Clint Hall is an author, speaker and podcaster who has been writing stories since middle school, where he spent most of his time in English class creating comic books. (Fortunately, his teacher not only allowed it; she bought every issue.)
Known for stories of hope, wonder, and adventure, Clint has been published across multiple anthologies and magazines. As a tech writer, he has also authored numerous pieces for several Fortune 500 companies.
You can find him hosting panels at conventions, online at ClintHall.com, or at “The Experience: Conversations with Creatives” podcast, available on all major platforms.
FF: What inspired the story in Worlds Collide?
The concept came to me several years ago while I was working on another book. I had this idea about a universe in which five planets—each with a different creator—were set on an inevitable collision course as a contest between their respective creators.
I quickly decided that the five cosmic creators would be a dragon, serpent, phoenix, lion, and wolf. The central tension would come from the fact that these planets are on an inevitable collision course with each other, and that the only way for one planet to “win the war” would be to destroy the rival worlds before they all crashed into each other.
At the time, I had already been learning about the various hero archetypes, such as the sacrificial hero, the cunning hero, the hero with a code, etc. I’ve always loved mythic structure storytelling, and I decided that this idea of multiple worlds at war was a chance to write a different hero’s journey for each of those archetypes (one hero for each planet).
FF: What can you tell us about the main characters?
I’ve got five main characters in this book, one from each world, and each one is unique. What they all have in common is that they are trying to save their worlds and everyone they love. And they also all believe that the only way to do that is by destroying their rivals.
But what’s different is how they plan on achieving that. For example, the people of the serpent world are masters of subterfuge who rely far more on their cunning than their strength. For the people of the dragon planet, their strength comes from their strict discipline and adherence to their divine code. The wolves are the only world playing defense, believing that their planet can actually survive the collision.
And as for the phoenix and the lions, you’ll have to read the book to find out.
FF: Which of these five main characters surprised you the most?
My POV character for the serpent world is named Fallon Demir. She’s nearly 18 and ready to claim her rightful throne, except her father (the previous king) died years ago and the current Lord Protector is preventing her rightful ascension. The Lord Protector doesn’t believe that she’s mature enough to take power.
I’m not gonna spoil whether that’s true, but I will tell you that she’s far more cunning than him. She has an amazing strategic mind, mostly because of how she was raised. She’s accustomed to being two steps ahead of everyone else. What surprised me the most about her, though, was the lengths to which she was willing to go in her pursuit of the crown.
Because of her intelligence, she believes that she is the most fit to lead her people. And if that’s true, is she justified in doing whatever she has to in order to claim power?
FF: Why do you think storytelling is such a powerful way to share truth?
Storytelling is a powerful way to share truth because it lowers people’s defenses. If you try to give someone advice—even if it’s a trusted friend—people tend to get their guard up, especially if it’s a difficult truth, something important about themselves that they need to realize. Most human beings seem to be stubborn in that way.
But stories allow us a way to communicate truth in a way that feels much less patronizing. If the storyteller is effective, the audience of the story allows themselves to be immersed in the story and, in doing so, lowers those defenses. This enables the messages to get through.
In the most effective storytelling, the audience is also a willing participant. Rather than telling them the truth outright, the storyteller leaves room for the audience to find the truth for themselves through the course of the story. And when they come to this realization on their own, they are far more likely to be receptive to it.
FF: What can readers expect from the rest of this series?
Worlds Collide is book 1 of a trilogy. This is difficult to explain without spoiling the story, but when you get to the end of the book, you feel like you’ve been told a complete story while also understanding that there is far more to come.
For the rest of the trilogy, readers can expect deeper exploration into these worlds and cultures, as well as uncovering new secrets that will have serious impacts. I made certain that I understood everything that happens in books 2 and 3 at a highly detailed level before book 1 was finalized. Across the trilogy, readers will see connections, reflections, payoffs, narrative symmetry, and easter eggs.
Worlds Collide is the kind of book that you can certainly read once and have a clear understanding of everything that’s happening. But it’s also a story that will reward deep reading (and re-reading) of each book.
FF: How do you get into the right frame of mind to write your sci-fi novels?
Music! I’m very selective about my writing playlists, and everything is carefully chosen for specific reasons. A lot of my playlist selections are obvious choices for writing in the space opera genre—I love scores for Star Wars: Rogue One and Battlestar Galactica, for example.
But I also choose a lot of scores that invoke different emotions. Some are designed for a more mythic vibe, others for a futuristic feel, etc. I always use music to curate my mindset. When I hear a certain song/album/playlist, I can snap into that mode and write from there.
FF: What do you want readers to take away after reading Worlds Collide?
There are lots of messages in Worlds Collide. Every book I write is always about hope, but the story is also about sacrifice, responsibility, leadership, love, courage, and what it means to be alive.
But the central message of Worlds Collide is that while there are sometimes wars to be fought, the battle lines aren’t always where we think they are, and sometimes the real villain is the battle itself. I believe that the enemy seeks to divide us, and that division breeds fear and hatred.
But when people come together, we often find that maybe we’re not so different after all.
FF: What are the biggest challenges for you as a sci-fi author?
When I first came up with this idea, I didn’t think I was qualified to write a story like Worlds Collide. I felt like I hadn’t read enough books or wasn’t smart enough to create so many diverse worlds, not to mention all the futuristic technologies that are present in the trilogy. I felt like a fraud.
I have such respect for the genre and the absolute brilliance of its authors and readers. I’m astounded by the intelligence of the sci-fi community, and I don’t dare try to challenge anyone’s understanding of concepts like string theory or quantum mechanics.
But in my early days as a writer, I had to constantly remind myself that I could bring something to the genre, a unique perspective that no one else had.
So, I built a galaxy, one piece at a time.
FF: What authors or books have inspired you as an author?
I could name so many, but I’ll try to keep this brief. Max Brooks is my favorite author because his work is so entertaining while also smartly commenting on society. It’s funny because I think he’s technically considered more of a horror writer, but I believe he embodies the tradition of sci-fi that instills a sense of wonder and adventure while also communicating deep truths about our world.
Of every author I’ve ever read, I’m most envious of Pierce Brown’s writing voice and worldbuilding in his Red Rising series. I love Ready Player One by Ernest Cline for so many reasons, one of which is because he proves you can absolutely have large exposition dumps if they’re entertaining enough.
And of course, C. S. Lewis, though I came to his work much later in life than a lot of my author friends. I didn’t read The Chronicles of Narnia until I was an adult, and of course I loved it. But it’s much of Lewis’s other works that I find most impacting my own stories—especially The Great Divorce, The Problem of Pain, and The Screwtape Letters.
FF: How has your faith or worldview impacted the way you tell stories?
I could probably write a book answering this one question, but I’ll keep it simple. My faith in Jesus allows me to write authentic stories filled with truth as well as hope.
Whenever I sign a book for someone, I write the message: “There is always hope.” And I believe that with my entire being. No matter what happens, no matter how dark things get, no matter how far a character strays from the righteous path, there is always hope. That message runs throughout everything I write.
It also informs how I view my career. I’m so grateful for good reviews, awards, sales, and readers who tell me that they love my stories. But even if all that went away, I know my writing is successful because it’s something that I do with God. Nothing can change that.
That’s hope.
