Tevun-Krus #96 - A Very Merry CyberPunk Christmas

Author Spotlight: @JakeKerr0

Today, we present to you JakeKerr0

If you had to describe yourself in one word, what words wouldn't you use?

Tall. Dark. Handsome.

Think back to when you were in school. What was your favourite subject?

English. Duh.

When you were a young 'un, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A writer. Actually, when I was very young, I wanted to be paid to read because I loved reading so much. But I quickly came to realize I would love to get paid telling stories.

What does Tevun-Krus mean to you?

A mystery wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a puzzle wrapped in a tortilla.

Tell us about your reading/writing habits.

These days I mostly read screenplays as most of my writing is for Hollywood, and I do enjoy reading them. I do still love reading novels, however, and I read in long chunks every couple weeks. I write 3-4 days a week in focused time that lasts 3-4 hours.

As your crew casts your lifeless body into the heart of the nearest star, list three pieces of music likely to be rattling the bulkheads of your beloved vessel!

"Lucky Man" by The Verve

"Belfast Child" by Simple Minds

"One Big Love" by Patty Griffin

Who is your all-time favourite author? How much, if at all, has their work influenced your writing style?

My all-time favorite author is a tie between Charles Dickens and Edgar Rice Burroughs. They are two of the greatest story tellers of all time, and they have influenced me tremendously by their ability to keep me turning the page. The stories are so compelling you simply can't stop reading. I aspire to that with everything I write.

Of everything you've written, which piece is your favourite?

It's probably "Biographical Fragments of the Life of Julian Prince" just because I really enjoyed putting it together, and it's led to a whole world of other stories.

Pitch the above story to us. Make us really want to read it!

Well, I wanted to write a personal story on an epic canvas, yet tell the entire story without focusing on either. You would learn the story of a near-extinction asteroid impact on Earth and how a man fled the impact area and lived a life as a novelist after surviving, expressing his survivor's guilt through his art. I wanted to write something epic with no epic scenes and something intimate with no intimate moments. The story was reprinted in The Year's Best Science Fiction, and Hugo Award winning author John Joseph Adams says it's his favorite story he's ever published, so I guess I succeeded.

To what extent does the mythical 'real life' influence your writing?

I mean everything I write is me, so real life is in everything I write. James in "The Old Equations" is me, but so is his wife Kate. The revolutionary artist Billy Grainger in "Three Speeches About Billy Grainger" is someone I wish I could be. And the world he lives in is the world America could become. Even when the character isn't me--such as xenophobic pilot in "Not Hurt"--I still have known someone like that.

If you could have any superpower, what would that be and why?

I think it would be cool to be able to talk to animals. I mean, zoos would probably be depressing, but a walk in the woods would be awesome.

What would you do if you woke up one day and suddenly realized you were an alien from another world?

First of all, I'd exclaim, "This explains SO much!" Then I'd do everything I could to learn about my home planet/world. But my life itself wouldn't change, I think. I mean yesterday I didn't know it, but I was an alien, and I was doing the dishes. I'm pretty sure the dishes still need cleaned today even if I discover I'm an alien.

The Technological Singularity presents a rather daunting, some say inevitable, future. Does the prospect of that level of artificial intelligence excite you, or leave you quaking in your space boots?

I'm looking forward to a singularity. I'm sure it won't be anything at all like I imagine, but I also think the untethering of consciousness from a physical body would be amazing.

Who was your first Sci-Fi crush? Who is your current one?

All my crushes when I was younger were in the books I read. That's one of the powers of reading, right? You fill in all the white space that the writer gives you with your imagination. So I would idealize characters like Deejah Thoris and others. Of course, that wasn't so hard to do as writers back then wrote women as stereotyped wish fulfillment for teen boys, so a teen boy had a lot of options to crush on! Today, in terms of characters, I find Hannah Waddingham's performance in Ted Lasso thoroughly endearing. She wears her heart on her sleeve, and that's very attractive and compelling. It's not sci-fi, but it really was the first woman that came to mind.

If you could experience the world of any Sci-Fi story on Wattpad, which would that be and why?

I'm just now immersing myself back in Wattpad after years--literally years--away, so I'm still finding new gems and investigating new worlds. Give me some recommendations!

Well... perhaps you'll find one or the other story that appeals to you in the world of Ooorah and Tevun Krus. We certainly try to be as diverse and encompassing as possible! Thanks for the interview!