Rick Novy Interview

Continuing with my rounds of interviews from the amazing independent authors I've met on social media, I give you now Speculative Fiction/Sci-Fi author: Rick Novy!

In what genre do you write for the most part?

I write mainly speculative fiction, with a leaning toward the SF side of the fence.

Give us a brief synopsis of your book(s)

Fishpunk

When Wisconsin Territory botanist Calvin Scholz receives a mysterious package from an old friend who recently came to an untimely demise, it sparks a wild adventure. The mid-1840s is a dangerous time, for the Americans are at war with Mexico.

Scholz survives attempts on his life as he tries to deliver the package to his friend’s brother, a Savannah ichthyologist interested in fish-powered machinery--ichthyotech. The situation grows increasingly dire, and Scholz finds himself aboard a riverboat in the Amazon Basin wilderness.

While this novel contains a fast-moving, original story, it is also a tasteful parody of the Steampunk movement. There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, as well as a few compulsory bad puns.

Rigel Kentaurus

It’s the first human voyage outside the solar system, and Proxima Centauri is the destination. The crew of the sleeper ship Deep Space discovers we are not alone, and not everyone out there is nice. Diverted to Alpha Centauri A (Rigel Kentaurus) to fetch and return a faster-than-light prototype, the crew learns that humanity is the only civilization to ever solve the light barrier problem. Now, Deep Space must defend it as a military secret, because the mysterious Betels have been at war with the brutal Thrace since before mankind discovered fire–all with sublight space travel.

Neanderthal Swan Song

The world of anthropology would have been excited when a perfectly preserved Neanderthal body is discovered in the Greenlandic permafrost, if authorities would allow the details out. When an American anthropologist involved in the excavation is denied access to the body, she uses an illicit tissue sample as source material to carry the Neanderthal’s clone to term herself.

Meet Ike Mudge, twenty-first-century Neanderthal man. Self-educated and raised in a laboratory thirty-thousand years out of his time, he is alone in a world of billions. Will it drive him insane, or will he make a final contribution for his kind–a Neanderthal Swan Song?

When did you start writing?

I wrote on and off since I was in grade school.

What inspired you to write?

I'm not really sure. It's as if there has always been this knowledge deep down that I would write.

If your books were made into a movie, who would play the roles?

I envisioned Johnny Depp playing the protag in Neanderthal Swan Song, but Depp is gettig too old for the role. Other than that, I haven't really put much thought into actors playing the parts in my books. There isn't much to be gained by spending mental energy on it, unless you use that to build the character in your mind. Usually, I already have a personality in mind for my characters, so actors don’t play much of a role in my character creation.

What would be your choice for a superpower?

The best superpower there is would be to have incredibly good luck.

Who is your favorite author?

I don't really have a favorite; there are so many good ones out there.  In fact, I can't read consecutive books by the same author. I usually start tiring of the voice, and even if I don't I want to prevent that from happening.

What are you reading now?

Harlan Ellison's The Other Glass Teat, Kim Stanley Robinson's Antarctica, Manfred Schroeder Fractals, Chaos, Power Laws, and a few more. I haven't been absorbed by any of these books, so I jump back and forth. 

Who is your favorite character to write?

I had a lot of fun writing Robert Wenthworth in Fishpunk. He is madcap, but not stupid. That makes him a lot of fun to write. I also had a lot of fun with Malshaak in Rigel Kentaurus. I enjoy writing from the alien point of view and I'm told I'm pretty good at it.

Do you have a writing process?

It all comes down to butt-in-chair time.

What do you do when you aren’t writing?

I'm an avid aquarist. I have anywhere between 12 and 20 aquariums going at once, depending on what I happen to be trying to do at any given time.  Breeding can take a lot of tank space.  I'm a member of the crew at wetwebmedia.com, a great resource for people struggling with aquarium-related problems and trying to heal sick fishes.

I'm also am a pretty avid NFL fan, with allegiances to Green Bay and Arizona. I teach math at the local community college as adjunct faculty. I have a big yard to take care of, and I'm a dad to three teenagers.

What advice would you give to an aspiring author?

Keep writing, be persistent, and find your own game. Your writing is like nobody else's, so don't try to imitate, just be yourself. But, those million practice words are not optional. Keep working on improving at all times.

What sets your books apart from others of the genre?

I don't think the author is ever the right person to answer this question.

What method do you use to publish your books for those of us who might not know how?

I'm an independent author, and I mean truly independent. I am trained as an engineer and scientist, so I understand how ebooks work. In fact, a few years ago I wrote a short non-fiction book on how to create EPUB files. It's obsolete now because in those days, the software to do it for you didn't exist. Now, I just use the tools that are available.  So, back to the question, I write the books, I create the ebook files, I manage the accounts on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and all my other online vendors, and I am responsible for fixing any problems. That doesn't mean I don't get help, it just means that I am the decision-maker and ultimately responsible for the quality of my product, or lack thereof.

Where can we find you on social media?

Twitter: @ricknovy https://twitter.com/RickNovy

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rick-Novy/232154546810035?ref=hl (I've already like it!)

www.ricknovy.com

Amazon Author Page:  http://www.amazon.com/Rick-Novy/e/B004XMBW08

Barnes and Noble Author Page:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/rick-novy

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/fishpunk

Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=Rick+Novy&t=none&f=author&p=1&s=averagerating&g=both

 Please join me and the other amazingly talented authors over @ Skulldust Circle where we have formed a Writer's Circle that must be seen--a collection of brilliant, up & coming independently published speculative fiction authors with much to give both now and in the future!

All of my work can be found on AMAZON -- Kindle versions here

See you in Wothlondia! Cheers!

Please visit MY HOME PAGE to enjoy an extended reading experience, see direct links to purchase my full length novel, Covenant of the Faceless Knights, the short stories: Wothlondia Rising, and to see what else Ashenclaw Studios, LLC has in store in the future!

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