Q & A with author Bryan Miller

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Bryan Miller, currently living in Kentucky as a clinical counselor, has recently published a science fiction novel. I'm pleased to have him stop by and chat about writing and his debut "Kyrathaba Rising". 

What inspired you to become an author?

I've always been a creative person. I write computer software, song
lyrics, etc. And I've always been an avid reader, especially of
science- and fantasy-fiction. I recently had an extended period of
leave from work, and one of the things I decided to use my extra
free-time on was writing a book.

Now that you have your first novel under your belt, how do you feel about the writing process? Was it everything you expected?

Writing is like a serious exercise regime at a gym. It's arduous, but you derive a sense of pleasure and accomplishment from it. I wrote Kyrathaba Rising in about six weeks' time. To do that, I had to really
discipline myself to work on it daily, whether I felt like it or not. That's not to say that I found it unenjoyable. Overall, I found it intensely satisfying, especially those moments where my book was
approved and made available for sale on various sites.

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

I'm a seat-of-the-pants author, so coming up with a story arc wasn't difficult. The hard part for me, is disciplining myself to spend the actual time at the keyboard. I imagine I'm not the only author of whom this is true.

Your first novel, Kyrthaba Rising, has such an interesting name. How did you come up with it? What inspired the theme of it?

In college, a bunch of us played Dungeons & Dragons. We were into "world-building", and the setting I designed as a "Dungeon Master" for my players was a world named "Kyrathaba". The book, "Kyrathaba Rising" takes a slightly different angle on how this "world" came into being, one I hope readers enjoy. The theme was inspired by my love of science-fiction, fantasy-fiction and my history of playing role-playing games.

As a science fiction author, are there any authors out there that have inspired or influenced your writing?

Asimov. Heinlein. Clarke. Those are the Big Three. Also, Neal Asher, Neal Stephenson, David Baxter, David Brin, and Gregory Benford.

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

Not really. I've had a minority of reviewers complain about it ending on a cliffhanger. But hey, that's intentional. I wanted to "leave 'em hanging", eager for the sequel.

Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

My respect for authors in general increased, as I personally experienced the sort of self-discipline required to produce a novel-length work. I also learned a few things about lasers, composite
materials, androids, etc., as I researched for those elements that were in my novel.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Yes. Show. Don't tell. Author Nat Russo has a great article expounding
upon this: http://www.nat-russo.com/2013/10/eliminate-unnecessary-stage-directions.html