Interview with Adrian P., author of The Silent Assassin Series
12:00 AMAn exclusive interview
with author Adrian P.
Doodles, doodles everywhere congratulates author Adrian P. on the release of his first book in The Silent Assassin Series! Let's welcome him on the blog for an interview with DDE today. Read on!
1. How did you decide to write The Silent Assassin series?
It began as a random story I slapped in the middle of my sophomore year. As I discovered its potential as a proper story, I decided to develop, re-write, and enrich it. After my heightened interests in the field of psychology and philosophy, The Silent Assassin became a ground for my philosophical thought experiment on morality, kindness, and good and evil. Its lab rat? The characters of course.
2. Can you give our readers an idea about what they should expect in book one and the series as a whole?
The Silent Assassin is a space opera/adventure taking place in the 28th Century, where humanity and its space colonies are united under the banner of The Crowned Confederacy. Told from two point of views, the protagonist is a young mercenary named Audi Prabian, and the deuteragonist is the Crown Prince named Horlix Aurellus Leonard-Tanuya. They will be thrown into a hell of battles and despair as they investigate two separate assassination cases and their respective culprits. Are they connected? You’ll have to read the book.
This series has all the exciting parts of science-fiction: battles, planets, spaceships, and weapons. However, these are not the focus. The Silent Assassin at its core explores what it means to be human and dissects the nature of morality. Intrigues. Cunning. Unlike many sci-fi/fantasy/thriller which executes Machiavellianism only in the political level, The Silent Assassin will bring them into the civilian theatre. Our theatre. Between friends. Lovers. Families.
3. Can you tell us what kind of research went behind book one, And A Bullet Screamed Through The Sky?
As a science-fiction series, the creation of its universe warrants extensive research into…well…the sciences. Some of the topics I read include Astronomy, Quantum Science, and Military Engineering.
But natural science and its application is not all. I’ve researched much into economics, psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, and political science. My biggest influences, in fact, are Friedrich Nietzsche and Niccoló Machiavelli. Their works transformed my story from a happy story about justice and kindness that always prevails into the dark epic it is now.
4. How did you celebrate the first sale of your book?
My first sale happened one month after publication. It was a bliss! That day I decided to walk to Kinokuniya Book Store and bought Tom Clancy’s The Bear and The Dragon.
5. Tell us about some of the biggest challenges or learning experiences you faced throughout the writing and publishing process.
I didn’t know the craft of writing when I started The Silent Assassin. It was horrible: sentence structure, formatting, and many other vital aspects. But what’s more shocking was the art of story-writing. I’ve been growing up thinking a good story needs to simulate real life. But no. Every problem that we might have in real life, we have to escalate it tenfold in order to make a good story. And that is the minimum requirement.
Post-publishing stage was daunting. I have to scan through hundreds of reviewers to email, needing to know how and what to say in the review request. Competing with writers that are graduates from literature degree? I know I’m relying on a lot of luck. Some reviewers replied saying my writing isn’t good enough. How shocking is that? I was mad at myself for not being good enough, but I need to focus on improvement not sulking, I told myself.
6. What/Where is your favorite place to think or write down your ideas?
Everywhere! I made a playlist in my iPod consisting of music. Most of them soundtracks from movies, games, and anime (of the epic variety). Whenever I commute, whenever I’m waiting for something/someone, whenever I’m working out in the gym, I’ve always listened to them while choreographing the scenes, the conversations, the body languages of the characters in my book. There’s a delicate art and craft to effective and efficient execution of this method, but I find it very helpful.
7. What do you do when you are not writing or reading?
Writing is a secondary occupation for me, and it will always be. Other than hanging out with friends, I have university studies to do, and I’m also a language enthusiast always on the journey to learn more (I speak English, German, Indonesian, and Japanese). This linguistic enthusiasm materialized in the novel, as I’ll be playing with a lot of subtle linguistic tricks transcending cultures and languages. It’s up to you to figure them out.
Now that I’m not busy with university, I have committed myself into doing an extra exercise every day and experimenting with healthy recipes for meals. Got to live to write, yes?
8. Being a debut author yourself, would you like to give a few tips to other aspiring authors?
Being a good writer is not enough to be a good author. To be an author, there are many other skills we need to master such as marketing, social skills, and business modelling (writing isn’t exactly the most profitable occupation in the world, especially if you’re a no-name). However, the most overlooked skill of all is emotional management.
You need to be able to endure rejection. Utilize criticism. Weather through external and internal obstacles. Let me be harsh: not everyone will be supportive of your writing career. In this world where conventional desk jobs are the norm, just mentioning the thought of wanting to write will bring sceptic eyes glaring at you. That’s alright. I’ve been there. Still there maybe. But if you really love your writing and want it to go beyond the next steps, then aim for the stars. Be the weird one. After all, being cool is about doing what nobody else would do, right?
9. What's next?
I planned twenty-five volumes of books in The Silent Assassin series, split into five acts. Yes, it’s an epic. Book One is a first step in a long haul that is The Silent Assassin universe, and right now I’m almost half-way in completing Book Two. Get excited!
10. Lastly, any special thoughts for the readers?
I want to give special thanks to those who have read the book, to those who have yet to read the book but gave me extended support, and all the online reviewers who have considered my book. I hope that The Silent Assassin will be something you enjoy reading, and the lessons hidden amid the tears and despair of its characters can be useful as food for thought. Cheers!
Doodles, doodles everywhere congratulates author Adrian P. on the release of his first book in The Silent Assassin Series! Let's welcome him on the blog for an interview with DDE today. Read on!
It began as a random story I slapped in the middle of my sophomore year. As I discovered its potential as a proper story, I decided to develop, re-write, and enrich it. After my heightened interests in the field of psychology and philosophy, The Silent Assassin became a ground for my philosophical thought experiment on morality, kindness, and good and evil. Its lab rat? The characters of course.
2. Can you give our readers an idea about what they should expect in book one and the series as a whole?
The Silent Assassin is a space opera/adventure taking place in the 28th Century, where humanity and its space colonies are united under the banner of The Crowned Confederacy. Told from two point of views, the protagonist is a young mercenary named Audi Prabian, and the deuteragonist is the Crown Prince named Horlix Aurellus Leonard-Tanuya. They will be thrown into a hell of battles and despair as they investigate two separate assassination cases and their respective culprits. Are they connected? You’ll have to read the book.
This series has all the exciting parts of science-fiction: battles, planets, spaceships, and weapons. However, these are not the focus. The Silent Assassin at its core explores what it means to be human and dissects the nature of morality. Intrigues. Cunning. Unlike many sci-fi/fantasy/thriller which executes Machiavellianism only in the political level, The Silent Assassin will bring them into the civilian theatre. Our theatre. Between friends. Lovers. Families.
As a science-fiction series, the creation of its universe warrants extensive research into…well…the sciences. Some of the topics I read include Astronomy, Quantum Science, and Military Engineering.
But natural science and its application is not all. I’ve researched much into economics, psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, and political science. My biggest influences, in fact, are Friedrich Nietzsche and Niccoló Machiavelli. Their works transformed my story from a happy story about justice and kindness that always prevails into the dark epic it is now.
4. How did you celebrate the first sale of your book?
My first sale happened one month after publication. It was a bliss! That day I decided to walk to Kinokuniya Book Store and bought Tom Clancy’s The Bear and The Dragon.
5. Tell us about some of the biggest challenges or learning experiences you faced throughout the writing and publishing process.
I didn’t know the craft of writing when I started The Silent Assassin. It was horrible: sentence structure, formatting, and many other vital aspects. But what’s more shocking was the art of story-writing. I’ve been growing up thinking a good story needs to simulate real life. But no. Every problem that we might have in real life, we have to escalate it tenfold in order to make a good story. And that is the minimum requirement.
Post-publishing stage was daunting. I have to scan through hundreds of reviewers to email, needing to know how and what to say in the review request. Competing with writers that are graduates from literature degree? I know I’m relying on a lot of luck. Some reviewers replied saying my writing isn’t good enough. How shocking is that? I was mad at myself for not being good enough, but I need to focus on improvement not sulking, I told myself.
6. What/Where is your favorite place to think or write down your ideas?
Everywhere! I made a playlist in my iPod consisting of music. Most of them soundtracks from movies, games, and anime (of the epic variety). Whenever I commute, whenever I’m waiting for something/someone, whenever I’m working out in the gym, I’ve always listened to them while choreographing the scenes, the conversations, the body languages of the characters in my book. There’s a delicate art and craft to effective and efficient execution of this method, but I find it very helpful.
7. What do you do when you are not writing or reading?
Writing is a secondary occupation for me, and it will always be. Other than hanging out with friends, I have university studies to do, and I’m also a language enthusiast always on the journey to learn more (I speak English, German, Indonesian, and Japanese). This linguistic enthusiasm materialized in the novel, as I’ll be playing with a lot of subtle linguistic tricks transcending cultures and languages. It’s up to you to figure them out.
Now that I’m not busy with university, I have committed myself into doing an extra exercise every day and experimenting with healthy recipes for meals. Got to live to write, yes?
8. Being a debut author yourself, would you like to give a few tips to other aspiring authors?
Being a good writer is not enough to be a good author. To be an author, there are many other skills we need to master such as marketing, social skills, and business modelling (writing isn’t exactly the most profitable occupation in the world, especially if you’re a no-name). However, the most overlooked skill of all is emotional management.
You need to be able to endure rejection. Utilize criticism. Weather through external and internal obstacles. Let me be harsh: not everyone will be supportive of your writing career. In this world where conventional desk jobs are the norm, just mentioning the thought of wanting to write will bring sceptic eyes glaring at you. That’s alright. I’ve been there. Still there maybe. But if you really love your writing and want it to go beyond the next steps, then aim for the stars. Be the weird one. After all, being cool is about doing what nobody else would do, right?
I planned twenty-five volumes of books in The Silent Assassin series, split into five acts. Yes, it’s an epic. Book One is a first step in a long haul that is The Silent Assassin universe, and right now I’m almost half-way in completing Book Two. Get excited!
10. Lastly, any special thoughts for the readers?
I want to give special thanks to those who have read the book, to those who have yet to read the book but gave me extended support, and all the online reviewers who have considered my book. I hope that The Silent Assassin will be something you enjoy reading, and the lessons hidden amid the tears and despair of its characters can be useful as food for thought. Cheers!
And A Bullet Screamed Through The Sky
(The Silent Assassin, #1)
by Adrian P.
Page Count: 368
Genre: Science Fiction
Published: November 23rd 2015
Publisher: Createspace (Independent)
Preview
The 28th Century celebrates seven hundred years of The Crowned Confederacy’s rule over mankind and its space colonies.
Audi Prabian is a mercenary armed with unconventional weapons and deception.
Horlix Aurellus Leonard-Tanuya is a benevolent Crown Prince.
When Planet Vurste and Luna become stages for assassinations, Audi must hunt after the sniper who shot The Prime Minister, and Prince Horlix must identify the cyborg who brutally murdered his lover.
But virtues impede victory. How many innocents are they willing to sacrifice? How much morality are they willing to compromise?
Only the bold can survive this Machiavellian world.
Audi Prabian is a mercenary armed with unconventional weapons and deception.
Horlix Aurellus Leonard-Tanuya is a benevolent Crown Prince.
When Planet Vurste and Luna become stages for assassinations, Audi must hunt after the sniper who shot The Prime Minister, and Prince Horlix must identify the cyborg who brutally murdered his lover.
But virtues impede victory. How many innocents are they willing to sacrifice? How much morality are they willing to compromise?
Only the bold can survive this Machiavellian world.
About the author
Adrian P. has a passion in story-making since childhood. His passion for drawing transformed into a passion of drawing comics, and into writing books.Growing up in an environment which fed him arts from the West and the East while seeing people from both spectra flaunting flaws of one another, he aims to merge the best aspects of the two worlds in such a way it would be enjoyable to both eastern and western audiences.
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