Tuesday 24 January 2017

Interview with B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree Colin Weldon

I’d like to welcome B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree Colin Weldon to A Bookaholic Swede to talk with me about his story, The Agathon. Colin Weldon lives in Dublin, Ireland. The Agathon is his debut novel. He studied Journalism at Griffith college and runs a small family antique store off Grafton Street in Dublin's city centre. He is an avid reader and lover of all things sci-fi. Follow on twitter @colinweldon www.colinweldon.com

Hi Colin, it's nice to be chatting with you. Can you tell me how did you discover indieBRAG?

By a google search.

Could you please tell me what The Agathon is about?

The Agathon is about a small group of humans who try and discover the origin of an alien signal that has destroyed Earth. The Agathon is actually the name of the ship, Earth's first faster than light spaceship. The crew begin to find clues to the origin of the signal on a distant planet in the form of an ancient stone monolith. While responding to an apparent signal denoting intelligent life, the Agathon is attacked and crash lands on a planet which is not what it appears to be.

Can you tell more about Carrie Barrington? I found it intriguing that she is the first human child born on Mars.

Carrie Barrington is the lead protagonist. She is mid twenties, a scientist under the apprenticeship of Doctor Tyrone Tyrell. She is also mutating. She is experiencing telekinetic and telepathic abilities which are growing in intensity. Carrie becomes the last hope for the humans on board The Agathon as her powers become the only thing that can defend the ship against the attack of the machine planet. Carrie finds herself inextricably tied to Doctor Tyrel, as his body is taken over by an alien liquid on Mars that wants to communicate with Carrie. Carrie has to deal with her isolation from the crew and the pain of reliving her mother's death in her dreams every night.

It seems that the human race is near instinct. What happened?

An alien signal, which has been transmitted to Earth, blows up the planet.

Can you tell me more about Carrie’s father and mother

Carrie's father is the leader of the colony on Mars and eventual Captain of The Agathon. He's a hard ass but fair. Excellent leader and well respected. Carrie's mother was a scientist. She was killed by an alien substance on Mars called, The Black, when Carrie was very young.

Doctor Tyrone Tyrell is Carrie’s mentor, and he sounds like a very intriguing character. Anything you can tell me about him?

Doctor Tyrell is the head of the science division on Mars. He hates humanity and reluctantly agrees to take Carrie on as his apprentice. He knows there is something different about her and half suspects about her abilities. He is eventually taken over by an alien entity and then becomes a crucial link between Carrie and her past.

The whole story sounds very interesting. Is this a stand-alone or the first book in a series?

This is the first of three books, the second, I published a few months back called The Agathon, Reign of Arturo

Any authors that have influenced you in your writing?

Massive Michael Crighton fan, Steven King, Roald Dahl, Isaac Asimov, Peter F. Hamilton... the list goes on and on... the greats of sci-fi and adventure really.

What are you writing on now?

I have just finished the first in a series called Hunting Nora Stone, which I am currently pitching to publishers, and of course the third and last instalment of The Agathon. I am currently doing a masters degree in ScreenWriting in IADT in Dublin, learning about writing movie scripts which is fun.

I’m a big fan of science fiction movies, but I feel that I don’t often read many science fiction books. Do you have any favorites?

Oh god some of them are amazing!.... Read all the Terry Pratchett books, they're a must. The Martian by Andy Weir is a great read.

What are you reading right now?

James A Corey the Expanse series, loving it.

How did you come up with the title for your book?

The Agathon is name of the ship they travel in. It's also the name of a tragic Athenian poet who's works have been lost.

Who designed your book cover?

My cover was designed by 99 Designs. A company that has an open call for designers around the world to submit ideas depending on the budget you put forward.

A Message from indieBRAG:

We are delighted that Magdalena has chosen to interview Colin Weldon who is the author of, The Agathon, our medallion honoree at indieBRAG. To be awarded a B.R.A.G. Medallion ®, a book must receive unanimous approval by a group of our readers. It is a daunting hurdle and it serves to reaffirm that a book such as, The Agathon, merits the investment of a reader’s time and money.

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