Title: Data
Runner
Series: Data
Runner, #1
Author: Sam A.
Patel
Publisher: Diversion
Books
Publication Date: June
25, 2013
Genres: YA,
Sci-fi
Tour Hosted by: Diversion
Books
SUMMARY
In the not-too-distant future, in what was once
the old City of New York, megacorporations have taken over everything. Now even
the internet is owned, and the only way to transmit sensitive information is by
a network of highly skilled couriers called “data runners” who run it over the
sneakernet. It is a dangerous gig in a dirty world, but Jack Nill doesn’t have
much choice in the matter. A brilliant young math whiz and champion of parkour,
Jack must become one of these data runners in order to get his father out of a
major gambling debt. But when a mysterious stranger loads Jack’s chip with a
cryptic cargo that everybody wants, he soon becomes the key figure in a
conspiracy that could affect the entire North American Alliance. Now it’s all
up to Jack. With the help of his best friend, Dexter, and a girl who runs under
the name Red Tail, Jack will have
to use all his skills to outrun the retrievers and uncover the truth before
they catch him and clip him for good.
INTERVIEW with author SAM PATEL
What would your choice of music be as a
theme-song for Data Runner?
For the action sequences, I
definitely imagine music that gets the blood pumping. Something industrial like
Rage Against the Machine or Nine Inch Nails. I love the cover of Led Zeppelin’s
Immigrant Song that Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross did for David Fincher’s
remake of Dragon Tattoo. I would love for those two to score the parkour action
in Data Runner.
What sparked the idea for Data Runner?
Funny enough, it was the movie Inception. A lot of people watched that
movie and saw a story about people invading one another’s dreams, but actually
the basis of the movie was a very high tech form of corporate espionage. It
actually reminded me of the early cyberpunk novels of William Gibson, which
I’ve always loved. Unfortunately, not even Gibson is writing that kind of stuff
anymore, so I wanted to rekindle that subgenre of sci-fi, but repurposed for
the modern YA market. Then the whole thing went on the back burner for a while
until I had this vision of a kid being chased across rooftops by corporate
goons, and he does this incredible parkour jump between two buildings to get
away from them (what eventually became the cold opening of the book). Once the
parkour element presented itself, I knew I had my story.
How long did it take you to write it?
The total time was about a year
for the first draft, then another year of rewrites. Mind you, this wasn’t
consecutive writing. There were gaps in between when it
was in turnaround with publishers. I got notes from a bunch of different people
at various stages of the project, at which time I would make revisions
accordingly.
How much impact does your childhood have on
your writing?
I think my childhood had more of
an impact on my wanting to be a writer than the actual content of my writing. I
wrote my first short story when I was in the 3rd grade and never
looked back. It’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do with my life. I mean,
there are many things I want to do in
my life, but writing is the only thing that would make me content if that was
the only thing I ever ended up doing.
Have you ever read or seen yourself as a
character in a book or a movie?
The unnamed narrator in Fight Club. I was a young working professional
during the decadent nineties, same as he. Not only did I have the same kind of
job he did, I felt the exact same way about it. I lived that life of
unfulfilled dreams and quiet discontent. I felt the same rage against society
that he did. The first time I read Fight
Club it actually made me angry because I felt like this was the book I was supposed to write. If there is one
book I wish I could have written, that would be it.
Except as yourself, which character would you
want to play in a movie about your life, and why?
Probably my best friend, Tim. He
and I are so different and yet we always manage to feed off one another’s
energies to get into all kinds of adventures. People always tell us that we’re
so much fun to watch because we have this uncanny ability to banter like two
characters in a sitcom. I think it’d be fun to play him playing off of me for a
while.
What are the most important attributes to
remaining sane as a writer?
Why on earth would you want to
remain sane as a writer? Sane writing is boring writing. The best writers are
those who let themselves be a little insane. The trick is to always be aware of
the difference between letting yourself go there creatively and acting upon it
in real life.
Are there any occupational hazards to being an
author?
You mean besides drinking yourself to death, sticking
your head in an oven, or blowing your head off with a shotgun? Can’t think of
any.
Has the dog ever eaten your manuscript?
No, but I have a stack of
manuscripts I’d like to feed to the dog. Unfortunately, I don’t think even the
dog would eat them (and we’re talking about an animal that doesn’t have enough
sense to disregard its own feces). Any writer who doesn’t have a stack of
discarded pages at least two feet tall is still in the process of honing their
craft. Michael Chabon invested five years and 1500 pages in “Fountain City”
before he finally discarded it, and just look at the writer who emerged on the
other side.
What's the most blatant lie you've ever told?
“143” when what I really meant
was “182.”
What is the worst “crime” you committed as a
teenager, which your parents had to punish you for?
I’m sorry, those records are
permanently sealed.
What is your worst/best memory of high school,
and why?
Best memory: in 11th
grade the school literary magazine published one of my short stories. I got a
3-page spread all to myself. Everyone read it. People asked me to sign it. I
was a rock star for a day. It only lasted the one day, but for me it was the
perfect day. Worst memory: every other day of high school besides that one day.
Are you fun to go on holiday with?
That depends. I see some people
who schedule their holiday itineraries tighter than their work days, which
makes no sense to me. I love to do stuff on my holidays, but if I you’re going
to go all Clark Griswold on me then I probably won’t respond very well.
What makes you laugh?
Monty Python, Faulty Towers,
Blackadder, Mr. Bean, Frazier, Seinfeld—anything with genuine wit or brilliant
physical comedy. My all-time favorite physical comedy actor was John Ritter in Three’s Company. Who could ever forget
his classic dance number?... See it here.
Any advice for aspiring writers?
Spend half your time honing your
craft and the other half learning the business. Publishing is in this huge
transitional state right now, and you can use that to your advantage, but you
have to learn about the different distribution channels and business models
that are available to you. Is traditional publishing the best route for you, or
would you be better off getting your stuff to market quicker as an e-author?
The thing to remember is this: the goal of writing a novel is not the same
thing as the goal of publishing a novel. The two are very different endeavors.
If you don’t start learning about the publishing process during the writing
process, you’re going to have a whole lot of work to do on the back end. Neil
Gaiman, who is always on the cutting edge of new media, delivered an amazing
keynote address about the future of publishing at the 2013 London Book Fair, which
you can watch here at my blog…
A huge thank you to Sam for this terrific
interview (and my apologies to you, Sam, for removing the question about what
you’re like first thing in the morning, but the image you included was just too
frightening to share, lol). And another big thank you to Diversion Books for including Books4Tomorrow in this tour!
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