Goodread synopsis of Mal Goes to War:
The humans are fighting again. Go figure.
As a free A.I., Mal finds the war between the modded and augmented Federals and the puritanical Humanists about as interesting as a battle between rival anthills. He’s not above scouting the battlefield for salvage, though, and when the Humanists abruptly cut off access to infospace he finds himself trapped in the body of a cyborg mercenary, and responsible for the safety of the modded girl she died protecting.
A dark comedy wrapped in a techno thriller’s skin, Mal Goes to War provides a satirical take on war, artificial intelligence, and what it really means to be human.
1. What inspired you to write “Mal Goes to War”?
I had a number of inspirations for this book. The fact that I’d already spent the advance certainly played a part, for example. From an artistic standpoint, though, I’ve always been interested in trying to understand how minds other than our own
might work. One of the reasons I love Adrian Tchaikovsky’s work so much is that he’s really a master at doing that—getting inside the head of a sentient octopus or spider or whatever and figuring out how that mind would see the world in ways
that are completely different than ours. Writing from Mal’s perspective probably wasn’t quite as ambitious as that, but it was my attempt at imagining how a truly nonhuman intelligence would see us.
2. Was “Mal Goes to War” the original title or were there other titles?
No, “Mal Goes to War” didn’t come around until after final edits. I had a working title (“A Brief History of the Stupid War”) and then a bunch of others that we batted around before settling on the final one (which, to be clear, I really like.) Titles are a bit of an Achilles’ heel for me, if I’m being honest. I really don’t like them.
3. What research did you do when writing “Mal Goes to War”?
Honestly? Not much. I was writing about a part of the world that I know very well, and the setting is far enough in the future (about 40 years) that any minor discrepancies can be swept under with a catchall “things changed!” Likewise, the
technology I wrote about was either stuff I knew well from my time with the military, or stuff that I was making up whole cloth. I probably googled some stuff here and there, but mostly I just sat down and wrote.
4. Do you ever get writer’s block? What do you do to get back on track?
Ouch. Isn’t that kind of like asking a golfer if he’s ever gotten the yips? Actually, though, I really never have. Not to say I never will (thanks for asking) but so far the words have always been there when I needed them.
5. Do you like to map out your fiction plots ahead of time or just let it flow?
I would like to. Truly, I would. Life would be much easier if I could put together some kind of rough outline and then just spend the next six months filling in the details. My brain just doesn’t work that way, though. I’ll put together a rough map of where I want the beats to be, but the details of the plot, or even of the characters, generally won’t come to me until I actually need them. All of which is to say, every book for me is pretty much a leap of faith, trusting that whatever squirrels are rooting around in the back of my skull will come through for me one more time. So far, they always have.
6. Silly-Game question: From the novel “Mal Goes to War” could you please leaf through the pages and point at a random place. What is the full sentence? And what is the page number of this random sentence?
Page 172: I hope you understand that I will kill you for this. You hear me? If it’s
the last thing I do on this earth, I will kill you.
Fun stuff, right?
7. Were there alternate endings you considered for “Mal Goes to War”?
Well, as I implied above, I didn’t really know exactly how the book was going to
end until I got there. Once I’d written the climactic scene, though, I knew I had a
winner, and I never considered changing it in any significant way.
8. Congratulations on your book “Mickey 7” being made into a feature film by Oscar-Winning director Bong Joon-Ho, what scene are you looking forward to seeing on the screen?
When Director Bong first signed on to the project, he let me know that he would have to cut a lot of stuff from the book in order to boil a 300 page novel down into a 120 page script. He asked me then if I could pick one scene that I thought was the heart of the book, and he promised that he would include that in the film. I thought about it for about half a second, and then I said Chapter 19. He said that’s great, I loved that chapter, I was going to include it anyway, and I asked if I could pick another one, and he said no, and that was that. I meant what I said, though. That chapter is the emotional core of the book, and I can’t wait to see
what Director Bong was able to do with it.
9. In one word, how did you feel when you discovered that “Mickey 7” was optioned?
Confused.
10. After meeting director Boon Joon-Ho, could you give three adjectives to describe him?
Kind. Courteous. Thoughtful.
11. What are your thoughts on Robert Pattinson playing Mickey Barnes? How was it like meeting the actor?
I think he was pretty much a perfect choice. He’s a great actor, he’s got an
incredibly dedicated fan base, and from a physical standpoint he’s remarkably
close to how I imagined Mickey. Meeting him was… not much, really. He was in
the middle of shooting, wearing a thin body suit in a really cold room, and not
particularly up for chatting. It was fun to say hello, though.
12. Were you able to meet the other cast members? If so, how was the experience?
No. We were only on the set for one day, and they spent that entire day shooting
one scene, pretty much. We spent some time with Director Bong, quite a bit more
with the producers, shot some promotional video stuff that I guess they’ll maybe
use at some point, and got to climb around on some of the scenery. It was a
great day, but not one that involved meeting the cast.
13. Are you planning on making a cameo in the film? If not, would you consider doing so in any other film/TV series adaptation of your work?
Definitely not. I’m very much a behind the camera kind of guy. As far as other
adaptations of my work goes, that’s really up to the studios, isn’t it? I mean, it’s
not like I’m going to tell them no.
14. Which of your other stories would you like to see adapt into a film or TV series?
Well, Mal Goes to War, for starters. Also, I think my first book, Three Days in April, would make an amazing film. We had some discussions with a director who was interested in that one a few years ago, but it never came together. Maybe if Mickey17 blows the doors off (as I fully expect it will) that will come back around.
15. Have you considered writing a screenplay?
Nope. Not in my wheelhouse. I’m still trying to figure out this whole “novel” business.
16. What book (or movie) had the most influence in your life?
That’s a tough one. I’ve always been a voracious reader, and I feel like everything I’ve ever read has accumulated in the back of my brain like silt in a river delta. If I had to pick one, though, I’d probably go with Titan, by John Varley. If there was one book that made me think I might want to be a writer, it was probably that one.
17. Last question, if you could pick a day to relive over and over again, what day would it be and why?
Another tough one. I’ve had a lot of good days—more than any one person probably deserves, if I’m being honest. That said, I’m going with a sticky-hot Saturday in August of 1994. It started with too much beer and too many people and too much laughter, progressed through a long, futile search for a Boston Chicken in downtown Philly, and ended with a shared toothbrush and the sudden, blinding realization that this beautiful girl who was just a friend was actually the person I needed to spend the rest of my life with. Like I said, I’ve had a lot of good days, but that was was probably the best.