10 Questions with Mike

Q: What genre do you most like to read?

Definitely science fiction, though I read a fair amount of non-fiction as well, mostly history. I should probably vary it a bit more, but yeah, mostly sci-fi.

Q: What are some of your non-writing hobbies?

I sometimes GM role-playing games for my friends. The old West End Games Star Wars D6 game is an old favorite of mine, and we’re currently enjoying the recent Star Trek Adventures game by Modiphius.

I also have been trying my hand at customizing action figures, to varying degrees of success. Sometimes I’ll put my dog in his backpack, and we’ll go record shopping or for a bike ride. My wife and I watch a lot of Star Trek; TNG is our happy place.

Q: Which authors do you admire?

Growing up, I was a big fan of Daniel Pinkwater and Douglas Adams. I think my editor spends most of his time picking them out of my work; the series is generally serious in tone, but as in real life, I can’t be serious all the time.

I read a lot of Tom Clancy and Michael Crichton as a kid, too, so all that techno-thriller stuff is kinda baked into my writing to some degree (hopefully not obviously so). J. Michael Straczynski’s epic novel-for-television Babylon 5 is probably a core touchstone for me, as well; people sleep on it because it’s maybe a bit low-budget for its time, but that was such a tremendous work, overall. After all, if we judged shows by production value we wouldn’t have much Doctor Who.

Philip K. Dick, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., Thomas Pynchon, Neal Stephenson, Naomi Novik, Frank Herbert and Lawrence Miles is a pretty good start as far as prose authors go, though I’m sure there are others I will think of later. After writing this book, I finally read A Fire Upon The Deep by Vernor Vinge, and I thought it was absolutely brilliant. I started reading some older SF books for my webseries Mike’s Book Report, and have subsequently become a big fan of Diane Duane’s Star Trek books.

Q: Can you tell us about your book?

It’s about a team of specialists sent out to explore the greater galaxy outside the solar system. But it’s not that simple. Recently, the system has been attacked by mysterious forces from outside the system, and there is an isolationist faction who wants to keep anyone from leaving, and has both the legal and military means to do so.

Q: Does your book’s title have special meaning?

Pangolins have no offensive capabilities; they curl up when threatened. I wanted to name the ship after an animal that is both tough and harmless. And if, by invoking the name, I can draw attention to their real-life plight, even better.

Q: Where did you get the initial idea for this book?

Relating to the earlier question about authors, I read The Hunt For Red October as a kid, and I really enjoyed how it wasn’t just an action story. The book is full of competent people trying to do the right thing, without being 100% sure what the right thing is, and all these different layers come together to form a techno-thriller, or whatever. And it stuck with me that there’s a bad guy or two in the story, but you could probably remove them and the story would almost work just as well. The anime series Legend of the Galactic Heroes was an influence as well; multiple factions, with no clear antagonist - everyone is the hero of their own story. (I had to stop watching it after a handful of episodes, as it was giving me too many ideas. Hopefully, someday I can finish it.) Throw in a little Dune and a dash of The Expanse and you’ve got a stew going (RIP Carl Weathers).

When I set out to write this book, I wanted to create something similar. Also at top of mind when I sat down to write was the fact that lately old favorite SF entertainments like Star Trek had temporarily given a backseat to ideas like exploring the galaxy in favor of being dark and edgy for some reason, so I wanted to create a setting that was both accessible to everyone and had a focus on exploration, though I know now that it will take me a few books to really get the titular Republic itself operating as a functional polity.

Q: What was the most challenging aspect of writing this book?

Finding the time. It took a few years to write the book, since I work full time. Writing can be tough - I don’t know how it is for everyone else, but if I’m not in the right headspace, it’s not going to happen no matter how much trash I put on the page. Some people can force a flow state, but that is not me. But when I’m in it, it’s awesome. The best feeling is when the story writes itself, especially when it surprises you.

Q: What was your favorite scene to write?

The giant spider, maybe? It’s such a random scene, really. I’m not a huge fan of writing action scenes, generally, but that one was all gooey and gross. And anything with Lucas Wong, Space Pirate is a good time. Major Sato is always fun, too.

Q: Who is your favorite character in this book?

That’s a tough call. I like all of them for different reasons…today, maybe it’s Clyde Stringfellow.

Q: Give us a sneak peek of what you’re writing next!

Ok, sure! [gets up, leaves room, does not return]