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| Cover Art by Marc Guerrero |
One of the more recent releases to come from Pro Se Press is Savior by Don Thomas. The Free Choice E-zine recently had a chance to chat with the author, starting with a brief, spoiler free synopsis about the novel and it's origins.
Don Thomas: Savior is about a government agency created
to deal with the various issues facing the United States after a large
pandemic of unknown origins, known as 'Red Death', breaks throughout the world. One agency quickly gains sweeping and highly unusual
escalating prominence and authority over all the citizens of America in a handful
of years. The story mainly focusing on ex-SAVIOR field operations leader Steve
Ryker, codenamed 'Archangel ' and the few
surviving members of his unit, who come to the realization that things in the
world have gone horribly wrong and the organization they once loyally
served seems to be responsible.
Way back in the early 90's, my friend Mark Galbraith made a comment
about how most stories you read in books or watch in movies generally were
either heavily derived from other sources or completely ripped off from them.
And so he challenged me as a writer to come up with something that was
completely original. So I sat down and came up with the basic concept and
the majority of characters for Savior. Then over the years I put together
different parts of the world and universe until things had developed to the
point where the first book became solid reality.
The Free Choice E-zine: Pro Se Press is part of the New Pulp movement. What is New Pulp to you?
Don: New Pulp is more action orientated and tends not to get
bogged down with the sort of material that tends to be a stumbling block of
more readers. It focuses more on high-octane, page-turning action and dynamic tension, coupled with deep
characterization through other methods besides long tedious sections that have
the appearance of filler.
TFCE: Why do you write what you do?
Don: I like telling stories. The story is what is important, whether my own or
another person's I recount for friends. To give someone that has never experienced it in it's
totality from beginning to middle to end is always a very precious gift to be
able to give, no matter what the length or depth of that story.
TFCE: What inspires you to write?
Don: I would like for my daughter to be proud of me. And I want
to be able to give her a better life. Sky is blue, water's wet, and writers
write. If I could play an instrument or write my own songs, I would be telling
stories that way. But I can't and don't have the time left in my life to offset
my poor skill in either one. So I write.
TFCE: What has influenced your style and technique?
Don: Ray Bradbury and Issac Asimov immediately
come to mind as far as science fiction. They certainly weren't
the only two that wrote all that science fiction from 1920's to the
early 1960's; but they are a tough act to follow. And when it came time to pass the torch to a younger generation of Sci Fi writers, in my opinion that torch was
a blazing inferno. And before them it took men like H.G. Wells and Edgar Rice
Burroughs to get that torch started...or keep it from burning out completely, whichever you prefer.
TFCE: What would be your dream project?
Don: A $300 Million Dollar production budget film with at least $100
Million for marketing. I would want to write it, have a healthy bit of creative
control, and either direct it myself or have someone direct that fully
understands they were subordinate to the story.
TFCE: Where do you foresee yourself within the next
few years?
Don: My motto is always “Onward towards the future.” I see
myself doing what I can, hopefully in a better position that right now, working on
stories to present to others as precious gifts.
TFCE: Out of curiosity, have you ever been confused with Don Thomas, the astronaut?
Don: Sometimes, but I am not him. That's some other guy. I've only been to outer space within my imagination.
TFCE: Any other projects you would like to promote before we conclude this interview??
Don: The Town the Demanded Recompense is short story that will be
published in an upcoming issue of Pro Se Presents. I also have several different short stories that I am
working on in conjunction with the Altus Press and Pro Se Press' Pulp Obscura collaborative
effort. I also have an epic fantasy novel in the works.
Savior is available from Pro Se Press at www.prosepulp.com
Create Space item number 3838087 at https://www.createspace.com/3838087
Smashwords for E-copies at http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/146388
and Amazon's own website at www.amazon.com
