In my final post of 2018 I welcome sci-fi author and fellow member of Meltham writers, Alice Barker.
Welcome, Alice! Tell us about your forthcoming novel, The Stars Rain Blood.
It’s basically a cyberpunk crime thriller set in an outer space colony. The main character, Declan, is pretty ordinary, but when a girl is murdered and he was the last one to see her alive, her gets caught up in the crime underworld and a web of syndicates and deceit because absolutely no one tells the truth; corruption runs deep and the only thing Declan can trust is his instincts. That’s really all I can say for now, because that’s all I’ve got; I like the story to develop as I’m writing it. I was watching the BBC series Bodyguard recently and it blew me away, essentially because nothing was ever straightforward and the emotions were so intense. I’m also a major fan of the whole Blade Runner aesthetic – Declan’s name is actually a nod to Blade Runner’s main character, Deckard – so I blended the two ideas together, ran with it, and decided: ‘hey, this is cool’.
Your first two books – Tales from Tomorrow and Paraplegion – were also sci-fi, and then you branched out into romantic comedy with Sketching Scarlett. Where do you see your future direction as a writer?
Oh God, that’s a tough one. The truth is that I don’t like to stick to one particular genre because I’m more into interesting characters than a plot, and they can turn up anywhere. So I would perhaps say that my genre is humanity. It’s actually taken me a long time to pin The Stars Rain Blood down because I have a lot of ideas swimming about in my head. I want to write a story about Boudicca, because she’s a historical figure that’s interested me of late. I’m also toying with an idea called Exodus, which is about what could happen when the Sun swallows the earth in twenty billion years time. That’s the thing I love about science fiction: it opens the door for a wealth of possibilities, because science is the last ‘here be dragons’ thing we have. We don’t know where it’s going. In twenty billion years time, will humanity be the same or different? That’s interesting to me. What also interests me is people placed under extreme pressure, because pressure brings out that primeval side to human nature that’s almost animalistic. Pressure brings out the best and the worst in people, and leaves them with a very raw psyche. So there’s that. But on the flipside I love writing about love, because I feel like love is this magical, mysterious force that compels people to do inexplicable stuff, and that too creates pressure. Yes, Sketching Scarlett was a light-hearted comedy romp on the surface, but Caleb was also under a lot of pressure to make things right for Scarlett. Love is all too often not taken seriously as a writing topic, but that shouldn’t be the case, because it’s a powerful drug that can make people do crazy, crazy things.
You’ve also studied Film. Do you feel that this has influenced your fiction writing?
Oh, definitely. In fact, when I was young I started writing stories, then I was a teenager and wanted to become a film director/screenwriter, and now I’m back to novels. But studying Film helped because it allowed me to learn how to focus on the visual aspects of stories. In Film, you only have a hundred minutes to tell a story, so you can’t get bogged down in the details; you learn pacing and how to keep the audience on their toes. Coincidentally, one of the biggest things I think most writers need to work on more is their pacing and flow; that seems to be the feedback I give most often. Too much back story or description, and the reader gets lost.
You’re about to launch a blog, RuleBreaker. What are your plans for that?
RuleBreaker is designed to be a platform for people to have their voices heard. I’ve been very fortunate in that I’ve had my voice heard around the globe, but I wasn’t always successful in my endeavours; particularly in L.A, where more often than not you’re nobody unless you know somebody. When you’re trying to get your voice heard it often feels like it just won’t happen because your story isn’t quite tragic or inspirational enough. RuleBreaker wants to change that by giving people a chance to shine, without agenda; if people have something important they feel they need to say, I’ll consider it for publication. There’s also my online journal, which is updated daily and will allow people to get to know me on a personal level. My hope is that it’ll become like a giant online support network.
On your Facebook and Twitter pages you say that you’d like to make the world a better place. How in particular would you like to do that?
Truthfully, I believe there is no better medicine for this world than kindness and empathy. That was another reason behind starting RuleBreaker; when I was starting to study Film and beginning to network, I couldn’t believe how cold people could sometimes be. I mean, I know there are some weird people out there, but for the most part all fans want from you is a chat and a smile and to tell you how much they loved your work. So I decided that I would one day have something where, no matter how famous I became, fans could contact me and get a personalised response back. Honestly, we demonise others so often in this day and age, but it really isn’t necessary. I always try to see the best in people.
What other interests and activities are important in your life?
I love reading. I’m such an avid reader. And music, I love listening to music too. You’ve got no chance of me hearing you when I’ve got my headphones in. Music is my sanctuary. Facebook is important to me too because I have loved ones all over the world, and I like to check in with them at least a couple of times a day.
Finally, what question would you have liked me to ask that I didn’t?
‘What’s your favourite celebrity quote?’
And what is the answer?
“Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious. And however difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at. It matters that you don’t just give up.” That was said by Stephen Hawking, who is a man I miss very much. There’s so much hope and potential contained within that statement, and it helps me to push forward every single day.
Thanks for those interesting and inspiring answers, Alice. Good luck with The Stars Rain Blood, Rulebreaker – and 2019!
And a Happy New Year to all!
You can find out more about Alice and her books via these links:
Alice’s Amazon shop
Alice’s Facebook page
