Interview with Robert New, Author of Sovereign Assassin
07 Sep 2021
What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Sovereign Assassin? The idea of a reality TV show about an assassin captured my attention and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. What if you didn’t have to try to conceal an assassination? How could that be possible? How would the world react? In another way, it was also my satirical response to a politician claiming they could publicly shoot someone and not lose any votes. Niobe is just a more intelligent and vastly more capable version of this type of person. The world at the time I wrote the novel was so crazy that someone like Niobe taking power wasn’t such a far-fetched possibility. If you woke up in the world of Sovereign Assassin, what is the first thing you would do? Wonder what had happened to human ideals and morals – pretty much what I was doing when I wrote the story. If you had to write a blurb for the last book you read, what would it say? A sentient security robot (Murderbot) investigates their own past but makes friends on the way. It’s the second book in the Murderbot series, but that blurb could also apply to the first book too. 😉 What’s your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write? Speculative fiction is my favorite genre to read and write in. I like this genre as I’m attracted by books that explore ideas as well as having an interesting plot. Do you have any quirky writing habits? Not really. Coffee is usually involved. Noise-canceling headphones and heavy metal also feature. If I’m really lucky my German Shepard will curl up at my feet. Where did you write Sovereign Assassin? Mostly it was written on the couch, though when I wrote it I was on long-service leave (an Australian quirk where you get a couple of months of leave for staying with your employer for a long time), and it was pre-covid, so I also spent a fair bit of time in cafes deliberately living the cliche of writers writing in such places. It seemed appropriate given the nature of the story. What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? Your biggest limits are those you place on yourself. It helped me to start embracing life and set larger challenges for myself.
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