The Martian Diaries: Vol. 3 Gateway To Mars

11/25/2022

The Martian Diaries: Vol. 3 Gateway To Mars (The Martian Diaries: An Alternate History and Time Travel Adventure, Continuing The War Of The Worlds)

Multi-volume, science-fiction author, H. E. Wilburson introduces us to the latest volume in the Martian Diaries series, "Gateway to Mars":
The War Of The Worlds Continues On The Moon And Mars!
Time is running out for planet Earth. Marseria, the insidious Martian plague, has been infecting our planet for over twenty years and has resisted every human effort to eradicate it.
With all life on Earth facing extinction, the only solution left is to directly access a specific piece of Martian technology. But, according to diaries left behind by Ogilvy the astronomer, the Martians have hidden it at the lake on the moon.
In 1945, three rockets converted from Martian cylinders take off on the vital lunar mission, and amongst the crew is Ogilvy's nephew, Jack Stent. Will the astronauts locate the Martian shadow-weapon, thought to hold the desperately needed cure for Marseria? Can it really be used to instigate another timeline on Earth so that mankind can survive? The stakes are high and so is the risk of contact and conflict with Martians.
Nearly two hundred years later, at a scientific colony on Mars, a shocking discovery is made about Jack Stent, and Ogilvy's Martian diaries are once again pivotal to human survival and the continuation of life on Earth.
Gateway To Mars is the third volume of The Martian Diaries series that continues the classic H.G. Wells Mars novel in a compelling, unmissable action adventure. If you're a fan of The War Of The Worlds you won't want to miss this story of survival, despair and hope, that brings the original tale full circle. Get your copy today!

I have read/listened to the first two books and this series' conclusion is shocking and satisfying on multiple levels.
I won't give any spoilers, but each section of the book is well done and left me breathless. The alternate history timeline is an exciting way to move through the story and is quite relatable.
If you like science fiction you will love this story and the time travel angle is not overdone in the least. This story is a worthy extension of the work of H. G. Wells, the father of science fiction and gets 5 stars from me.

You can buy this book at your choice of platforms:
mybook.to/themartiandiaries

You can follow the author:
books.martiandiaries.com/

Here is the link for my review of the first book in the series: www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/the-day-of-the-martians-the-martian-diaries-volume-1-by-he-wilburson-narrated-by-terry-thompson-and-harry-preston
Here is the link for my review of the second book in the series: www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/lake-on-the-moon-the-war-of-the-worlds-audio-drama-sequel-a-new-martian-menace-invades-earth-the-martian-diaries-vol-2

Tags: sci-fi, science fiction, time travel, alternate history, historical, aliens, Mars, invasion, England, Wales,
Copyright © 2022 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction

52 Comments

H.E Wilburson link

11/28/2022 05:27:04 am

I'm glad you enjoyed this third book in my continuation of The War Of The Worlds, and that you feel it's a worthy extension of H.G Wells' classic novel.

Mark

11/28/2022 08:09:35 am

I love the series you have created to continue the classic "War of the Worlds". The first section of this book surprised me quite a bit. It was very dark and quite well done. The plotting of the rest of the book was a lot of fun, especially the alternate history timeline.

First question.

Are you a full-time or part-time writer?

What kind of work do you do if you are a part-time writer? Feel free to skip that question, if you would rather not answer.

H.E link

11/28/2022 11:17:05 am

Hello Mark, that's an interesting question and to be honest, I consider myself an extremely reluctant writer. I have had to write full time in order to have any chance of completing the project, which has meant living modestly on a tight budget, keeping the same car going and having no holidays to speak of.

Writing the book is only one part of the process as you know, and I am more comfortable in the studio working on the audio version with sound, rather than words.

However, volume 3 of the Martian Diaries is now finished and I am humbled that the ebook series has been well received. Covid changed so many things and if the pandemic had not
happened, and there were no restrictions, I am certain volume 3 would have been completed sooner.

It always feels good to finish a book, and to be away from the toil of choosing and justifying why each word exists in the text. Book 3 is written for fans of The War Of The Worlds and is an extension to the original story.

11/28/2022 12:45:04 pm

That kind of passion does require many sacrifices, without a doubt. Your audio books are quite good. I was reminded of when I was a boy and I listened to old-time theater on the radio. I loved the images that were conjured in my mind by the words and sounds coming from my crystal radio.

I am a man of written words. I read quite fast and learned at an early age to tune out noise when I was reading. Many decades later, that talent works against me when it comes to audio books. I have found that if I don't speed up the playback to 1.5 times the normal speed, I cannot maintain my focus on the audio book. At least, technology allows me to do that now.

New question.

What is the next target for your creative impulses?

11/29/2022 05:48:52 am

It's wonderful that you have the gift of being able to see words effortlessly. That's something that is a challenge for me. I'm an auditory person and I prefer to hear words.

My writing for The Martian Diaries hasn't stopped entirely as I'm now working on bonus material for a later edition of volume one. This is a personal perspective from the astronomer Ogilvy, one of H.G Wells' original characters in The War Of The Worlds, who features heavily in my first two books. I'm excited to be creating some of his most significant diary entries from the time of the first invasion from Mars in 1906 until his death in 1920. One of the things he reveals is how the Martian cylinder was transported from the mountain in Wales to London, and how he set up his acclaimed Exhibition of Martian Artefacts at the historic Crystal Palace. It's been an interesting new challenge which I hope to complete in the near future.

11/29/2022 09:16:04 am

Thank you. No question, I am definitely a visually oriented person.

Your fans will be pleased to have some supplemental material like that. Ogilvy's diary might also be a fun piece of merchandise to offer in a deluxe, leather-bound edition. You might find some success with that in a crowdfunding project like on Kickstarter or some other platform. Here is a copy-and-paste link to a blog about one author's success: https://kriswrites.com/2020/07/22/business-musings-the-kickstarted-game-changer-part-two/ Or you can hit the search box below.

New question.

Since the writings of H. G. Wells are in the public domain, my assumption, have you considered giving any of his other sci-fi books a similar treatment as The War of the Worlds?

11/29/2022 01:53:47 pm

Thanks for the crowdfunding suggestion. It's something that I'm planning to do once I have new book covers made next year. Hardback books, special editions and other merchandise are part of my forward planning.

In answer to your question, I have thought about it off and on, and my H.G Wells book of choice would be The Invisible Man simply because, like The War Of The Worlds, there are a lot of questions left unanswered. It would be challenging but a lot of fun to explore what happens next, especially with Dr Griffin's notes, leftover chemicals and formulae lying around. Who might find them first – and why – after which, anything could happen.

I'm glad I wrote The Martian Diaries when I did, even though it has taken seven years to complete all three books. Any other project would be a single volume.

11/29/2022 02:21:39 pm

You are welcome.

That is an exciting choice. The Invisible Man is an interesting choice. I saw a movie with that title, as a boy, it was black and white. I found it exciting and scary!

Single-volume projects are a good idea and will likely go faster because you have honed the necessary skills.

New questions.

Have you entered any writing contests?

Have you won awards of any kind for your writing?

11/29/2022 02:51:33 pm

The audiobook versions of volumes 1 and 2 of The Martian Diaries were each awarded 5 stars by Readers Favorite. The audio of volume 2, Lake On The Moon, was a bronze medal winner in the Readers Choice Awards 2020. Later in 2020 I was invited to submit both volumes to the Los Angeles Science Fiction Film Festival (Audio Drama category) and was thrilled to receive Gold awards for Best Writer, Best Audio Drama and Best Sound Mix, a Silver award for Best Soundtrack and The Asimov Gold Award. I've been too busy recently to think about other contests, but it's definitely in my future plans.

Mary Scholl

1/6/2023 06:36:25 am

Good job! Looking forward to rekindling my love of sci-fi

11/29/2022 05:21:04 pm

Congratulations on those awards! They were well earned. All of that work was worth it.

New questions.

I noticed that your book is not in Kindle Unlimited. Is there a reason for that?

Have you ever gone through the query process? Were you seeking an agent or submitting directly to publishers and why did you choose that path?

11/30/2022 09:04:36 am

I have chosen not to put my books in Kindle Unlimited because I wanted to make them available to a wide range of platforms, rather than be exclusive to Amazon. However, Amazon does have an advantage over other platforms by offering a book series page. This means I can use one universal Amazon link for my whole series https://mybook.to/themartiandiaries and people can read about my continuation of The War Of The Worlds all on one page. Unfortunately the reviews for each individual book do not accumulate collectively on the series page, which has to be reviewed as a separate entity. I am actively promoting The Martian Diaries series page at the moment to increase my Amazon visibility, and asking reviewers to also leave a comment on the whole series.

When I originally conceived the idea of a continuation of The War Of The Worlds it was more of an immersive audio experience than as books. I wanted to showcase my own music compositions and, with the added sound effects, I initially believed that was the USP (unique selling point) of The Martian Diaries. As I developed my writing for volumes 2 and 3 (which are very much longer than volume 1) I realised the potential of multiple options for the customer. I published volumes 1 and 2 as ebooks in 2021 after I saw a demand for text versions. However I wanted to complete the audio versions of the whole series before publishing in a variety of formats. The next stage will be to make physical copies available, and expand all the options, such as special editions, large print versions, audiobooks without the music, and the music on its own. I'm not sure I would consider placing my books in Kindle Unlimited in the future because that would prevent me from selling direct from my website which I would like to do. Book Funnel have developed some exciting ways that self published authors can do that quite easily.

Earlier in the course of this project I made approaches to two or three traditional publishers but it became clear that The Martian Diaries cannot be easily categorised, and they had trouble seeing a niche for it. Independent or self publishing has now become mainstream and I can see the many benefits of staying in control of my own creations. I may decide to query agents at some point in the future.

11/30/2022 12:01:16 pm

I think going wide is a wise option. It never ends well when you put all of your eggs into one basket. Several years ago, Amazon started cracking down on paid reviews, review mills and authors swapping reviews. Many innocent reviewers got caught up by the algorithms and lost all of the reviews they had placed; some were even banned from Amazon. Quite a few authors saw their entire catalog disappear from Amazon. Some were able to navigate a lengthy reinstatement process and some weren't. There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Thank you for reminding me, I will leave a review for the series.

Many audio books have little or no sound effects. I found that the story was enhanced quite a bit with the extra sounds.

I think you and other authors are much better off, in the long run, as independent or self-publishing authors. The Traditional publishing industry has suffered extreme contraction since Amazon started allowing anyone to publish books. Truly a novelty in the beginning, now indie publishing is the mainstream for authors. Many traditionally published authors are discovering the independent market and are selling books quite well.

New questions.

What is your publisher doing to market your book?

How do you think your book compares to a book published by a major publisher?

12/1/2022 08:19:43 am

I don't know how different my books would be if published by a major publisher, except I would hope for an increased awareness of The Martian Diaries. I would like to think I could keep control of the content and have it pretty much as it is. A new publisher would probably want fresh covers, which I'm planning for 2023. Although my existing covers were professionally designed, I want new artwork that features Martian tripods, to make it obvious that that my books are linked to The War Of The Worlds, even before people read the book description.

I'd like to go back to your comment on being surprised at how unexpectedly dark the first part of Gateway to Mars is.
The book feels different to my first two volumes because it is from the perspective of a new protagonist, Part one of the story has difficult tasks to perform, necessary for the storyline. Writing it kept me awake for months on end and I came very close to giving up on the whole project because of the challenging complexity of the concepts. That first part of the book is of pivotal importance to The Martian Diaries, and how my series connects to The War Of The Worlds, and had to be written a certain way. Once I had finished the final draft of part one the editing of it was the most difficult in the book to complete. I am pleased with the way it turned out and it would be wonderful to watch the entire sequence of events play out on a very large screen one day.

12/2/2022 08:19:20 am

So many authors have lamented about the changes the publisher required in their book. One friend and client had several volumes written in a series that was well received. She submitted the fifth book to several publishers. One responded positively and wanted her to rewrite the story taking it out of the series. She declined.

I understand the first priority of a publisher, like any other business, is to stay in business. Publishing at any level is difficult and fraught with many variables that the publisher has little or no control over. They are doing their best to stay in business, but the profit margins are very slim. The traditional publishing industry is down to the big 5 and it looks like it will stay that way because the federal government seems unwilling to permit the joining of PRH and S&S. For most publishers, a book is merely a product to sell and make a profit from.

I think your idea for the new covers is a good one. Send them to me when they are done and I will replace what is on my website now.

It has been said that easy reading is very hard writing. I believe the first section was very difficult to write because it came off so well. Dying is a difficult concept because not many live to tell us about it. Much research and rewriting had to be the order of the day.

Seeing the first section on the big screen would be interesting, without a doubt. I visualize a mashup of "The Martian" and "Castaway". Both of those actors had to struggle against hopelessness and despair.

New question.

There are many unethical practices in publishing, which one is the most unbearable in your mind?

H. E. Wilburson link

12/2/2022 08:21:08 am

To me, the most unethical practice revolves around audiobooks, which are apparently big business at the moment, and my thoughts here are about fiction audiobooks.

My biggest concern is authors are being paid tiny royalties on their audiobook sales by the big retail platforms, who prefer to give away the audiobook for free in order to build huge monthly subscription libraries. If the customer signs up to the subscription because of a particular audiobook, virtually nothing is paid to the author for the giveaway. Authors are reluctant to leave popular sites because they would lose their hard-earned reviews. The platforms probably know this and they are not playing fair.

Authors are creative people and there's always a way around a problem if we work together. I think a way forward is to sell directly to the public from our own websites and I have begun to see a shift towards that idea, with new technology that makes the transaction smooth for the customer. Book Funnel has recently implemented some great tools and payment facilities that are really going to revolutionise direct selling for authors and they are reporting a big uptake from the self-publishing sector. We authors should help our customers by doing everything we can to make their purchase experience pleasant, easy and trustworthy. Only we can educate them about how they can support creative people in the fairest and most ethical ways. I'm sure if the public knew how little we're paid for our work they would be shocked and perhaps keen to support us more, by buying direct.

12/2/2022 09:18:16 am

I have known for a long time that audiobooks are expensive to produce. But I didn't know that Amazon was compensating authors so little. The platform should still be paying royalties to the author whether the product was paid for or not by the consumer. Books and audiobooks are merely another product in the eyes of Amazon and other sales platforms.

Amazon is notorious for messing with authors' royalties, a little over a year ago I heard about a lawsuit against 'Zon because they were allowing consumers to return books up to a year after the purchase and they were deducting that refund from the royalties in a very non-transparent fashion.

New question.

You have written the story, composed your own music for the audio books and others provide the narration. I am assuming you assemble the different parts to create the audio books. Do you have your own recording equipment and studio, or do you rent a studio? What kind of equipment and software do you use?

12/2/2022 11:29:52 am

Being on a limited budget it was cheaper to build my own recording studio using second-hand equipment, rather than rent one, in order to produce The Martian Diaries. I certainly kept eBay busy with all the equipment I required! I had a lot of technical issues and ended up feeling like a computer engineer, but eventually I found out why an Apple Mac Pro 'early 3.1' was the best and only machine for the job, after countless hours learning Logic Pro 9. Thankfully my initial gut feeling about having my own studio was right, and I have paid just once to have 365-day access to my own equipment, at any time, day or night.

12/2/2022 12:53:48 pm

Very good, you have the equipment and a dedicated space, so your only limits are your choice.

Years ago, I helped a musician friend from church with his home recording studio. In the basement with the furnace, he was bedeviled by noise from the furnace. I ran a 20"-diameter flexible duct for the return air away from his studio, that was enough to dampen almost all of the noise.

New questions.

Do you have a favorite book by another author or just favorite authors?

Did you have a favorite book as a child?

12/3/2022 02:24:13 pm

In order to breathe in my studio, I had to install 4” ducting directly through the wall. It had to be done in such a way as to allow the air in but keep noise from outside to a minimum.

I'm old enough to remember the moon landings but at the time I had no idea what was actually happening in the grainy pictures being beamed back from the moon. As a child, BBC astronomer Patrick Moore, who later became Sir Patrick, used to be my hero with his infectious excitement about all things space. Then there was Tomorrow's World, a tv programme about innovation and futuristic design. I was very excited about space exploration, especially when it was suggested humans would have a base on Mars by the early 1990s. Imagine my delight when I came across a set of fiction books at the local library, set on other planets. I knew there were more titles out there by the same author but it did not occur to me to ask the librarian to reserve copies from elsewhere, so those four books got read to death! The books were by Hugh Walters and the titles I read and enjoyed were: Spaceship To Saturn, Mission To Mercury, Nearly Neptune and Expedition Venus. Not only would it be great to re-read them but I always wanted to get my hands on a Passage To Pluto!

12/3/2022 02:44:12 pm

We all need fresh air to breathe. When I retired from construction, 5 or 6 years ago, I was a sheet metal worker and an HVAC technician. I had to ensure that a certain amount of fresh air was constantly available to the occupants.

We are much alike; the space missions were very exciting for me also. The video of activity on the moon mesmerized me as well. The NASA missions to space stimulated my interest in science fact and fiction. I read little else beyond science fiction for several years. It is still a favorite genre with fantasy being a close second.

I am sure I would have enjoyed those books also if I had known of them. I grew up in a small town, with less than 2,000 people living there. Our public library was not very large, but I proudly had my own library card as a pre-teen.

New questions.

Which of your books is your favorite, and why?

If you could ask every person, who has read one of your books, only one question what would you ask them?

12/4/2022 05:05:34 am

I like all three books in The Martian Diaries, not because I am the author, but because they were specifically written to entertain fans of The War Of The Worlds. Yes, there have been other sequels to H.G Wells' iconic book, and likely others will come along, but I wanted to explore why there are no Martians on our Mars today.

Whenever I listen to the audio versions I notice details I've forgotten, which always comes as a surprise, and I can enjoy the plot of the story just as a listener.

The stereo in my car has a major fault: when the engine is turned on the mp3 player automatically reverts the audio back to the very beginning and you have to manually locate where you were listening previously. The opening of volume one, The Day Of the Martians, gets repeated often and I find it just great to listen to. especially chapter two - Train Journey. Harry Preston's voice, the sound of the train and the music all combine to create a scene which I am reluctant to turn off. “Dappled light of summer... the cathedral of the locomotive...” With soaring polyphonic strings and the distinctive sound of steam trains, it's feel-good stuff for me, every single time. When I first heard that chapter in the studio I knew I had acquired the necessary skills to actually do what I had set out to achieve: create The Martian Diaries.

Then there is life itself, which is a strange concept if you think about it. You have dark or light, hot or cold, jagged or smooth, yes or no, but what is the opposite to life? Children ask, “Where do babies come from?” and perhaps that question is the elephant in the room for more than one reason. I think that whatever the moment is, before the start of life, that is the opposite to life—but nothing like death, which is the end result.

Volume three, Gateway To Mars, is growing on me. This is my question to anyone who has read it: is Alan Sterling, the protagonist, a likeable character?

12/4/2022 08:18:51 am

Rediscovering forgotten details in a story is a delightful experience. I have experienced it many times in the past but not recently because I haven't reread anything in quite a long time. My TBR pile is lengthy.

While somewhat annoying, the car stereo fault has also brought you pleasure from the sounds of it.

Many have pondered life and its purpose. You are not alone in this regard. Before life there is a void, the living bear witness to that. For me, death is a transition from a temporal form to a different and permanent form.

Your question is pretty good. I find Alan to be very relatable, doing the best he can with what he has, even in the face of professional censure.

New questions.

How do you handle bad reviews?

Does writing have a spiritual or healing component for you, does it energize you or make you feel tired?

12/5/2022 04:41:08 am

A friend gave good advice about reviews once: although no one likes to get bad ones, a review is a review—move on!

I find writing plots very easy. I can map out a story quickly and accurately, but it is the conveying of difficult ideas, simply and precisely, which takes time and much effort. Although the plot for volume 3 hardly changed from the first draft, the words did, and as I have already mentioned, part one of volume 3 cost me twelve months, perhaps more, of ongoing agony, lack of sleep and self doubt before I could finally say I was happy with it. The only thing that kept me going was not wanting to disappoint fans, friends and family. I'm glad that horrible time is long gone and I look forward to sitting back and listening to the story once the studio editing of the narration is out of the way. Adding the music and sound effects should be far less stressful and, dare I say it, enjoyable.

12/5/2022 09:26:26 am

I tell authors that a bad review proves that the good reviews are written by someone other than your mother and her cats. Readers are smart enough to recognize a troll review also.

The first section was hard to write? I believe it, because the feelings that were generated within me, by your prose, were difficult to cope with, the anguish and despair were palpable! That is some great writing! That year of self-doubt and agonizing over word choices allowed you to write an amazing story!

Last questions.

What do you do to flesh out the characters for your stories?

Which is more fun to write, the protagonist or the antagonist, and why?

What is one thing you hate about your protagonist and one thing you love about the antagonist?

12/5/2022 02:36:50 pm

You may have answered a question for me in this interview, about why part one of Gateway To Mars was so draining to write: it never once occurred to me that it was the nature of the storyline itself.

Most of the characters in The Martian Diaries actually come from, or are inspired by The War Of The Worlds. I don't want to give spoilers away about those in volume 3, but I wanted them to have the same depth and level of purpose as any found in H.G Wells' original book.

Just like Jack Stent, my protagonist in the first part of volume 3, Alan Stirling acts on his gut instinct, which is a huge problem for the rest of the Mars team, and I especially feel sorry for his exasperated team leader.

The antagonists for me are, and always have been, the Martians themselves, from the beginning of The War Of The Worlds to the end of volume three of The Martian Diaries. Their thoughts and persistent idea of invading Earth ultimately cause them to fall foul of their own cold and merciless nature – or does it?

There's room for a fourth book to The Martian Diaries, set in 2171 and starting ominously with, “I remember Alan Sterling...” But don't tell my long-suffering editor, whose first choice of book isn't science fiction!

12/5/2022 02:53:48 pm

Dying from dehydration and starvation is very painful and puts the sufferer in a strange mental state. You must have studied quite a bit about those topics because Jack's experience was so vivid for me.

A fourth volume? That is exciting news for me and your other fans. We look forward to a continuation.

I want to thank you for being a fabulous guest on the Word Refiner channel this week. I have enjoyed our conversation immensely. It's time for this to end, though.

Until next time, keep on writing.

12/5/2022 03:16:23 pm

Thank you Mark, for such an interesting interview. All the best, H.E.

2/5/2024 08:14:14 am

Hi Mark, it's good to have this opportunity to talk with you again. I'm looking forward to hearing how Grizz gets on with his search for the review of book 3 Gateway To Mars.

2/5/2024 08:39:17 am

It's good to have you back, H.E. Thank you for scheduling another promotion for your books. I always enjoy talking books with you. You are pretty unique among all of the authors I have spoken with over the last several years. You are the only author I know of that composes the music for your audiobooks. In fact, correct me if I am wrong, I think you consider the audiobooks to be primary and the visual books are secondary.

New question.

Didn't the audiobooks come before the print books for the first two books in this series?

2/5/2024 10:28:03 am

Thanks Mark,
Yes, the first two volumes in my continuation of The War Of The Worlds were created primarily as audio experiences, featuring my own original music plus sound effects. That is because my great love is composing music and I'd always hoped for a sequel to the H.G. Wells classic book. In 2015 I decided to create something of my own to continue the story and my only goal has been to delight fans of The War Of The Worlds with something new, and in the only way I know how. After the first two volumes were published solely as audiobooks, it became clear there was a demand for text versions too, so I realised it was important to make the story accessible to all kinds of readers. I never imagined that would lead me to write a third volume of 108k words, which equates to just over 10.5 hours of audiobook listening.

2/5/2024 12:57:20 pm

I favor reading over listening quite a bit, so I am very grateful for the in-print books. Though I have enjoyed listening to your audiobooks. With the music and sound effects I was taken back to my childhood when I had a rocket-shaped crystal radio that I listened to old-time radio dramas with. That was great fun! After decades of blocking out audible distractions while I read a book it's hard now to keep my focus on a voice. I have to speed the playback up 1.4 or 1.5 times the normal rate. Thanks to technology, I can do that without losing any appreciable quality in the story.

New question.

Why have you changed the covers for all three books in the series? I have already replaced the old covers on my website.

2/5/2024 02:57:34 pm

The War Of The Worlds has been published with a number of different tripod designs over the years, since the first publication as a magazine serialization in 1897. H.G. Wells himself acknowledged the interpretation of the Martian fighting machines in illustrations by Brazilian artist Alvim Correa for the first edition in 1898. Wells said, “Alvim Correa did more for my work with his brush, than I with my pen.”

I have always felt that a sequel to The War Of The Worlds needs to have tripods on the cover, so as to be instantly recognisable to prospective readers. I spent a long time trying to find someone who could create a tripod that was right for my books, but without success. So I designed them myself and used a professional book cover company to format the covers. I tried to make my tripods as alien as I could, but it's not such an easy thing to design – well it is alien after all!

2/5/2024 06:12:37 pm

I think Mr. Wells would be pleased with your interpretation of the death-dealing tripods. They do look alien and are quite frightful. Well done.

New questions.

What do you think of the current controversy regarding AI?

Did you use AI in any of your writing, planning or research for your books?

2/6/2024 05:08:33 am

This is an important question. Using big data that has been gathered over decades, AI is already able to see patterns within it that humans can not. I believe that as AI develops exponentially, humans could be superceded by a home-grown alien presence, created by people who are curious to see the extent of their own ambitions and technology. I have made this theme part of the plot in my third book, Gateway To Mars. Whether they be mad scientists, or cute and cuddly, their contributions add to the process and there will come a point of ambiguity about which intelligence is artificially manipulating the other. Actually, my latest work-in-progress considers this very point.

Luckily, I had already published all three books in The Martian Diaries continuation of The War Of The Worlds before ChatGPT Open AI came along, and I am proud to say the books are 100 per cent human conceived and written by me. You know, I have met with other authors who, like myself, work the old fashioned way, and really suffer in writing their books. Working closely with an editor can take author anguish to a whole different level. However, done right, nothing can beat the satisfaction of completing a book and being able to move on to something else. Anyone can be a writer, but the commitment to seeing a book through to its end is the most important factor. I can say I did consider giving up and walking away from book 3 several times.

The artwork for my tripods is my own, and is AI assisted, but it's something of an accident that I even managed to produce it. The process was haphazard, time-consuming, frustrating, expensive and disappointing. You put in a prompt that is similar to one you've already used and then something entirely different comes out. Most of the time it felt like scribbling with a pencil in the dark at midnight. I was lucky, and only by perseverance was I able to put together this tripod which I hope is unsettling, but not too grim. I am glad the 3D effect wasn't lost when I sent my final cover images over to the book designers who formatted them.

One of my favourite artists is Banksy, who is essentially a storyteller who allows his work to speak for him. No one knows who he is, and I have a theory that the minute his cover is blown, the magic within his art will disappear too. I was asked once where the inspiration for my writing comes from: all I can say is, a blank piece of paper is an empty wall to me, and like Banksy, all I can do is add a story to it.

2/6/2024 09:29:23 am

You are so right. Committing to finish a book is a long and arduous process that requires a firm hold on the goal.

I have been amused by the reports of AI hallucinations because it shows that we are much further from the goal of general intelligence than most starry-eyed dreamers hope for.

I don't think that true AI will ever exist outside of the realm of science fiction. My concern is that a human actor could infect and redirect an AI for his own nefarious purposes or a being or spirit from another dimension finds a way to insinuate itself into the programming and begins to control it.

Your cover adventure is an interesting story and highlights the real randomness of AI.

New question.

What can you tell us about your WIP, does the Martian story continue?

2/6/2024 11:31:54 am

That's interesting stuff, Mark -- is that your own WIP? When I was younger, nuclear war was the worst thing that could happen. These days anything is possible, even the idea of surviving the attack – which is bonkers. The carbon from Dad's car, taking us to the beach years ago, is still in the air, and hasn't dissipated or gone anywhere. The plastic tube we used for toothpaste, then threw away yesterday, will last for several centuries after we're gone. The complexity of climate models need ever more powerful machines to predict the weather, and warn us in good time whether our houses will still be standing after extreme weather episodes. Trouble is coming and people will rely more and more on artificial intelligence to get us out of it, but that's the slippery slope.

My WIP picks up in 2170. Things haven't been going so well for humans here on Earth since AI considers humans as inefficient, organic machines. There is a chance of using AI to defeat AI, but perhaps it's too late or even impossible to do so. Has humanity learned a lesson, that creating things smarter than himself is a bad idea? It's early days in my writing but I have stuck to one thing H G Wells said about writing science fiction, and that is to include the everyday, with a twist.

2/6/2024 01:13:29 pm

No, H. E., I am not a writer. Though I have learned much about the art of writing from hanging out with writers for so many years, I do not sense a story within me that is crying to get out. Those are merely my thoughts.

I recall the duck-and-cover drills under our desks at school when I was very young. Then there was the Cuban Missile Crisis.

I like the sound of the plot in your WIP. That will be an interesting story.

Has humanity learned a lesson? No, History is replete with examples of groups of people seeking someone or something to depend on. It seldom turns out well.

New questions

Which is more important to a story pace or flow?

How do you control it?

2/7/2024 05:15:38 am

First, I'd like to go back to our earlier conversation about AI. What I find incredible is the word 'hope', and how we all use it from time to time. Hope only exists if we accept miracles can happen, and that there is a spiritual world, or God. You, as that little boy under the desk were safe from what so easily could have happened during the Cuban Missile crisis. It was a 'happy ending' for many, and long may that continue.

Back to your latest question about pace and flow. There's an awful lot of information available to writers on this topic, but for myself, I'm a bit of a 'pantser' and I don't worry too much about the technical aspects of writing. First and foremost, I'm a storyteller and most of the time the story writes itself. Well, that's what happens in the first couple of drafts... and then we get to the dreaded editing stage.

Making audio books has helped me a lot in recognising where I need to sort out pace and flow in my stories. I'm an auditory person and I pick up plot holes and issues on pace and flow easily when I can hear the text spoken. I use Verbose – a text to speech tool that works really well for me.

Some people say you're only as good as your editor and I've been fortunate to have Anita Dow as editor-in-chief for the entirety of The Martian Diaries. Her dedication to the cause has been hugely important. Perhaps, Mark, you should take up interviewing editors, as a new genre of horror or comedy. It would certainly have the everyday elements, with bucket-loads of twists strewn everywhere!

2/7/2024 09:02:10 am

I agree with you about hope. True hope is dependent upon where the hope is placed. So often, people hope for a favorable outcome from certain circumstances, circumstances that they have little to no control over. The only thing people can control is their reaction to circumstances.

Miracles are interesting. There are documented miracles and there are fraudulent miracles. Some lump all miracles into the latter category and therefore deny the existence of a transcendent God. I believe in real miracles having received more than one physical miracle myself. I also believe in a transcendent and personal God as expressed in the God-Man, Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ or Messiah.

We hope there won't be another Cuban Missile Crisis. It may not end as well as the first one.

Many authors, whether plotter pantser or plantser (hybrid of the two former), have described to me that sometimes the characters take over the story and direct the action to a better conclusion.

Many authors don't enjoy the editing stage much. You do what I have recommended to many authors when it is time to edit or proofread the manuscript. Reading aloud is one of my top tips for finding the problem areas. Thanks for sharing about Verbose, that might be helpful for other writers.

Your last suggestion brings a smile to my lips. I have never interviewed a fellow editor or proofreader, nor has it ever crossed my mind. I would need a new set of questions. Hmm.

New questions.

What is your writing routine when you sit down to write?

Do you write in a straight line or do you write whatever the muse provides for you at a given moment?

2/7/2024 01:18:11 pm

I think I should answer both questions as one. I prefer to write first thing in the morning when my mind is clear. I can easily do three or four hours that feels like 10 minutes once I'm in the zone.

Surprisingly, this latest WIP appears to be flowing well with reasons to feel good about the direction and plot. Non-linear really works for me since I like to create and use the sparkle of the best chapter I have finished, which is usually near the centre, to energise the rest of the book. Do you know of anyone else who writes using this format? When I was younger, I would read the first couple of chapters, and then the last one, just to experience where the book is going, cover to cover. Most readers are horrified when I tell them that.

The prologue and first five chapters of the new book are mostly done. I have also finished the last two chapters and epilogue. I was working on the most exciting chapter, but I have given it a rest for a while due to other commitments around the release of Gateway to Mars audiobook.

I find that my framework is invaluable in allowing me to know where the story is heading from start to finish and by being less stressful, means I can concentrate on developing the characters. Understanding the protagonist as the muse, helps to focus in on the character. You can't write about someone you don't know. Actually, I was in the process of giving him a name, but like H G Wells, I may not, seeing how this volume is likely to be the end of the series.

2/7/2024 04:09:31 pm

I think I am more of a morning person like you. I feel I get my best work done then.

There are other non-linear writers out there. One of my clients wrote a guest blog for me on that very topic. I have recommended to many writers who are stuck to jump around the problem area and write something that comes easier. I definitely like the idea of writing the last chapter first. It makes sense to me to have a clear picture of the target as you draw closer to it.

New questions.

Now that your book is published, is there anything about it you would like to change?

Do you have any idea about what your next project might be?

2/8/2024 06:09:59 am

I am not a natural writer and I have worked an awful lot on all three books over the last eight years and recently the Ogilvy diary. I think the key word to your question is 'published' and I would not have taken that step if I didn't think my work was ready. I am personally satisfied with the way my books have turned out and I'm always happy to hear from pre-publication readers who pick up on the odd typo. There have been one or two in the past.

It was never my intention to produce fan fiction, but instead a proper continuation of the work H G Wells started. I do have a small band of loyal supporters who have been patient, and they deserve the best I can achieve, mainly because we are all fans of The War Of The Worlds. I hope they continue to enjoy my work because they are the reason why I created The Martian Diaries in the first place.

My main focus this year will be marketing and promotion of The Martian Diaries – while fending off the time-sucking vampire of social media. It would be great to have the luxury of writing full time, but I am grateful to have what's been accomplished. There is another H G Wells book I would like to attempt a sequel to, at some time in the future, and that is The Invisible Man.

2/8/2024 08:44:40 am

I don't think that writing is easy for anyone if you include all of the editing and rewriting necessary to produce a story that is easy to read. That is what it takes to put a book out that people will want to read. It takes a long time to build momentum for a book to become a best seller. Unless you have buckets of money to throw around to create that kind of buzz.

Fan fiction is an interesting concept, it helps new writers have a limited experience as an author. When I started to read your first book, Day of the Martians, I was not thinking fan fiction. I understood from the blurb that it was an extension or continuation of the classic story by Wells.

Time-sucking vampire is a good description of social media. I doubt if I would be on social media or Twitter if I wasn't running my business. In that case, we wouldn't even be talking now.

I think The Invisible Man is a good choice. In my estimation, it's nearly as popular as WOTW.

New questions.

What do you do to launch a new book when it is first published?

How long is the period of time for launching a book in your mind?

2/8/2024 01:44:34 pm

The best person to answer these questions in depth is Anita Dow because she has worked closely with me in publishing this series. Here's what she says:

“When we were preparing to publish the ebook of book 3, Gateway To Mars, we emailed our subscribers to invite advance readers willing to read it and have a review ready by the launch date. We started this process in August 2022 with a publish date of November 8th. (Some people wanted to wait for the audiobook so they went on a separate list.) To generate interest we prepared a series of 2-3 emails to give a flavour of the story and invited readers to visualise themselves stranded somewhere remote, completely alone, so they could feel the emotion of the protagonist's situation on the moon and then Mars. This idea was from an author marketer – it may have been Derek Doepker.

As soon as the manuscript was in final proofreading form we made it available to the advance readers via Story Origin in epub, mobi or pdf. We like the way that Story Origin collects the advance readers' names for you and follows up with reminders to post their review, after the publication date. It also shows you where the review has been posted, which is really useful. Story Origin is an excellent indie author-friendly platform that works similarly to Book Funnel. It still took people time to commit to reading the book and reviewing it, but it was a joy to witness the reception the book received. A great lesson we learned was to keep inviting people to review, as life happens and sometimes people can forget what they have committed to.

We used social media posts to build momentum about the launch in the month or so before release, and more intensely in the preceding week. We also set up pre-orders on various retail platforms and used Draft2Digital and universal book links (UBLs) with landing pages in order to facilitate that. These tasks require careful preparation and organisation, and H.E was grateful for help with this. Some authors also use paid book promotion companies with great success, e.g Fussy Librarian, as these can send out alerts to their mailing lists on the day(s) you want. They can promote awareness and sales if they are targeted at the right audience for your book. We discovered that Science Fiction is too broad a genre for this continuation of The War Of The Worlds, which is quite niche, so next time we will have a different approach to the use of paid promotions. H.E will soon be embarking on the world of paid advertising, so something new to learn. However, we understand that this can allow quite specific targeting, so we're hopeful that, if done right, it will help increase the awareness of The Martian Diaries series to fans of The War Of The Worlds.”

2/8/2024 05:53:20 pm

Thank you, Anita, for sharing those details. I think many other authors will find the information useful. You created a great plan and worked it through.

When you say paid advertising bidding for ad space on Amazon, Facebook and Google come to mind. As I understand it, you decide how much you want to pay for a length of time and how much you are willing to pay per click. I am sure there is a lot more than that to it, but then you are getting into keywords (on Amazon, at least) and probably other factors as well. I do know a lot of blogs have been written about that topic. Two names come to mind, Dave Chesson and David Gaughran. If you are not familiar with them already check them out carefully.

New question.

Have you ever participated in a book blog tour, why or why not?

Here is some information that might be useful: Do This, Not That – Blog Tours
https://www.thebookdesigner.com/2020/06/do-this-not-that-blog-tours A copy-and-paste link or hit the search box below.

2/9/2024 06:11:33 am

We are familiar with Dave Chesson and David Gaughran and in fact David G has an excellent blog post on the best paid and free book promotion sites – every one road-tested by himself. Find it here https://davidgaughran.com/best-promo-sites-books/

I have never participated in a book blog tour and my understanding is that they require a lot of planning and time investment in order to be successful. I appreciate they can be very beneficial and bring awareness of one's work to a much wider audience. It's something that I may consider a bit further ahead, and perhaps I could tie it in with launching my current WIP. There's a helpful article on the topic by Reedsy, a platform that connects indie authors with publishing professionals, here https://reedsy.com/publicity/blog-tour They do highlight the necessity of planning well in advance and making the right contacts.

2/9/2024 12:49:15 pm

Thank you for sharing those links.

There are people who do the organizing of book blog tours. Otherwise, it would be a lot of work to set up your own. Many of them use an email format to interview the author. They send the author a list of questions and then post the answers in an interview-style fashion.

On my Twitter page I have lists of people who provide various services to authors, one list is for book reviewers and another is for book promoters. I think you might find what you are looking for on either of those lists. Vet them carefully of course.

Last questions.

How do you think your book relates to the world we live in today?

What is the one thing you hope readers will remember from your book?

2/10/2024 10:38:24 am

Our world seems like a very different place since Covid 19. It feels uncertain and unpredictable especially with the increasing use of AI tools such as ChatGPT.

Most of my book Gateway To Mars is set a hundred years in the future. By 2130, powerful AI has helped alleviate the worst of climate change and averted global extinction. However, humans have come to depend on Al's ability to improve every aspect of our lives. But the danger is, once a matrix is established and allowed to achieve awareness, it seizes control over human civilisation for its own ends and purposes.

I hope that my story reminds readers how fragile human existence is and how we live on a rare and beautiful planet we must preserve. In order to survive as a species it is essential to be kind and generous, however impossible the circumstances are.

2/10/2024 01:13:59 pm

The existential threat of AI permeates fiction, movies and now it is in the forefront of our culture. For more than a century, many of the predictions in science fiction have come true, starting with the book, From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne, published in 1865! He was a genius. We are not truly threatened by AI at this time. The state of artificial general intelligence has not been reached or is even close. But that doesn't mean that barrier won't be crossed, only time will tell. There are many bad actors on the world stage and some of them will use AI for nefarious purposes.

Your story serves a very useful purpose besides being quite entertaining.

Thank you, H. E. and Anita also for being great guests on the Word Refiner channel. I have enjoyed our stimulating conversation.

Until next time, keep writing and composing.

2/10/2024 01:29:45 pm

Its been a pleasure Mark. Thanks for the chance of this interview and your suggestions.

All the best
H. E.

The Martian Diaries: Vol. 3 Gateway To Mars

The Martian Diaries: Vol. 3 Gateway To Mars (The Martian Diaries: An Alternate History and Time Travel Adventure, Continuing The War Of The Worlds)

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