P.A. Baines and a Giveaway! - CONTEST CLOSED
30 September 2010
“The ship loomed overhead, its shadow engulfing them. Its smooth white skin filled the window, slowly obscuring their view of the Earth as the elevator rose.”
That’s the first sentence from P.A. Baines’ latest release, Alpha Redemption.
From despair he fled, through tragedy he lived on,
and journeyed to innocence.
His trajectory: the stars.
His companion: a computer poised at the brink of sentience.
An unlikely friendship on a prototype spaceship at lightspeed towards Alpha Centauri, and redemption.
I’m super excited about featuring Paul and Alpha Redemption for three big reasons:
1. First international author I’ve ever interviewed.
2. First dude author I’ve ever interviewed.
3. First Sci-Fi book I’ve ever given away.
I love diversifying.
Paul was educated in Africa. He works as an analyst/programmer and is studying towards a degree in Creative Writing through the Open College of the Arts in England. He currently lives in a small corner of the Netherlands with his wife and two children, and various wildlife.
When I asked Paul about what it took to achieve his dreams of being published, this is what he had to say:
Getting the dreaded rejection slip is one of the hardest things for an aspiring writer to endure. We pour our hearts and souls into something we believe in, only to have it returned with a maddeningly polite “thank you, but no thank you”. I collected many such replies over the years and the pain that came with each was almost unbearable. I told myself it didn’t matter, but it did matter. I told myself that publication wasn’t important but, deep down inside, I knew it was, even if only as a means of proving that I could write to a reasonable standard.
I contemplated giving up many times. In fact, I probably seriously considered quitting after every stock rejection slip, but a day or a week or a month later I would be back at my keyboard, doing what I felt called to do. So if you ask me what I did that helped me to accomplish my goal, I would have to say that there was very little I could do, except picking myself back up and carrying on, even when it seemed as if the publishing industry would never want anything to do with me or my writing.
If you want to be published you have to write and you have to submit. You can’t win the lottery if you don’t pick the numbers, so send your stuff out. And while you’re waiting, don’t just sit staring at the letter box. Get busy improving your skills. Maybe one day that magical letter will arrive. Hopefully it will come while you are busy working on your next project.
I love that answer. I get frustrated when people suggest that me getting published at such a young age was just a stroke of good luck. Um, no. Like Paul talks about, I spent a lot of time writing, submitting, rewriting, submitting again, and so on. As scary as it is, you’ve got to keep putting yourself out there.
Paul and his publisher, Splashdown Books, have offered a free book to one lucky commenter. Often, we choose the winner randomly. Not so today, my friends. This time around, Paul will be choosing his favorite comment and bestowing them with the free book. So wield your powers… (Contest closes Tuesday, October 5th.)
For more information on Paul, check out his author site and blog. To order an ebook version of Alpha Redemption, click here, or if you’re a traditionalist and think all those e-reader types are nuts, you can click here to order a paperback.
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Comments
Yay, Stephanie – equal time for guys! Will definitely tell my husband, a sci-fi fan, about this so we can both read it!
Posted by Debbie McCool on 30 September 2010
Stephanie, thanks for having me over. I’m honored to be your first guy/sci-fi/international guest.
Roseanna, Debbie, hi and thanks for stopping by. I should tell you that Alpha is a bit different as far as speculative books go. I usually describe it as a human drama set in space. About half the book consists of the main character’s life before the mission, and has nothing to do with sci-fi. I wanted to write a story that would appeal to both sci-fi and non-sci-fi readers, while glorifying God. If you do get a chance to read it, I would love to know what you think and if I achieved my aim of reaching a wider audience.
Posted by Paul on 2 October 2010
Hi Stephanie – I like diversity too. You know… I don’t think I have done a male interview yet at my blog although I have had a couple male guest posts.
Paul – I like space dramas and have been reading more books in that area. Glorifying God in the book is a PLUS! I am a great believer that God and science do mix since God is the creator of science. It is man that just doesn’t understand or grasp it all yet!
I am so glad that your persevered. A good many authors I have read the past two years are fairly new authors and from small publishers. It is very hard to break into the field —- even with really good works! So keep at it and don’t get discouraged.
Best wishes on your release.
mesreadsATgmail.com
Posted by MarthaE on 2 October 2010
Hope I didn’t misrepresent you, Paul! Splashdown’s site said Sci-Fi, so that’s what I went with :)
And, Martha, how fun to hear that you’re reading new authors and small pub authors. Writers love hearing that!
Posted by Stephanie Morrill on 2 October 2010
Hi Martha. Thanks for the encouragement, and for taking a chance on reading new authors from small presses. There is so much good stuff out there that the big publishers won’t risk taking on board for one reason or another.
Stephanie, no you didn’t represent me at all. Alpha is definitely sci-fi, but I also wanted it to be something that people who don’t normally go for that genre would be able to read. At least, that was the plan :-).
Posted by Paul on 2 October 2010
Hello Mr. Baines! I am really looking forward to reading your book! I enjoy science/speculative fiction, and I am sure your book will be a favorite! I admire your and other such authors’ abilities to craft such ideas (that most of us could create ourselves with enough thought) into such fantastic and thrilling stories! (It is this ability many of us lack.) Again, I cannot wait to hold your book in my hands, whether won, or more likely, bought! :D
Posted by Noah Arsenault on 3 October 2010
Oops. Did I say “represent” in my last post? I meant “misrepresent”. Sorry if that came across wrong…
Posted by Paul on 3 October 2010
No worries, Paul! I assumed :)
Posted by Stephanie Morrill on 4 October 2010
Hi Paul! Welcome to Stephanie’s little corner of the world. I have been reading about your book all over the place recently and it is on my list. I am all for encouraging the Christian spec fic genre, I think it is a largely untapped resource. Thank you for your persistence in spite of rejection and discouragement—we wouldn’t be experiencing Alpha Redemption without it!
Posted by Ralene on 4 October 2010
Thanks for sharing your story, Paul, and for the reminder to keep at it. Needed that today. :)
Posted by Sally Bradley on 4 October 2010
While I’ve never wanted to be an astronaut, and sci-fi is not my genre of choice, this book does appeal to me. My brother is writing a Christian sci-fi, and it was surprisingly fun and interesting to read, though in an unpolished stage. So I would like to read a published author’s take on space travel and future times. My brother would probably enjoy reading it, too…but I’ll try not to let him know if I like your book better than his. :)
Posted by Melissa M. on 5 October 2010
Hi Noah, and thanks for the kind words. I hope you get a chance to read it soon. I look forward to hearing what you think. Okay, I’m actually nervous to hear what you think, but that’s just me ;-).
Ralene, hi and thanks for the welcome. I’m glad to hear you’ve seen my story out and about. I tell you, I thought I’d be able to take a break once the book was released, but getting word out is not as easy as I thought it would be. Sadly, we don’t have a marketing department to handle the advertising, but have to rely mostly on word-of-mouth. It’s thanks to the kindness of people like Stephanie who are prepared to give a shout-out that we can accomplish this. When you do get a chance to read the story, please let me know what you think.
Sally, hello and thanks for the feedback. I’m glad my story was some help. I think I need to take some of my own advice today. I’m really struggling to get into gear this morning :-).
Melissa, hi and thanks for posting. Sci-fi isn’t normally my genre of choice either (at least not when it comes to reading, but it is terrific fun to write). I won’t read sci-fi for the sake of it, but if the story interests me then I don’t mind what genre it is written in. For example, I’m not a fan of Issac Asimov but prefer stories like The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. Please wish your brother luck with his story and don’t let him make the same mistake I made with my first novel by sending ît out too soon. He needs to make sure it is as polished as it can be before he sends it out.
Posted by Paul on 5 October 2010
Well, the time has come for me to pass on to Stephanie my favorite comment to win a copy of Alpha Redemption. Sadly, I can only pick one. Thanks for posting and for your support. I hope to see you around the Interwebs again. Stephanie, thanks for having me over. It was a lot of fun.
Posted by Paul on 6 October 2010
Congratulations, Martha! You’re our winner :)
Posted by Stephanie Morrill on 8 October 2010
Thank you Paul and Stephanie. I’m honored you picked my comment… and really HAPPY to get the book! :)
Posted by MarthaE on 8 October 2010
This sounds great! I’ve loved sci-fi since my now-hubby got me hooked on Orson Scott Card back in high school. It was great learning more about you, Paul!
Posted by Roseanna White on 30 September 2010