MJN: One of
the benefits of publishing your work independently in a digital form is that
you can make changes. One thing I struggle with as an author with a
third-party publisher is that I never consider my work finished. I always want
to go back and make changes to the final manuscript. At what point do you
say, "Enough is enough. No more revisions."
HA: When
I wrote my first book, it was a train wreck. The story was there. The story was
good. The execution left a great deal to be desired. The problem was that I was
too inexperienced to realize just how bad it was. As I continued creating, I
began to develop a set of rules for birthing a book. In fact, once these were
developed, I ended up going back and re-writing/editing/releasing my earlier
works so that I wouldn’t have to cringe at the thought of someone seeing them.
I have a tiny group of beta readers, who function on different levels.
One is a housewife in Texas whom I have known for most of my life. She works
the ‘how does this make me feel?’ angle. My wife and my mother are the
grammarians, the punctuation police, and also point out inconsistencies. My
most valuable asset is a fellow who can do all of these things, as well as spot
a loophole from a mile away. The guy is – literally – the smartest person I
know, and his help and guidance have made my works far better things.
In the end, I find a point that feels right, and call the work done. I
know I could always add more, but I just force myself to walk away. So far,
I’ve gotten away with that. Part of the reason that I can is that I begin a
story with a concept, and then just sort of let it lead me where it will. A lot
of mystery writers do this, which makes sense in their genre. Having written
only one mystery, I can say that it does
work better there. It’s a heck of a lot more tumultuous outside of that genre.
Still, I can’t imagine being handcuffed to a non-amorphous story. I don’t think
I would have as much fun writing if I did that to myself – right or wrong.
MJN: There are so many speculative / sci-fi novels out. It's becoming harder and harder to come up with original ideas. What is your scientific/fantasy platform? Meaning, what pool of knowledge do you go to while cultivating plots? I imagine, you have seen every Twilight Zone episode.
HA: I can’t remember who
said it, but there was a famous inventor, or scientist, or someone, who made
the statement about a century ago that everything worth inventing had been
invented already. At one time, I felt exactly as you’ve outlined above. Until I
realized that famous author X was sort of putting his own spin on movie Y from
thirty years ago, etc. This gave me hope. Now, I try to take a potentially
concept, and put my own unique spin on it. In some ways, it might have ‘been
done’, but in others I’m creating something new with new twists.
I’ve
actually seen one or two ‘Twilight Zone’ episodes, but not too many. I’m also a
fussy sci-fi watcher, believe it or not. Mostly, I read. My pool of knowledge
comes from fiction and non-fiction alike. I was fortunate to have a love of
reading and learning instilled in me at a young age by bot of my parents, and
especially by my Grandfather (who worked on myriad NASA projects as an
Engineer, and was a voracious learner). To this day, I also can’t stop
learning. I have a compulsion to absorb. That may be why no one will play
trivia games with me. What’s sad is I can sing entire obscure commercials from
the 70’s, but I often can’t remember what I did this morning.
My
favorite authors include Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, David Mitchell,
Christopher Moore, Douglas Coupland, Neal Stephenson, J.R.R. Tolkien, Haruki
Murakami, Michael Connelly, Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child, and Ayn Rand. So,
reading-wise, I’m pretty much all over the place.
I also
find that there is ALWAYS something to be learned in nearly every facet of
everyday life. I Hoover in tidbits, mostly because I never know when it might
be useful to call upon them.
MJN: I was
captivated by the cover of TheBattery Man featuring an
android figure. The novel is told from the point of view of a robot in a
post-apocalyptic setting where biological life is impossible. And yet
your protagonist, who is also the speaker, functions according to human
principles. Are machines more human than the humans who created them?
HA: This contains a
spoiler, but it’s necessary to answer the question. ‘The Battery Man’ began as
a weekend self-test in writing a first-person narrative. Since that time, I’ve
continued the practice. Each time giving no name to my protagonist, nor much
information about them, personally (an anthology of these is in the works as I
write this, with the intent of releasing it in late fall/early winter). This is
intentional, as I feel it allows the reader to identify with them more acutely.
This particular work was actually meant to be written from the perspective of
an android who had been imbued with the capability of comprehending the human
condition during the final moment of his handler’s life (though he doesn’t
realize it’s happened right away). It’s also meant to drive the reader to think
about the cyclical nature of historical events in our collective lives, with
most of the negative ones among them being entirely avoidable.
I’ve
always been a devoted follower of William Gibson’s work. As a boy I read
‘Neuromancer’ and was blown away by the concept of Wintermute (the AI in the
story’s background). That concept has stuck with me, and actually played a
significant role in ‘Last Rights’ (though in an unconventional manner by
comparison).
If you’re
a geek like me, then you’ll probably be familiar with the concept of a Turing
test. Alan Turing once posited that the true test of an artificial intelligence
was whether it could pass as human or not. In essence, it would have to be
un-governed by paradoxical happenings (remember HAL in 2001?), and also possess
the capability to correctly choose how to interact with the individual or
individuals interacting with it. Should it be empathetic? Should it be
incensed? Should it show sympathy? Anger? Frustration? Et cetera.
I think
that, inevitably, the capability to pass a Turing test will come to pass. The concern of all those who ponder self-sentience
in machines is that they’ll realize that the human race is an ugly, broken
thing and then proceed to determine whether our presence is a positive or
negative thing when considered with regard to everything after the moment
sentience is achieved. Then, in my mind, we’re pretty much screwed, and
Hollywood has it right.
MJN: Your wife has a strong presence in your creative life. Even your website is for the two of you - Heath and Wanda. I must say, it's not surprising. She plays the flute, oboe and clarinet. Would you call yourself a golden couple of digital media?
HA: My wife is, for the
record, an amazing and singular individual. She and I are a rare pair of
individuals who live a blissful and symbiotic life. I’m outwardly mental for
her, and I’d like to think that our marriage is an example of how to do a thing
right. It’s built on a solid footing of trust, mutual respect and admiration,
and out and out love and awe for one another. I find myself just looking at
her, and thinking, “How in the world am I lucky enough to have this woman in my
life?” I honestly feel spoiled. She’s amazing, she’s talented, and she’s done
more in her life at 36 than most will do in the entirety of their own. We’ve
also been apart for only three nights in the 20+ years that we’ve been
together. We’d just as soon be in one another’s company than anyone else’s.
That’s saying something, when you compare that sentiment to other marriages
surrounding us each day.
When I
chose to put the photo of the two of us on my first novel, some people thought
it a bit odd. The reality is we’re a team. If I’m a success, then I know that
she’s a part of the reason for that being so. Since then, I’ve used that photo
on all of my works and social media outlets. It’s become my ‘brand’ or
‘trademark’. I have no embarrassment whatsoever in giving her all she is due,
and letting the world know how important she is to me.
Within our
personal business, she handles all of the web site design and implementation.
For all that I myself am blessed to know, she knows many of the things that I
don’t. This makes the symbiosis of our relationship all the more complete.
MJN: One
time you mentioned to me in a mysterious voice that you have a series of other
businesses and that training employees was second nature to you. Can you
tell us about the nature of your other endeavors? I assume, Digital Ninjas
is one of them.
HA: I like to learn as I
go, and trying new things is something I love. Digital Ninjas Media’s creation
was one, certainly. We’ve also done a house flip, and at one time I obtained an
Illinois Real Estate License just to see what it was all about. I write, I blog,
I speak. I’m active in politics (most notably the grassroots ‘Represent.US’
movement). My wife has a not-for-profit called ‘Tailored to Hire’ that
functions to provide spam-free, genuine job listings to folks in our area that
I help out with a bit as well. It’s grown far larger than she ever imagined,
and is a testament to her tireless efforts to assist others. The program not
only posts jobs, it also provides mock interviews, free resume development,
transportation logistics to interviews, workplace attire, and ties in to the
food pantry which is hosted by her church (which the program is chartered
through).
I like to
help folks to help themselves, so I find myself offering assistance in the
forms of time, advice, administration of a large series of specialized Facebook
groups that I’ve developed, etc. I like to believe that there is an untapped
good in all of my fellow men and women, and if I can help them to let it out to
shine, then I’ve done what I should be doing. Sometimes, all people need is
someone to believe in them, and to show them the door to opportunity.
With the
above in mind, I’ve edited a number of works for friends, and even assisted one
in taking his raw memories about his addiction, and subsequent recovery, and
turning it into a viable book. I like doing these things, without expectation
of compensation, because I feel like they’re meaningful and worthwhile. I wish
others took the time to give of themselves, because it not only feels amazing,
it also makes the world a better place for someone other than oneself.
At one
point I was asked to contribute to a then-budding blog about what was good in
my hometown of Rockford, Illinois. At that time, it had found itself at the top
of almost every list that a city never wants to find itself on. Still, the
founder believed that a light needed to shine, and so he took up the cause. I
was privileged to get to work with him. I didn’t know what to contribute, so I
just sort of did what felt right. A few weeks ago, Digital Ninjas Media took
sole ownership of The Rockford Blog (the founder had moved, and was in the
midst of building a richer life for himself, but also didn’t want to see his
blossoming work simply fold). It will be a continued labor of love, but one I
look forward to carrying on. I just hope that I, and the other contributors,
can do the founder proud. He’s a good man, and the world needs a hell of a lot
more like him.
Some
stranger facts: I love to sing karaoke, and once had the opportunity to do so
in the 4-floor stage area at The Mall of America in front of thousands of
people. It was awesome. I also have a satirical page for my alter-ego (Weird
Uncle Pete).
My day job
consists of running a multi-million dollar contract manufacturing enterprise
that serves a multitude of industries nationwide.
I’m a busy
guy, but I love it. I had my first job at 12, and during my late teens worked
four jobs and 90+ hour weeks. My resume makes no logical sense, and I’ve worked
in so many fields that I have lots of fodder for stories. My goal has always
been to retire at fifty, and find something I love to do with my time. I’ve
decided that writing and assisting others is that thing, if either of them will
have me.
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