John Bowers

The Author's Voice

Age 74, started writing in 1961. Finished 5 books by high school graduation in 1966. Retired computer programmer. 22 novels on Amazon.

You don’t need me to tell you how to do your job, but I thought of a few things that you might find useful.

In no particular order.

Why do I write?
I don’t really know why. It’s a compulsion. Dogs have to bark, I have to write.

I am probably the least interesting subject for your audience. I am not a scientist, engineer, medical researcher, or former government employee. I have no college degree or credits of any kind. I have not traveled the world. I have no famous friends or relatives. I worked (still part-time) since 1973 as a low-level computer programmer and that’s about it.

My parents were Arkansas hillbillies who moved to California when I was 2 years old. We were very nearly destitute. They worked at migrant labor in the early years and we moved frequently. The longest I stayed in one school was 3 years, so I never put down roots anywhere. As an only child and always an outsider, I read for escape and, when I couldn’t get to a library, I started writing my own books. That’s how it all began.

My only qualifications (if you can call them that) is a lifelong exposure to thousands of different personalities, both good and bad. I never studied psychology, but I think I have a somewhat surface grasp of it from simple observation. My world view is basically black and white, but I recognize that legitimate shades of grey do exist. I frequently exploit them (shades of grey) in my novels.

The only thing I do well is write stories. I’m not a plotter, but a pantser. Give me a story idea, three high points, a general plot direction, and I will write you a page-turner. I have 22 novels on Amazon as proof.

What is my genre?
Everything is posted under science fiction, but my stories contain very little science (most don’t contain any). I think “speculative fiction” is probably the correct genre, but Amazon doesn’t seem to offer that as a classification (at least I can’t find it).

My novels are basically contemporary stories that are set in the future (or other star systems). Reading them should make you feel at home in those surroundings. I don’t describe the technology beyond a certain point, because if the story is contemporary, the reader already knows how hovercars work and what a forcefence looks like. Space travel is ho-hum. Cops and soldiers use both laser and slug weapons, and nukes (EMP weapons) are used only in spatial combat, to disable enemy ships.

To describe my work, I used the phrase: Science Fiction that doesn’t taste like Science Fiction

What have I written?
At present, I have three completed series:

The Fighter Queen saga (5 novels)
Starport (5 novels)
Nick Walker, United Federation Marshal (12 novels)

The Fighter Queen saga describes a massive interstellar war that runs for 22 years.
Starport is military science fiction heavy on politics.
Nick Walker is a former Star Marine now enforcing the law on the Final Frontier, a sort of “space western”.

Nick Walker is the best seller, but all my novels together average 4.5 stars on Amazon.

Your Website: bornnovelist.wordpress.com
Any links to your work online: https://author.amazon.com/books