An Interview with G J Ogden

Before my (virtual) interview today, I want to mention something a bit different. During this time of lockdowns and social distancing, my daughter is writing a blog about nature to try to provide some cheer. You can see it on Facebook and Tumblr. She'd welcome likes and shares from around ther world to show we're all in this together.
Right, now I am talking to G J Ogden, author of the Contingency War and Planetsider series.

Can you tell us a little about The Contingency?
Of course. The Contingency is the first of the four-part Contingency War Series (space opera). It follows a small crew scouting the edges of the galaxy for any remnants of an alien adversary that attacked Earth, but were defeated. As they soon find out, that war is far from over... I personally love sci-fi that revolves around small, tight-knit crews, like Firefly and Battlestar Galactica (okay, it's a big ship, but the Viper Squadrons and command crew are all tight-knit groups), so my writing focuses very much on characters. The Contingency War is an adventure about fighting for what you love, in the face of overwhelming odds, and never losing hope. Hope is a strong theme in all my novels.

Give us an insight into your main character. What does he do that is so special?
The main character is Captain Taylor Ray. He's selfless and brave, but can also be socially awkward (like the rest of us!). Why is he special? Well, it's a bit of a cop-out, but genuinely you'd need to read the book to find out. All I'll say is that he's very special, but not entirely unique.

Have any of your characters ever disobeyed you?
I'm not sure if disobeyed is the right word, but when writing The Planetsider Trilogy (post-apocalyptic crossed with military Sci-Fi), I was surprised by how much one character started to take over the narrative from the original MC. Maria Salus was always core to the story, but as I got into book two and eventually book three, it was clear that it was as much Maria's story I was writing as it was Ethan's (the actual MC).
Oh, yes. Some characters really do force their way to the front! A completely background character is about to thrust his way onto the main stage in my WIP.
What is your favourite film and why?
It changes, depending on my mood! I love The Fifth Element - it's quirky and daft, but also extremely heartfelt. And it's about hope and love, and I'm a sucker for stories about hope and love (which is why I write them!). But if I had to choose one, it would probably be The Princess Bride, because it's pretty much perfect.
Two superb choices! I can't not watch The Fifth Element to the end if I ever get started. And The Princess Bride is full of so many great lines. I used to have it on VHS when I was little and watched it over and over again.
What are you working on at the moment?
I'm plotting / outlining my next space opera series, which will be another four-book series in a new world with a bit of an old-school adventuring angle to it.
Sounds like it'll be exciting! Thank you for taking the time to talk to me.

G J Ogden studied Physics at UMIST, but spent more time writing for and later editing the University magazine, GRIP, which kick-started a love of writing. A proud nerd and sci-fi geek, he is the author of the post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller series, The Planetsider Trilogy, and the space opera epic, The Contingency War Series.


And finally, here are a couple more books to keep you going...