Thomas Locke’s latest SF page-turner is Renegades (Revell), the sequel to his novel Recruits. As gifted twins Sean and Dillon work together to save the Human Assembly from domineering enemy forces, they encounter a ghost-walker from another planet on a secret mission of his own. In this Q&A, Thomas reveals a bit about this riveting story, how he discovered his calling, and what he’s working on next!
Can you please provide a brief summary of Renegades?
For ten years and counting, Sean and Dillon Kirrell have survived the mayhem of a self-destructive home life through living a dream. Their bedroom is wallpapered with hand-drawn images of a long, circular train station. Glass trains glide through translucent tunnels, connecting this hub to a world they cannot name, but are certain exists. The travelers move along conveyor belts that curve over walls and ceilings, held in place by a system they have named modulated gravity. This is no dream. This is no fabricated scenario. They have known the place is out there waiting to welcome them to their real home.
But unseen forces aim to thwart their plans, and then redirect their newly-honed powers to destroy a planetary government. By absorbing the lessons and going beyond, Sean and Dillon forge an ambition to be of service to the interplanetary system. Suddenly it’s no longer about being the best. It’s about the survival of their ever-expanding community.
When did you first start writing and what prompted you to do so?
I began writing at age 28, two weeks after I came to faith. Before that point, I had never written anything. After that moment, there was nothing else I wanted to do with the rest of my life.
How did you become interested in writing fantasy and science fiction?
My first passions as a young reader were fantasy and science fiction. When I started writing, my first mentor was Arthur C. Clarke, author of 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Over the past few years I’ve become increasingly frustrated by the constant negative directions that both fantasy and science fiction are taking. Dystopian fiction, hopelessness, the undead—do they all have to be tainted by this same darkness? Was there no place anymore for the same sort of heroic adventure that so thrilled me as a youngster? Finally I decided that it was time to stop complaining and do something different.
You have another book releasing this spring. What is the title of your next book?
The Golden Vial will release in March 2018. It is the third book in the Legends of the Realm series.