Interview with Mike Stackpole

I had a chance to chat recently with Mike Stackpole (Noble Charron in Second Life), co-founder of the first ever Fiction for a Cure event in SL to benefit Relay For Life of Second Life.  Mike is a New York Times bestselling science fiction and fantasy author best known for his Star Wars and Battletech books and a resident of Second Life since 2007.  He owns Third Life Books, a Bookstore and SL publishing house of Sci Fi, Fantasy, Mystery, Erotica titles and a space where he maintains weekly office hours, promotes and publishes books, holds inworld readings, and offers classes. 

Fiction for a Cure is program in which notable authors and rising stars in the world of first life publishing can offer signed books, personalized books, entertainment (readings and Q&A’s), classes, critiques, signed books, and personalized signed books and naming rights to Second Life residents to raise funds for Relay for Life. Mike and his business partner, Kat Klybourne (Kat Alderson in SL) are organizing the event, which will be held July 11-18. 100% of the funds raised through the Fiction for a Cure event are donated directly to Relay For Life of Second Life, including all sponsorship fees, exhibitor fees, donation items, and raffle ticket purchases.

I wanted to find out more about Mike as an author and an SL avatar, as well as learning about the event.

Joonie Jatho:  Hi Mike, and thanks for taking the time to talk with me.

Mike Stackpole: My pleasure, Joonie.

JJ:  How did you learn about Second Life?

MS: I’d seen the program offered for a download on the Apple site for years, but never took the plunge. Then Kat said I simply had to come into SL. SL was the realization of the sort of virtual reality I’d envisioned in a story of mine titled “Kid Binary and the Two-bit Gang,” and, before that,  Gibson’s Neuromancer (for which I worked on the computer game) and Stephenson’s SnowCrash. I was hooked. 

 JJ: How long were you in SL before you got involved in the SL literary scene: Book Island, and so on? 

MS: Must have been inside a month. Kat didn’t have to work very hard to convince me that SL would be a great opportunity for marketing and promoting books. There have been bumps along the way, and learning how SL users interact with fiction has been interesting. But figuring out puzzles like that is fun.

JJ: You hold weekly office hours in SL and answer all kinds of questions from all levels of writers. Not

many authors take the time to support the dreams and goals of other writers. Why do you think that is important?

MS: Two reasons. First, I was very lucky, when I started, to have writers like Manly Wade Wellman, Hugh B. Cave, Roger Zelazny and Fred Saberhagen offer advice and opportunities for me to get better and advance my career. Sharing what I learned from them is a way to honor the gift they gave me. Second, and this is selfish, but when I want to sit down and read, I like having good books to read. I hope, by helping young authors, I can guarantee a crop of books that I’ll enjoy.

JJ: How do your fellow authors feel about you being so involved in a virtual world?  Do you think they understand it?

MS: Some do, some don’t. The writing community is by no means uniform, and is not necessarily any more savvy than the general populace when it comes to tech stuff. So, the same objections or lack of understanding that the average person has certainly applies to authors. On the other hand, those who are involved in Science Fiction especially get the allure. Then it’s a question of time management. Robert E. Vardeman, the author of over 150 novels, is a good friend and regularly stops by at Office Hours to chat about writing. And there have been other authors who’ve come in as well.  Ultimately, Second Life is like all other social media: some folks take to one form of it over another. If they view SL solely as social media, I think they miss the best parts of it. Just wandering around, seeing how everyone has indulged their imaginations is wonderful. It’s easy to get lost here, and easy to get inspired.

JJ: Do you think SL is still a good place for writers to gather, network, and improve, and promote their work?

MS:  Absolutely. SL provides a chance for authors to talk with readers from all over the world. I’ve met readers of mine in SL from a variety of nations, like Poland and Italy, that I’d probably never meet any other way. In addition, just being able to sit down and chat with other writers allows us to get ideas, gain information and even collaborate on projects that wouldn’t get done if we had to wait for a chance meeting in First Life. Lastly, readings and discussions do draw an audience, so there’s definitely room to promote work.

JJ: How has SecondLife changed over the years you have been here?

MS: First, the platform has become more stable—it’s been forever since I lost body parts crossing a region border. Second, the technical skill that designers and builders are bringing to their work in SL is really spectacular. Many years ago I used to make some basic fashions for male avatars, but now I wouldn’t know where to begin. The same is true on the building and programming fronts. I absolutely love it, and am amazed by it.

JJ: Tell me more about Fiction for a Cure. How did it come about?

MS:  It was Kat’s idea. In the past, when working on RFL events with a variety of teams, we’d done readings and held auctions on a much smaller scale. We knew the concept would work, and this year just decided to broaden it out. Kat especially wanted to be able to bring First Life content into Second Life, making FFAC manifest in both SL and First Life.

JJ: Are you hoping to make FFAC an annual event?

MS: That is certainly a consideration. As you can imagine, getting something like this together is a big undertaking. By and large, the folks we have reached out to have responded incredibly positively and generously. I think the trick will be finding the right time within the season to make sure we can focus folks on what sorts of great opportunities they have at FFAC.

JJ: There are many good causes and charities that one can support in Second Life.  Why did you choose Relay for Life?  Has cancer touched you personally?

MS: First off, Kat is a cancer survivor, and I’ve known her since before her diagnosis. Add to that the fact that I’ve lost family members to cancer, and a host of friends like Roger Zelazny, Fred Saberhagen, Patty Vardeman and David L. Arneson (co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons) to cancer. I don’t really think you can be alive and aware in this day and age without being touched by it. As such, I think RFL is a great cause, and one I’m very happy to support.

JJ: At the Fiction for a Cure live auction, attendees will be able to bid on works from well known authors like Dana Stabenow, Alan Dean Foster, and Robert E. Vardeman, and, of course, you.  What was the reaction of these authors when you approached them about helping with Fiction for a Cure?

MS:  The response was just overwhelming. Authors offered incredibly rare and generous packages of items to be auctioned off. They’ve all been incredibly supportive and very responsive, in getting me the material we need to put together all the packages. It was truly fantastic, and I can’t thank them enough.

JJ:  I know you were soliciting donations for the auctions. Can you divulge any secret surprises that might be awaiting bidders?

MS:  We have over a dozen packages being offered by New York Times bestselling authors alone. John Kovalic is offering a signed copy of the game Munchkin, signed by both him and Steve Jackson, as well as a level up card hand drawn by John. Claudia Christian will personalize a copy of her autobiography, Babylon Confidential. Brian Pulido, the creator of Lady Death, has sent us one of the metal cover, Emerald Editions of the 20th Anniversary Lady Death comic (#31 of 50). Stephen R. Donaldson has sent three sets of books, all UK editions, all to be personalized for the winners. And there are a number of “Tuckerizations”—the chance to be written into an upcoming book. That means you as a character in an actual book. Those sorts of things are rarer than hens’-teeth.

JJ: That sounds awesome! You will be offering your class 21 Days to a Novel on July 14. What can attendees expect to learn?

MS:  21 Days to a Novel is a two-hour seminar I’ve given both nationally and internationally. If anyone has ever attempted a novel and had it die after a handful of pages or chapters, this seminar will cure that. If the intricacies of plot baffle a writer, this seminar will cure that. If a writer has trouble with dialogue or characterization, this will cure that. The seminar will set writers of all skill levels and levels of experience up to write the best novels they possibly can.

JJ: How can people donate if they can’t come to the event?

MS:  If they can’t actually come to the event, then this  link to our direct donations page:http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?fr_id=61576&pg=team&team_id=1667474 will allow them to contribute to the cause.

JJ: What is one thing you want people to know about Fiction for the Cure?

Fiction for a Cure is a great opportunity for folks to help fight cancer, to be entertained, and to win some fantastic items that they’re likely never to see again. It’s one of those rare convergences where you can do something really good, and get rewarded for it at the same time.

JJ: Awesome! I want to find out a little more about Mike Stackpole, the author. What made you want to start writing?

MS: I always liked telling stories. The idea of making money or my living from that really appealed. (Otherwise I’d have been a conman and ended up in jail, I suspect. Or in politics.)

JJ: That would be our loss! Why the science fiction/fantasy genre?

MS: I like the endless possibilities and, to tell the truth, I’m a tech-slut, so playing with new gadgets and imagining how they will work in the future is fun. That all being said, I also write fantasy and mysteries and pretty much anything anyone will pay me for. Such is the lot of a working writer.

JJ: Who inspired you?

MS: My grandfather, Austin H. Kerin, had a book published in 1937, so that helped. But as I was growing up, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Lester Dent and Walter Gibson would have been the big three. I learned tons from reading their pulp novels.

JJ:  How old were you when you realized writing was important to you?

MS:  Must have been about 12, in the 6th grade. I wrote some long stories then—long for a 6th grader. But, fact is that the first piece of mail I ever got addressed to me (aside from birthday cards from kin) was a rejection slip. I got it when I’d written a poem in 1st grade which my mom sent in to a magazine. So, from the age of six I had a chip on my shoulder for publishing, I guess.

JJ: Wow! Do you have any writing rituals?

MS: Not really. Any one project might develop something, but they usually change between projects. I get bored easily, hence the variety of things I work on.

JJ: Do you write every day? In the morning or evenings?

MS: I usually write in the morning and again the afternoon, but not every day, and not always both sessions. If I’m on a tight deadline, I might even squeeze in an evening session.

JJ: What’s one piece of advice you would give an aspiring author?

MS: The one secret is: write. All writers do things differently, but the one unifying factor is that we pile up the words until the story is done.

JJ:  You attend  lot of conventions. What’s it like to meet the people who know your work?

It’s actually very cool. Writers work in obscurity, so meeting folks, getting feedback, and just seeing that what we do entertains people is gratifying. Knowing that what you’re doing will put a smile on someone’s face, or relieve the boredom of a long journey, is very inspiring.

JJ: Sounds like a lot of fun. What is the most memorable experience you’ve had at these conventions?

MS:  A number of years ago, at DragonCon, a young woman presented Aaron Allston and me with handmade cloaks. She’d made them herself, and gave them to us to thank us. She’d been diagnosed with cancer as a teenager and underwent treatment. Chemo and radiation, as most folks know, can be an incredible bitch. She was not faring well. Her spirits were down. Her doctors talked to her mother about how the low spirits could seriously and negatively impact the young woman’s treatment.

So, when they got home, her mom went into the young woman’s room, pulled all the Star Wars X-wing novels off the shelf, and plunked them down in front of her. She told her to “Read.” And the young woman did. She told us that for the first time in months she smiled, then she laughed. She kept going and credited Aaron and me with getting her through her treatment. Aaron and I were both very happy that our books were there to help her through, and seeing her smiling face was an even greater reward than the cloak.

JJ: I love that story! Now to the important questions. What is your favorite color?

MS: Green.

JJ: Do you have a favorite author?

MS: I admire so many it’s tough to pick a favorite. Rex Stout, however, is a great go-to when I want to relax.

JJ:  If you could be or do anything, what would it be?

I actually like being a writer and teacher. The only other thing I would have wanted to be would be a doctor. Any time I’m on a plane and I hear them call for one to help some passenger in distress, I feel some regret.

JJ:  If you were stranded on a desert island indefinitely, what three things would you hope/want to have with you?

MS:  Not a fair question for a science fiction and fantasy writer. See, were I on Verne’s Mysterious Island, I’d want access to Nemo’s Nautilus—and on a real desert island I should be able to find Aladdin’s lamp. Of course, with my luck, it would be Dr. No’s island and Bond would blow it up under me. So, to be practical, I’d want a solar-powered, short wave radio receiver, a really cool survival knife and, given my complexion, a metric ton of SPF 85 sunscreen.

JJ: I can’t let you go without asking you a couple of Star Wars questions. In a galaxy far, far away…Who is your favorite Stars Wars character? Do you think you relate to your favorite character in RL, if so, how?

MS:  My favorite would be Han Solo. Not sure I relate to him, as much as just think he'd be fun to hang with. I mean, if one were to survive hanging with him (And Chewie, of course), could life get better?

JJ: I don’t think so! With J.J. Abrams making the new Star Wars movie, what would you like to see brought to the big screen?

MS: What's interesting about the new movie is that I'm really staying away from any expectations. After having worked in the universe, I get to be a FAN again. Of course, if somewhere down the line, ABC wanted to an X-wing TV series, I think that would be wonderful.

JJ: Thank you so much for spending time with me, Mike. I appreciate your time and I’m looking forward to Fiction for a Cure!

MS: Thanks for having me, Joonie. 

More information on Mike Stackpole can be found on his website at: www.stormwolf.com

More information on Fiction for a Cure is here: http://fictionforacure.com/