What kind of research goes into developing a sci-fi world?

It varies depending on the project. For example, for the Ecosystem Trilogy, I had to learn a lot about (big surprise) ecosystems so I could create my own, sci-fi version of one. But for Freefall, which is set on an exoplanet, I had to research space exploration and colonization. I don’t write “hard” sci-fi, so I always end up taking liberties with the facts, but at the same time, I want the world I’ve created to be plausible enough that readers can lose themselves in it and not say, “hey, wait a minute!” on every other page.

Do you draw on other fantasy worlds to help develop your own?

Oh, for sure! The Ecosystem books have little parts of Dune, The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, the Thomas Covenant series, and other stories I’ve loved over the years. I don’t think it’s possible to avoid being influenced in that way, and I don’t think it would be a good thing even if you could avoid it. Each imagined world gains depth and complexity from its points of contact with other imagined worlds, so as long as you’re not outright plagiarizing—setting your novel in a magical school called Warthogs with a wizard main character named Perry Hotter—I think you’re enriching your story-world by paying tribute to others.

What authors/books inspired your writing? Do you read the same genre that you write?

I’ve been a voracious reader my whole life, starting with books that would have been called YA if the category existed when I was a kid—such as the novels of Judy Blume and S. E. Hinton—then graduating to “adult” fantasy and sci-fi, along with the “classic” literature I read in college and grad school (and still read today). To give you an idea of how wide-ranging my reading is, this past month I read the historical novel Giants in the Earth, the contemporary YA thriller Following, and the nonfiction book on baseball analytics, Moneyball. Next up is Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying, which I’m re-reading for a class I teach. Everything I read is inspirational, because everything I read goes into my brain and comes out in odd and unexpected forms. That’s why writers have to be readers: not because any particular book or genre teaches you “how to write,” but because every story you read adds to your ability to tell your own.

What is your ideal writing setting (outside, at a desk, etc.)?

Sadly, I find myself desk-bound most of the time when I’m writing. I wish I could venture into the great outdoors, or take my laptop to some cool, funky bookstore and type away while soaking up the book-vibes, but the truth is, I can’t write unless I cut out every possible distraction. That means no music, no social media, no food or drink or other people while I’m writing. The only problem is that I write at home, so occasionally I do have to interact with my wife and kids!

Do you have any writing exercises or habits?

I’m not much of a planner, because I find that I make my best discoveries as a writer when I don’t know what’s coming next. Setting is very important to each of my stories, so I do like to draw a rough map of my imagined world before I start. I also jot down brief chapter summaries, but usually only after I’m midway through a manuscript and want to make sure I tie up all the loose ends. What this approach means is that I tend to produce really messy drafts, which is okay since I’m a good reviser. I think every writer has to find the habits that work for them, with the only requirement being that if you want to be a writer, you have to write.

Any advice for aspiring authors?

The best advice I can give—and I learned this the hard way—is to focus on what you can control, not what you can’t. Look, there is ultimately nothing you can do to assure yourself of commercial success as a writer: you can write the best book you’re capable of, and you can market it all you want (or all you can afford), but there’s still no guarantee it’ll hit the bestseller lists. The publishers have a formula, which involves pouring most of their promotional dollars into a few “big” books each year (usually the ones written by the already established authors who least need the support), but even that formula doesn’t always pan out, while occasionally, a book no one expected to hit it big goes viral. The one and only thing you can control as a writer is your writing. So write, and dream, and have fun, and maybe you’ll make a splash. But even if you don’t, you’ll still have written. And dreamed. And had fun. Which is what the whole thing should be about.

Joshua David Bellin has been writing novels since he was eight years old (though the first few were admittedly very short). A college teacher by day, he has published numerous works of fantasy and science fiction, including the two-part Survival Colony series (Survival Colony 9 and Scavenger of Souls), the deep-space adventure Freefall, and the short story collection Ten Tales of Terror and Terra. The Ecosystem series—Ecosystem, The Devouring Land, and House of Earth, House of Stone—is his latest work of speculative fiction. In his free time, Josh likes to read, watch movies, and take long nature hikes with his kids. Oh, yeah, and he likes monsters. Really scary monsters.

You can find him on his website, blog, Twitter, and Facebook.

Author of The Boy from the Snow, Maria Johnson, was kind enough to take some time to answer some questions I had for her about her book and writing style!

What caused you to write a historical fiction novel? Particularly one set in Northwest Celtic England? 

My novel ‘The Boy from the Snow’ is really all about my main character Daniel and telling his story, which I’ve had in my head since I was a child. I knew Daniel would’ve lived hundreds of years ago, so that’s what drew me to historical fiction. After that, it was about finding out where he would fit best into history. After looking up a few different historical periods, I decided on Celtic England, specifically 590 AD. In that period of history there are warring kings and rival kingdoms, which is an important aspect of the story.

As for the location, I’m based in the North West and have spent several happy holidays in the Lake District, so I knew it would be a wonderful place to set Daniel’s story and fits well with the plot. Whilst the smaller kingdoms of Klumeck and Gaeson are fictional, the wider kingdom of Rheged, spanning most of what we know now as Cumbria in NW England, really existed.

Do you have a special connection with any of the characters? 

Yes! My connection with Daniel, the main character, began years ago when I was a child. When I was about 7, my brother had Lego. While he was would be building all sorts of things, I used to take the little yellow people and make up stories about them. One of them was a soldier character who used to be a stable boy when he was growing up- that’s when the character of Daniel was born. I also came up with the characters of Princess Evelyn and King Cedric, who feature heavily in the book.

As a female, did you find it more difficult to put yourself in Daniel’s shoes?

Not really, no! Perhaps it’s because I feel like I’ve known Daniel since I was 7, so I didn’t find that aspects of him were particularly difficult to write.

How long did you research and what things did you discover in your research?

The research process took quite a while! It was quite a long time before I started writing, then also I kept dipping back into research as I went along. I absolutely loved researching, as it really helped put colours onto the word I’d been building and imagining. I’ve really loved the idea of having Daniel be a stepping board into a wider world of history. I’ve learned things about the period, especially battles of the time and King Urien, who was the supreme king of Rheged (the bigger Northwest Celtic Kingdom where the book is based) that I never would’ve discovered otherwise.

Princess Evelyn is a strong-willed character. Did you draw inspiration on someone to help build her independent personality?

As far as I’m aware I wasn’t drawing on anyone specific at the time, but thinking about it in recent years I probably subconsciously based Evelyn on the characters of Arwen and Eowyn from ‘The Lord of the Rings’. Both are strong, royal characters who have independent wills.

Another character I definitely know I drew my own inspiration from was the character of Aife, one of Daniel’s oldest friends and one of the foremost warriors in Gaeson’s army. She’s been one of my favourite characters to write and is especially gifted with a bow and arrow, so you wouldn’t want to mess with her! In my head Aife is a mix between the character of Tauriel from the Hobbit films and Katniss from The Hunger Games.

What kind of books do you generally read? Are there any books (or authors) that you feel inspired by when you’re writing?

Writing historical fiction has definitely awakened a passion in me for reading that genre, which I’m thrilled about. I absolutely love the balance between it being our own world that I’m reading about, but so different from the one we know today that it feels like fantasy. I’m currently loving reading Annie Whitehead’s novel ‘To Be a Queen’, telling the story of Aethelflaed, daughter of Alfred the Great. This year I’ve also read the novel ‘Osbert’ by RA Currier, telling the story of a shepherd in Medieval England which was absolutely magnificent.

As I’ve mentioned Lord of the Rings has definitely inspired my writing and remains one of my favourite novels.

What can we look forward to seeing from you in the future?

In September I signed a contract with my publishers, Olympia, to publish ‘The Veiled Wolf’, the sequel to ‘The Boy from the Snow’. Hopefully it will be published maybe in the autumn next year, but there isn’t a confirmed publication date yet.

 The sequel is set a little over a year after the end of my first book. When their plans to retake a kingdom now in the hands of the enemy go awry, Daniel discovers there may be a spy in Gaeson, known only as ‘the Wolf’. The more Daniel attempts to solve the identity of this veiled agent, the more he starts do doubt those closest to him. After the Veiled Wolf threatens to destroy those he loves, however, Daniel must act quickly before all he cares for is lost.

I’m also about 2/3 way through my first draft of a 3rd novel continuing Daniel’s story, set four years after the end of ‘The Veiled Wolf’ so hopefully this too might be published in future years.

Any advice for aspiring writers?

This may sound like a cliché, but don’t give up on your writing. It’s just over two years since I opened up the email from Olympia offering publication and it really has changed my life! I can still remember pressing the submit button on their online form, probably already believing it would already be a no… but it wasn’t. It’s so easy not to have any confidence in your writing or think that publication can never be an option, but there might come a day when you find an acceptance email in your inbox, too. One of the things I’ve learned as a writer is to develop the ‘author’s voice’ which allows a writer to tell their story in a voice that is uniquely yours. So never give up writing, writers- because nobody can tell a story quite the way you can!