For this post I’d like to introduce my fellow Sci-Fi author and friend Michael K. Rose. Michael is a prolific writer of stories, both long and short, and frequently posts some thought provoking blogs. Recently I interviewed him after enjoying his book Sullivan’s War. I think his answers to my questions provide some interesting insight on writing in this genre.

Michael J. Foy (MJF): Your writing flows nicely. How did you develop your style? Was it conscious?

Michael K. Rose (MKR): Not particularly. I suppose every writer develops first as a reader. I’ve been an enthusiastic reader my whole life and have absorbed a lot of different styles from many different time periods. I suppose that in doing so I naturally got a sense for what “works.” In the Sullivan’s War books I am intentionally trying for a loose, breezy style (without being shallow) because it is an action-packed, fast-paced story and I wanted the writing to reflect that and create a cohesive whole. Some of my more literary fiction, such as the short story collection Inner Lives and my next project, a novel called Chrysopteron, have a style that is much more… I suppose eloquent would be the word. Every writer has a distinct style, of course, but for me the subject matter and the overall “feel” of a story have as much to do with the words that I end up typing as any conscious attempt to create a personal style. One’s first obligation is to story itself and one must therefore write in a way that best tells that story.

MJF: Why did you pick Science Fiction as your genre to write in?

MKR: I consider myself both a science fiction writer and a literary fiction writer. This does not, of course, prevent me from writing any type of story that I wish. I suppose I am so strongly drawn to science fiction, however, because I consider myself to be a futurist. I believe that as a species we currently have the means to make everyone’s lives better. The fact that we do not saddens me but it does not prevent me from seeing a future when humans throw off the shackles of greed and self interest and begin to work toward a common good. In Sullivan’s War there is a UN-like body called the Stellar Assembly. My idea behind that was to show that even though the goals and ideals of this body are, essentially good, greed and other human weaknesses  have prevented it from working as well as it could. As we have seen throughout history, it is human weakness that has ultimately corrupted and destroyed all of our most noble endeavors.

MJF: I’ve read the Prologue and Book I of the Sullivan’s War series and I’m looking forward to Book II. Your hero starts with political motives but ends up with some personal ones at the end of the first book. Did you intend for that to happen when you were writing it?

MKR: Yes. Sullivan’s War refers not only to Rick Sullivan’s war against the corrupt government of his home planet Edaline but also to the war he fights within himself, the war between right and wrong. In the beginning he is full of righteous self-justification but near the end there are signs that he is beginning to question the actions he has taken. The title, All Good Men Serve the Devil, refers to this as well. Is Rick Sullivan a good man? That’s for you to decide. If you decide that he is, are his actions still what one would consider “evil,” and thus in service of the Devil (used here figuratively, of course)? Sullivan also faces the choice between carrying out his ultimate goal–freedom for Edaline–and seeing that more immediate concerns are taken care of. What he chooses to do at the end of Book I sets the stage for further character growth during Book II. Agent Frank Allen also undergoes some important changes between the beginning and the end of Book I. Book II will explore the development of both of these characters in much greater depth.

MJF: Can you give us a hint at what Sullivan’s challenges will be in Book II?

MKR: Well, anyone who had read Book I will see that we’re left off with Sullivan going after Orion Zednik. I won’t say why, for those who haven’t read it. Book II will bring his search for Zednik to completion but along the way he will earn a new, dangerous enemy, a bounty hunter named Harvey. Book II also introduces a mysterious group of entities that inhabit hyperspace who will play a prominent role in a future Rick Sullivan book. I have story ideas for at least three more Rick Sullivan novels after Sullivan’s War and I hope to introduce concepts in each one that will carry over into the other books. At the end of Book II, the stage will be set for the battle for the planet of Edaline in Book III. I am currently working on it and this will bring the Sullivan’s War story line to completion.

MJF: What else are you working on? More books in this series?

MKR: I mentioned that I do have more Rick Sullivan books in the works but my next novel in called Chrysopteron. It is the story of a generation ship that is sent to colonize a distant planet. During the journey an event occurs that gives rise to a new religion and the descendants of the Chrysopteron’s crew, now living on the planet’s surface, will be forced to confront the truth when another ship is sent from Earth to determine the fate of the Chrysopteron. I also plan on releasing Inner Lives: Volume Two within the next few months and if all goes according to plan, the next book of the Rick Sullivan series will be out in December.

MJF: Is there a message you hope readers will pick up on?

MKR: With Sullivan’s War, I would like readers to go away thinking about where they personally draw the line between right and wrong. This is something that Sullivan and Allen confront in Book II and the conclusions they come to will shape how the rest of their lives unfold. I think that the issues of ethics and accountability are things that people don’t spend enough time thinking about in depth. Perhaps if we did, if we all took the time to reflect on the possible consequences of our actions, there would be much less misery in the world.

MJF: How does one get a copy of the book?

MKR: Currently, all my work is available on Amazon’s US Kindle store: http://www.amazon.com/Michael-K.-Rose/e/B0062EIPN2/

Select books are available on Barnes & Noble’s Nook store: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/michael-k.-rose

And if one visits my blog and clicks on the title one is interested in, there are product links to my books on Amazon’s non-US stores: http://myriadspheres.blogspot.com/

The other night I saw an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation that tackled the emotional complexities of love. It was one of those shows that Trek does well in shining a light on the human condition. The show opens with Dr. Beverly Crusher obviously head over heels in love with an alien ambassador. Unbeknownst to her this man named Odan is actually two beings that live in a symbiotic relationship. There’s the man she sees and the entity that she’s not aware of that lives in the man’s abdomen. Its called a Trill. This living arrangement is mutually beneficial but the bulk of Odan’s personality comes from the Trill. It is the personality the doctor fell in love with.

Eventually, the ambassador is injured and ends up in sick bay where he’s forced to tell Beverly of his co-existent lifestyle. She’s confused and upset that the man she thought she knew would keep such a big secret from her. On his world this dual relationship is so common that it never even occurs to them to reveal it to single entities like us. To Beverly, though, it appears dishonest and deceptive.

As a good doctor she puts her feelings aside and removes the Trill to save it before the host body dies. The only trouble is that it needs another host to survive. First office Will Riker volunteers to host temporarily while a new more compatible host is found. Not an ideal solution since it stresses both Will and Ambassador Odan. After the operation, Will becomes the Ambassador. He has all the memory and feelings of Odan including a love for Beverly. She, on the other hand, doesn’t know how to feel about him and avoids him in spite of persistent strong feelings. Beverly confides in Counselor Troi that she can’t return the affections of a man she thinks of as a brother. She says she wishes Odan never came on board and that she’d do anything not to feel the way she does.

Doctor Crusher is tortured by a love that’s out of reach. Its an emotional ache that most of us have felt at some time in our lives and it can come with physical manifestations like loss of appetite and/or sleep. The constant reminder of Will Riker’s presence was an ingenious way for the writers to tantalize Beverly with the prospect of a love now seemingly made unattainable.

Eventually, Beverly does look beyond her so called human bias and goes to Will. Her need for closeness to Odan overpowers her and they consummate their love. She looks forward to removing the Trill and placing it in the new host body so that she can resume her affair. The next scene could be titled: You should’ve seen the look on your face. The new host shows up and it’s a woman. Even in the 24^th century we’re not that enlightened. In spite of, or because of, advances from the new female Odan, Beverly ends the relationship.

Given that our physical presences and personalities are inseparable perhaps the question Trek wanted to pose is do we need to know all of someone’s secrets to bond with them? Human nature is very complex and not everything can be learned in the ten days for instance that Dr. Crusher fell for the ambassador. Whirlwind romances do happen all the time in real life though. Does that mean we don’t need to know all about someone to love them?

In Future Perfect (http://bit.ly/yLPleF), my hero, Jamie McCord, pines for a woman dead one hundred million years. He eventually meets Lilah who reminds him of his lost love and he falls for her. Unfortunately, Lilah turns out be an intelligence agent named Lisa who was manipulating him. With her true nature exposed Jamie rejects her at first but strong feelings return and as sometimes happens in reality they make up and fall in love again. Whirlwind romances can be intoxicating but perhaps love is really a longer term journey of discovery.

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New England sports fans have much to be thankful for in recent years. With the success of the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics, has it ever gotten any better for any fan base in any city? I’m hard pressed to imagine how. Of all the titles, popular opinion is that the story of the 2004 Red Sox was the most special since it broke 86 years of futility and the so called curse of the bambino. That’s the curse that supposedly befell the Red Sox after being stupid enough to trade Babe Ruth. Even if you believe in that kind of thing, did it have to take 86 years? What’s the shelf life on curses? Anyway, it was special but it wasn’t my favorite. Stay tuned for that.

Now, for serious adults, appreciation of these accomplishments may seem frivolous. Many years ago, before the ascendancy of Boston sports, I used to commute to work with just such an adult who frowned on anyone investing any emotion in team sports. All fandom was silly in his mind. It made me think. Was I silly in having these heroes? Did it enhance my existence in any way? This is the question I’d like to address here using my favorite example.

In 2001 the New England Patriots were coming off a 5 win season in which they lost their last game to Miami in bizarre fashion. Players were called back onto the field from the locker room to finish the last few seconds of a game that they thought was over. Many were in towels and flip flops. Talk about prolonging the agony. The debacle of that 2000 season had started with hiring Coach Bill Belichick away from the Jets. In a press conference in New York, he gave a long rambling speech just to say he was resigning after a day as Jets head coach.

Needless to say expectations were low for the 2001 season… and they would get lower. After starting the season with a loss and enduring the terrorist attacks of September 11, the region and nation were in a somber mood. The NFL took a week off but decided that resuming the schedule the following week would be healthy and of course profitable. I was just as happy to be distracted with football given the new global reality.

The Patriots hosted the New York Jets for the second game. In the fourth quarter they were trailing by just a touchdown and franchise quarterback Drew Bledsoe had the ball. Not a bad position until Jets linebacker Mo Lewis nearly killed him with a legal but vicious hit. Afterwards, at the hospital, doctors discovered and repaired a sheared blood vessel in the quarterback’s chest. The Patriots went on to lose that game but the fortunes of the team took a dramatic turn with the advent of Tom Brady as Bledsoe’s replacement.

About six months after Brady’s debut, the lowly Patriots upset the ‘greatest show on turf’ otherwise known as the St. Louis Rams in an unlikely Superbowl victory. It sent me on a fandom high that lasted several days. Some things on my personal and professional to do lists slid as I consumed every bit of analysis I could find so I could relive the victory for as long as possible. I saw how they accomplished their goal and it inspired me to duplicate their discipline in my own endeavors. It worked. My success lasted well beyond the few days of euphoria after the Superbowl win. Now there’s value, the value of having heroes to make us feel good about putting in the hard work to succeed. And it doesn’t even have to involve our local athletes. Who, other than Indianapolis fans, didn’t feel good about New Orleans winning their Superbowl? After the devastation wrought by Katrina I have to imagine that the Saints fans enjoyed a little ray of sunshine in their lives as well.

So do sports matter? I say they do. Its heroes exemplify the same values of hard work, discipline and dedication as any classic heroes. Athletes also have the power to inspire others to excel in many different areas of endeavor. In my writing I’ve tried to do justice to this effect as my heroes occasionally draw strength from real sports events. My JFK from an alternate reality reveled in the Patriots first Superbowl victory as I’m sure the real John Kennedy would have. But fictional fans or otherwise the world is a richer place for sports.

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As an American I’m proud of the contributions the United States has made for the betterment of mankind. From Clipper ships, to the Panama Canal, to the Internet, all of mankind has benefited from the restless American drive to strain the limits of our potential. One achievement, however, stands out in terms of its daring and ability to inspire imaginations around the world.  And even if you take away its heroic aspects, the remaining legacy of technological advancement is immeasurable.

When I was a kid, President Kennedy was the man who came on TV and interrupted the Flintstones. I had no appreciation of what he was saying or its implications for the world at that time. It was only later that I came to admire his leadership on the many challenges of his day, not the least of which was the grand adventure known as the Apollo program.

Most people have heard the words: “We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard”. They were spoken on September 12th, 1962 by then President Kennedy at Rice University. Inspired by Cold War competition he laid out a bold vision that few Presidents would have risked their legacies on. If the soviets were going into orbit then we would go to the moon and not just with unmanned probes.

Talking about the moon shot Kennedy continued: “that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win.”  Well, we did win and win big as Neil Armstrong fulfilled the Presidents promise and stepped onto the moon’s surface just seven years later. It was a heady time as Americans came together in support of a goal that will go down in history as a milestone in human achievement. A theme that I hope I did justice to as part of the novel, The Kennedy Effect.

Today the exploration of space continues with more international cooperation than ever. Who can doubt that many more adventures lay ahead as mankind pushes out to the planets and ultimately the stars. Perhaps, some future leader will, as Kennedy did at Rice University, give an updated capsule of man’s historic accomplishments. Perhaps he, or she, will cite accomplishments in space that we can only dream of today. Perhaps a preview of that capsule can be found in today’s speculative science fiction.

One of the more moving film trailers that I’ve ever seen is the one for the 2009 movie Star Trek. As the iconic Star Ship Enterprise takes shape in dry dock a dramatic musical score accompanies some historic sound bites from the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions. But, as in reality, it starts with President Kennedy’s voice in an excerpt from his speech at Rice University.

“For the eyes of the world now look into space”

“Godspeed, John Glenn”

“The Eagle has landed”

“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”

And it ends with the opening recital of the Star Ship Enterprise’s mission,“Space, the final frontier…”. I can’t imagine anyone who wouldn’t be touched by those few minutes. The sixties, for all their flaws, gave us a reason to be proud as well as an enduring vision for our future. May we boldly go where this grand adventure leads us. May we realize the new opportunities for knowledge and peace that President Kennedy hoped for at the beginning of the Space Age.

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Two milestone anniversaries will occur in early September of 2016. They are 911 and Star Trek. It’s ironic that these concepts are memorialized around the same time of year. They are polar opposites in what they reveal about our species. The 15th anniversary of 911 sharply illustrates our divisive tendency to address a grievance with murderous destruction. The 50th anniversary of Star Trek celebrates a vision of unity in pursuing man’s best potential.

On the morning of September 11th, 2001 I was busy at my desk when I got a call from my wife. She told me a plane had hit one of the World Trade Center Towers in New York. An accident? I turned on the news. The dots were soon connected to implicate Al Qaeda in an act of terrorism. Nineteen misguided individuals acting on a perceived grievance took their own lives along with three thousand innocents in a fiery cataclysm. I recall my first reaction was ‘how dare they’. To purposely go out of their way to do us harm. What right did they have?

By late that morning the scenes of carnage had played over and over on TV. One had to relive the horrific images to get the latest information. My wife came home early and we decided to get away from it to get some perspective. As we met other cars on the road I noted everyone went out of their way to be polite. The empathy for one’s fellow citizens was like nothing I’d experienced before. I imagined that it must have been the same after Pearl Harbor. I never felt so American, so connected with my neighbors and fellow citizens. We’d suffered a collective trauma and at that moment in our history the better angels of our nature emerged.

It was a beautiful September day and several thoughts and feelings raced through my mind. My home and birthplace, the world’s mightiest nation, seemed smaller and more vulnerable than I ever believed it could be. The Cold War was won but a new era had begun with man organized into new camps carrying the same suspicion and hatred as the old conflict. Dreams of a post Cold War golden age free of conflict burst like a bubble. Must the end of every conflict signal a new one? Is there a better model to aspire to?

35 years earlier…

Back in 1966 I was in the fifth grade and subject to a fairly strict 8:30 bed time. But when you’re 9 years old you’re never ready to go to bed so when 8:30 rolled around I tried to become invisible. Sometimes it bought me a few extra minutes and one of those times, on a Thursday evening, as the minute hand crept past the half hour I spied my first few minutes of Star Trek. My world would never be the same. Risking discovery I couldn’t help but to ask my father about Mr. Spock. He told me he was a Vulcan. I asked other questions but ultimately settled down to watch the show with open mouthed fascination. For some reason I was allowed to stay up that night. I don’t know if my parents thought I’d forget when Thursday rolled around again but they were sadly mistaken if so. Suffice it to say Thursday became the exception to my typical bed time.

I always liked Sci-Fi but Trek was radically different. Unlike other spaceships, the Enterprise flew to alien worlds at warp speed, now boldly going where rocket ships had shakily landed on their tail fires before. Captain Kirk and his crew represented a united interstellar community of space faring races. Another new concept. Their Federation was a grand union born of uncommon cooperation, dedicated to exploration. The ship’s complement was drawn from many backgrounds with names like Sulu, Uhura, Scott and McCoy yet they worked together with military efficiency. One of the more provocative visions left to us by Star Trek was its ideal of an all inclusive society.

There’s no doubt which anniversary will get the most media coverage in early September of 2016. After all, 911 was a real event. Both anniversaries, however, inspired large groups of people. As inspirations go, let us hope that Gene Roddenberry leaves the more lasting legacy. His vision for the future valued human life and celebrated it’s unity. As Khan Noonien Singh once said, ‘Think of its accomplishments’.

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