Ask the Author: Daniel Sullivan
Answered Questions (14)
Daniel Sullivan
I opened the newspaper.
The events of the world were more horrifying than anything I might read in any horror novel.
The events of the world were more horrifying than anything I might read in any horror novel.
Daniel Sullivan
Is there really a ghost on the upper floor of our house?
Daniel Sullivan
The summer is over, but this past summer, I read "Crossfire", "Crucible", and "An Alien Light", all by Nancy Kress. I also read books by some authors I know personally. Debra Parmley's "Defensive Instructor" and Theresa Ford's Colony One both made it onto my Kindle this year. I read Defensive Instructor and am currently reading Colony One.
Daniel Sullivan
The universe of the "The Culture" in Iain M. Banks' Culture series. The post scarcity world has so many possibilities. Once there, I would like to live for a year in that society, perhaps play a game or two with Jernau Morat Gurgeh.
Daniel Sullivan
Probably Captain Lorgen. He's an unreasoning, misogynistic bigot and I truly enjoyed writing the protagonists' victories over him.
Daniel Sullivan
Kind of a whichever idea is speaking loudest to me at the time. A lot of ideas have to kind of ferment for a little while until they're ready for print. With sequels - my last three books (including the forthcoming "Ceres Retrograde") have been sequels - the focus in narrowed considerably, but it's the same for those as well.
Daniel Sullivan
Yes. Even if I don't agree with it, it does give me insight into how different readers perceive what I write. I have been fortunate not to have been trolled on the internet as of yet.
Daniel Sullivan
I grew up on Star Trek and Star Wars, so these almost certainly informed my writing. I was watching Farscape and Firefly when I began writing my first novel, "The Silver Liner: Takes Flight!" The series, "Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda," definitely had an influence as well.
As for authors, most of my reading has been more in the fantasy genre. Katherine Kurtz was a huge influence for me, and to a lesser extent, David Eddings.
As far as world building goes, Star Wars and Star Trek were probably the largest influences, though my stories tend to be on less grand of a scale than those.
As for authors, most of my reading has been more in the fantasy genre. Katherine Kurtz was a huge influence for me, and to a lesser extent, David Eddings.
As far as world building goes, Star Wars and Star Trek were probably the largest influences, though my stories tend to be on less grand of a scale than those.
Daniel Sullivan
Write. If you can't think of what to write, write anyway. I allocate time daily for writing, and even if I only manage a sentence or two, something gets written. Ninety nine times out of a hundred, I find the block just goes away. If it doesn't, I write what may feel like substandard prose and then look at it the next day, often surprised that it was actually pretty good.
Daniel Sullivan
Never having to say, "I wish someone would write a story like that." If I want to see it written, I write it!
Daniel Sullivan
Start writing, and finish a first draft of something, anything. Have someone you trust beta read it, and then go back in and work on that second draft. When your ideas come, write them down. If you remove material from a draft, never, ever delete it - paste it to a document and put it in a folder so that you can use it later.
Nothing is trash. Everything you've written is an idea that came from your heart, and if you keep it, you may find it serves as inspiration for a future story!
Nothing is trash. Everything you've written is an idea that came from your heart, and if you keep it, you may find it serves as inspiration for a future story!
Daniel Sullivan
I'm currently working on both the fourth book in the Silver Liner series, the first book in the forthcoming Cyber Secession series, and a Superman fan-fiction.
Daniel Sullivan
I read a lot and watch a lot of movies in the genres that I write. I also get inspiration from weird, seemingly unrelated things. When I want to write, but need motivation, I just sit down and start typing. If I'm not inspired, I usually am after a few minutes - or an hour and a few cups of coffee.
Daniel Sullivan
My most recent book was the third in a series, and the fourth is ... forthcoming. The first book in the series was inspired by Farscape, Andromeda, and a conversation between myself and a friend about what would have happened if Elvis Presley had been cast as Han Solo in Star Wars. The sequels took on a life of their own as I wrote them, but everything stems from that original idea.
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