Official Interview: Sam Roberts

[kandscreeley]

Today's Chat with Sarah features Sam Roberts author of Doyle's Law.

View Official Review

View Kindle edition on Amazon

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1. When did you decide to become a writer?

It was something I always wanted to do. This was my first serious effort at it though.

If I was to pinpoint a book that set me on a path though, it would have been Voyage of the Space Beagle. I read that as a teenager—I have liked sci-fi ever since.

2. Who or what has influenced your writing the most?

I have had a lot of influence from sci-fi films and TV - I like the dark, bleak, and hopeless stories.
My writing style though—it would be Joe Abercrombie and Andy Weir.

3. Let's discuss your book Doyle's Law. Can you give us a short synopsis for those that don't know about it?

It's a lonely space station disaster story.

Ryburn, a disgraced scientist, just wants to be left alone to complete his work. O'Connor, and the dismantling crew just want to get their job done, go home and get paid.

But it all starts going horribly wrong when Ryburn dooms the station... Or did he?

It's a tale of perspective and redemption with a time travel twist.

4. Time travel is such a tricky subject. Why did you decide to tackle it?

I didn't necessarily agree with the time travel films that showed multiple timelines and changing the past or future etc.

I thought I could offer something that was different from the norm.

5. Which character is your favorite? Which one did you just hate to write?

I think Ryburn was my favourite Character to write. I enjoyed the theoretical science part of him (I'm defo stretching the rules a little, but it is science fiction after all) and the cantankerousness parts of him were fun to write.

Writing McSweeney was difficult, I didn't like what I had to do to him.

I had the story loosely mapped out, but when I started writing it and he became "real" I had to stop myself going easy on him because I liked him; it made me feel mean.

Hopefully that regret comes across in O'Connor's narrative though.

6. Without giving too much away, can you tell us which scene was the trickiest to write?

The trickiest and most fun was the scene where O'Connor is talking to himself.

All the various conversations that O'Connor has with the crew were tricky as they had to make sense from both sides and be word perfect.

7. The reviewer mentions that you came up with a unique idea of time travel. How did you come up with it? Did you face any backlash from it?

Oh I can't take credit for it being a unique idea; it just wasn't the usual multiple timeline approach.
There wasn't any backlash, but my favourite bad review I got said "has no idea how time travel really works" so that was kinda cool.

8. What's next for you? Are you working on any new books?

Yes. I'm writing a Dark Fantasy story and also have a sequel for Doyle's Law mapped out too.

I like to end with fun questions.

9. What's your favorite sci-fi franchise?

Red Dwarf

10. What one piece of technology that hasn't been invented yet would you most like to have?

The pizza hydrator from Back to the Future would be nice to have.

11. What's your favorite type of cuisine?

I like American style pizza.

My Dad did a great sausage casserole; I can never get it just right though.

12. Ideally, how would you spend your birthday?

On a warm sunny beach with a cold beer, or around a forest campfire with a whiskey.

[Carole Kendall]

I see you like pizza. Seriously, science fiction is not my favorite genre, but I am intrigued by how you use time travel differently than most writers. I really like that you have a favorite “bad review.” I think this says that you don’t take yourself too seriously.

[Blessed Hope]

what exactly is pizza hydrator. I too would like to see it