Today’s
guest is science fiction author Mark Speed to tell us a bit about his novel, Doctor How and the Illegal Aliens.
During his tour, Mark
will be awarding one randomly chosen commenter a $50 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free
to visit other tour stops and enter there, too.
Mark Speed has been writing novels since he
was fifteen. His comedy writing has appeared in newspapers as diverse as the
London Evening Standard and The Sun, and been broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra.
He performed his solo comedy, The End of the World Show, at the Edinburgh
Fringe in 2011 and 2012. He is currently working on the five-volume Doctor How
series.
Amongst other postgraduate and professional
qualifications, he has a Master’s degree in Creative Writing from City
University, London. In 1995 a chiropractor told him he’d never run again.
Sensibly, he gave up chiropractors, runs every day and has completed several
marathons and a couple of Olympic-length triathlons.
NLP
founder Dr. Richard Bandler called him a ‘polarity responder.’
Book blurb:
Doctor How’s famous megalomaniac brother Doctor Who sold his
fictional life story to the BBC half a century ago, painting himself as a lone
hero. Disillusioned, their four cousins dropped out. For fifty years, Doctor
How has held the line against the forces of darkness and stupidity. And he’s
not that happy, since you ask.
Illegal aliens try to hack How’s Spectrel (TARDIS is a very rude
word where he comes from), just as he suspects his estranged cousin Where has
been compromised. When reports come in of mysterious attacks by alien
creatures, Doctor How has to rely on his new companion Kevin, a petty criminal
from south London, and Trinity, a morphing super-predator, as he counters this
threat to humanity’s existence. Bungling agents from MI16, long desperate to
capture the Time Keeper’s technology, hamper How’s efforts to combat the alien
menace. Can Doctor How keep ahead of MI16, save Where and combat the alien
threat?
Excerpt:
There
was a red telephone box on the pavement outside. The light inside was bright –
so bright that Kevin couldn’t see in – and yet the light didn’t illuminate the
area immediately around it. Even the black letters of the backlit TELEPHONE
sign were indistinct due to the brightness of the light behind them. The
obtrusiveness of the light made it difficult to see what was beyond it. As he
walked slowly past Where’s black cab, he noticed that the telephone box was not
reflected in its windows or polished paintwork. Thoughts of vampires crept
through his imagination.
“Doctor?”
he called.
“What
now? Can’t you see I’m busy?”
“Well,
no.”
Once
he’d skirted around the phone box, Kevin could see that the Doctor was somewhat
stretched. He was standing on the bonnet of the cab, with the tip of one finger
on its badge and the other touching the crown symbol above the TELEPHONE sign,
which was at the very limit of his reach.
“It’d
be a lot easier and faster if I could put my whole hand on both of them,” he
said.
“What
are you doing?”
“What
does it look like I’m doing, lad?”
“Um.
Is it kinda like when you have to jump-start a car with another one?”
“Yes,
it’s kinda like that,” the Doctor panted. “And before you point it out in your
own wonderfully literal way, yes: I’m kinda like a time-travelling breakdown
recovery service.” He paused to catch his breath again, and winced. “And I can
tell you it’s not particularly pleasant being the wiring. Thankfully, Where’s
Spectrel should shortly recover enough to be able to take a transdimensional
feed off mine. Ouch!”
Do you ever wish you
were someone else? Who?
I’d
never wish to be Who. However, I don’t wish I were How either – and especially
not Where. Being Prince William wouldn’t be bad, but I’m happy being me.
What did you do on
your last birthday?
Meditated
and did a slightly longer run than usual. I wrote 1,500 words of chapter five
of Doctor How and the Illegal Aliens.
My then-girlfriend came over with a birthday cake, and I had my cake and ate
it…
Do you have any tattoos? Where? When did you get it/them? Where are they on your body?
Some
people look great with the right tattoo but I have freckles.
What are you working on right now?
Working on book two of the Doctor How series, as yet untitled.
Is your life anything
like it was two years ago?
Two years ago I was preparing for three-week run of my comedy solo The End of the World Show, and preparing the spin-off book Apocalypse Later for publication. Doing a show consumes time and energy in a very different way to writing novels, and is ephemeral.
Two years ago I was preparing for three-week run of my comedy solo The End of the World Show, and preparing the spin-off book Apocalypse Later for publication. Doing a show consumes time and energy in a very different way to writing novels, and is ephemeral.
Ways to connect:
Thank you, Mark. Readers, don't forget to use the form below if you'd like a chance at the giveaway!
9 comments:
Hi Everyone, thanks so much to Lisa for hosting me today, and to Goddess Fish for promoting. I look forward to answering your questions.
Thanks for hosting!
Great excerpt; this sounds like such a fun, quirky read!
I'm just afraid of needles, but the freckle excuse is a good way to avoid tattoos, too!
vitajex(At)Aol(Dot)com
Great excerpt. What a visual description this is. Loved it.
Congratulations Mark.
Wonderful excerpt and mini-interview.
And Amazon GC please-thank you for the giveaway opportunity!
pharmx_2(at)hotmail (dot) com
Hi Everyone, thanks to Lisa for hosting me today, and to Goddess Fish for having arranged it all. Bedtime here in London, so must depart to the Land of Nod.
Great excerpt, I enjoyed it.
Kit3247(at)aol(dot)com
This book sounds like great fun to read.
kareninnc at gmail dot com
Post a Comment