Indie Interview- ‘Odyssey One: Into the Black’ by Evan C. Currie
Odyssey One: Into the Black is old-school military space opera about man’s first venture into Faster-Than-Light travel to the stars. This book starts out a little rough. Despite the fact that I apparently read the re-edited/remastered version the first few chapters contained some conspicuous editing and continuity errors. I didn’t give up on it though, and I am glad that I did not, because most of these errors disappeared as the book progressed and the story built momentum. It just got better the further that I read, until at the end it was pulse-pounding, page turning military science fiction as good as any that I have read. If you like John Ringo, Elizabeth Moon or David Weber buy this book,read it and stick with it past the initial glitches. I guarantee that you wont be sorry that you did.
Rating: Kill or die to read this**Seriously, read this**Highly recommended**Recommended **Worth reading**Meh…**Don’t… trust me!**Be Afraid**Kill it with fire
Tell us a little about yourself-
Well at 36 years old now, I’ve been writing for the largest chunk of my life, most of it for fun and not profit. Over the years I’ve done quite a few jobs, from trash man to jack of all trades at a local fisherman’s coop. Today I can honestly say that I’m a professional author and I hope and believe that I’ve found my career.
Please describe ‘Odyssey One: Into the Black’ for us?
Odyssey One : Into the Black is pure space opera escapism. The series gets a little more complicated as it moves along, but the first novel is old school black and white space opera with a modern military paint scheme.
Can you give us some links to the book?
Into The Black : http://www.amazon.com/Into-Black-Odys...
My authors page : http://www.amazon.com/Evan-Currie/e/B...
Where did the idea for this book come from?
I started it when I was maybe 18 years old, and it was a function of what I was watching on TV back then more than anything else. The Star Trek and Star Wars influences are obvious, but there’s probably a few noticeable hints of Space Above and Beyond and maybe some B5 in there too. I’ve been die hard into space fiction since I read my first novel, the novelization of The Empire Strikes Back, as a very young child. So it was inevitable that I’d eventually turn out something like Odyssey. Just a matter of time, really.
Obviously you read Science Fiction; what is your favorite science-fiction novel, and who is your favorite science fiction author?
Whew, ask an easy one. I literally cut my teeth on Ender’s Game, Dune, and Battlefield Earth. All three of these are utter classics that everyone should read, but I couldn’t in all honesty call Card, Hubbard, or Herbert my favorite author. I never really liked much of their work beyond those three books. I don’t know that I have a favorite author really, David Weber would be close but I find that I have less interest in his stuff lately. Perhaps Jack McKinney for the Robotech books? Those are a guilty pleasure I still reread occasionally.
What is the most important lesson you learned from writing this book?
Don’t assume you know how readers will react, as an author you are too close to your own work to be objective. I cringe at Odyssey One sometimes, not because I don’t like the novel but because I am hyper aware of every little habit I used to have that I worked hard to break, and they’re all there staring back at me from the pages of Odyssey. Novels are like a time machine into the past, back to the person you were when you first read/wrote a given novel… and we all would love to go back in time once in a while and smack some sense into our old self.
Why did you decide to self-publish, and how has that worked out for you?
Honestly, it was a lark. I had two novels complete and Amazon had opened up to Canadian authors so I decided to toss them up and see what happened. The first one. Thermals, didn’t do much, sold a few dozen copies or so in the first month, a bit of an ego thing I guess but nothing special. Odyssey One, however, blew my mind. By the end of a month and a half it had sold ten thousand copies and was still going insanely strong. This would have been enough to put me over the moon, but I couldn’t afford an editor back then and it was HORRIBLE. Anyone out there with an original copy of Odyssey one can attest to this, I promise you. The story may have been great, but I needed a competent editor like you wouldn’t believe. Still, sales were strong and Odyssey One got me the attention of 47North, who provided me with editors and pointers and everything the novel needed. So, yeah, it’s worked out pretty well for me. I have seven books for sale now, three more on the way, and plans for many more to follow.
If you could give one piece of advice to aspiring authors what would it be?
Aspiring authors? Just keep writing. It’s the core of what we do, write a little every day. If you even manage one thousand words, five days a week, you’ll get your book done in about five months. That’s not a bad time frame, especially for a first novel. Odyssey One took me years, and that’s just embarrassing to admit. Nowadays I can write a novel in two months or less. Just keep writing.
If you’re talking about authors who’ve finished their book and are looking to self publish… don’t spread your work around. I know people love goodreads, but it’s poison to an indie author (in my opinion). Pick your favorite site, be it Amazon, Apple, B&N, or Kobo and focus your initial efforts there. I know, it sounds counter intuitive, because more sites means more people sees your book, right? Wrong. The key to indie sales is the best seller lists, you HAVE to get up on those lists, and for that you need as many purchases as possible… and those big sellers don’t share sales information, so if you spread your books around, each site will only get a fraction of the sales. That limits your movement on the lists, and that is a bad thing no matter how you cut it. Remember, a flashlight just lights up a spot on the wall… but a LASER can cut steel. Stay focused. There is time to expand your empire once you’ve secured your home turf.
