Tevun-Krus #103 - Androids

Author Spotlight: @Lamplighter1890

This month we're happy to have Lamplighter1890 as our Spotlight Author!

Take off in 3... 2... 1...

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If you had to describe yourself in one word, what words wouldn't you use?

Soap, triangle, pastry, and Gryffindor

Think back to when you were in school. What was your favourite subject?

English (truth... REALLY, truth!)

When you were a young 'un, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Fireman, policemen, jet pilot - but then I got a little more mature and moved on to cowboy.

What does Tevun-Krus mean to you?

It's a great forum where Sci-Fi fans can share their visions of what's out there and what we can do to fix our future - and all the drama, issues, lies, false hopes, revelation, and real hopes. Plus, it's a great outlet for aspiring professional writers and aspiring part-time hacks like me.

Tell us about your reading/writing habits. If you're not a writer, then simply the former will suffice!

I believe in writing almost everyday - I would write everyday if I had the discipline. It can't be for just when the "muse" moves me, when engaged in a piece, I chip at it everyday, either in creating new passages or else in editing. When I write, I just bang away and throw all editing out the window. Later, when I edit, is when the real work gets done. I will usually take a few days away from something that feels complete, to look at it with fresh eyes and make additional adjustments before I post it. I am a big-time reader, and enjoy a lot of different genres.

As your crew casts your lifeless body into the heart of the nearest star, list three pieces of music likely to be rattling the bulkheads of your beloved vessel!

Wooooo - good one! OK, lets start with "It Ain't Necessarily So" by the great Peggy Lee, then squeeze in the "Theme to Midnight Cowboy" as conducted by Henry Mancini, and finish up with "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd. Yes, I realize that my list will require a visit to Spotify, YouTube or Google - you're welcome!

Who is your all-time favourite author? How much, if at all, has their work influenced your writing style?

Ugh - nice softball question! This is tough because our favorites change over the course of time...hmmmm. I'll say it like this, I really like Stephen Ambrose (non-fic/history) because he breathes so much life into the facts and stories of the past. He makes them so personal. But, in fiction, I love Hemingway - he taught me less-is-more; but since this is a Sci-Fi driven Ezine, I add Frank Herbert. From Herbert I get that complex doesn't have to be confusing (feel free to argue that). HONORABLE MENTION - Douglas Adams! Read my FF and you'll see a bit of his sense of humor.

Of everything you've written, which piece is your favourite?

Jeez, this questionnaire is death by a thousand cuts! Of all the pieces I have published on WP, my personal favorite is "The Fellowship of Bugs." It was written for a mash-up writing contest on WP that required the combining of two classic stories. I mashed-up "The Lord of the Rings" and "A Bug's Life" (Pixar). Funny, but my story gets no, I mean NO love! But I get great satisfaction from the final product because I blended the stories so well and consistently used situations from both stories to tell the tale.

Pitch the above story to us. Make us really want to read it!

Take and combine two completely different tales: one a story that may be the greatest piece of fiction in the English language, and the other a Pixar animated movie made for kids. But, they both have very small heroes, who both have names that start with "F" (Frodo and Flick, yo!), and who go on long and dangerous journeys that if successful will save their communities. They face terrible evil - Sauron on one hand and Kevin Spacey on the other (you tell me that facing Kevin Spacey would not be terrifying). And they beat the odds and sign movie deals. Hey its only 3500 words, get in there and smash that like button!

To what extent does the mythical 'real life' influence your writing?

I can't say that it's an influence, but I do enjoy alternate reality stories, and occasionally write something reality-bending, but truth be told, I don't have a personal multi-verse.

If you could have any superpower, what would that be and why?

Easy, the power of persuasion - hey take it easy! I don't mean some cheap wink-wink you know what I mean these aren't the droids your looking for kind of persuasion. I mean PERSUASION. Population swaying persuasion (alright THAT sounds a bit creepy-dictatorial), but hey, if you can convince others to do what you want, man life would be easy! Of course I would only persuade good things that benefit everyone...cough.

What would you do if you woke up one day and suddenly realized you were an alien from another world?

Get a fake ID and get married - immediately! 

The Technological Singularity presents a rather daunting, some say inevitable, future. Does the prospect of that level of artificial intelligence excite you, or leave you quaking in your space boots?

Quaking. On planet Lamplighter1890 it seems like EVERYONE is already smarter than me, but now people are trying to manufacture stuff that is smarter too! You're not being paranoid if they REALLY are out to get you.

Who was your first Sci-Fi crush? Who is your current one?

Ray Bradbury - full stop - sign at the bottom, the exit is to your left. Current... IDK...I recently finished "Snow Crash" by Neal Stephenson and that was pretty darn good!

And finally, any words of wisdom to new and aspiring Sci-Fi writers?

This is easier to say than to practice: Don't get married to any character, plot point, piece of dialogue, setting or description that you aren't willing to delete. We all come up with clever little turns of phrase, or scenes in our work that we personally fall in love with (oooh that is so good, just wait until my followers read THAT). But as we revise and edit, sometimes that piece of Dickensian writing fails to serve the story, and yet we jump through all kinds of hoops to keep make it work. Don't do it. I know, I know, its hard, but no piece of your story is greater than its whole. Flashfic forces you to make these tough choices, so that is one reason why I really love writing in that format. With that, good luck!