Warts And All - An Interview with Shane Kind

It can sometimes feel like the world is on the brink of a major catastrophe. The word “unprecedented” has been heard more times these past few years than any other and we’re constantly warned about bad news, bad people and bad things in general.

But take joy in the fact that despite all this doom and gloom, we’re all still around, able to enjoy new stories – how about one set in a dystopian future? Shane Kind’s title skips the catastrophe and falls straight into a cryogenic sleep, awakening two hundred and fifty years later in a new and unknown world…

We spoke with Shane about his writing past, his real-life inspirations for his fictitious tale, and his philosophy when writing something new.

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Aftermath: The Jack Morgan Chronicles is not your first book – far from it! You’ve previously told us about a sci-fi book you wrote in junior school about a crashed space craft, an alien crystal, and a perfectly stocked cleaning cupboard. Why has your lifelong passion with writing lasted so long?

To be honest I’ve never really thought about it, I mean, I have always loved reading and writing but thinking back, writing was a form of escapism. Growing up in the seventies was a time of real change in Britian, what with the minor’s strike, punk rock, super inflation, power cuts, and massive unemployment, writing was my chance to change the narrative.

In your new book, Jack Morgan is cryogenically frozen for 250 years. He’s thrown into a dystopian future where humanity is trying to crawl back from the brink of extinction. What present-day realities helped you in crafting this disastrous and (hopefully) fictious future?

I think watching what is happening in places like Ukraine, my heart goes out to everyone around the world who are undergoing trials and tribulation. Aftermath sets out to bring people together from the start - it really is a story about people accepting each other for who they are, warts and all, and then working together for a better future.

With a world unlike our own, having grounded and fully realised characters is a must. What difficulties, if any, did you face when writing Aftermath? Were there any pitfalls you purposefully aimed to avoid when you started out?

A good story needs conflict, but it doesn’t have to be physical fighting, so a story about a soldier who’s first instinct was not to fight, was a challenge. I purposefully avoided politics, and religion but acknowledged the need for some form of governance and hope - hopefully the reader will make their own mind up on how well-handled those things are!

You’ve shared with us before that you see writing a story as like being a passenger in a car. We at Pegasus Publishers are a big fan of this analogy and were wondering if you could share it with the readers of our blog?

Always happy to talk about what I love!

I am a great believer in a good story writing itself. Yes, you have designed the setting, and yes you have constructed the characters, however, it is very much their personalities that drive the narrative. While they are ‘driving,’ you are able to look out the window and describe what you see, smell, taste, and feel.

Finally, this adventure is just the beginning of Jack Morgan’s journey. We know we have to wait for the sequel, but can you share a little clue as to where his chronicle is next headed?

Jack Morgan wants to rebuild and restore the world, which he sees as being lost, whilst the deviants just want to ‘save’ humanity from becoming extinct, unfortunately there programming has become corrupted and their vision impaired.

Enter stage left, the Americans, with all their future tech, treating New Britain as their own personal science experiment and you have all the ingredients of Chain Reaction, the Jack Morgan Chronicles, Book Two.

Aftermath: The Jack Morgan Chronicles is available now in paperback.