Somewhere along the way, we ran into RD Hale-- the popular author of Sky City: Rise of the Orphan. RD was gracious enough to answer some questions for us here at TK. We covered everything from inspirations to gun control. Check out the answers here!

So-who are you? Tell us a little about yourself.

R.D. Hale. I am a British father of one trapped in the drudgery of a 9 - 5 job and squeezing writing in during those rare moments when my son allows me a spare five minutes! I spent my earlier years drifting through life, day dreaming and generally being mad at the world. Then one day a few years ago when I was bored and depressed, I got to work on the story I knew I had inside of me. Sky City: The Rise of an Orphan is the product of the frustration I've harboured, my way of giving a voice to the voiceless.

When did you begin writing?

I was never much of a reader, but when I was younger I spent my time listening to hip hop music and I was inspired by artists like Nas, Tupac and Eminem. I started to experiment with poetry based on the themes of social injustice and juvenile waywardness. Much of what I wrote was awful, but I learnt to be creative in my use of language and because I had no-one telling me where I was going wrong, I developed my own idiosyncrasies which I've carried into my novel writing.

Why SciFi?

Science bridges the boundary between magic and reality and lends an element of believability which other forms of fantasy lack. On top of that I am intrigued by the prospect of surviving in a world tougher than my own. Sky City is a microcosm of the world we live in and by exaggerating the elements, I've placed a microscope over the issues I'd like to tackle.

What's your favorite story you've written?

I've only ever written one story to completion - Sky City: The Rise of an Orphan.

In Sky City, you mentioned that you give a "voice to the voiceless". Can you explain this to those of us who haven't read the story?

My central message is that fundamentally all prejudices are one and the same. It is about taking power away from others and holding onto it yourself.

As a young man I was completely and utterly disenfranchised. I had no job and no-one to lend a helping hand. Our elected representatives pander to the upper class, and never talk about the underclass, unless it's to label them as scroungers and blame them for society's ills.

If anyone talks about tackling social injustice they're accused of punishing success. But that success is defined by helping yourself to the biggest slice of a pie which the workforce have created and leaving said workforce to scramble for the crumbs. If we redistributed the wealth of the ten richest people alive, we could eliminate poverty, but we're not allowed to do that because it would victimise our 'wealth creators'.

All it takes is for the people to open their eyes and say 'Enough!' The poor outnumber the rich and we can outvote them. We've just got to stop being their puppets!

My intention is for Sky City to open peoples' eyes and remind them they can make a difference. After all, democracy equals people power!

What are some of your influences? Favorite writers?

I've been hugely influenced by movies and even more so by videogames. There was a game I played in my teens called Final Fantasy 7 which blew me away with its fantastical story and surreal, yet believable dystopia. I always wanted to do my own take on that kind of story.

My favourite sci-fi book is 1984 by George Orwell - I doubt there will ever be another novel which carries the impact of this great work.

Music is inspiring. When I hear a great song I feel the urge to be creative. I draw upon my own memories and try to capture the sense of awe I experienced as a child viewing the world for the first time. Also, I often look to movies, videogames or great pieces of art and strive to communicate the emotional resonance of their imagery to give my message more impact. Ultimately, my driving force is the determination to make life better for myself and others - I'm one of those idealists naive enough to believe I can change the world!

Going back to music-are you musical? Where did this love/ appreciation come from?

I think my love of music stemmed from a connection to the lyrical content of the disenfranchised Americans. As a young man growing up in the UK, I had to look to the US for voices which resonated with me, because in my country no-one was even taking about such issues. I did not exist and neither did my problems!

I experimented with music for a while in my younger years, but then it became clear my obsessive attention to detail was more suited to writing and I realised that was my way out.

We know some of the big authors, Orson Scott Card for example, incorporate their religion into their work. Are you religious? If so, so you incorporate it into your stories?

Great question. I am an agnostic leaning strongly towards atheism, but religion is a mesmerising subject - one of the greatest forces for both good and evil in the world today. One of my main ideas for Sky City was to ask: What would happen if the extremists were in charge and a group of non-believers fought back?

In Sky City the tables have turned and we are left with old adage that one man's freedom fighter is another man's terrorist. The boundaries of right and wrong, which can seem so clear cut, become increasingly blurred. I try to challenge preconceived ideas and encourage people to break free from indoctrination. Whatever we believe, we should be smart enough to realize we could be wrong.

Are these extremists religious extremists? How do you rally you realistically rally the underdogs to compete with those in power?

In Sky City, there was a world war which was won by a party called San Teria. They follow an extreme and hypocritical form of the world's main religion - Samarianism and they use scripture to manipulate the masses. This works on the wealthy to an extent, because they reap some of the rewards, but the poor have started to see through the lies.

The rebellion is at a big technological disadvantage, but they have sheer numbers on their side. In addition to this, they rely on subterfuge, using techniques such as computer hacking and they aim to win the ideological battle, weakening the leadership in the process. They do obtain some powerful technologies, but their intention is to launch a bloodless coup if possible.

Others say your first novel is usually autobiographical in nature. Did you find this was the case? Do you ever base characters or situations off real life situations? How do you balance that?

There are definitely autobiographical elements to the story. I recall dramatic events in my life and I write about similar, but imagined sequences which carry the same emotional weight. Also, when creating characters, I borrow personality traits from the more interesting people I know. By blending the semi-factual and the (seemingly) impossible, my aim is to depict a dream-like, yet believable reality.

(and, in the spirit of this month's theme-Apocalyptic SciFi)

Do you think the world will end? If so, how?

The world will most likely end because of us. Our planet is becoming increasingly overpopulated and our resources are running out. We will become more powerful and more desperate and the challenges will likely be insurmountable. In the near future machines will be smarter than us and we'll be forced to either upgrade ourselves genetically or artificially, or get left behind. If I was to guess what will ultimately wipe us out, I'd go for nanotechnology. Swarms of microscopic machines could be far more dangerous than a biological plague and it is difficult to imagine an effective defence. All it takes is one mad scientist!

How will you survive?

My only hope of survival is to replace my frail, organic body parts with mechanical ones and live underground or migrate to Mars!

If you were allowed to take one backpack into the Apocalypse, what would be in it?

You'll probably consider these answers to be cheating, but here goes:

Presuming the internet still worked, the first thing would be my laptop. As slow and useless as it is, I struggle to picture life without it!

I would also carry a food materialiser - a device which will transform any substance into any food you like. (It hasn't been invented yet!)

I would also take a gun because although I'm opposed to them, the post apocalypse would be a violent and scary place.

You're opposed to guns? I find that interesting given your penchant for dystopian science fiction. Any reason why?

At heart, I am a primitive, testosterone driven neanderthal (like most men!) I find guns pretty mesmerising and I'm excited by violent forms of entertainment. But I'm also smart enough to see that real guns kill real people. One misfire or one moment of hotheadedness is all it takes.

Without the involvement of weapons you may end up with a black eye. With weapons involved, you may lose your life. It is a shame the US have not woken up to this simple fact.

Good stuff. Ok, before we end, is there anything else you want us to know about you?

I intend Sky City to be one of an ongoing series, shaped in part by reader feedback. But it will only be continued if the demand is there. Therefore, I'd love to hear what you guys think!

Any advice for the rest of the writers out there?

The key to great writing is attention to detail and creative use of language. If something you've written reads a little flat, visualise the scene and draw up a list of every interesting thought and image that creeps into your mind. Once you have a decent list, select your favourite ideas and weave them in. This will make your page come to life!

It was so great to chat with RD. To find out more about RD, or to check out Sky City, head over to his profile at: http://www.wattpad.com/user/Riksta10001