Heather’s Bookshelf: Author Interview with Liam Gibbs

Book Title:  : In a Galaxy Far, Far Awry Book 1: Serial Fiction Sideshow

Released:  07/18/15

Genre:  SciFi/Parody Novella

Interview by Heather L. Barksdale

What inspired you to write “In a Galaxy Far, Far Awry”?

Gibbs: There are a lot of answers to that one, and it goes back a few years. Decades. No, let’s go with years because I don’t want to be old. But the whole thing started with a love of Star Wars, superhero comics and Saturday morning cartoons. Add to that when I first saw Spaceballs, and it became a spoof comedy. When I started writing, my grandfather read really early drafts, and he encouraged me to keep going. So the series has a few inspirations: space (Star Wars and other space operas, even The Transformers), comics (Marvel and DC), and comedies (Spaceballs, Futurama, Seinfeld, and the like).

How did you come up with the names of your main characters?

Gibbs: A lot of character names were evolutions. They started out as one thing and ended up as another. But they were all inspired by goofy superhero names. For example, Master Asinine, the main antagonist, was a spin off Doctor Octopus. They both have the same ring in your ear.

Is there anything that you want readers to know about you, your writing process or your book?

Gibbs: I want people to know that my books are a counterpoint to the angsty, dark books out there. Mine are the lighthearted side of storytelling. My series, In a Galaxy Far, Far AwRy, is there for readers to forget the nastiness in the world, sit back, and engross themselves in a good laugh.

Having said that, I find that comedy books aren’t taken too seriously. There’s a stigma about comedy, as if the assumption is that the writer doesn’t take the craft seriously. Comedy writers aren’t just goofing off. Comedy writers take their craft as seriously as any other author, and it’s very tough to write comedy. Whatever pain goes into a book, you have to add another layer of comedy on top of that. I put my books through a heavy editing process to make sure it’s top-notch stuff by the time it hits the readers.

So these books are about as polished as I can manage.

If "In a Galaxy Far, Far Awry” were adapted into a movie, who would you like to see cast to play your lead characters?

Gibbs: Haha, I often ask myself that question, but I always come up empty. I think Serial Fiction Sideshow would be a cartoon movie, so it would come down to voice acting. I’d love to hear John DiMaggio (Futurama’s Bender) do Schizophrenic’s left head. Schizophrenic is a two-headed jerk, and the left head has a gruff, condescending attitude I think he could perfect. Legion, the primary protagonist, would be Dan Gilvezan (Bumblebee from The Transformers and Spider-Man from Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends). Amaranthia is probably Tara Strong from her My Little Pony stuff.

When you encounter writer’s block, what do you do to break yourself out of it?

Gibbs: Go for a walk. It’s therapeutic to go outside and stop staring at your screen. Aside from that, moving around gets your blood flowing, and that helps the thought process. I’d like to say it’s a scientific fact that walking cures writer’s block, but I’m no doctor, so I’ll just say it’s a scientific opinion.

Are there any tips that you would like to share with other aspiring authors?

Gibbs: Learn what you’re doing. Take all the advice you hear from other authors you like, use it all, learn what works for you and what doesn’t, and chuck what’s holding you back. That sounds like a long process…and it is. But the idea is to not give up on it. Don’t get uninterested. If writing really is for you, keep at it. Don’t stress over having to write 500 words a day because someone says you have to write every day. Life is going to get in the way. Write when you can, write when you’re not inspired, write, but don’t miss the other important things in life because you feel you have to get a certain word count in or you’ve failed.

But hone your craft. Learn how to use a dialogue tag, when to use one, and when not to. Learn what effect a paragraph break has. Learn when dialogue and narration are redundant to each other. Pay attention to your personal clichés (like if your characters are always blinking or gulping) and avoid overusing them. Think about the effect every word has. Just learn your craft and practice.

What is your favorite genre, book, and/or author?

Gibbs: I still like comic books, but I never get time to read them. But for prose stuff, I like horror, comedy, sci-fi, and occasionally sneaky espionage stuff. I find espionage hard to follow, so I just go along for the ride. But I like reading Stephen King, F. Paul Wilson, Dean Koontz, Fabian Nicieza, and probably a few others I can’t remember off the top of my head.

What are you working on next?

Gibbs: In a Galaxy Far, Far AwRy is coming around to its big 25th book, so that’s my next work. I’m currently about 25 percent through. After that, I’m probably going to take a break from the series and switch genres. I’ve had a horror idea jumping around my head for years I’d like to tackle. But who knows? I might feel a burst of energy after tackling big ol’ number 25 and stick with the comedy sci-fi genre.

Learn More About the Author and In a Galaxy Far, Far Awry here:

Website: http://tiny.cc/iagffa_www

Facebook: http://tiny.cc/iagffa_facebook

Twitter: http://tiny.cc/iagffa_twitter

Linkedin: http://tiny.cc/iagffa_linkedin

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