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08-20-07: MilSciFi.com interviews author Bud Sparhawk, contributor to the upcoming military science fiction
anthology "Breach the Hull".
MilSciFi: “Welcome. What was your
inspiration for your stories?"
Sparhawk: "The
universe of CLAY’S PRIDE gave me the foundation background for both stories;
where the Fleet has become protector/watchdog of Earth’s far-flung
colonies. BROADSIDE arose from a
conversation with John Hemry about the realities of space warfare, while
ALLIANCES resulted from a conversation with Robert Chase about the economics of
interstellar travel. Most of the rest I
made up."
MilSciFi: "Do you have any
future plans for stories set in the same universe?"
Sparhawk: "I expanded CLAY’S PRIDE into
a novel that is now seeking a publisher.
I might do some more along the lines of ALLIANCES because the idea of
space piracy has a certain appeal and the characters were so engaging.
MilSciFi: "What is your
favorite story you have ever written and why?
Sparhawk: "They are all my children and
I love each of them, but I would say PRIMROSE AND THORN was my all-out
favorite. This story dealt with sailing
on Jupiter which involved learning a lot about the planet ( probe was sending
data back as I was writing it) and merging that with my love of sailing. This
story and its sequel were the keystone of my DANCING WITH DRAGONS anthology."
MilSciFi: "What are you
working on next?"
Sparhawk: "I am always working on three
or four pieces of short fiction and generally a novella. I want to develop more pieces on the Shardies
that were featured in BRIGHT RED STAR (and coming from the same concept, CLAY’S
PRIDE). I’m also working on a fantasy series and some more in the humorous SAM
BOONE series."
MilSciFi: "Give us the
details on your upcoming author appearances."
Sparhawk: "I will be at CapClave in
October, PhilCon in November, and Balticon in the spring."
MilSciFi: "Who is your
single-most influence in science fiction and what impact have they had on our
own work?"
Sparhawk: "I grew up on Sturgeon,
Asimov, and Bester but the main influence has been a lifelong subscription to
Astounding/Analog. Stan Schmidt has influenced my work considerably with his
gentle prodding, suggestions, and skillful editing of my submissions. I also
like him because he buys so much of my stuff."
MilSciFi: "Do you have any
awards you would like to share with us?"
Sparhawk: "I have been a finalist for
the Novella Nebula category three times and received a commendation from the
annual UPC Committee. I also got an
ANLAB award."
MilSciFi: "Do you have a
website where our readers can go to fine more information about your work?"
Sparhawk: "I have a complete
bibliography and other material of interest on my website http://sff.net/people/bud_sparhawk. Many of the stories listed are linked to
Fictionwise so that people can download them."
MilSciFi: "Is military science fiction
the only thing you write, or is there something else out there we should be
looking for?"
Sparhawk: "In 2001 an agent told me that, with a name like
mine, I should try to write some MilFic.
CLAY’S PRIDE came out of that suggestion, but partway through 9/11 came
about and resulted in BRIGHT RED STAR.
Portions of that story got me an invitation to this anthology. The direct answer to the question is that I
write a lot of “hard” SF, mostly for Analog."
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