Tevun-Krus #2 - Post-Apocalyptic

An Interview with RD Hale

Somewhere along the way, we ran into RD Hale-- the popular author of Sky City: Rise of the Orphan. RD was gracious enough to answer some questions for us here at TK. We covered everything from inspirations to gun control. Check out the answers here!

So-who are you? Tell us a little about yourself.

R.D. Hale. I am a British father of one trapped in the drudgery of a 9 - 5 job and squeezing writing in during those rare moments when my son allows me a spare five minutes! I spent my earlier years drifting through life, day dreaming and generally being mad at the world. Then one day a few years ago when I was bored and depressed, I got to work on the story I knew I had inside of me. Sky City: The Rise of an Orphan is the product of the frustration I've harboured, my way of giving a voice to the voiceless.

When did you begin writing?

I was never much of a reader, but when I was younger I spent my time listening to hip hop music and I was inspired by artists like Nas, Tupac and Eminem. I started to experiment with poetry based on the themes of social injustice and juvenile waywardness. Much of what I wrote was awful, but I learnt to be creative in my use of language and because I had no-one telling me where I was going wrong, I developed my own idiosyncrasies which I've carried into my novel writing.

Why SciFi?

Science bridges the boundary between magic and reality and lends an element of believability which other forms of fantasy lack. On top of that I am intrigued by the prospect of surviving in a world tougher than my own. Sky City is a microcosm of the world we live in and by exaggerating the elements, I've placed a microscope over the issues I'd like to tackle.

What's your favorite story you've written?

I've only ever written one story to completion - Sky City: The Rise of an Orphan.

In Sky City, you mentioned that you give a "voice to the voiceless". Can you explain this to those of us who haven't read the story?

My central message is that fundamentally all prejudices are one and the same. It is about taking power away from others and holding onto it yourself.

As a young man I was completely and utterly disenfranchised. I had no job and no-one to lend a helping hand. Our elected representatives pander to the upper class, and never talk about the underclass, unless it's to label them as scroungers and blame them for society's ills.

If anyone talks about tackling social injustice they're accused of punishing success. But that success is defined by helping yourself to the biggest slice of a pie which the workforce have created and leaving said workforce to scramble for the crumbs. If we redistributed the wealth of the ten richest people alive, we could eliminate poverty, but we're not allowed to do that because it would victimise our 'wealth creators'.

All it takes is for the people to open their eyes and say 'Enough!' The poor outnumber the rich and we can outvote them. We've just got to stop being their puppets!

My intention is for Sky City to open peoples' eyes and remind them they can make a difference. After all, democracy equals people power!

What are some of your influences? Favorite writers?

I've been hugely influenced by movies and even more so by videogames. There was a game I played in my teens called Final Fantasy 7 which blew me away with its fantastical story and surreal, yet believable dystopia. I always wanted to do my own take on that kind of story.

My favourite sci-fi book is 1984 by George Orwell - I doubt there will ever be another novel which carries the impact of this great work.

Music is inspiring. When I hear a great song I feel the urge to be creative. I draw upon my own memories and try to capture the sense of awe I experienced as a child viewing the world for the first time. Also, I often look to movies, videogames or great pieces of art and strive to communicate the emotional resonance of their imagery to give my message more impact. Ultimately, my driving force is the determination to make life better for myself and others - I'm one of those idealists naive enough to believe I can change the world!