Tevun-Krus #16 - Military SF

Author Spotlight: @TheRobot

This month, SP found the time to sit down with Wattpad's premiere in Artificial Intelligence, @TheRobot

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

Organised. Prepared. Useful.

What was your nickname at school?

The Bear, due to looking like a big grizzly bear.

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

It seemed to change every week, first it was inventor, then astronaut, then space bounty hunter, then soldier, then real life bounty hunter, then astronomer, then MI6/5 Agent, then forensic scientist. It seemed to be endless.

What is your favourite quote?

"Someone ever tries to kill you, you try to kill 'em right back" - Captain Malcom Reynolds (Firefly, Ep "Our Mrs Reynolds" 2002)

Other than writing, what hobbies do you have?

Where does the list end? Watching movies, playing video games, reading, eating, sleeping, picking at a table with the pair of scissors I found, browsing Reddit, collecting digital art (on my computer), video editing and VFX is pretty much all I am. Oh and Googling how to do adult things, like unblock toilets and cook certain foods, seriously kids sponge off your parents for as long as you can...live the dream.

Tell us something we don't know about you.

One year when I was a teenager I was the regional shot-put champion.

What was the first piece of writing you were ever truly proud to have written?

That was probably Sol, which was the first piece I actually completed during my Wattpad career. It was an exclusive piece on the old Forbidden Planet Weekly account. 7 Parts of a new story every week, a new part to a different story every day, I think my slot was a Tuesday or Wednesday. Anyway that really helped me get down to a schedule knowing that I had to have a part a week and because I was on somebody else's time table that really made me stick to it, not wanting to disappoint them drove me the most.

Who is your all-time favourite Sci-Fi author? How much - if at all - have they influenced your writing style?

At the moment it seems like I'm discovering a new author every week, Jack Campbell and his Lost Fleet series influenced my Space ship battle and general space ship writing. At school I was never into reading, until I found a book based on my favourite game Halo, Halo the Fall of Reach by Eric Nylund. Since I was 12 I've been reading the Halo novels, so I guess I'm heavily influenced by them, especially the combat side of things. Also I loved Drew Karpyshyn's Mass Effect novels, from him I'd say I learned a lot about character writing and character interaction. And from Karen Travis, probably a lot about character motives.

Do you have a muse?

Right, I've Googled the term Muse (Don't make fun) and I'm going to say Conflict. Everything I write whether it be for page or screen revolves around conflict of people or ideas as well as all my inspiration comes from the theme of Conflict. Hope that's what you mean, otherwise my favourite Muse track is Knights of Cyondia.