Known Shippable, Will Not Fix received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.
Following find an interview with author Roy Russell.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
Known Shippable, Will Not Fix was published in October 2016, the second updated edition was released in September 2017.
What’s the book’s first line?
“The soda is free; at least he had that.”
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to The Matrix. Known Shippable is a sci-fi action comedy about an entry level tester discovering the world he lives in is a simulation. He is tasked to test the rules of reality and enter bugs he discovers into the database. He soon discovers there are forces at work that want to unmake existence, and it’s up to him to save us.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
I wrote the book as an answer to the often asked question, “Is your job like Grandma’s Boy?” Whenever seeing QA testing portrayed in TV shows like Black Mirror or movies it doesn’t resemble actual testing resembling the work I used to do at 2K Marin or Visual Concepts. I wanted to create a faithful portrayal of the thankless work QA testers do in ensuring games and software run as intended.
The other reason I wanted to write this book is to pay homage to the Native American creation stories of my people. The Gitksan have many legends and stories of how the world was shaped. My book features similar nods to world shaping tales within. It also features several trickster animals with their own plans to change the world as they see fit.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
Known Shippable provides a peek into game development from the never seen perspective of a QA tester trying to do his job. All of that wrapped in a comedy adventure that I hope gamers and sci-fi fans will enjoy.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?
There are two main characters in my book.
Casey is an amalgam of some of the cool people I used to work with at Take-Two Interactive, he is both hardworking and kind-hearted.
Natalie was an important main character for me in that I wanted to pay tribute to the talented, gifted, and incredibly smart women in game development I’ve worked with in the past. Video game creation is not a boys club – there are so many amazing women creating some of the best games on the market today.
If they made your book into a movie, who would you like to see play the main character(s)?
A younger Colin Hanks would be my Casey. Natalie is played by Brie Larson. Babb would be played by Bill Murray.
When did you first decide to become an author?
It wasn’t a conscious decision for me to become an author. It just happened after leaving 2K Games, after I moved back to Canada. I set out to write Feast: A Gitksan Story for my wife, so she could learn about Gitksan culture and my people’s traditions.
Is this the first book you’ve written?
No, I self-published “Feast: A Gitksan Story” in 2015.
What do you do for work when you’re not writing?
I still dabble in game development, creating apps, and writing software.
How much time do you generally spend on your writing?
Three to five hours a day depending on when I finish up at my day job. Sometimes I write way into the early morning if I find a narrative thread or idea I need to commit to paper.
What’s the best and the hardest part of being an indie?
Promoting the work I’ve written. I am for the most part bad at promoting my books and finding an audience. A huge part of it is that I honestly feel bad spamming my book to strangers trying to get them to read it.
What’s a great piece of advice that you can share with fellow indie authors?
Find a good editor who will make your words shine. Be financially prepared to pay for their services, it’s always worth it having a good developmental and copy edit of your manuscript. This was a hard lesson learned with the first edition of Known Shippable, it received several justified scathing reviews, so I took it off the market for a proper editing pass before re-releasing it in September 2017.
Would you go traditional if a publisher came calling? If so, why?
I would, absolutely. I am squeaking along trying to promote my book so that it finds readers. It is not easy, and it involves a lot of trial and error figuring that aspect out as an indie author. It would be great to just focus on writing and letting other skilled professionals handle that aspect of getting my books into the hands of readers.
Is there something in particular that motivates you (fame? fortune? more sex?)
I don’t think I could handle fame. It’s humbling when people tell me how much they enjoy my books, but I just don’t know how to react to praise when it happens. Financial security will always be welcome, with a bit extra to spoil my parents, niece & nephew, and my wife.
Which writer, living or dead, do you most admire?
Sherman Alexie will always be someone I look up to. The works he has created in his lifetime are so varied and entertaining. The world needs more First Nations voices telling their stories.
Which book do you wish you could have written?
The Famished Road by Ben Okri. Everything about that book is just magical. It is just effortlessly beautiful. If only there was a cheat code I could enter into my computer and make my writing that amazing.