David Gowey is the author behind the fantasy novel Kaschar's Quarter, and the science fiction novella First Instance, both of which were released earlier this year. Gowey weighs down his novels with heavy subject matter that reflects back on our own society's current issues. while Kaschar's Quarter deals with the gravity of religious influence in war set in a fantasy world, First Instance takes a look at crime and it's relation to human exploration and advancement.
Who are you and what sort of novels do you write?
My name’s David Gowey and I’m currently living in Flagstaff, AZ. I write whatever I want, which so far includes adventure fantasy and space opera, with more on the way. I’ve published one in each of those genres, with the former (Kaschar’s Quarter) being part of a series and the latter (First Instance) being a mostly standalone novella.
What made you want to become an author?
I think it was always something I thought about but not seriously. I enjoy making stories and did so with LEGO before I actually started writing them down. My first efforts at writing short stories were understandably forgettable and most of them were never finished. I took a creative writing class in college, which gave me some tips but I don’t know what was the deciding factor in wanting to be an author. That came a few years later, when I had the idea for what became Kaschar’s Quarter and the setting that evolved from those initial notes. Those same brainstorming sessions produced the setting that First Instance uses as well, though that particular story got started much more recently.
Give us a quick synopsis of your latest book.
Not gonna lie, the idea for First Instance came about while watching The Martian for the second time in theaters in so many days. I wondered about the consequences of a crime committed in space, not in the far future where we’ve got interstellar polities or some empire of mankind but in the beginning stages, where the international community is still figuring things out. It starts simply enough, with a regular guy named Andy getting in a fight with a coworker on the Moon, leaving his employer scrambling to find something to do with him. Meanwhile, this guy calls the first law firm he can think of (because he remembers their phone number from an annoying commercial) and our main character takes the case without knowing fully what this will mean for him. The easiest way to describe what happens next without giving away the twists is “hijinks ensue”.
Tell us about your protagonist of First Instance. Was there a real-life inspiration behind their creation?
Anthony Vasquez is a fun guy to be around, at least if you can put up with him. He’s what I imagine my sarcastic side would be like if it went to law. For Tony, baseball will always be superior to cricket, car commercials are patronizing garbage, and when he’s nervous, he plays with the creases on his pant legs. Preparation for a case makes him worry himself into pulling all-nighters, and he’s been known to take too much on himself even when working with a partner. Still, he knows what he’s doing and can more often than not pull out a victory in the face of certain conviction. Most of these characteristics were inspired by me, though he shouldn’t be read as just me.
Was there anything you found challenging to write?
Easily, the hardest part of writing this story was putting together the legal framework for charging Andy, and then for Tony to defend him. It took hours of reading up on all available international laws on space (which Tony, like myself, discovers is not a lot) and then trying to apply US case law to that. I don’t pretend to know exactly how this whole scenario would really play out and I very well could be wrong in the eyes a real lawyer, but ultimately I went with what made for a more interesting story. You’ll see.
Describe your writing area. Do you listen to music while you write, or watch television?
Since I live in a tiny shared bedroom, I only had a desk when my roommate was gone. The desk has since been moved upstairs about half an hour before I typed this. This means that my writing area will be as it was before he left on vacation, which means I alternate between my bottom bunk and the couch in the living room when I’m feeling adventurous. I don’t watch TV when I write but I do listen to music, usually something that fits the mood for what I’m working on. I think my playlists for First Instance usually stuck to 80’s pop-rock and prog (think Mr. Mister, Genesis, Marillion, and some other things I can’t remember at the moment) while the adventure fantasy tends to be more orchestral soundtracks and power metal. Sometimes I skip the music when I’m in the zone.
What books and writers have most influenced your writing?
Dune by Frank Herbert and its sequels were the first books to really give me a kick in the pants that writing science fiction didn’t have to just be this sort of gee-whiz laser gun adventure that people could afford to not take seriously. It’s what got me into the genre, at least for literature since I already loved sci-fi movies, and I haven’t looked back since. I also tried and failed to keep up with The Wheel of Time, but haven’t finished the last two because I don’t have time to read all the other ones first and refresh my memory. I actually read a lot more sci-fi than fantasy, especially classic sci-fi. I particularly enjoy Ray Bradbury, James SA Corey’s The Expanse (which is a fantastic show on Syfy that everyone should support), and a little Heinlein here and there.
Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
I think my first one was about a King John of England (I probably picked the name after watching a Robin Hood episode of Wishbone or something) who died mysteriously and then everyone thought he stuck around in the castle as a ghost. It was about two paragraphs long. Maybe I’ll recycle it for worldbuilding later.
What are you currently working on?
This is the real question, isn’t it? I’ve always got far too many things on my plate at once and finishing one thing is always met with the question “what next”. That’s where I am right now. It’s a toss-up between Exile’s Gambit and The Sworn, which are in the same setting as Kaschar’s Quarter but in different locations and time periods.
What’s your favourite movie and why?
Hmmmmm although I will never not watch Independence Day or Men in Black when they’re on TV, I’d say my favorite movie is Lawrence of Arabia. There’s nothing about this movie that isn’t fantastic, from the score to the cinematography to the performances, even down to the secondary characters. Now if only it would get shown in theaters more often and not just when members of its cast die.
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You can join the Kindle Countdown for Gowey's second book on Amazon, here!