Author: Charles Boyle:

 ISBN: 0965721450

The following interview was conducted by: NORM GOLDMAN:  Editor of Bookpleasures. CLICK TO VIEW  Norm Goldman's Reviews

To read Norm's Review of  Shuttle Rising: To Rendezvous With A Rumor  CLICK HERE

Today, Norm Goldman, Editor of Bookpleasures.com is pleased to have as our
guest, Charles Boyle, author of Shuttle Rising: To Rendezvous With A Rumor.

Good day Charles and thank you for agreeing to participate in our interview.

Norm:

I understand that you retired as Educational Programs Manager for Earth Sciences
at the Goddard Space Flight Center. What exactly were your duties and what is
the Goddard Space Flight Center?
 
Charles:

As part of NASA, Goddard's people study the universe, solar system and Earth by
observations from space. Goddard lies 12 miles north of Washington. That’s too
close to HQ for those who want distance from the boss, but it gave me exposure
to Rome as well as the provinces.

My job was to help scientists and engineers explain their research activities
and results to a host of  outlets and audiences (including: symposia, textbooks,
TV, radio, film, documentaries, magazines, newspapers, school and public
convention displays/equipment, lecture series, speaker services, visitors from
schools and colleges, space museums, aquariums, various journals, and congress
via budget testimony.)

Goddard's results are 1) documented to add to the body of knowledge, and 2)
communicated clearly at different levels for use by various audiences. Our Earth
Sciences research focused on the atmosphere, the oceans, and all aspects of the
earth below them. Most readers know that research gathers data over time and
looks for trends, then reasons. It’s a slow and laborious process, occasionally
speeded by a giant step such as the ability we now have to look continuously at
the big picture of Earth and its processes from space.
 
Norm:

Your work seems to have a broader mission than simply entertaining or
storytelling. Can you talk more about that mission and what you hope readers
will take away in terms of their relationship to space research?

Charles:

A mission? Maybe you're right. Perhaps it's to help speed a recognition that all
humans are astronauts. Think. Our birthdays are merely counts of trips around
the sun. Earth is our vehicle. Our next natural frontier is off-Earth (and
near-Earth for now). Also, I'd like to help readers realize what benefits can
come from space exploration.

Swift global communications is already areality, and so is space tourism (today,
it's only for the very rich - - but just wait). I'd like readers to know that
the view from satellites has let us see Earth as a closed system, perhaps just
in time to heal and manage our home/base. Also, space research can create the
means to detect and deflect an asteroid on course to obliterate mankind. That
alone would be worth its use of talent and treasure. However, it's also teaching
us our place and circumstances in the universe; that broader view may help us
rise above the squabbling and warring of an Earth-focused society.
 
Norm:

What can we expect from space research in relation to our daily lives?

Charles:

Intellectually, you can expect an understanding of the world around us.
Physically, you can expect life-saving insights into our planet and its
behavior. We all live amidst great dangers: storms, floods, lightning,
volcanoes, pollution, earthquakes, and tsunamis - - to name a few. Just watch
headlines that remind us daily that Earth's a dangerous place. NASA studies
Earth processes so they may be understood, predicted, and warned against. We've
already been warned that humans are massively contaminating the air and oceans,
perhaps giving us time to prevent reaching a point where damage is irreversible
 
 
Norm:

Can you explain some of your research techniques, and how you found sources for
your book?

Charles:

I had to research human space flight because I did not work on that side of the
NASA house. It required interviews with astronauts and their support teams. On
notes sent back for verification, I’d write, “Don’t let a Nasa guy get it
wrong.”  They were SO helpful!  Beyond that, of course, was extensive reading in
the history of human space flight at the Library of Congress, only 40 miles from
home. Also, I carefully studied Hilton's "Lost Horizon," to create the 2nd
tragedy in "Shuttle Rising." Remember the rapid aging when our hero and his
lover fled Shangri La?
 
Norm:

What challenges or obstacles did you encounter while writing your book? How did
you overcome these challenges?

Charles:

Decades of writing for the government were poor preparation for writing a novel.
I had to retool. Worst of all, I was inexperienced in writing dialogue. The
closest I ever got was to use an occasional quote. Next, I had to break the
practice of using the passive voice which produces lines like, ‘Mistakes were
made.’ And then, because we couldn’t ‘hype’ anything, I had little skill in
using adjectives. As a result, I had to go to school on these and other problems
in a long apprenticeship of seminars, courses and critique groups. A novel
problem was selecting a genre for Shuttle Rising.

Book stores slice and dice books into narrow niches, but this story ranges
widely. My brother says its niche is “space adventure, techno-thriller, science
fiction, political stratagem, international intrigue, poetry driven
action-oriented romance, kitchen sink.”  Maybe the fans of several genres will
be drawn to "Shuttle Rising." While trying for authenticity, drama, and insight,
I took the hits of many starts, quits, restarts, beneficial computer crashes,
restarts, revisions, rejections and makeovers across nine years before reviews
got good. I’m impressed by writers who can do another job full time while they
write.  I needed the breathing space of retirement to nail it.

"Shuttle Rising" is not science fiction in the usual sense. It's speculative,
but the technology is based on today and yesterday, more than tomorrow. The
technical detail is authentic; that's my business. I have good guys and bad guys
in an adventure yarn set in space and on earth. I believe that readers who
enjoyed  "The Hunt for Red October" will enjoy this story. I once asked Tom
Clancy (he lives near here) why he wrote that story without any romance. He
said, "Ever been on a submarine?"  I said yes. He said, "Where would all this
romance happen?"  Well, our hero and heroine have room and time. However, they
don't trigger a sex story, but a subtle love story. I hope my account of their
union is worthy of the dignity of the setting.
 

Norm:

How did you create Adam MacGregor in your book?

Charles:

Adam's a composite of many Navy men. I live in Annapolis. People here sponsor
(“adopt”) midshipmen (and midchicks) from the Naval Academy. It gives the
youngsters a home away from home: a place to doff uniform and crash - - near the
refrigerator. We sponsored. We got to know our mids and their classmates. These
are not street-smart teen-age cynics, but fervent, faithful, talented and
idealistic personalities for whom a breach in trust can be crushing. However,
they will always soldier on, as it were.  I needed an amalgam of their talents
and values for an Adam MacGregor confronting tragedy.

Norm:

You write with a very vivid and descriptive style. Do you use any particular
techniques to help with your writing or to help flesh out descriptive imagery?
Are there any writers you admire or look to for inspiration?

Charles:

Behavior is the soul of a character. To make action scenes vivid, I work to make
behavior clear. I try to do this bare-bones, a la Elmore Leonard, letting the
reader conjure up a person’s looks, dress, manner, possessions, etc. The result
is largely your depiction, and maybe that makes it more vivid. (Less is more?)
This style isn’t new. When you read a play, for example, your imagination writes
descriptions.

When describing a "thing," I try for its essence, focusing on its function. For
example, I won't mention color unless its color affects what's happening. For a
setting or location, I strive for an overall impression, a sum-of-the-parts,
withholding detail about the parts. Quite often, a writer's use of detail
doesn't add to understanding or to moving the story along. For dialogue, my
model is Maugham.

Norm:

How much real-life do you put into your fiction? Is there much “you” in there?

Charles:

Lots, in terms of the striving, achieving or failing I've done or seen. Fiction
is tame compared to the scares and deaths of space flight. Like early aviation,
it's had start-up tragedies.Regarding “how much of you is in there,” I'd say
it's throughout. For example, I had to learn to be content as a vicarious
astronaut. Another factor may be my growing up in a Jesuit-influenced
environment, where respect for women was an article of faith, and guys went
virgin to the altar.

Also, I’m “in there” for sure as a swept-away visionary of space exploration.
We've just gotta go! No question. Humans could have lived on a planet with
constant cloud cover, never aware of the  view that prompts a constant awe and
beckons "come and find out." I think the moon was intended to give us an example
of something in orbit so we could do likewise and get started.

Norm:

You include some very detailed dialogues in the book, between the President of
the USA and his colleagues etc. Where did that dialogue come from?

Charles:

I made it up. It's how I'd expect a competent President and capable staff to
think, talk and act. It helped for me to hear presidential tapes, though much
was disappointingly sloppy chatter. But it gave some insights. Also, when I
helped NASA with congressional relations, it was useful to overhear the elected
and selected. And, of course, I soaked up voices during protocol duty escorting
leaders of government and industry in sessions with the NASA hierarchy.

Norm:

What  would you say is Adam MacGregor’s biggest strength and his greatest weakness?

Charles:

The first is toughing it out. The other is staying too rigid post-crisis. Creating loneliness guarantees it.

Norm:

What is next for Charles Boyle, and is there anything else you wish to include
that we have not covered?

Charles:

I’ll be increasing my school visits to read to kids from “Tailey Whaley,” my
children’s picture book. I post it free for teachers at my site.

They know just how to use it to discourage bullying and encourage kindness
toward those among us who are “different.” The sin of the bully is that he meets
a traveler already carrying the huge load of being “different,” and meanly dumps
on more. The second priority is marketing "Shuttle Rising."  I hope to travel
about, combining book tours with senior athlete competitions.  Some friends
advise starting a sequel to "Shuttle Rising."

Thanks Charles and good luck with your book.

Charles:

May all the known forces be with you.