IWIC: Tell us about yourself. My name is KC Martin and I hail from Portsmouth in England. My work history has been varied but interesting. First I was a Chef (still am at home), then I was a Cinema Manager and now I work in IT. In my heart I have always wanted to be a author. I simply love writing and creating fiction. My other interests are keeping fit, running, kayaks, radio controlled boats and motorbikes.
IWIC: What prompted you to become a writer? Like most authors I have been reading novels since a very early age. In my younger days it was mainly science fiction but as I matured my scope of reading spread into most genres, now I will read anything as long as the story is interesting.
IWIC: Is there a message weaved into your writing – some thread or theme that you try to impart? The future of gaming is changing fast and what will happen over the next few decades, while unknown, will be exciting and possibly dangerous. The distinction between our world and the digital world could soon blur.
IWIC: What is it that you want to inspire in others or change in the world through your writing? I want the world to enjoy reading and exploring the expanding possible futures that science holds for us. Today’s science fiction is tomorrows science fact.
IWIC: Tell us about your most recent book and why you wrote it? Grid Warrior is a near future science fiction thriller which depicts one possible timeline for the future of online gaming. The story is set in the year 2031 and in a world where online computer gamers no longer sit in front of a screen with a controller in their hand. Advances in technology now mean that all gamers slide themselves into their reality suits, log into their accounts and enjoy the sensation of entering a gaming world. But for some, this is still not enough and the next step is to actually enter the game world and really be part of the game grid. For many, this is still science fiction that is decades away from reality but for Professor Paul Wilson this is the end-game of his lifelong ground-breaking and futuristic research. Now, after years of pushing the known boundaries of artificial intelligence and gaming technology he is ready to put the theories into action and transfer himself into the world that is known as ‘World of Warcraft’. His journey into the unknown brings unexpected dangers for himself, his brother and his dedicated team of PhD research students. As the story unfolds they all end up struggling to survive different and terrifying dangers as Paul’s transfer to the game world and his transformation into a Grid Warrior is not welcomed by everyone, and deadly forces are mobilized to end the experiment at any cost. The main reasons for this book being written are the interesting and fast moving advances in artificial intelligence and online gaming which will, over the next 20-30 years, totally reshape the way we interact with computers and game systems. I really believe this is an area of interest to people of all ages and as a result, I believe the novel will also appeal to a large range of readers. The second reason is based upon my love of playing World of Warcraft; the sheer size of this online game grid made it the perfect setting for the novel. WoW is a huge game world in which the imagination can run riot.
