MISSION VERITAS (Black Saber Novels Book 1)

by John Murphy

  From the edge of the fire, he retrieved a toasted human arm, nice and crisp, just the way he liked it.

  AUTHOR BIO

  John Murphy was a Corporal in the US Marine Corps. He went to college, succeeded in the software industry, then wrote Success Without a College Degree. He’s traveled the world and relieved himself on all seven continents. His wife is a Blackjack ninja; he has three sons: a Marine Corps officer, a video game producer, and a travel blogger. While he enjoys writing about career success, he smokes cigars, shoots guns, rides Harleys, skis fast, drinks tequila straight, and thinks about alien invasion, combat, and sex, so he wrote Mission Veritas.

  BONUS CONTENT

  As a part-time graphics guy, I’ve created bonus content images depicting scenes from the story. Be sure to visit MissionVeritas.com to check them out, and to sign up for free stuff. You’ll get:

  Wallpaper graphics for your computer.

  Blog posts on space travel, back story chapters, and other things of interest related to the story.

  Blog posts on career insights and making more money.

  Entered to win in a monthly drawing for things like T-shirts, posters, mugs, and other very special Mission Veritas memorabilia.

  I also have an author blog (required by my publisher) in which I share my quirky ideas and interests. One of the topics relates to a book I wrote a few years back called Success Without a College Degree. While the book is presently out of print, I share excerpts from it on my author site. You’ll get tips and ideas on success and making more money in your career. Sign up on either the book site or author site, and you’ll get lots of career insights e-mailed to you at precisely the time you need it.

  www.MissionVeritas.com

  www.ArmageddonOnToast.com

  JohnMurphy@MissionVeritas.com

  @ArmOnToast

  AUTHOR INTERVIEW

  Q: What are your passions?

  A: My biggest two passions are, of course, writing and graphics. I love starting with a blank slate and creating something. I started writing when my youngest son was born. I’d sit down every night after the kids were in bed and promised myself that I’d work at it for at least half an hour. If nothing was flowing, then I could go to bed. I never failed to put in two hours a night. I love creating stories from nothing. It’s like living inside a movie for weeks or months, and I couldn’t wait to get back to it as often as I could.

  The same is true for graphics and video projects that I’ve done. I’d start with nothing, plan it all out, and within days or weeks I’d have finished products. I’m excited to merge these passions.

  Q: Did you go to school for graphics?

  A: No. I got into graphics in a roundabout way. I taught myself video production and editing, and earned a few bucks, but the market I was after, which was professional speakers, wasn’t tremendously inclined to pay thousands of dollars for a video of themselves. I began messing around with movies and would create graphics to drop into them. On more than one project I used a green-screen so I had to learn a lot about graphics. Even after a few years, I’m still a neophyte and am awed by those who make a living at it.

  Q: Is the story true to life in any way?

  A: Yes, but in a way that is closer to you than you might expect. I believe that, much like Killian, many of us have something about us—skills and talents, things in our past, ambitions and dreams—some truth that we don’t ever talk about or readily reveal. In fiction, the main character often has some hidden trait or desire, and it winds up being the single most important factor that drives the character to succeed. You likely possess something that most people don’t know about, but it is that very thing that will drive you to your goals in life. So, there is a truth in the story that is very much like your own story.

  Q: What inspired you to write the story?

  A: I was tinkering with making short video movies. I was able to dream up story ideas at the slightest prompting. I took an adult-education class on making a movie at the local university. We had the choice of either using an established script or writing our own, and any student in the class was able to try writing. The only rule was every student had to have at least one line of dialogue. There were 14 students, and I created a script in a day, all based on the people in the class. I thought maybe I had a talent for assembling ideas into a cohesive story, and I gave it another try, then another. I was also convinced I could get anyone to act well, which they really couldn’t. But I was so enthusiastic to see my stories acted out that, like a proud parent, I overlooked the actors’ campy line delivery. To me, they were all brilliant.

  One night I showed my collection of videos to friends and family and the actors involved. They laughed in all the right places! Yay!

  A few friends who had teens the same age as my son approached me and said their kids would love to be in a short movie like that. “Sure!” I told them. I could write something with a character made just for them, I promised. I couldn’t resist the challenge.

  I didn’t want to do any stories about high school, pregnancy, drugs, or any present-day social issues. So, I created a story about teens in a future military trying to get into a special program. But there’s something about the planet that makes them tell the truth. Hence the “veritas” in the title, which is Latin for truth. I discussed it with my son while working out at Gold’s Gym, fleshed out the story, came up with new ideas. He was stoked since he’d get to play the main character (it’s all about who you know).

  I studied script writing, and the next thing I knew I had a 100-page screenplay. I was confident I could shoot it all green-screen and put killer graphics behind, so I improved my skills.

  I needed a warehouse in which I could put up a semi-permanent green-screen wall. I ran with this idea for months and months and told everyone I was going to do this. Reality finally hit me when I couldn’t rent a warehouse for anything less than a three-year lease. That would be around $150,000 just for rent! Forget all the other expenses, like building the green screen, costumes, lights, and so on. No one would even talk to me about a short-term lease. It was all too much and crazy to even think of going down that path. I abandoned the project, and after all that bragging, I felt defeated and embarrassed.

  A few months later, a friend came by on his Harley for a visit and a stogie. While we sat on my deck looking out at downtown Seattle, he suggested I turn the screenplay into a novel, then upload it to Amazon. Still feeling embarrassed over the dropped project, it took a lot of convincing, but I gave it a go.

  By the following Christmas, I printed fifty copies to hand out. It was horrible and full of typos. My son gave me his copy with all the typos circled. Embarrassment yet again…but thanks, man, I needed that.

  I corrected the typos in Word, created an e-book, then uploaded it to Amazon. Months and months went by. It sold zero. During that same time I banged out a sequel. However, friends and family to whom I’d given my book weren’t writing reviews, or even mentioning it when I saw them.

  A friend will help you move. A good friend will help you move a body. Even your best friend won’t read past the tenth typo before they put it down.

  It stunk.

  I hired a freelance editor and asked for a review of both books to figure out from where the stench must be coming.

  After three years, several books on writing fiction, two editors, umpteen drafts, and two proofreaders, I finally had something a publisher was willing to take on.

  Q: You’re saying the character of Killian is based on a real dude?

  A: Yes, my youngest son. I even got face-modeling software to replicate his likeness. That was a journey all by itself. He looks much older now and has a beard. He’s trekking across New Zealand as of this writing. He’s got the travel bug.

  Q: You said “your youngest son.” Does he have siblings?

  A: Yes, two older brothers. One is a video game producer
and the other is an officer in the Marine Corps.

  Q: Are they in the story somewhere?

  A: Not in Mission Veritas, but in book two, yes. When writing, authors typically have someone they know in mind for each character of the story. We base the behaviors and actions off how the real person would behave. The characters based on my sons resemble their personalities. If you met any of them in real life you’d feel like you already know them.

  Q: Are there any other characters based on friends or family?

  A: Most of them, actually, but very loose interpretations. I’d have people I’ve known in mind but expound upon personality traits while creating someone very different. However, I might be the only one to see the resemblance.

  Q: Do you suppose they would recognize themselves if and when they read your book?

  A: I doubt it. Besides, several of them were people I met when I was in the Marine Corps.

  Q: You said you made a likeness of your son for the book illustrations. Any other characters get the same honor?

  A: Yes, a few. With pictures of a person from the front and side, I created 3D images that looked pretty realistic. However, I had to import that into other software for making scenes, and often the adaptation would be less true to the original than I’d hoped for. At best they share a likeness with the real people. If you met them in real life you wouldn’t be wowed with recognition, but if I told you, you’d probably see the resemblance. Sometimes I’d use famous people for inspiration.

  Q: So who is a real person and who is a celebrity?

  A: I quickly abandoned the idea of capturing celebrity photos in that, 1) they might try to sue me (although the publicity would be fantastic), and 2) getting a good front and side pic was hard. The software needs the subject to be not smiling, and most of the pics I could find were either smiling or “Only get my good side!” So, I just had to go with having a split screen with the celebrity’s pic on one side, then the 3D software on the other. There were all kinds of dials for features and I’d tweak them until I could get it kind of close. The only famous person that I did reasonably well is Prince Harry as Ian Tucker. Vasquez is a cross between this guy I knew in my software career, and a famous pop singer who, conveniently, has mug shots, front and side.

  It would be fun to have site visitors guess who any of the other characters were inspired by.

  Q: So, which characters were based on real people?

  A: As I mentioned, I was planning on shooting a video in front of a green screen and was going to recruit people I knew (or would audition). A few folks agreed early on, so I went with their image and personality in my head as I wrote the book over the following years.

  Tyla Mitchell has a real-life counterpart, but I won’t reveal her name. At the time I concocted the whole plan, she was still in high school, but now she’s completed college and is a teacher.

  Brenda Carmen is also based on my niece, who, at the outset, was dreaming of acting, but has since done a two-year tour on a Mercy Ship off the coast of Africa. I kept her image in mind, but I don’t think her personality matches the character. About a year ago, I FB messaged her asking if she’d still like to have her likeness as a character. She agreed. I instructed her to have her dad take pics with a smartphone, front and both sides, no makeup, hair up, no smile. She complied. I made the character of Brenda Carmen with what she sent. I met up with my sister (her mom) in Vegas and I showed her. She said, “That doesn’t look like my daughter at all!” Then I showed the pictures I was sent. “Oh, okay, not her best look.”

  My niece is actually quite pretty, often doing her hair nicely, and has a thousand-watt smile. Like I said, the personalities between my niece and Brenda Carmen don’t match. Carmen is gruff and no-nonsense. My niece is charming and engaging.

  Q: Do you have anything in common with Killian?

  A: Besides being related in a fictitious sense? Yes. Like many stories, the character arc of Killian mirrors my own life in roundabout ways. This is true for a lot of authors and the characters they create.

  Q: You’re on a long flight to Planet Veritas, and you can only bring one book. What would it be?

  A: That’s a tough question to answer. I like Robert Heinlein, Orson Scott Card, Steven King, Brad Thor, and a new one that I found, Jason Hough (like rough). Since I couldn’t narrow down the list, I wouldn’t bring any. I’d write something new.

  Q: How well do you think you’d do on Mission Veritas?

  A: Twenty years ago, I think reasonably well. If candidates behaved like they do on various reality shows like Survivor, Big Brother, and others, where people scheme against one another, I’d be voted off the planet in the first go-round. I’m more of a team player, supporter, and encourager, not a backstabber.

  Q: Who is your favorite author, science fiction, or otherwise?

  A: Brad Thor. Granted, he’s not sci-fi, but there are lots of different kinds of cake in the world. I admire Brad as a writer because he’s good at pacing the action throughout his stories, and the bad guy always gets it in the end. Plus, he writes “faction,” rather than just fiction. The topics covered and information conveyed has a ton of facts, often disturbing, about what’s going on in the country and world that everyday people have no inkling of. For example, we now know that the US government is spying on our communications, gathering it all up, and storing it at a massive server farm just outside of Salt Lake City. I learned about that and why they’re doing it from Brad’s story Full Black, about a year before the facts broke in the news. Who knows how long he had that knowledge before the book release? Probably at least another year, maybe two.

  This guy has garnered incredible access to fans who are important people in the military, intelligence, real spies, and more. So jealous! But, I feel for the guy because he probably knows a great deal of really scary stuff that keeps him up at night.

  Brad’s spot at the top of my list is secure because of one of his blog posts. His wife had taken a picture of him at a truck stop called “Grumpy’s” with the caption, “Look, a place named for Brad!” My wife made sure I saw his post. I wonder why. Authors…

  Q: If you could be someone else for a day, who would you be and why?

  A: Brad Thor. It would be great to pal around with some of his contacts.

  Q: What’s your favorite science fiction movie?

  A: In the last ten years, I like the Star Trek with Chris Pine as Jim Kirk. Not only does it have great action and story, but the protagonist (Kirk) doesn’t undergo some kind of character arc that makes him all mushy at the end. He’s a badass at the beginning and a badass at the end, and he wins!

  Another recent favorite is Edge of Tomorrow with Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. The writing was magnificent with lots of twists and turns, yet they kept it all straight for the viewer. It was brilliant. Unlike Inception with DiCaprio, where you needed to take notes while watching, even the third time through, or was it the fourth time?

  Before that, Starship Troopers. I didn’t like the book nearly as much because I had already seen the movie ten times, and read the book only once.

  Q: What’s next?

  A: I’ve already drafted book two, but haven’t decided on the title yet. There are a great many clues I planted in Mission Veritas, and if you read it twice, you’ll see the clues that you missed the first time around. I’ve planted some seeds that won’t be revealed until book three. There are a great many questions I deliberately left unanswered in Mission Veritas, like, “Who is Amelia Goreman?”

  AUTHOR ESSAY

  Your life has more meaning than you presently know.

  When you’re young and just starting out, it’s hard to decide what you want to be when you grow up. I’ve met many people in their forties still asking the same question.

  You will, no doubt, experience many times, weeks, or months where you wonder, “What’s it all about? Why am I here?” You might be disappoin
ted when you don’t come up with a good answer.

  You might find yourself getting out of the military wondering where to go from there.

  Millions of students graduate college with the same exact questions.

  Even after several years in the workforce, you may still find yourself uncertain.

  Having what appears to be a solid plan and a sure thing is no shield against these existential questions.

  No matter what path you choose, you will always wonder if you would have been better off on another path.

  Why?

  Because there are difficulties on every path.

  Everyone ponders these questions from time to time. Things rarely turn out as fantastic as you imagined.

  The cards you’re dealt in life may make these questions seem all the more dire. Perhaps you’ve been injured in combat or a car accident, been fired, or unemployed for a long time. Perhaps you’ve failed in relationships or business, or had a death of a loved one. There are an infinite number of reasons for a dark outlook; some horrible, and some pretty minor.

  Take your pick. They all work.

  “Wait! What?”

  Yes, they all work.

  Life is a series of obstacles, whether physical, social, economic, or emotional. No one is immune.

  Each obstacle provides you the opportunity to “give up” and blame the obstacle.

  Others may agree that your obstacle was insurmountable and you were in the right to give up. Others will think or even say out loud, “You just gave up.”

  Maybe the words don’t cross your lips, but, deep in your heart, you give yourself permission to stop trying. Another word for this is “excuse.” An excuse is something convenient to blame for your giving up.

  Take hope. The human mind is the most incredible problem-solving machine on earth (and the universe for all we presently know). No other creature intentionally solves any problems whatsoever, they just live.