I’m really excited about this interview because I love
Martin’s book Caught in a Moment which you can see from my review if you
haven’t already checked it out
here.
1) Hi Martin, thanks for sparing some time for this
interview, can you tell us a little about your book Caught in a Moment which is
the first instalment of a trilogy?
'Caught in a
Moment' is the first episode in a series that describes the experiences of fifteen
year old Alex Trueman, as he faces a series of increasingly testing challenges
and discovers that he has unique and constantly evolving powers. His adventures
take him into a number of strange and exciting places and his journey is
enlivened by encounters with some very scary villains, bent on various schemes
of wickedness up to and including the destruction of the universe. He soon
finds that the universe is arranged according to rules very different to the
principles that he has learned at school. Time, in particular, behaves in a
dramatically different way. Alex is a daydreamer, someone whose hold on Reality
is already a tenuous one. In the trancelike state of his daydreams he
accidentally slips into a new place, ‘Intersticia’, a parallel universe that
exists in the gaps between moments in time. From this vantage point the world
around him appears to be frozen. Alex finds himself trapped here together with
a few fellow daydreamers and others whose presence there derives from more
tragic events or more sinister activity. The book recounts his adventures in
Intersticia, his gradual discovery of those strange powers latent within him
and his attempts to intervene when the shadow of death falls across that place.
2) The idea for
Caught in a Moment is so original, what was your inspiration?
Like many
people I’ve always been fascinated by the prospect of time travel and have read
a great many books on the theme from HG Wells to Asimov. Many years ago, when
handling a roll of 8mm movie film it struck me that time could perhaps be
thought of as a series of consecutive moments rather than as a smooth,
uninterrupted continuum. Leading on from this was the idea that the spaces
between the moments, the interstices, might constitute a universe of their own
in which time operates differently. I like to think it’s an entirely novel
premise for a book but they do say ‘There’s nothing new under the sun’ so it’s
quite possible someone else thought of it before me.
3) If you could stop
time for an hour what would you do?
That’s a
question of considered on many occasions and “Caught in a Moment” is to some
extent an elaboration of my own ideas on that issue, ones that I have
fantasised about since I was a schoolboy myself. Naturally, the potential for
practical jokes would be tremendous but also the opportunity for wickedness or
for seeking personal gain. Anyone who had such an opportunity and time to plan
for it would face a stern test of their character. If I could stop time right
now – well, it’s been a ridiculously busy week and a busy day so far. I think
I’d put my feet up, make myself a nice cup of tea and read a good book until
time gets going again.
4) How and
when did you first realise you loved writing and wanted to be an author? What
was the first thing you ever wrote?
In a
drawer somewhere I still have a book I wrote when I was ten years old. This was
called “The Adventures of George and His Friends” which tells the story of a
duck and various other animals on what amounts to a road story. This epic yarn
is written in my own fair hand and copiously illustrated using felt tip pen in
a manner creditable enough for one of such tender years. I remember
entertaining younger relatives and siblings by reading from it. Various
chocolate smears and sticky parts suggest that they sometimes got to read it
for themselves. I’ve been writing ever since, although it has only been in
recent years that I have felt confident to extend my potential audience beyond
the realm of sticky-fingered five year olds.
5) What can
we expect for the second/third instalment in the series?
The second
volume of Alex’s adventures is entitled “Worm winds of Zanzibar” and is already
published. In this episode Alex spends only a little time in Intersticia.
Instead he is transported to a version of 19th Century Zanzibar that exists in
a parallel universe and in which history has evolved along somewhat different
lines. His powers have come to the attention of some dangerously unpleasant
people in the angelic realm of Elysium, a world already introduced in the first
book but here described in more detail. They recognise in Alex a missing piece
in a jigsaw of power that they have been trying to assemble for millennia. As
well as avoiding the clutches of these enemies Alex also has to navigate the
perilous politics of Zanzibar and escape disaster in the form of a natural
cataclysm that threatens that world. Alex evolves in terms of the growth of his
powers but also in terms of his character as he responds to the various threats
that come his way.
This process of personal growth and evolution is
completed in “Angelic Upstart”, the third and final volume. I intend to publish
this during the course of the summer. In this episode Alex discovers the full
extent of his powers but finds that there is a hugely challenging trade-off
between power and responsibility. I suppose the central theme of the trilogy as
whole is the relationship between these two concepts. I try to imagine what it
would be like to find oneself in possession of god-like powers and I use one
schoolboy’s personal journey to illustrate the triumphs and the tragedies that
might occur along the way. I hope that the conclusion is ultimately a
satisfying one.
6) How much
of your characters are based on your traits or someone you know personally?
My wife tells
me that Alex has characteristics she recognises in me too. When I was at school
I was also moderately clever but lazy and under-achieving with a tendency to
daydream. Alex fits this description rather well but I think that's as far as
it goes. I don’t think his actions and attitudes necessarily reflect my own,
either as a fifteen year old or at any time since. I certainly never set out to
write myself into the story. I suppose Alex’s character is one that I felt I
could relate to on a personal level and this made it easier to write about him.
It must be much more difficult to write a main character who is utterly
different to yourself.
My other characters are an amalgam of people I
have known. A little like Mr Potato Head they are assembled from various bits
and pieces, but in this case a variety of experiences and observations to make
up distinct personalities. I had many friends like Henry who were better than
me at sport (a large category!) and who seemed better equipped to navigate the
complexities of teenage life.
7) What are
some of your favourite movies, and what actors/actresses could you see playing
the main characters from your book?
I loved
the Hunger Games movies and I can see the feisty Jennifer Lawrence playing the
role of Kelly. Alex isn’t obviously heroic material, however, at least not from
the beginning. He needs to find the hero within him and would need time to
develop the confidence to take centre stage. I think Jamie Bell might
creditably do the job. I was a big fan of his role in “Jumper”. Although the
film itself was far from universally acclaimed I really liked the ideas in it.
One of my favourite movies of all time was The Green Mile, with magical
performances by Tom Hanks and Michael Clarke Duncan. Right up there at the top
is Groundhog Day, another story that plays games with time and features an
unforgettable starring role for Bill Murray. I watch that movie over and over
again, which is kind of appropriate really!
8) What
scenes were your favourite and least favourite to write?
That’s a tricky
one. When I’m writing I’m not really conscious of finding particular parts of
the task less enjoyable than others. Once I get myself into the right frame of
mind writing takes on an impetus of its own and it’s sometimes hard to stop. I
guess it might come across to the reader if there were any parts that I hadn’t
enjoyed writing so much. It’s easier to pick out favourite parts. I love
writing the action scenes, when the pace of things picks me up and I’m carried
along with it on a wave of adrenalin. I feel there are times when a book almost
writes itself. It’s like it was in there all the time and you just had to let
it out. I enjoy the funny bits too. If I had to pick a few lines from the whole
of 'Caught in a Moment' I think I’d pick the few lines you singled out as a
quote when you were reading it. This is when Alex is horrified to find himself
eating snark. I was delighted you appeared to like that part too.
Quick
Questions
Fan fiction
yay or nay? Nay for me.
I prize originality.
Ebook or paperback?
Paperback. You can
instantly see how far you are through it.
Tea or
coffee? Coffee. I have
a Nespresso machine. Superb!
Zombies or
vampires? Depends on
the context. I imagine a vampire would make for a more stimulating dinner party
guest. Yeah – let’s go vampire on that one.
About the Author
Martin Dukes is a writer and
teacher based in the UK, with a keen interest in history and all things military. In addition to actually
teaching Art and Design, he designs the publicity and marketing material for his school in Birmingham.
When he is not writing or wasting his time playing computer games he likes to travel, eat things
that are probably bad for him and collect models of military aircraft. His ‘Alex Trueman’ trilogy,
of which ‘Caught in a Moment’ is the first volume, reflects his interest in history and in science.
