The Author Interviews: #15: D. Scott JOHNSON

In this series, I'll be interviewing self-published authors about their books and their lives as writers. For my fifteenth interview, I had the privilege of interviewing D. Scott JOHNSON on 20/06/2016. JOHNSON writes science fiction and thrillers. His latest release is called Dragon's Ark.Let's Get Started!What made you want to become a writer?It’s something I’ve always done. Back in grade school I was the one who got picked to read their essay to the class. In high school I taught myself to type—on a manual “portable” typewriter no less—so I could write stories longer than 500 words without cramping up. In college I ran a role playing game (Star Wars, the original rules) for three years, and then I ran a blog from 1998 through 2014. I took a crack at a novel because I have a few author friends and if they can do it, why not me?Why did you choose to write in this genre? Have you ever considered trying other genres?I write what I like to read: positivist science fiction. I think as a species we’re going places and, in the long term at least, they’ll be better, not worse. Cyberspace underpins my world because I’m a software developer and they always say, “write what you know.”What do you love most about writing and why?As a former game master, I enjoy having main characters who won’t argue endlessly when things don’t break their way. I also appreciate the cooperative nature of the novel making process: my editor shouts at me, I shout back, we work together and figure it out. I know from long experience that this is not how the corporate, non-profit, or federal government workspace functions.What do you dislike about writing and why?It’s really hard to do it right, and there’s a steep learning curve with its own vocabulary and concepts. It took most of a year before I even understood what my editor was talking about, let alone try to fix anything.If you could trade places with any of your characters, which would you choose and why?Probably Mike Sellars, my human/AI hybrid. Unlike any other cyberspace novel I’ve read, he’s an AI that has a human body, but is also still very much a part of the virtual spaces where he evolved. As with most authors, my characters are mostly different aspects of my own personality, and I’d like to think I put most of my best qualities into Mike.Someone asked a similar question when the first book came out, and I replied that Mike is my wonder, and the other main character, Kim, is my rage. You’ll have to check the book out to see what I mean!If you could live in any of the worlds you have created, which would you choose and why?So far I only have the one: twenty years from now, where some things have gone wrong but more things have gone right. I had to hustle to get the first book out because, when I started it in 2012, self-driving cars were an avant-garde idea. Now we nearly have them!What's your writing routine or schedule like? Do you struggle to find time to write? How do you stay organised and keep to your deadlines?I fit it into ever crack and crevice of downtime I can find. My writing routine is mostly defined by the routines of my family: if I get home an hour before everyone else, and the child is in bed by 8 and the wife is in the bath at around the same time, I’ll get two hours a day. If not, or if they change their routine, I have to figure out a different schedule.On the occasions when I’ve been on my own, or had vast stretches of time in which to write, I’ve tended to spend a solid hour on the work, then reward myself with an hour or two of free time. When I was in band back in high school, I learned how to dedicate myself to a task for a big block of time. It’s a hard skill, but once you get the knack of it it’s pretty amazing what you can accomplish doing just one thing for an hour at a time.Who or what inspires you? Where do you get your inspiration?Other authors, concepts from documentaries, the ever expanding discoveries from science.Do you have a favourite author and if so, why do you enjoy their work?Peter Hamilton, S.A. Corey, and Terry Pratchett are the easiest authors to name. Neal Stephenson and John Ringo come in right behind them.To steal a title from one of my favorite bands, for pessimists, they’re pretty optimistic. And that’s the place I come from. I accept that we’re a petty, scheming, back-biting species, but I also quite strongly believe most of us are good, and are getting better. It’s an uncommon attitude nowadays, I think.What do you find most challenging about being an indie/ self-published author and why?Marketing! I have no idea how to do marketing! Everyone else makes it look so easy, but I’m completely clueless.Any COMMENTS/ NOTES to the reader:If you enjoyed the interview, please be sure to pick up a copy of Gemini Gambit, available at all major e-book outlets. The second book in the series, Dragon’s Ark, is scheduled to hit the shelves in September. The third book, The Child of the Fall, is tentatively scheduled for late 2017. Thanks again for your time!Thanks to D Scott JOHNSON for this interview. All the best with your books. For more information about this authorplease click here.