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Monday, May 25, 2015

Hosting the Ninja Captain, Alex J. Cavanaugh: Writing Influences

Please welcome my guest, Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh! 

 Writing Influences – Space Opera

Science fiction (and fantasy) have always been big influences on me, from movies to show to superhero comics to books.

I tend to lean more towards the space opera side. It’s more action and adventure, sometimes with a bit of western thrown in. (Think Firefly/Serenity.) It’s less about the science and more about the characters and storyline. I’ve discovered that even people who don’t normally care for science fiction tend to enjoy space opera.

What influenced me to try my hand at space opera? Since Tyrean wanted to know my top five space opera influences, here are the movies/shows that captured my imagination as a kid:

Battlestar Galactica
Star Wars
Buck Rogers
Star Blazers
Star Trek

I’m also a big fan of trivia! Below are quotes from the above movies/shows. Can you match them up?

1 - Pilot: A message from the Gamilon ship, sir: "Earth fleet, we advise you to surrender now." What shall I tell them?

Captain: Tell them they're idiots!

Pilot: What?

Captain: I said - idiots!

Pilot: This is the Earth flagship 225. Our answer: idiots! Over.


2 - Well, I'm scheduled for execution and if I miss it I could be in a lot of trouble.

3 - I changed the conditions of the test; got a commendation for original thinking. I don't like to lose.

4 - Lt: Just keep it up, old buddy, you're going to get us into real trouble.
Lt: Ten thousand light years from nowhere, our planet shot to pieces, people starving, and *I'm* gonna get us in trouble?

5 - Look, Your Worshipfulness, let's get one thing straight. I take orders from just one person: me.

Answers at the bottom!

Were you influenced by space opera? What were some of the movies/shows/books that influenced you as a kid?

Alex J. Cavanaugh has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and works in web design, graphics, and technical editing. A fan of all things science fiction, his interests range from books and movies to music and games. Online he is the Ninja Captain and founder of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. He’s the author of Amazon Best-Sellers CassaStar, CassaFire, and CassaStorm.


Available now!
Dragon of the Stars
By Alex J. Cavanaugh
Science Fiction – Space Opera/Adventure/Military
Print ISBN 9781939844064 EBook ISBN 9781939844057
What Are the Kargrandes? http://whatarethekargrandes.com/

The ship of legends…
The future is set for Lt. Commander Aden Pendar, poised to secure his own command and marriage to the queen’s daughter. But when the Alliance declares war on their world, Aden finds his plans in disarray and told he won’t make captain. One chance remains–the Dragon. Lost many years prior, the legendary ship’s unique weapon is Hyrath’s only hope. Can Aden find the Dragon, save his people, and prove he’s capable of commanding his own ship?

Purchase:
Amazon  
Kobo 

Answers:
1 – Star Blazers
2 – Buck Rogers
3 – Star Trek (The Wrath of Khan)
4 – Battlestar Galactica
5 – Star Wars

How’d you do?

 Tyrean: I actually had the last one! :) 

 In addition to hosting the rockin' Ninja Captain Alex, I just want to take a moment and highlight a new book by Nick Wilford:

A Change of Mind and Other Stories is out today!

Have you picked up copies of Dragon of the Stars and A Change of Mind and Other Stories yet?

What's influenced your writing?

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70 comments:

  1. Alex J. CavanaughMay 25, 2015 at 3:30 AM

    Thanks again, Tyrean!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Natalie AguirreMay 25, 2015 at 4:06 AM

    Loved seeing the movies that influenced you as a kid. I didn't think I'd like space operas until I started reading your awesome books. Now I really like them. Congrats on another fantastic book.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alex J. CavanaughMay 25, 2015 at 5:34 AM

      Natalie, glad you gave mine a chance!

      Delete
    2. Tyrean MartinsonMay 25, 2015 at 7:37 AM

      Alex - your books are definitely fine examples of space opera!

      Delete
  3. Nick WilfordMay 25, 2015 at 4:34 AM

    Thank you, Christine!

    Neat quiz, Alex, but hard! I'm a big fan of Star Trek and Star Wars and couldn't even get those. I think the quotes show space opera can be really funny.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Nick WilfordMay 25, 2015 at 4:38 AM

    So sorry, Tyrean! I got you mixed up with Christine who's hosting me today. Must have been distracted by Alex's fiendish quiz!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tyrean MartinsonMay 25, 2015 at 7:38 AM

      That's okay! LOL! It's good to know that I'm not the only one that mixes things up. :)

      Delete
  5. Madeline Mora-SummonteMay 25, 2015 at 5:29 AM

    I didn't get any of those trivia questions/answers. But I'm not all that surprised.... :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. L. Diane WolfeMay 25, 2015 at 5:45 AM

    I got the Star Trek one right.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tyrean MartinsonMay 25, 2015 at 7:40 AM

      Cool! I thought it was a Star Trek quote, but wasn't certain until I read the answers.

      Delete
  7. Sarah FosterMay 25, 2015 at 6:32 AM

    Sadly, I don't know a single one of those quotes. But they sure are funny!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tyrean MartinsonMay 25, 2015 at 7:40 AM

      They are really funny! It's been a long time since I've seen Star Blazers.

      Delete
  8. Pat HattMay 25, 2015 at 6:41 AM

    I got 4 and 5 right, 1 I got right by guessing, messed 2 and 3 up though

    ReplyDelete
  9. cleemckenzieMay 25, 2015 at 7:02 AM

    Great sci fi that influenced you, Alex. Loved Star Trek best of all.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tyrean MartinsonMay 25, 2015 at 7:41 AM

      Alex definitely picked some great sci-fi examples. I liked the original Star Wars a tad better than the original Star Trek, but Wrath of Khan was an awesome movie!

      Delete
    2. Alex J. CavanaughMay 25, 2015 at 8:43 AM

      Star Trek rocks!

      Delete
  10. Christine RainsMay 25, 2015 at 7:06 AM

    That was fun! I have never heard of Star Blazers. Must check that out. My big sci-fi influences when I was a kid were Star Trek, Doctor Who, and Star Wars.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tyrean MartinsonMay 25, 2015 at 7:50 AM

      Alex knows how to create fun quizzes!
      My influences were heavy on the side of Star Wars - saw it three times in the theater at the ripe age of six and made up stories in the Star Wars universe after that, and then watched Star Trek re-runs and the movies on TV. Plus, my whole family (including my grandmother who lived across the street from us) liked to watch Battlestar Galactica (the original). I was more likely to watch Duck Dodgers and Marvin the Martian than Buck Rogers, but if I had known there were funny gems in the shows I might have watched Buck Rogers more.

      Disney, the idea of Fantasy Island (my parents didn't let me watch more than the off-load of the plane), and Kung Fu influenced me so much at nearly the same time that I automatically put these in the same realm of speculative fiction, even though they are technically fantasy, paranormal, and action adventure.

      Delete
  11. Susan Gourley/KelleyMay 25, 2015 at 8:03 AM

    I'm not familiar with Star Blazers but I enjoy space opera and like reading it and watching it. I'm really enjoying the reboot of the Star Trek empire.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Karen LangeMay 25, 2015 at 8:44 AM

    I'll have to give space opera a try. It's always nice to learn more about Alex. Thanks for hosting, Tyrean! Happy Memorial Day!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Stephanie FarisMay 25, 2015 at 8:48 AM

    It's interesting what influences the genres we choose when we start writing. So nice to learn more about Alex. Great guest post!

    ReplyDelete
  14. AnonymousMay 25, 2015 at 12:13 PM

    Wow, I'm disgraceful. The only one I got half-right was number 3. I knew it was Star Trek, but picked the wrong movie. I'm such a bad Trekkie. Lol. Thanks for hosting Alex today! Have a great day. Eva

    ReplyDelete
  15. UnknownMay 25, 2015 at 12:16 PM

    Great interview - I should've got some of the trivia questions right but I hang my head in shame. Dragon of the Stars looks great.

    ReplyDelete
  16. AnonymousMay 25, 2015 at 1:19 PM

    Nice interview, Tyrean and Alex. I'm a fan of four out of five of your influences, Alex, and got questions 2, 3, 4, and 5 right. I've never heard of Star Blazers. I definitely have to look that one up.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Caryn CaldwellMay 25, 2015 at 2:08 PM

    Fun interview! I only knew the last quote, but I loved them all.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Lynda R Young as Elle CardyMay 25, 2015 at 5:49 PM

    I'm not a huge science fan, but I love interesting characters in science fiction settings. I'm a little worried, though, that I don't know what Star Blazers is! Gasp!! Maybe it never came to Australia? lol.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Elizabeth Spann CraigMay 25, 2015 at 6:26 PM

    I didn't watch Buck Rogers, but there were a lot of Buck Rogers lunchboxes around me in the cafeteria when I was a kid!

    Oh, gosh. I was probably influenced by Scooby Doo, Nancy Drew, and Trixie Belden. I believe Scooby had a bigger influence than I realized. I'm not sure I really like confessing how much of an influence he had... :)

    ReplyDelete
  20. Michelle WallaceMay 26, 2015 at 1:15 AM

    I'm not really into sci-fi but I DO recall a series long, long ago, about aliens, that made quite an impression on me.
    It was called V... don't know if anyone can remember it??
    I think it was round about the early 80's (...now I'm guessing...)
    Fun interview!!

    ReplyDelete
  21. UnknownMay 26, 2015 at 5:07 AM

    I'm not the best at trivia (I didn't get a single one right). Good luck to both Alex and Nick on their releases.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Patricia StolteyMay 26, 2015 at 6:43 AM

    I'm a fan of sci fi and space opera, but can't imagine trying to write a novel like Alex's. The world-building seems a bit overwhelming.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Tonja DreckerMay 26, 2015 at 8:06 AM

    Star Blazers is new to me, but not the rest! My mom even bought me a 'TV-dog' to sit on with really long ears. I'd pull them out and use them to steer my dog space fighter while watching several of those shows.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Cathrina ConstantineMay 26, 2015 at 9:06 AM

    Good Post! I was a big fan of Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica. It takes a special writer (Alex J. Cavanaugh) to build a universal world.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Maurice MitchellMay 26, 2015 at 9:28 AM

    A fun interview and I love Space Opera too. It's a shame that we don't have any on the air right now, but hopefully that'll change soon.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Cherie ReichMay 26, 2015 at 9:44 AM

    I prefer space opera much more than hard science fiction. It's not as limiting as hard science fiction. Congrats, Alex!

    Congrats to Nick too!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Jay NoelMay 26, 2015 at 12:15 PM

    Great interview. We must have the same influences, as I got all of those right!

    ReplyDelete
  28. S.A. LarsenッMay 27, 2015 at 5:08 AM

    #5 was easy-peasy! Han Solo!!! I actually answered one of your trivia questions, Alex. And you know how much I suck at those. I don't even bother trying anymore. Woot for me! Loved this interview. Very cool. I remember Buck Rogers. I was really young, like little. I think I used to watch it with my grandparents on their tiny black-n-white TV. #snort

    ReplyDelete
  29. Heather M. GardnerMay 27, 2015 at 7:46 AM

    Star Blazers? This doesn't sound familiar. That line is SO funny. I have to go look this up.

    I completely agree! I think Space Opera puts the focus back on characters not on science. Makes it much more interesting to read.

    Great post!
    Heather

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alex J. CavanaughMay 27, 2015 at 10:59 AM

      Makes it more interesting for me to read! And I bet your son would enjoy Star Blazers.

      Delete
  30. SpacerGuyMay 27, 2015 at 12:12 PM

    Star Trek's Captain James T. Kirk said No 3. Do I deserve a trekkie a prize now?

    ReplyDelete
  31. M PaxMay 27, 2015 at 3:00 PM

    Congrats to Alex and Nick.

    I guessed the trivia right. I don't remember Star Blazers. Remember the others.

    ReplyDelete
  32. AnonymousMay 27, 2015 at 4:10 PM

    I only knew the last one. ^^;;

    ReplyDelete
  33. Liz BlockerMay 28, 2015 at 3:09 PM

    Hey, I got three out of five! Not bad. I usually stink at trivia :) Congrats, Alex and Nick!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for taking time to share your awesomeness!