mind, but it also narrows the wallet.

Fiona: Who designed the covers?

Some were designed by me, some by artists hired by the publishers,
some by in-house designers. I’ve had thirty books published, some of
them with more than one cover!

Fiona: Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

I think that’s a question for a specific novel! But if there was one
message throughout all my work, I’d say it’s this: “If you do good
things, the world becomes a better place.” It’s simple, clear, and
arguably perhaps a little naïve, but it’s true.

Fiona: Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest? Who is your favorite writer, and what is it about their work that really strikes you?

New authors: Good question! How long does someone have to be published for me to consider them “new”? I tend to read classic science fiction – from the 1940s, 50s, 60s and 70s – more than anything else so I still think of people like Greg Bear as a new writer, even though his first book was published in (I think) 1979! Newer than that… I could name hundreds, but I’m sure you don’t have the space or patience for that. Let’s say C.E. Murphy, partly because she’s a friend of mine, but mostly because she is an amazing writer.

By far my favourite writer is Harry Harrison. I discovered his work
when his novel The Stainless Steel Rat was adapted as a comic-strip in 2000AD. I loved the adaptation so I bought the novel, and then over the next decade or so bought every single one of Harry’s novels. I met him in Dublin in 1987 and we soon became firm friends. In writing terms, I consider Harry to be my primary mentor and inspiration. What I love so much about his work is the joy he brings, the humanity. So many science fiction stories are concerned more with the science than the fiction: they read like technical manuals. Harry’s books are sparkling with imagination and action but they’re also populated with real people. And often they’re very, very funny.

Fiona: Outside of family members, name one entity that supported your commitment to become a published author.

Where to begin? My friends have been very supportive, as were the
members of the (now sadly defunct) Irish Science Fiction Association
which published my first short stories. I’ve had a huge amount of
support from fans of the books and comics, from publishers and editors and fellow creators.

Fiona: Do you see writing as a career?

Absolutely. I write from 9am to 6pm every day, and then from 11pm to 2am. That’s seven days a week. Not counting when I have to appear at conventions or workshops, I take off maybe four or five days per year. If THAT’S not a career…!

Fiona: If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything
in your latest book?

Well, I’m not finished with my latest book yet: I’m going back to it
tomorrow to change a whole bunch of things! Books are never really
finished: there’s always something that can be tweaked. Eventually you have to give yourself permission to say, “It’s ready” and let it out into the world.

Fiona: Did you learn anything during the writing of your recent book?

Nothing that I can specifically recall… But every book adds to the
pool of skills. The more you write, the better you get!

Fiona: If your book was made into a film, who would you like to play the lead?

Again, that’s a question for a specific novel! For the most recent
book: I can’t tell you, because I’m not allowed to talk about the book
yet. But I often have actors in mind when I’m writing certain
characters. Or, sometimes, an actor will inspire a character. With my
New Heroes series (published in the USA under the title Quantum
Prophecy) the character of Solomon Cord was inspired by Samuel L.
Jackson. Cord wasn’t much like any of the characters that Jackson has
played, but the man himself: in interviews Jackson has a warm sparkle, a gentle humour and a razor-sharp intelligence. At the time, you can see that he’s a true professional who will always do the best possible job. It was those aspects that I wanted to imbue in Solomon Cord.

Fiona: Any advice for other writers?

1. Write! Talking about writing is not writing: that’s just talking.
If you wanted to be a mountain-climber and you talked about
mountain-climbing all the time but never actually climbed any
mountains, well, you wouldn’t be a mountain-climber, would you?

2. Read! Read everything and anything. Read different genres. Next
time you’re in your local library pick a book at random knowing
nothing about it other than the title: even though it might not have
been a major success, someone had good reason to believe that book was worth publishing.

3. Plan! Don’t just leap at the keyboard the second you get an idea
and begin writing your novel: give yourself the time to explore your
idea, to see it from different angles, to expand it and work out how
the story goes before you begin. If you were a builder you wouldn’t
begin by just putting bricks on the ground. The function of the
building has to be determined, plans have to be drawn, foundations
must be dug. Same with writing: knowing what end result you want makes it a lot easier to get there.

4. Finish! Don’t ever abandon your work because you’re “not feeling
it.” You should make a vow to finish every piece of writing that you
start… Because a vow like that will prevent you from rushing in and
starting before you’re ready.

Fiona: Anything specific you want to tell your readers?

Thank you for reading! You’re the reason I get up in the mornings!

Fiona: What book are you reading now?

I’m reading my way through the Judge Dredd Mega-Collection at the
moment. Judge Dredd’s been running for forty years now, and as one of the regular writers on Judge Dredd I need to be well-versed in the
character’s history. I’ve been reading the comic since it began in
1977, but I need to top-up my memory banks every few years!

Fiona: Do you remember the first book you read?

I started reading when I was about three, I think, so I can’t remember
the first one. It was probably a Ladybird book. The first book I can
specifically recall was called “The Flying 99” or something like that.
It was about a bus that could fly. I remember absolutely loving it.

Fiona: What makes you laugh/cry?

Laugh: I like a lot of live stand-up comedy, mostly Irish or British
comedians. (Some of my favourite comedians are American – Chris Rock is a personal hero – but the over-the-top shrieking and whooping audiences at their live shows have put me off ever watching them in person!)

I also have a great love for comedic musicians. Right now, The Axis of Awesome and Pig With the Face of a Boy are top of my list!

Cry: I don’t cry much, but now and then a sad or moving film will
bring a tear to the eye. And certain songs will get me every time…
“Show Them What You’re Made Of” by Nik Kershaw (from his 2001 album To Be Frank) is almost guaranteed to dampen the cheeks!

Fiona: Is there one person, past or present, you would love to meet? Why?

Victoria Wood. It’s impossible to over-praise her work. She was a true comedy genius and I don’t think I’ll ever get my head around the idea that she’s no longer with us.

Fiona: Do you have any hobbies?

I dabble with computer-generated images and I make a lot of
movie-poster mash-ups in Photoshop – that’s a huge amount of fun.

I collect old British comics and story-papers, too. My oldest comic is
a copy of “Merry and Bright” from 1919. My oldest story-paper is an
issue of Dick Turpin from 1906. My current obsession is to have at
least one issue from every title ever published. As of today, I’m up
to 298 different titles… with about 1,500 to go!

Fiona: What TV shows/films do you enjoy watching?

Science fiction and fantasy are very important to me. My favourite
shows are Firefly, Game of Thrones, South Park, Psych, that sort of
thing. I love superhero movies, especially the Marvel movies – I grew
up reading the British reprints of Marvel comics so it’s fantastic to
see all those characters brought to life.

Fiona: Favorite foods, colors, music?

Foods: Pizza & Pasta

Colours: No strong opinions

Music: Alphaville, Pink Floyd, Nik Kershaw, All About Eve, The Sisters
of Mercy, Suede, Yello, Divine Comedy, Leonard Cohen, Erasure…

Fiona: Imagine a future where you no longer write. What would you do?

I’ve been wondering that myself. I have absolutely no idea!

Fiona: What do you want written on your headstone?

“This Side Up” (but written upside-down)

or

“Here Lies Michael Carroll, World’s Best Everything”

or

“Please Stand By…”

or

“Press any key to continue.”

Fiona: Do you have a blog or website readers can visit for updates,
events and special offers?

My website is www.michaelowencarroll.com – but the best place to find
out what I’m up to is probably my Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/michael.owen.carroll

https://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1547067799/theofficialhar00/