#Author #interview with Tom Tinney, Author of “Threads” #Scifi

7 CommentsAuthor Interviews

Headshot Author Name: Tom Tinney

 Current Book in review cycle or hall of fame: Threads: Book One of the Fabric of the Universe

When was it written? Aug 2013

200 word Synopsis of that work?

It’s the year 2576 and socialism is dead.

Unfortunately, man’s inhumanity to his fellow man is not. In a universe full of opportunity for all, a chance encounter plants an evil seed and a psychotic killer begins stalking the female population of the MetroStellar.

In another part of the galaxy, a lone USS Marshal on a routine undercover mission stumbles into a 300-year-old cover-up. Things are never what they seem to be and both cases begin and end with the Intra Stellar Transportation and Exploration Company (ISTEC) and the planet they control, Exodus.

To close both cases will require the combined skills of the marshal and his twin brother, as they use their special bond to overcome the forces working against them and seek justice for those they have sworn to protect.

This is a story about family, the illusion of security and that things are not always what they seem. “Threads” shines a light on the what makes us great, as well as the darker side of man. It is the story of two brothers who discover they are stronger together, but they must first find the strength and greatness in themselves.

The Author has committed that 10% of the profits from the sale of Threads will go to ALS (Lou Gehrig disease) funding for research and patient care.

 

What inspired you to write this book?

A Co-worker pushed on me to “write a book” after I tossed out some storylines I had for novels. I am a bit of a Biker-Nerd, so I should have started with a Biker book, but I went to my first love, and that is SciFi.
What books have most influenced your life/writing?

Dune series by Herbert, The Dresden Files by Butcher, All of Raymond Feist, Count Zero and Neuromancer by William Gibson. And towards the end of the editing, the Honor Harrington Series by David Weber.

Which other Writer/Author would you consider a mentor?

Butcher and Herbert. I am told my writing reflects early Asimov and Heinlein. Tough shoes to fill, but those first two are huge influences.

What book are you reading now?

I was on some technical lit, but am about to start The Stone Gods by Pratt

Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?

Lots. I belong to a coupe of Indie review groups. Steven Roy, I like his matinee style of storytelling. Regina Joseph does a great job of blending Fantsy, scifi and politics. Gemma Farrow writes excellent vampire stories

What are your current projects?

Two. Blood of Invidia, which is a vampire/aliens SciFi book I am writing with my son . He lives in Australia, so when I am sleeping, he is writing and vice versa. I am also brushing off a copy of my manly Man Self help book “Neandra-sexual: Getting back in touch with your inner cavemen”. Women will hate that book.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing? Writing is easy. Finding time to edit, market and maintain all of the other things an Indie Author must do is the hard thing. I wrote the 180,000 word draft of Threads in 6 weeks. I write quality stuff that fast. Then it takes a year to edit it and get it out.

Who designed the covers?

Stephen Adamo did the final graphic based on some preliminary ideas I gave him

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Time. Finding the time to clear your mind and just write.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Just that I wrote this project with a charitable goal in mind. That is why I donate 10% of the profits to ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) research and patient care. The cause hits close to home.

If a character in your book could order anything they want from a restaurant, what would it be and who would it be? (oh, and why?)
Honey. Churanth would order it. You’ll have to read to find out.

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ThreadsFabricOfTheUniverseBookOne

Twitter: @fotu_threads

Website: www.TomTinney.com

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7 Comments

  1. Reply Geoff Nelder

    I’m a biker nerd two but of the push bike variety. I cycle hundreds of miles to visit family and sell my cycling adventures to cycling mags. Great relaxation even going up hills – haha, and I grab ideas for novels during the solo journeys.
    Your Threads sounds a bunch of good ideas.

  2. Reply Richard Bunning

    Great idea of cross hemisphere writing, only north and south rather than right or left. If the two of you are close enough on style you could be onto a brand new writing method. Well- new to me, anyway!

  3. Reply Tom Tinney

    Hey Richard, I can never tell when you are being complimentary or sarcastic, so I will assume you are being complimentary.

    Reviewers and beta readers have compared “Threads” to both of the masters and I am humbled.

    From wikipedia: “Asimov’s style has virtually all plot develops in conversation with little if any action. Nor is there a great deal of local color or description of any kind. The dialogue is, at best, functional and the style is, at best, transparent … The robot stories and, as a matter of fact, almost all Asimov fiction—play themselves on a relatively bare stage.”

    And, using wikipedia again, “Heinlein was at the top of his form during, and himself helped to initiate, the trend toward social science fiction, which went along with a general maturing of the genre away from space opera to a more literary approach touching on such adult issues as politics and human sexuality.”

    In my opinion, David Weber and William Gibson are great examples of these two styles blended brilliantly. Sharp, no-nonsense conversations and Short, intense scene descriptions, move the story along, but they were not confined to the duplication of Isaac’s efforts. But that is only one tool in their belt. They both springboard smoothly into excellent actions sequences, human interactions (Dialogue and physical), and descriptions of technologies, along with its philosophical implications. So the stark conversations and descriptions flow into the colorful and back into the stark as needed.

    Weber and Gibson are also masters at technical descriptions and explanations, at the time and place of their choosing. Some technology is explained in detail, others to be “accepted” as a commonplace item requiring no explanation of how it works or why. The reader is lead to accept the item as if they were living in the story’s universe. They are both very reminiscent of Heinlein, taking on social and political aspect as part of the story, or in some cases the theme the story rides over, while the characters and plotlines interweave with the stage that has been set.

    My work has strong elements of both styles, and I believe that is why the comparisons were made. The first half of the book is technical and a crime thriller set in the future. The back half of the book is, well, No spoilers, but it elicits reviews like “Mind Blown”.

  4. Reply Tom Tinney

    Yes, its on the second page int he amazon store and at the bottom of the UK list as the newest book.

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