R. J. Swales is the author behind the far-future space epic ‘A World Reminded’. We are honoured to work with as many authors as we do at Pegasus Publishers – each with their own stories to tell. Their worlds are singular, their characters are relatable, and their creativity truly knows no bounds.
We are honoured to work with as many authors as we do at Pegasus Publishers – each with their own stories to tell. Their worlds are singular, their characters are relatable, and their creativity truly knows no bounds.
This is Author Life, a feature on the Pegasus Blog that opens the door to each of our author’s creative process and previous literary experience, offering you – the reader – an opportunity to learn a little about the mind, or minds, behind the novel.
R. J. Swales is the author behind the far-future space epic ‘A World Reminded’.
What are the three most important things you have accomplished, aside from publishing a book?
Marrying my wife, having my kids and the drive to move around to different places and travel meeting new friends and people along the way. Perhaps technically not three things but you get the idea.
In your own life, what influences and inspires you to write?
Everyday life, talking to people hearing their stories, seeing new places and reading books and watching films. There are influences and inspirations all around if you take the time to notice them.
What book or author has had the biggest impact on you and why
I like to read an eclectic mix of authors, everything from fiction, biographies and non-fiction. When I was younger, I loved all the Redwall series, then I enjoyed Ursula Le Guin’s Earthsea series before moving on to the works of Isaac Asimov. Nowadays I’m enjoying reading Katherine Rundell’s books to my youngest.
How would you summarise your book?
Solar system spanning action and adventure sci-fi thriller about a detective hunting a ghost from the past.
What were your first experiences with writing?
From school at a young age, I would always enjoy writing, so when we were given creative writing assignments in English those would be some of the best experiences.
In your opinion, what are the key ingredients for a good story or novel?
For me, I enjoy pace. I like something that is easy to follow, sets the scene quickly and then gets straight into the story, which in turn makes the book engrossing enough to forget where you are for a moment. This suits my need on the daily commute when I get the best opportunity to read.
How long do you spend writing every day?
It depends, normally Monday to Friday I work so there is little time, but sometimes in the evenings or when the children are at clubs, I find time or during my commute on the train and sometimes at weekends. So maybe around a few hours per week in total. At the moment writing is a hobby for me, but it would be great if I could do more.
How long did you spend writing this novel?
Overall, it took several years as I would write, leave it for a while and then comeback to it. At the time I did not establish any kind of writing discipline as it was a side hobby. Only when the book started to take shape did I start to put more daily/weekly effort into finishing it.
What was the most challenging part of writing this book, and what did you learn from writing it?
For me it was confidence. Writing a story is hard, but writing a story that you think might be good enough for someone else to read is even harder. It took a while for me to find the confidence to send it out to someone to read and get their feedback before I could take it forward to find a publisher.
What did you find most helpful when writing this book?
I find travel and experiences the most helpful. Going around the world to see places, people and culture is really the best way to get inspiration for places and characters. I always take a journal with me as well, even when commuting to work to take notes as thoughts and plots come to mind.
What writing advice would you offer to your younger self?
I wish I had started earlier in my life, taking the time to follow my passion, take some more risks and be more confident in myself.
September 1, 2256. ‘My name is Cataline, and tonight I will become the most wanted man in the galaxy.’ Vengeance has a long memory. For years, the Republic has enjoyed a hard-won peace on the ashes of the old Empire, but those ashes are beginning to stir. When the mysterious Cataline, a vengeful ghost long thought dead, unleashes a devasting attack on London, Detective Walker’s warnings are finally heard: the ghost is alive, ruthless and angry. Caught between the family he loves and the fragile peace he swore to uphold, Walker leads an elite team of outcasts on a hunt spanning the solar system. From the cities of Earth and the Moon to the frozen depths of Europa, they uncover a conspiracy of buried secrets and horrifying human-to-machine experiments. In a race against a man who has nothing left to lose, Walker must decide what he’s willing to sacrifice to save the Republic before Cataline’s vengeance consumes it.
Happy Publication Day everyone! Our eighth Publication Day of 2026 brings a whole new collection of exciting stories, from a wonderful collective of talented authors! To introduce them, we are continuing a fun feature for the year – Ask Our Authors – where we send all our newly published writers the same simple question to see how different each answer is… For our September authors, we asked them: What does your typical writing routine look like? Padraig McCo...
We are honoured to work with as many authors as we do at Pegasus Publishers – each with their own stories to tell. Their worlds are singular, their characters are relatable, and their creativity truly knows no bounds. This is Author Life, a feature on the Pegasus Blog that opens the door to each of our author’s creative process and previous literary experience, offering you – the reader – an opportunity to learn a little about the mind, or minds, behind the novel. Georgia Flint is ...
We are honoured to work with as many authors as we do at Pegasus Publishers – each with their own stories to tell. Their worlds are singular, their characters are relatable, and their creativity truly knows no bounds. This is Author Life, a feature on the Pegasus Blog that opens the door to each of our author’s creative process and previous literary experience, offering you – the reader – an opportunity to learn a little about the mind, or minds, behind the novel. Marius Shovlin ...
01 October, 2026