Interview with James McGovern; Author of "Martin King and the Space Angels"

Martin King is just an ordinary teenage boy in love with a girl... until he gets a superpower. Martin and his friends Darcy and Tommy must use their new powers to save the Earth from an evil force called XO5. But who really is XO5 – and what does he want with Martin?

The book is available in paperback and Kindle eBook. 

Is there something that inspires your writing (certain music, another book, etc?)

Random things often inspire me—TV shows, films, books, music, etc. The Russell T. Davies and Steven Moffat eras of Doctor Who have been a particular inspiration for me while writing Martin King and the Space Angels. I can always find inspiration in the Harry Potter series. I nearly always listen to music while writing—usually something that is completely unrelated to my book, even to a comic degree. To give you some examples, while writing my current book I was listening mainly to Murray Gold, Tom Waits and the soundtracks from Quentin Tarantino films.

Do you start out writing for a particular audience, or do you see where you writing takes you?

I write specifically for young adults, but at the same time I'm aware that someone of any age could pick up one of my books and so I try to make my writing widely appealing. I also never talk down to teenagers; young people can always sense condescension, and it nearly always makes for a bad book. Just look at any episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures, particularly the episodes written by Gareth Roberts. It's high-quality, thoughtful, exciting writing, and young people love it.

During your writing process, is anyone allowed to read what you've written?  If not, at what point do you share?

No. Absolutely not. I only ever let people read the book after at least three drafts; that is, when the book is already in a publishable (or near-publishable) state. A lot of non-writers don't understand the drafting process, and they can mistake early drafts for poor writing skills. Besides, why would anyone want to share their work with their friends when they know it's not in a fit state to be read?

If you could visit any location or event to promote your book, where would it be and why?

With the advent of Twitter and Facebook, it's much easier to reach people without having to travel anywhere. I don't have any great desire even to leave the house on most days.

Is there a particular moment that has affected your writing?  Do you mind sharing it?

Not really. Most influences on my writing come from external sources, i.e. books, films, and music. It's an old writing cliché to 'write what you know', but I've never been remotely interested in consciously working my own experiences directly into a text.

If you could meet one person (alive or living) who would it be?

There are many people I would love to meet. Obviously, virtually every writer for young people would love to meet J.K. Rowling. I would love to meet John Swartzwelder, who is a writer of immense genius.

What are you currently reading?

I'm going to Oxford University in October so I'm currently reading a strange mix of YA fiction for my personal enjoyment as well as books on the Oxford reading list. At the moment I'm reading Divergent by Veronica Roth and Aurora Leigh by Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

 

 

Happy Reading!

-Melly