Trouble’s brewing out in space, and Alexander Outland — the least likely hero in the galaxy — and his eccentric crew have to save the day, despite the fact they’d prefer to take the money and run.
Alexander Napoleon Outland is the best pilot, and ladies’ man, in the galaxy. But Nap, as his friends call him, is more than that — he’s a schemer with a heart of gold he desperately wants to hide, a soft spot for other people’s cargo and his exotic weapon’s chief, and the unerring ability to find the biggest misfit on any planet or space station and somehow join that person onto his crew.
Nap’s not your classic hero, but that tends to make him the right guy for the job…whatever the job happens to be. He’s a little bit Han Solo, a little bit Malcolm Reynolds, a little bit Jack Sparrow, and a whole lot of fun to fly with.
There are aliens, explosions, telepaths, donkeys, space pirates of all kinds, and a galaxy-wide conspiracy. And the most horrifying “underwater” trip any crew’s had to face in a long, long while. But mostly, there are laughs.
TQ: What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?
GJK: I think they’re all fascinating.
LOL. Well, huh. That’s a toughie. I don’t think I have one that’s all the unusual from at least 30% of the other authors out there. And in terms of interest to anyone but me…I guess that I have to go with the fact that I must have music, music with lyrics, rock ‘n’ roll of some kind and any and all kinds, playing in order to really “flow”. By now, I can write without it, but I don’t like to. The right music means I’m flying along, and that’s always better for me.
TQ: If you were stranded on a desert island for one year, which 5 novels would you want to have with you?
GJK: I don’t need mine; I can write mine while there. And I remember them all. So, in no particular order, I’d want:
1. Good Omens, by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
2. Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett
3. The Complete Works of O. Henry
4. The Complete Sherlock Holmes
5. Chips Off the Old Benchley, by Robert Benchley
I know 3 -5 are technically cheating, but I chose to look at “novel” as “book”, and it does count if they’re all in one big book! Right? Of course right! (And that was less cheating than my saying “The Complete Discworld Collection”, since such does not yet exist.)
TQ: Are you a plotter or a panster?
GJK: I’m an extreme linear writer. Yeah, I hate, HATE, the term “pantser” because I don’t like the insinuation that linear writers such as myself don’t plan. We do plan, we just do it differently from those who live to outline.
There is no one “right way” to write. Whatever works for you is the right way.
So, to answer your question, I’m an extreme MILITANT linear writer.
TQ: What is the most challenging thing for you about writing?
GJK: Getting it all done. I have more ideas than I’ll probably ever be able to get onto paper, so to speak. So the most challenging thing for me is getting all the stories out, one way or the other, and finished, because while I have a lot started, it’s only the finished ones anyone else ever gets to see.
TQ: Describe Alexander Outland: Space Pirate in 140 characters or less.
GJK: It’s the best book ever written and a deal at twice the price!
No? Okay, how’s this: Against all wisdom, wise-cracking space pirate & all-around rogue has to save the galaxy or die trying, helped & hindered by his misfit crew.
TQ: What inspired you to write Alexander Outland: Space Pirate?
GJK: Honestly, I stumbled across the name. It was a very cool name, and it just sounded like a space pirate’s name to me. A cool, fun space pirate. I started to wonder just what a space pirate like this would be like and what kind of universe he’d live in, and the story was born.
TQ: In Alexander Outland: Space Pirate who was the easiest character to write and why? The hardest and why?
GJK: None of them were hard. Honestly, if they’re hard characters to write, it usually means I’m doing something wrong. However, since this is a first person POV story, for me, Nap was by far the easiest character to write. As for hardest, again, if they’re hard, I tend to figure I’m doing something very wrong, but I’d go with the Governor, for reasons that will become very apparent once Alexander Outland: Space Pirate is read. (By one and all! Go buy it! Right now! The mystery has to be killing you, right? Of course right!)
TQ: Which character(s) in Alexander Outland: Space Pirate surprised you the most?
GJK: Oh, all of them. Again, if they aren’t surprising me along the way, something’s off for me. Being the extreme linear writer that I am, every character should surprise me in some way. And they all manage it, too.
However, to show willing and all that, I’d have to say my biggest surprise was the Governor. (I love the Governor, by the way, and his relationship with Nap.) (See? You literally HAVE to get the book now, don’t you? Or just die from the suspense. And we don’t want you dying, now, do we?)
TQ: What's next?
GJK: Gosh, so many things. LOL In addition to public appearances (I’ll be in San Diego a lot this summer, at Mysterious Galaxy Books on June 20th, and at San Diego Comic-Con from July 11th-15th), Alien vs. Alien, the next book in my Alien/Katherine “Kitty” Katt series, writing as Gini Koch, releases December 4, 2012, with Alien in the House and Alien Collective coming in April and December 2013.
I have more things coming up, but they’re not finalized yet (though contracts have been signed in some of the cases!) so I can’t say just yet for anything else. But more WILL be coming, and that soon. (Ooooh, the mystery!)
TQ: Thank you for joining us at The Qwillery.
GJK: I had a blast, thanks so much for having me!
About Alexander Outland: Space Pirate
Alexander Outland: Space Pirate
Alexander Outland 1Night Shade Books, June 5 2012
Trade Paperback and eBook, 384 pages
Captain Alexander Outland of the Sixty-Nine (short for Space Vessel 3369, of course) is the best pilot in the galaxy. He's also a pirate, a smuggler, and loved and loathed by women in umpteen solar systems. His crew of strays and misfits includes an engineer of dubious sanity, a deposed planetary governor, an annoyingly unflappable Sexbot copilot, and a slinky weapons chief who stubbornly refuses to give the captain a tumble.
Outland just wants to make a decent living skirting the law, but when an invisible space armada starts cutting into his business, he soon finds himself in hot water with the military, the mob, mad bombers, and an extended family of would-be conquerors. And that's not counting an occasionally telepathic spy . . . .
Like any sensible scoundrel, he hates heroics. They're risky and they don't pay well. But to keep his ship and crew in one piece, and make time with a certain hard-to-get weapons chief, he might just have to make an exception--and save the galaxy in spite of himself!
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About G.J. Koch
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The Giveaway
THE RULES
What: One commenter will win a copy of Alexander Outland: Space Pirate from Night Shade Books. If the winner has a US mailing address the winner will win a print copy of the novel. If the winner is International (i.e., does not have a US nailing address) the winner will receive a digital copy of the novel.
How: Leave a comment answering the following question:
What is your favorite novel, TV show, movie, or comic set in outer space?
Please remember - if you don't answer the question your entry will not be counted.
You may receive additional entries by:
1) Being a Follower of The Qwillery.
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3) Mentioning the giveaway on your on blog or website. It must be your own blog or website; not a website that belongs to someone else or a site where giveaways, contests, etc. are posted.
There are a total of 4 entries you may receive: Comment (1 entry), Follower (+1 entry), Facebook and/or Twitter (+ 1 entry), and personal blog/website mention (+1 entry). This is subject to change again in the future for future giveaways.
Please leave links for Facebook, Twitter, or blog/website mentions. You MUST leave a way to contact you.
Who and When: The contest is open to all humans on the planet earth. If the winner has a US mailing address the winner will win a print copy of the novel. If the winner is International the winner will receive a digital copy of the novel. Contest ends at 11:59pm US Eastern Time on Thursday, June 14, 2012. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 years old or older to enter.
*Giveaway rules are subject to change.*
