Stuart Clark talks to Sabrina
Williams
Stuart Clark is the author of Project
U.L.F. , a debut science fiction novel about a team of animal
trappers stranded on an uncharted planet, battling the odds of survival
in hopes of escaping with their lives. Filled with predatory alien life
forms and environmental extremes, team leader and ex-con Wyatt Dorren
must find a way to deliver his misfit crew out of harm's way and on a
path towards home despite the fact that two crews have already been
lost to the extraordinary planet.
I'd like to thank Mr. Clark for taking the time to answer a few
questions and introduce himself to readers.
First of all, have you always
wanted to be a writer?
I'm not sure if I wanted to be a writer, it's just something I did. For
as long as I can remember I've been writing in one shape or form,
whether it be writing assignments for school or movie reviews and
sports articles for the college newspaper, writing was just something I
enjoyed doing. It's just an urge I have. It's something I've got to do.
What do you enjoy about writing?
There are many things about writing I enjoy. One of the things I enjoy
most about it is being able to have the time to sit and choose exactly
the right word to describe a scene or event going on in the book. It's
great fun to play with language and paint a picture using words. I also
like the fact that I can get completely immersed in the work and be
carried off to another place that exists only in my imagination. I
don't rigorously plan or outline my stories – I know the beginning and
the end and a few key points that need to happen along the way, but in
between, the story tends to evolve, so the process itself is fun for me
too since I don't always know where the story is going or what certain
characters are going to do.
What makes it most rewarding?
Again, a number of different things. It's a great thrill to be
published and it's also very gratifying when people tell you they've
enjoyed your work, but as I said before, I'd still be writing even if I
wasn't a published author, it's just something I enjoy doing. Sometimes
the biggest reward is just typing "The End" and knowing that you
achieved something.
What prompted you to write a
science fiction novel?
I blame my father! I've been hooked on science fiction ever since he
took me to see Star Wars when I was five years old. I love the genre
and I also love the fact that science fiction gives me certain creative
freedoms. Science fiction doesn't allow you to write anything you like
but it does allow you to push the envelope a little bit more than other
genres.
How long did it take to create
Project U.L.F. from inception to publishing?
Writing the book took six years over a very busy time in my life. Over
that period I also completed a Masters degree and traveled through
Australia and South-East Asia, so it was an on-and-off labor of love.
Once the book was completed, I put it away for a while and then dug it
out to look at it with fresh eyes. It went through three or four rounds
of editing under my own hand before I started shopping it around to
potential publishers in the UK. I didn't try and push it too hard
because I knew getting published was difficult. I got a handful of
rejections and then the manuscript went back in the bottom of a drawer
for a few years. When I emigrated to the U.S. I had time on my hands
while all my visa paperwork went through so my wife suggested I try and
find a publisher again and this time I got lucky. In all, from starting
the book to seeing it in print, took 14 years.
Project U.L.F. is your first
novel. Did you have any prior works published or ideas you wished to
pursue?
I really didn't. Once Project U.L.F. was finished I started work on a
feature length sci-fi screenplay. However, now that Project U.L.F. has
been published I'm working on a second novel.
Did you have any particular
inspiration for any of the characters; Wyatt Dorren in particular?
I knew that Wyatt needed to be a conflicted character, not only to make
him interesting, but also to make him a sympathetic character to the
reader. Wyatt is really a victim of circumstance – he's a decent guy
who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. It is
ironic that the work release program that enables him to be free from
prison puts him in a situation where he captures other creatures and
robs them of the very same. Regardless of how dangerous or nasty some
of these aliens are, in some way he identifies with them and pities
them.
How did you create the technical
aspects of the novel? For example, how did you design the components
and mechanics of futuristic spacecraft?
I'm scientifically trained myself so much of what I write about is an
attempt to extrapolate from current science today. Of course there are
many themes in my book that are common throughout the genre – anti
gravity, hyperdrive, cryosleep – they're just popular ideas, but I
tried to not get too bogged down in the scientific detail of how those
things worked and focused more on the storytelling itself. At the heart
of Project U.L.F. is a very human adventure story/thriller. I think too
much technical jargon would have distracted from that.
Why include romance in the novel?
Was this essential in developing the character of Wyatt Dorren or did
you wish to appeal to certain readers?
It really wasn't a conscious decision at all although it did help to
flesh out Wyatt's character. In the beginning, Wyatt and Kate don't see
eye to eye at all. He feels a responsibility to look after her and she
finds his approach totally patronizing. As the novel progresses, they
both realize that they misjudged each other and a mutual respect
develops. It seemed to follow that that respect might develop into
stronger feelings.
The ending of Project U.L.F. seems
to allude to a sequel. Is there a sequel in the works?
I hesitate to call it a sequel because it is a totally separate, stand
alone story although some of the characters from this book appear in
the second, but yes, there is a second book in the pipeline.
Finally, will you share some
favorite titles from your personal bookshelf with readers.
My reading tastes have changed a lot over the years and I read across a
lot of genres so here goes:
Terry Brooks:
The Sword of Shannara
The Elfstones of Shannara
The Wishsong of Shannara
Magic Kingdom for sale – SOLD!
Margaret Weis and Tracey Hickman:
Dragons of Spring Dawning
Dragons of Autumn Twilight
Dragons of Winter Night
Time of the Twins
Test of the Twins
War of the Twins
Tad Williams:
The Dragonbone chair
The Stone of Farewell
To Green Angel Tower
High Citadel by Desmond Bagley
Craig Thomas:
Firefox
Firefox Down
Chickenhawk by Robert Mason
Every Dead Thing by John Connoly
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer