Tad Williams is the only author that I can think of that directly influenced me. I read his Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy in high school. Any fan of fantasy who hasn’t read it needs to – it’s the series that showed and convinced George R.R. Martin that writing Game of Thrones and the intricate world it is set in was possible.

Henrik Rohdin – 7 December 2014

The Back Flap

For fifty years the Human Alliance and the Krokator Star Empire have been locked in a cold war, neither side willing to return to the open conflict that raged for centuries. Though uneasy, the peace has been amicably maintained–until terrorist attacks against both powers, leaving the Alliance’s capital shattered and the Emperor dead, threaten to reignite hostilities.

From the Alliance, the task of hunting down the perpetrators falls to intelligence officer Major John Gresham, whose background offers not only insight into galactic terror cells but also anonymous access to the labyrinthine defense establishment. The Empire sends Akgu Zurra, unquestioningly loyal and determined to hunt down those who murdered his sovereign. Their investigations lead in the same direction, forcing the two into unwelcome cooperation as they try to disrupt the network of their common enemy.

But that enemy, known only as the Forbidden Army, isn’t just a well-organized group of malcontents from the alien slums – they enjoy resources that suggest their funding comes from connected insiders on both sides. Gresham and Zurra may distrust each other, but justice means exposing powerful figures as traitors and the attacks as part of a broader plot to destabilize the galactic order. If those traitors can’t render the investigators ineffective, they’ll settle for dead.

About the book

What is the book about?

The book is a sci-fi thriller that is more of a thriller set in a futuristic universe than hard sci-fi . It follows intelligence operatives – one human, one from humanity’s arch-enemy the krokator – as they try to trace the money behind a conspiracy that has attacked both nations and is planning to attack again. It’s the first book in a series that now has three published books and a fourth on the way. I’ve heard from more than one source that it’s a “Tom Clancy in space” or “Tom Clancy, with aliens instead of Russians,” which is what I was going for.

When did you start writing the book?

The Forbidden Army is actually the product of two earlier novels I started work on years before the novel that is now published came into being, with the same two protagonists and a handful of the same peripheral characters. The book in its current iteration, however, I started on intermittently in 2009 and I finished it in December of 2010.

How long did it take you to write it?

Writing the first draft took about a year and a half, though I was in school and not working actively on it. At the time I mostly wrote it as a hobby until I was encouraged into actually editing it and thinking about maybe publishing it by friends and family. From there, I edited the entire book myself, combing through every page and every chapter, deleting chapters completely so I could rewrite them in their entirety, dumping characters and plot points until I was satisfied.

Where did you get the idea from?

Reading other sci-fi works and a thorough video game addiction gave me the inclination to want to come up with my own universe. From there, it was just inventing characters to populate it with and conflicts to challenge them with. I’ve actually never been a huge Star Wars or Star Trek fan, but I researched both series sporadically to make sure my ideas didn’t seem too similar to anything they had done.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

Writing for the female lead, which is a problem that has persisted into my later books as well. I’ve heard this is a problem for many male writers, and it holds true for me.

What came easily?

Dialogue between the two main characters, Gresham and Zurra. By the time I wrote book three, I knew them well enough that their conversational cues just came naturally. I also enjoy writing action scenes.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

Gresham (the human protagonist) probably has a little of my sarcasm in him, but most of them are completely fictitious. Some people I have encountered that I dislike eventually have some of their traits written into the villains, but nobody is a direct caricature of anyone real.

We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

Tad Williams is the only author that I can think of that directly influenced me. I read his Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy in high school. Any fan of fantasy who hasn’t read it needs to – it’s the series that showed and convinced George R.R. Martin that writing Game of Thrones and the intricate world it is set in was possible. It convinced me of the same thing. Williams’ work was so absorbing I forgot the real world existed outside of it.

Other than him, the focus on spies, political intrigue and technology has a lot of influence from writers like Tom Clancy, John le Carré and Michael Crichton. I also enjoy the works of John Grisham  – I did sort-of name my main character after him.

Do you have a target reader?

Anyone who enjoys science-fiction or a good thriller. I figure most of my readers are probably in their teens or early twenties. Hopefully not too much younger, my work is violent and has some rough language.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

I try to set aside a half hour to an hour every night, and every Sunday I go and write at Starbucks for a few hours to get out of the apartment. I write consecutively as much as possible, as if I was reading the book.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

I outlined chapter headings and sentences for my third book, though on the other ones it has been rough sketches at best where I figure out the chapter structure as I go along with the plot known in advance. Having notes to consult certainly helps.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

I’ve tried to train myself out of editing as I go. I’m a Type A perfectionist and it’s been tough to accept that there is a such thing as a rough draft and it won’t be perfect the first time.

Did you hire a professional editor?

My dad is actually my editor, so no. It sounds low-budget but he gives very blunt advice not only on grammar and such but plot points and character issues that many editors wouldn’t look for. He’s not a sci-fi fan either, which helps because he approaches it from the perspective of somebody who might not be naturally invested in my kind of novel and whose attention I need to keep.

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

All kinds of music, from Nineties gangsta rap to ABBA to twangy country to European techno.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

I sent about twenty query letters out and only got responses (all rejections) from a third of them.

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

Getting rejected/not wanting to wait. I had already been intrigued by the idea of Kindle Direct Publishing and Smashwords, but the experience with agents sealed the deal. I was on KDP about two months after I first started sending out queries.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

I hired an artist online named Ronnell Porter who has done excellent work. I’m not enough of a visual artist to trust myself to do a good job.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

I’ve been winging it until now, but I’m starting to devote more time to marketing it.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

Edit your book and have somebody you trust read it to give you blunt input. A lot of books out there are poorly written, not proofread or just poorly plotted. Also remember that it’s a tough slog. There are so many other books out there by your fellow artists and you have to make it stand out. Final word of advice is to keep writing and remember that this is supposed to be fun and it’s your hobby and what you love to do, even if your books sometimes struggle or you get lukewarm reviews.

About You

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in the Seattle area.

Where do you live now?

I now live in Spokane, which is on the opposite side of the state of Washington.

What would you like readers to know about you?

My books are pretty grim and gritty, but I’m the polar opposite in real life. I just got married this past summer and am absolutely crazy about my wife. I’m a cat person. My whole family is from Sweden, which I speak fluently (knowing a second language helps when you have dialogue conducted in an alien tongue).

What are you working on now?

Right now I’m working on finishing the first draft of the fourth book in my League of Planets series, and then I’m going to take a sabbatical from work on the series. I have a police procedural plotted out as well as the outline written for a pirate adventure set in post-Revolutionary War Louisiana. After that maybe I’ll get back to League of Planets once I’ve gotten these other stories on paper. My goal is to eventually have one book in the editing process and one being written at all times.

End of Interview

For more, visit the Wiki for the series or like Henrik’s page on Facebook.

Get your copy of The Forbidden Army from Amazon US, Amazon UK, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords.