Please
Welcome...
Stuart Vaughn
Stockton
What a joy to have
Christian speculative fiction novelist Stuart
Vaughn
Stockton as our interview guest this month here at
WhereTheMapEnds.com.
Stuart is one of those guys
you meet who has...let's call it a rich inner life. His body may be here, but his
mind is in a far-off galaxy inhabited by advanced creatures bearing more resemblance to
T. Rex than you or me.
He says he
was only two years old when he managed to blow up an electrical outlet
using only a pinto bean and a metal fork. We speculate that this may help
explain how his brain became calibrated toward the weird
side.
Nevertheless, Stuart is quiet, stable,
and always thinking. And he does have at least one foot in the real
world--he has to, now that he's got a new baby girl with his wife, fellow Christian
novelist Amber Miller (a.k.a. Tiffany
Stockton).
I
first encountered Stuart when I was launching Realms
over at Strang Communications. I
loved his bizarre science fiction story about non-human, non-earth lizard
characters trying to save their empire on some distant world. But I knew
I'd never be able to get it published through traditional Christian
publishing channels.
I was very pleased, a few years later, to be
able to acquire it for Marcher Lord Press.
As
a teen, Stuart began creating characters and stories that, over the
ensuing twenty years, steadily built into the mythos of Galactic Lore, a
universe of stories that includes the world of Sauria, on which his first
novel, Starfire,
takes place.
Stuart had become something of
a cult figure in one corner of Christian publishing even before he ever
got a contract. Stuart became friends with bestselling Christian novelist
Brandilyn Collins when she was looking for a character inspiration for her
Kanner Lake series of novels.
She ended
up creating S-Man, a character who hangs out in a popular coffee joint
always talking about this strange science fiction novel he's writing. The
book involves computer-using dinosaur characters and an ancient doomsday
weapon.
S-Man is, of course, Stuart, and the SF he's working
on is Starfire. Fans of Brandilyn's novels,
and many members of ACFW, know that Stuart is the
basis for S-Man. Hence his somewhat legendary status in those
circles.
Just to blur the line a bit more, Starfire
contains a page of signatures from
Kanner Lake characters congratulating S-Man for finally getting his book
published.
So without further ado, here's the
interview.
WhereTheMapEnds: Catch us up with you. What
have you been up to lately?
Stuart Vaughn Stockton: Mostly
I’ve been adjusting to life as a dad. Our first baby, Victoria, was born
on April 2nd. I’ve been having a fun time getting to know her and
experiencing the wonders of fatherhood.
Other
than that I’ve been doing what I can to get the word out about
Starfire and the rest of Marcher Lord Press’s great books while I
get back into the world of Sauria to continue Rathe’s
adventures.
WhereTheMapEnds:
What is your favorite speculative novel of all time (Christian or
secular) and why is that your favorite?
Stuart Vaughn
Stockton: I
don’t really have a favorite novel of all time one way or the other.
Tolkien’s and Lewis’s works are the only novels I’ve read more than once.
The one series that really kicked me into serious
consideration of writing was R.A. Salvatore’s
Cleric Quintet and the way the main character’s
faith journey was explored.
WhereTheMapEnds:
What made you want to write Christian speculative
fiction?
Stuart Vaughn
Stockton: I’ve
always been a big fan of science fiction and fantasy, so speculative
fiction is what came naturally to me. Honestly, I don’t think I could
write anything else, as my creative process just doesn’t work that
way.
WhereTheMapEnds: I think most novelists tend
to write in the genres of books they've been most impacted by. We want to
recreate that impact and wonder and joy in the lives of others--and in
ourselves. So how
was your first idea for a Christian speculative
novel received (by anyone: spouse, friends, parents, agent, publisher,
readers, reviewers, etc.)?
Stuart Vaughn
Stockton: I’ve
been blessed with very supportive family and friends who have always
acknowledged I’m a little weird, but also encouraged me to develop my
story ideas. The first idea I actually tried to write as a novel was about
a group of teens who discovered some sleeping dragons beneath the
mountains of Colorado
and became a kind of superhero team.
My first completed manuscript was Starfire. While all my family and friends loved
it, anyone who would actually have to take a risk on it (like agents
and editors) shied away—which I don’t fault them for. The concept of alien
dinosaurs not written for young adults isn’t what anyone thinks of when
they think of CBA.
WhereTheMapEnds:
What is your favorite speculative genre to read? To write? If
they’re different, talk about that.
Stuart Vaughn
Stockton: I
actually read fantasy the most, and I think my writing is more like
fantasy than science fiction.
Early
on while thinking of Starfire I remember reading an article on
fantasy where the author commented how most of the authors of fantasy
following Tolkien had all their characters seeking to obtain an
object of great power to defeat evil, while Tolkien had his characters
seeking to destroy
an object of great power to defeat
evil.
That
struck me as quite interesting and I wondered what it might be like to
combine those goals in a story. That’s partially what led me down the path
of finding Karey Or and forcing Rathe’s decision with the
Starfire.
WhereTheMapEnds: Fascinating. For the
benefit of someone who might not know your premise, I'll say that the
central question in Starfire is what our protagonist will do with
a superweapon that might save his empire--or destroy his world. Should he
use it or destroy it?
How would you characterize the current state of
Christian speculative fiction writing and/or publishing?
Stuart Vaughn
Stockton: I
think the Christian speculative fiction writing/publishing relationship
right now feels to me like a grown eagle still stuck in its shell. There
are a growing number of excellent spec-fic writers out there honing their
craft and crafting their tales, but save for a few sub-genres of spec-fic
they are being held back by market forces that haven’t cracked open enough
to let them break free and fly into the unknown.
There
are a large number of reasons behind this, but I think that part of it is
because there are too many people out there who don’t know where to find
this kind of fiction, or haven’t discovered that they want
it.
WhereTheMapEnds: Great word picture. Of
course, my personal belief
of why this is is that the fiction readers who buy CBA fiction are
not those who want science fiction or fantasy. They want bonnet and buggy
fiction.
But I do agree that there are many Christians who would love
Christian speculative fiction but don't know it's out there. These are the ones who
read Ted Dekker's books but then believe there's nothing else out there like
them.
What have you seen that encourages you about
Christian speculative fiction writing and/or publishing?
Stuart Vaughn
Stockton: There’s
more opportunity for people who write speculative fiction from a Christian
worldview to get their novels out to the masses now than there ever have
been before. Independent publishers like Marcher Lord
Press are springing up all over the place, and they are small enough
to take risks that the more established houses
can’t.
Plus,
the word is spreading that these books are out there. Maybe not as fast as
the cosmic winds, but people are discovering that these weird books are
available and that they are
well-written.
WhereTheMapEnds:
What have you seen that discourages or frustrates you
about Christian speculative fiction writing and/or publishing?
Stuart Vaughn Stockton: It
is easy for me to get discouraged when I think about how few people know
about the great writing that is out there now.
There
are great communities built up around Christian spec-fic, but right now
they’re the pioneers, blazing the trail and sending back reports. Trying
to get the word out about the wonders hidden beyond the edges of the known
world.
Their
efforts encourage me to keep spreading the word myself and to trust God
will reward the faithful and that He uses each of us to touch lives with
our
writing.
WhereTheMapEnds:
What do you think Christian speculative fiction
writing and/or publishing will look like in three years? Five years? Ten
years?
Stuart Vaughn Stockton: The
writing aspect, I imagine, will look a lot like it does now, though
perhaps people won’t have to go so long in solitude without an
understanding community as those that exist now grow and mature. When I
first started writing spec-fic, these communities didn’t exist (as far as
I know). It was a pretty lonely start.
As
for publishing, I hope it will have grown more mainstream in the public
knowledge. The industry is struggling to figure out how to get through
this economy and what to do with the digital side of the business. The
slush of available books will probably get bigger, which will make it
harder to stand out, but I think the ability to find good Christian
spec-fic will increase.
WhereTheMapEnds:
I certainly hope you're right. So, Stuart, what advice would you give to someone who aspires to write
and publish Christian speculative fiction?
Stuart Vaughn Stockton: Keep
your focus on God and allow Him to speak to you through the writing
experience. Don’t worry about putting lessons in for other people, but try
to hear God speaking to you through the trials and adventures you
chronicle for your characters.
Don’t
listen to the industry experts about what is marketable until after you’ve
written a novel or two that stir your heart. Worrying about if what you’ve
written will be published will only cause you to be distracted from your
story. [Ed.: And
paralyzed.]
Finally,
have fun. Go crazy and write the story that sings in your heart. And
always keep pressing
forward.
WhereTheMapEnds: Good advice, Stuart.
What’s the best part about writing and publishing
Christian speculative fiction?
Stuart Vaughn Stockton: For
me, the best part about writing Christian speculative fiction is the
chance to explore different worlds and examine how God might work on those
worlds.
As
for the publishing part, what I love most is hearing back from readers who
have finally gotten to experience the world I’ve been exploring myself. I
love learning what they saw or if they discovered anything I hadn’t
seen.
WhereTheMapEnds: What writing project(s) are you working on
now?
Stuart Vaughn Stockton: Right
now I’m in the early stages of work on the sequel to Starfire,
tentatively titled, Shenkai. This next stage in Rathe’s
adventures picks up shortly after the events in Starfire and will
explore the consequences of Rathe’s decision and unveil more of the
secrets of Sauria and the greater Galactic Lore
mythos.
WhereTheMapEnds: Excellent. What’s
a cool speculative story idea you’ve had lately?
Stuart Vaughn Stockton: The
latest formed idea is a story about a young boy in 1880s
Texas
who discovers a steam-powered armored suit and is recruited to help in a
fight against a highly-advanced alien race. Something like steampunk vs.
lasers.
WhereTheMapEnds: Way cool. I was just
sitting here thinking that what we need is a Wild West steampunk novel
with aliens. Oh, yeah, baby! Well, Stuart,
what else
would you like to say to readers of WhereTheMapEnds?
Stuart Vaughn Stockton: Don’t
stop dreaming or asking weird questions. It doesn’t take much looking
around to see that God delights in the weird and unexpected. He uses the
foolishness of this world to confound the wise, so don’t be afraid to be a
little
foolish.
And
keep spreading the word about all the great speculative titles that are
coming out from Christian authors. It’s up to all of us to help keep
places like Marcher Lord Press going by rewarding them for taking the risk
to deliver the stories we’ve all been longing
for.
That's
all for this time
What a great interview, huh? Thanks again to Stuart Vaughn
Stockton. Be sure to visit Stuart
online.
If
you missed the previous months' interviews with other speculative authors,
including Frank Peretti, Jerry Jenkins, Karen
Hancock, Tosca Lee, and Ted
Dekker, you can read them here.
And be sure to come back next month for an interview
with another mover and shaker in the world of Christian speculative
fiction.
