When sci-fi author Steve Parker was called upon to delve into the long-established fantasy world of Warhammer 40,000 and flesh out an important part of its history for fans he knew he was in for a challenge.

But in his new book, Rynn’s World, Steve demonstrates his remarkable ability to breath fresh life into an old story.

Among the first models ever produced for Games Workshop’s Warhammer 40,000 game, way back in 1987, were plastic Space Marines. And these pioneering models sat on retailers’ shelves in a box covered in artwork depicting fierce warriors engaged in a desperate fire-fight against implacable green-skinned foes.

These characters were the Crimson Fists space marines chapter and they were battling against Orks for domination of their home planet – Rynn’s World.

Finally, after 23 years of waiting, Games Workshop commissioned Steve Parker to write a novel giving the full back-story to this encounter which inspired generations of fans.

Lincolnshire Echo writer Dan Sharp caught up with Steve in Tokyo via e-mail.

DAN SHARP: Steve, how did you come to work on Rynn’s World? Did you pitch the idea or, well, how does that process work?

STEVE PARKER: The Rynn’s World project came to me in much the same way that my other novels did. I don’t tend to pitch like most Black Library writers do. Instead, my editor comes to me with something the studio would like to see a story about. If it grabs me, we take it further. Sometimes, the central theme or protagonist is linked to newly released models for the hobby. At other times, such as was the case with Rynn’s World, it’s a matter of turning something from pre-established background into a full narrative.

I was honoured to be offered the chance to launch this prestigous new series but, prior to starting my research for the novel, I knew very little about the events on Rynn’s World.

DS: The book is pretty faithful to the original Crimson Fists mythos. How did that old back story affect the writing process? Was it restrictive or useful as a loose structure?

SP: Both. On one hand, it was restrictive in the sense that the story had to go certain places. There were things that had to happen no matter what, and I had to fit my characters and their experiences around them. At the same time, however, it was great to have existing background to guide me in the planning process. A number of the major plot points in the story were laid out for me, but how to get to each of them was very much up to me. This created a great balance between creative freedom and structure that really helped me during the writing process.

DS: The map and large text of the book make it both easy to follow and easy to read. How do you feel about pioneering this new format?

SP: I think it’s a wonderful format that gives the series a very fresh look and makes it stand out as something new and significant. Fans have wanted to read about these major events in Space Marine history for a long time, and I think they’re going to love this series. These are good-looking books, and hopefully they’ll draw in fresh readers as well as satisfy the hordes who already love Warhammer 40,000 stories.

DS: What did you enjoy most about writing the book?

SP: What stands out for me as something I really enjoyed in the writing of this book was the chance to portray Space Marines in exactly the way that I see them. There have always been differing perspectives on just how these super-human killing machines should be represented in fiction.

The way I see it, one can’t be super-human without first being human. Despite all the training, psycho-conditioning and indoctrination that these warriors go through, they surely retain a core of individuality founded on the lives they led before they were selected for testing. Finding ways for their personalities to shine through their cold, armoured exteriors was a highlight of the process for me.

DS: You’ve been quite prolific in terms of both novels and short stories over the last few years. Do you have a punishing schedule of writing so many words per day or do you take things a little easier? And if you don’t mind me asking, what is your day job?

SP: I wish I was as disciplined in my writing as I am in other areas of my life. I don’t have a daily word quota. A lot of the work of being a writer has nothing to do with putting actual words on paper, of course. Not at first. The research and planning process is critical and takes a lot of time and effort. When it’s time to hit the keys, I start off a little sporadic, working mostly when I feel inspired to do so. I might write for four hours or so every other day. When deadlines start getting closer, I can’t afford to rely on inspiration anymore. It’s the mounting pressure that gets my butt in the seat. By this point, I’ll be writing six to eight hours a day, every day until the first draft is done.

As for a ‘day job’, that would be writing, but I currently supplement it by teaching English to Japanese business people at night and on weekends.

DS: When you’re working on a story, do you plot it out heavily beforehand, or do you give the characters free reign to go their own way to some degree?

SP: Writers working with the Black Library are required to submit fairly detailed synopses for studio approval before setting out on writing the novel. For that reason, the novels I’ve written so far have been plotted out beforehand. I actually enjoy working like this. I believe that having a good solid framework in front of you keeps your stories tight and focussed, and helps with pacing. If you’re not careful, giving characters free reign can pull a story off-track and bog things down. That said, characters do tend to come alive during the writing process and want to go their own way at least a little. When that happens, you’ve got to strike a balance and give them enough freedom to express themselves.

DS: How did you come to start writing sci-fi in the first place? Was it something you’d always done from being a kid onwards or did it just kick in later in life?

SP: I’ve always been pulled towards things that centred on the fantastic, whether it was books, comics, movies, games, animation or whatever. Imagination is everything. I could hardly pay attention in school for drawing monsters, aliens, ghosts, robots and giant sharks with human arms lodged between their teeth. I loved to draw, and I still do. But it was only after I read Frank Herbert’s Dune that I suddenly thought, ‘that was just amazing! I want to try this writing thing’.

I spent six months trying to write a novel when I was about 17 years old. It was unbelievably bad, of course, but just the act of writing it taught me a lot.

I didn’t know that at the time, however. I just thought, ‘oh, guess I’m not cut out for this’. I put writing aside.

A few years later, the bug bit me again. I sent some short stories out to SF magazines. I didn’t sell anything, but, just as before, the process of trying was what really counted. I had no idea then that each of these failures was getting me closer to success. I put writing aside for the second time.

It was only about four years ago, living and teaching here in Japan, that I decided to try again. I wrote new stories and, this time, I sold them. Somehow, I got from there to here. I’m a big fan of perseverance now.

DS: What would you say were your formative influences while growing up?

SP: Like I said, it was Frank Herbert’s Dune that made me want to write professionally, but there were many earlier influences that made me the kind of person who would be affected like that.

I was nuts about movies when I was a kid. Every day, I would rush home from school to watch either Star Wars, E.T., Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark or Close Encounters of the Third Kind on VHS video tape. Spielberg movies made the world turn for me back then. I read a lot of comics, too. I was pulled in by computer and video games very early on, especially story-driven games. I guess I liked all the things that kids like, but perhaps I liked them a little more than most. As a teenager, Bladerunner, Aliens, Terminator, Predator... all of these things grabbed me in a big way. Games kept getting better and better.

It’s impossible to list individual influences, really. There are just too many. Better to simply say that I’ve always been hooked on ‘the fantastic’ in whatever form it takes.

DS: And what are your current influences in terms of what you’re reading now, watching now, thinking about now?

SP: Writing military-themed SF requires a certain knowledge of conventions that cover both military writing and science-fiction writing. I had more of the latter than the former and knew it was a deficiency I‘d have to address, so I spent a lot of time over the last few years watching movies and documentaries about war and weaponry and reading a lot of related books, both fact and fiction. For entertainment, I tend to read a lot of SF and fantasy, of course, but I also enjoy the odd horror or crime novel. I also watch shows like 24, Lost and Battlestar Galactica whenever I can. I think everything influences a writer in some way or another, though we may not always realise it.

DS: Writing a novel for the Black Library and getting it published must surely be every teenage boy’s dream but do you have any ambitions to write sci-fi which falls outside the worlds of Warhammer or even, dare I say (write) it, non-sci-fi?

SP: I think every ‘tie-in’ writer has plans to write his or her own original work at some point. I certainly do, but I enjoy working in the Warhammer 40,000 universe a lot, and I learn more about my writing voice with every novel I finish. For now at least, I’ve no immediate plans to start out on my own independent work, whether it be SF, fantasy, horror or whatever. I’ve just begun a new project for the Black Library that is, to my mind, the most exciting thing I’ve tackled yet, and that’s really all the writing I’m thinking about right now.

DS: What’s life like over in Tokyo? Do you follow events back home much?

SP: Life in Tokyo is definitely a mixed bag, but it must have more ups than downs because I’ve been living here for about eight years, and I’ve no wish to leave in a hurry despite how difficult and frustrating it can be.

I do miss my family in the UK, but I try to get back for visits whenever I can. I always schedule a face-to-face with my editor when I’m over there. E-mails and phone-calls are fine, but you can’t beat sitting across the table from each other and batting ideas around over a coffee.

As for following events in the UK, I watch BBC World News every day, so that keeps me up to date on the major stories. I keep hoping to hear good news, but the economy... pffft!

DS: Sci-fi is about imagining what the future will be like and dark futures don’t come much darker than Warhammer 40,000 with its futurist medievalism and whatnot. Bit of a philosophical tangent this but are you into technology yourself (iPods, iPhones iEverything it would seem) and how do you see our future panning out?

SP: I’m very much into science and technology. It fascinates me. I love to see technology evolve. Some of the things I see here in Japan make me stop and stare. I recently saw a blu-ray movie playing on a big 240hz television and it made my jaw drop. That’s four times the framerate of any TV I have ever owned. I had never, ever seen a movie look that good before. The visual quality of today’s movies and games just blows me away, and often makes me wish the quality of the writing was given as much attention (the recent Transformers movies being a case in point).

How do I see our future panning out? Hmmm, that’s a tough one. I’m really excited by the trend towards eco-technologies. There’s so much potential there. It’s great to see so many people getting behind it. If it keeps up, and more and more people adopt it, there really will be cause for optimism.

I think AR (augmented reality) is where it’s at in terms of the next step forward in personal devices. Give it a few years and we’ll probably all be wearing sunglasses with GPS and a permanent wireless high-speed Internet connection built in. Imagine a stranger walks by you and your glasses give you the option of immediately checking out their Facebook page or seeing a list of their hobbies. I think technologies like this that have the potential to boost our social lives will have a major impact on our lives.

Whatever happens next, it’s sure to be pretty interesting.