Interview with Simon carr
Author of Space and Stuff
satirical science fiction writer from Blackburn in the north of England.
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How would you describe space and stuff to a new reader?
- it is a satirical bit of nonsense and the only reason for it existing is to just make people laugh.
What was the inspiration behind space and stuff ?
- just a desire to make something funny that will make people laugh, there's a lot of political references in it only because the state of politics right now is a hotbed for satire, I do try to not fall on any side of the fence politically and the best way to do that was to ridicule them all.
Which authors do you admire? How have they influenced your writing style?
- sadly for me, I can't read anything more advanced than chip and biff, I have very bad dyslexia so my influences all come from film and tv, the only books I have read are the lord of the rings books it took me 2 years and I took in none of it, my influences are Monty pythons flying circus, a hitchhiker's guild to the galaxy, red dwarf, airplane in fact any film with Lesley Neilson in it.
Can you tell us a little about the locations in the book?
- it is set in a universe separate from ours far in the future, most of it happens on a planet called Mung, Mung is a shell of its former self ruined by pollution overpopulation and environmental disasters, it is home to just one remaining colony Capornicus scrounging an existence from exporting mud.
What advice would you give to aspiring authors? How would you advise a new author about traditional publishing versus self publishing?
- self-publishing is a lot of work it takes up most of your time and money with very little in the way of exposure or book sales, if you are going to do it you must do it for the love of storytelling or writing, being successful at it is very rare.
What's your writing process?
- as well as dyslexia I also have autism, I have always lived my life 5% in reality and 95% in a daydream, all I do is write it down when I get home, of all the problems I have had writer's block has never been one of them.
Which character in space and stuff has had the greatest impact on readers?
- from the feedback I have had, I think it has the be the chancellor Burt Bearhump, he has the biggest transformation in the story and most of the best lines.
If space and stuff were to be adapted for TV or film, who would you see in the lead role? Who did you have in your mind’s eye when you wrote him/her?
- I try not to have one lead player, I try to have a team of main players but the story flows mostly around Dave, when writing it I always imagined Dave as Carl Pilkington.
How have readers responded to space and Stuff
- I was surprised how much they liked it, Space and Stuff was my first book and with being Dyslexic I was expecting a lot of negative responses over continuity or incorrect use of words or punctuation but that never happened, the response was very positive and most importantly for me, they found it funny.
Where next? What are you working on now?
- I am currently half the way through Space and Stuff 3, it is my infinity war, it is the end product of 4 books (space and stuff, pie-eyed space and stuff 2 and the documented doings of Rick Toenail space sheriff and princess power) incorporating them all into one grand finish, once this is done I am finished with Space and Stuff universe and will start a new project.
