My next interview is with science fiction writer Chad Morgan, author of The Last Rite and Intergalactic Space Force.
Tell us about yourself! What would you like readers to know about you?
Chad Morgan: I’d like the readers to know that I am charming as I am handsome, that I have thousands of fans that fawn over me and hang on every word I write, and my phone rings off the hook as world leaders call me to ask me for my advice.
That is, or course, not true, but it’s what I’d like the readers to know.
Oh, well, back to reality . . .
What book or books have most influenced you as a writer?
Chad Morgan: One of the funniest books I’ve read was Double Whammy by Carl Hiaasen. I love the humor in his writing. When you read one of his books, you get the feeling that, no matter how ridiculous his characters get or outlandish the situations they find themselves in, you can almost see it happening in some kind of Tiger King documentary.
Alexis: That’s awesome! I think Carl Hiaasen is an underestimated comedy writer. I actually got to hear him speak when I lived in Miami, and I have a signed copy of his YA book “Hoot,” which is an absolutely adorable and wonderful story. I also suspect that Hiaasen maybe be partly responsible for the “Florida man” stereotype, but to be fair, he often pulls amazing story ideas for real life Florida news stories (about say, a nude lady found floating in the Atlantic ocean on a bale of Marijuana).
What are some tropes of fiction in your genre that you love/hate? Why?
Chad Morgan: Intergalactic Space Force allowed me to play with a few sci-fi tropes.
One of my favorites was the big open spaces in the original Star Wars. Who would waste that much space? You see Obi-wan creep along a small ledge to turn off the tractor beam. Does the empire not believe in handrails? What was the point of that big, open space anyway? What would have happened if he fell? There’s no gravity in space, so any gravity on the Death Star was artificial, so why waste the energy creating gravity in a big, empty space? What a safety hazard!
Another one I play with is how everyone in Star Trek knows how to fly a shuttle. Enlisted person that’s trying to earn his Federation College Fund? Still an expert pilot. You’re a cook? Need to complete flight training first. I was a corpsman on an aircraft carrier, and I was definitely NOT cruising around in a borrowed F-14.
Alexis: Omg, I never thought of that before, but you’re right! They would have had to create artificial gravity on the Death Star—they should have just been floating around in the gigantic empty space that was there for…reasons?
Who is your favorite character in your book? What do you like about them? (or, which character do you hate most and why)
Chad Morgan: Guppy was fun to write. When I voiced him in the audiobook, I tried to channel my inner Keanu Reeves from the Bill and Ted movies. He was the Costello to Q-Tip’s Abbott, but the better parts were where Guppy was not setting up jokes. Q-Tip is the brains of the group, but Guppy is the heart.
Intergalactic Space Force by Chad Robert Morgan
What are you doing to de-stress during the pandemic? Is there any coping mechanism you’d recommend (or NOT recommend)?
Chad Morgan: These days, we watch videos while relaxing in the hot tub. We bought it about a year ago and had no idea how much we’d come to appreciate it now that we have nowhere we can go.
Alexis: That sounds so nice and relaxing! I’d love a hot tub, but it’d probably just be a death trap for my crazy monkey toddler.
What do you like to do other than read or write? Do you have any interesting hobbies?
Chad Morgan: The Last Rite started life as an animated series. The series turned out to be too much for me to do by myself with my meager resources, but I still try to get the scenes rendered and animated when I have time. Otherwise, I’m experimenting with building games in the Unreal Engine, which is what I use for my day job. I had created my own endless runner in Unreal based on The Last Rite.
Tell us about a mystery/urban legend from your hometown (or another place you’ve lived).
Chad Morgan: My stepmother used to tell me ghost stories from when she was a kid growing up in Brawley, CA, mostly about the irrigation canals that ran through the area. I remember one story she shared with me was about when one of her siblings would come running into her room at night terrified that there was a giant hand waving at him out in the canals. My stepmother was never a timid person and didn’t buy the story of a giant ghost hand, but when her sibling took her to the window, there was indeed what looked like a giant hand in the darkness, beckoning for them to join it. The police were notified, and the truth was no less creepy – the “giant hand” was the decayed body of some poor person who had fallen into and drowned in the canal, the waving illusion caused by the body bobbing up and down in the water.
What TV shows/Movies do you like to watch or stream?
Chad Morgan: I decided to give Shudder a try and have been watching NOS4A2, which I’m enjoying. One of my all-time favorite series is Farscape, and my son and I recently finished binge-watching Community.
I also watched Steve Carell’s Space Force. When I first hear this was coming out, I was pissed. I was about two thirds through writing what I was at the time calling Space Force, and here come’s Steve Carell and steal’s the name! Okay, fine, I guess I can have a book named Space Force and he can have his series named Space Force . . . and then someone else publishes a book called Space Force! I was pulling my hair out. I renamed my book Intergalactic Space Force (it’s like the Space Force, but more bigly) and gave Steve Carell nasty looks whenever he popped on television to promote his new show. But I gave it a shot, and even though the critics didn’t like it, I thought it was really funny. Now I like to think of it as an unintended prequel to my book.
Alexis: I’ve just finished watching Space Force, and I thought it was hilarious! I loved the way they got some aspects of military culture spot on, and I though both Steve Carell and John Malkovich were a joy to watch. If it’s at all like your book, I think it could be great marketing for you:)
What’s your favorite animal?
Chad Morgan: Other than dogs, I’ve always been a fan of dolphins. I think they’re beautiful animals.
Do you like playing video games? What’s your favorite game right now? Has a video game ever influenced you as a writer?
Chad Morgan: When I have time. I was enjoying Doom Eternal until I got stuck on a level. I’ve also enjoyed the Mass Effect series, Horizon : Zero Dawn, and Bendy and the Ink Machine.
In terms of influencing my writing, Silent Hill 2 was a huge influence when I started working on The Last Rite. The game is very atmospheric with a deep lore and unique monster design.
Alexis: I loved Mass Effect 2 and 3 (except for the ending). I find that games that really draw you in with rich characters and worlds can be a great inspiration for writing.
Do you like playing board games or role playing games like D&D? If so, which games do you like best?
Chad Morgan: I do play D&D with a group of friends. These days we play online. My character is a half-orc rogue. I was going to make a gnomish barbarian, but we already had a gnome in the party (he’s actually a moss-covered kobalt, but the characters don’t know that). I recently got the base set for Battletech to try to teach my son how to play.
Do you have any pets?
Chad Morgan: This is Annie. She was found on the streets of Los Angeles when she was a puppy and taken in by a dog rescue organization, and we adopted her.
Alexis: What a sweet doggie!
Annie, Chad Morgan’s adorable rescue dog! Doesn’t she look like a good girl?
What advice do you have for other writers or people just getting started in writing?
Chad Morgan: People are going to hate. People are going to tell you that you will fail. People will say they will support you, but their actions won’t match their words. It happens. Don’t let it get to you.
When I first applied to get into the games industry, friends thought I was crazy. Had one friend tell me straight out, he didn’t think I could pull it off. Now, I’ve been making video games for 20 years now.
When I wrote the scripts for The Last Rite, I couldn’t get anyone to read them, including my business partner in that venture. We got a cast together and started recording, all without my partner or anyone else reading and providing feedback on the scripts. Halfway through the recording session, my partner pulls me aside and tells me, “This is actually really good. I think it’s the best thing you’ve ever written.”
Let every person that tells you that you can’t do it be one more person you can prove wrong.
Alexis: Great advice! Writing can be tricky, and you have to let a ton of rejection/criticism slide off your back (though it never hurts to listen to thoughtful criticism when you feel ready to hear it).
How do you choose what books you want to read?
Chad Morgan: I start with my favorite authors – Peter Clines, Scott Meyers, Barry J. Hutchenson, Carl Hiaasen, Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling). If I’ve read all of those, I start browsing the horror or sci-fi sections. I try to find interesting books from fellow indie and self-published authors – I like Stephen King, but he has enough money. If all else fails . . . fine, Mr. King, you get my money anyway.
Do you like Greek/Roman/Norse/Asian/African mythology or folklore? What’s your favorite myth?
Chad Morgan: I’ve never gotten into mythology. Years ago, I tried to get through Joseph Campbell’s The Masks of God but never got too far with it.
If you write scifi, what technology or innovations or scientific discoveries have inspired your work?
Chad Morgan: There’s a current theory that empty space can be compressed. It’s one possible explanation of the expansion phase after the Big Bang, where the early creation of the universe seemingly violates the speed of light and expands further than it should have given the time it took. The idea is that maybe space was decompressing, the way one would unpack a zip file on your computer. That led to my Compression Drives, because it’s kind of hard to have an Intergalactic Space Force if you can’t get around that whole can’t-go-faster-than-the-speed-of-light thing. The idea is that the ship doesn’t go much faster than a jet plane goes today – relatively. What happens is the space around it gets crunched so the space between two points becomes shorter.
Alexis: That’s an interesting way to address the physics problems with most FTL drives.
Learn More About Chad Morgan
Books: The Last Rite and Intergalactic Space Force
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpectralInk