“Attacked and injected with a drug which slows his metabolism to a fraction of normal, Martin James becomes an unwilling time traveler who hurtles through the years.” We’ve talked to W. Lawrence about his new book, Syncing Forward.
First of all can you tell us a bit about your new novel, Syncing Forward?
Syncing Forward is a first person narrative which follows Martin James, a man who is unwillingly injected with a drug that slows his metabolism to a crawl. Doctors struggle to cure his condition as Martin watches his wife grow old, his children grow up, and the world fall apart in a hyper-realistic way. The story focuses mainly on Martin and his relationships, with the sci-fi aspects blending into the background.
How did you come up with the idea for the story?
Syncing Forward was inspired by a lucid dream I had back in 2011. My wife suggested I turn it into a book, although in retrospect I believe she simply wanted to go back to sleep.
“Travel to the future” it says in the blurb, but your concept of Time Travel is rather different isn’t it?
The main character is placed into a state of chemopreservation, technology that is similar to cryopreservation (in intent anyway). While there are dozens of stories out there which use this technology as a catalyst for catapulting a hero into futuristic setting, my main character Martin James is fully conscious through his journey forward. This places him in a position where he painfully watches his family on fast forward, interacting with them as best he can, with the occasional “pit stop” every four years, or fourteen years… As he moves forward in time, you learn right along with Martin, feel his losses, experience his frustrations.
Can you give us some insight into your main character, Martin James?
Martin is a corporate investigator, a company man trying to eek out a living in a soft economy and a country riddled with terrorist acts. He’s not a superhero, he isn’t well connected, and one review even pointed out he isn’t terribly charismatic. His skills are pretty rudimentary: he can speak Spanish and he can interview people with a high degree of skill. Mostly his identity is like a lot of men out there – he’s a dad and husband who struggles with his bills.
What goals might you have set for yourself when writing Syncing Forward and how do you feel about the end result?
The story was -in a sense- given to me from wherever dreams come from, and I felt obligated to tell it. To not do so would have felt wrong to me. The strongest facets of the story deal with family loyalty and coping with the consequences of our actions. Those had to remain for me to feel good about the book and I can say that I achieved those goals. Much of what happens in the story is between the lines, though. Those are the parts of the story I want the reader to figure out on there own.
Can you tell us a bit about the process that led to the book being published?
I connected with a woman who eventually became my editor, C.S. Lakin, who is also an accomplished author. She has traditionally and self-published, and she encouraged me to do the latter for better control. That works out fine with me because I tend to be impatient; self-publishing is an instantaneous gratification.
How do you market your book?
Poorly, at times. I let my impatience get the better of me, taking a shotgun approach in the beginning. I tried everything from Facebook ads to Twitter to Goodreads, ads in various places, book signings. Most of it was ineffectual. Eventually I hired a publicity manager who focused my efforts and really helped.
What sort of challenges, as a writer, might you have faced before your first book was published? Any insights you would be able to share for those aspiring writers seeking advice?
I highly recommend having a professional critique done on your manuscript before you seek out a copy editor. Yes, you can have your boyfriend or wife or mom or best friend read it, and whoever it is will have good insight, but as a first time author a professional critique did more to help me than anything else. I understand it costs money, but you can have 50-page critiques done which are affordable and give you an opportunity to hone those first few chapters that will sink your book or hook your readers.
What is the hardest thing about writing?
Writing. No, I’m not being glib. Staying connected to your story by writing daily means you have to cut out something from your life (TV, going out, whatever) which is not easy. But if you are writing once a week, it is going to be difficult to reconnect with your story and characters. It won’t flow as well, which means that when you go back to revise (and you will many, many times) you will spend a lot of effort smoothing out the wrinkles.
You also recently became a finalist in the Book Pipeline competition, can you tell us a bit about that?
Script Pipeline was started about 15 years ago; a competition designed to open up doors for amateur script writers much like American Idol does for singers. In 2014, they created a spin-off called Book Pipeline which strives to have books adapted for film and/or TV. In August of this year, I will be traveling to Los Angeles to pitch Syncing Forward to some executives. Nothing is guaranteed, but I’m excited about the opportunity!
For your own reading, do you prefer ebooks or traditional paper/hard back books?
I prefer traditional books (I connect to them better), but I can’t turn my back on the ease and cost effectiveness of using an e-reader. And my old Kindle’s battery lasts for weeks – I love that.
What kind of books do you read, any favourite authors?
I love historical non-fiction, especially about pirates and mutinies. Mike Dash’s Batavia’s Graveyard, Richard Zacks’ Pirate Coast. I have to be careful reading them while I am writing though, because my style switches in a way that is not terribly conducive to writing fiction. Science Fiction is my meat and potatoes. Robert Heinlein is my biggest influence (I’ve read over thirty of his books), but I read newer writers. Dan Abnett’s Eisenhorn is brilliant even if you don’t like Warhammer 40,000 novels. Steven Boyett’s Mortality Bridge is not sci-fi, but it is phenomenally written, poetic almost.
What do you do when you’re not writing, any hobbies?
I run when my knees don’t hurt. I like to shoot shotgun and pistol. It’s been awhile since I’ve fired a rifle (since leaving the U.S. Army, actually) but I enjoy it. I paint and play tabletop games like Dystopian Wars – if you haven’t seen it I recommend checking the models out. Steampunk ships are eye candy even if you never play the game.
What’s next, what are you working on now?
I’m currently writing a story unrelated to Syncing Forward. Moonshiners, ghost stories, time travel, and murder in an old house in North Carolina. It is turning into a fun and twisty tale- a much different tone from my first novel. I’m hoping to finish it up by the end of the year (or early next year).
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Interview by Dag Rambraut – SFFWorld.com © 2015
