Sebastian Howarth is a South African sci-fi author who has just published his debut novel, The Synthetic Hunger, a gripping first entry in his The PanTerran Saga series. Featuring a charismatic cast of motley space pirates, this space opera story blends high-octane action with a compelling mystery in the far-flung future. To celebrate the release of The Synthetic Hunger, What We Reading sat down with Sebastian to talk about everything to do with his journey in the wonderful world of writing!
Thanks for speaking with us, Sebastian! First off, tell us a bit about yourself and what led you to the world of writing.
Thanks very much for the chat! I’m a South African sci-fi author who has just released my debut novel. I’ve lived a somewhat adventurous life, and I tend to fly by the seat of my pants. And in true spontaneous style, I decided to finally write and release a book. I’ve been writing stories since I was a kid, in all sorts of genres, but I’d never published any of it.
Going through the entire process from start to finish was quite a reality adjustment in terms of how much more work there is over and above simply writing the story.
Talk to us about The Synthetic Hunger. What is it about, and what was the process of writing it like?
The Synthetic Hunger is set in a universe where mankind (or Terrans, as I call them) discovered interstellar travel, expanding rapidly across the galaxy and colonising many planets. This, unfortunately, brought the supply lines to a breaking point. Food was a scarce commodity, and entire settlements starved for lack of proper nutrition.
Enter the PanTerran Nutritional Authority! An almost commercial organisation that took on this problem and created a bland but nutritious nutrient gel that was easy to produce, transport, store and consume. Using this invaluable substance as leverage, they essentially took control of all the settled worlds through their monopoly of this basic need.
The story of The Synthetic Hunger follows a space pirate captain named Lorian Vance, who stumbles into a galaxy-wide mystery that threatens the entire food chain of the Authority, and therefore Terran life as a whole. With his found-family, mismatched crew, and through various adventures and mishaps, they have to figure out what in the stars above and below is going on.
What is the number one goal you want your work to have with readers?
I want them to feel like they went on an adventure with this crew. I want them to feel like part of the crew. Welcome to the team, dear reader. Here is your energy rifle.
What do you think makes you stand out as an author?
Hopefully, my style of writing is unique enough to be recognisable. I’d love for my readers to feel something when they read my work. I want them to connect to the story and the characters emotionally. I know this is nothing really new for authors, but I do feel like not every author gets this right. I hope that I do.
What would you say has been your biggest success so far?
I have managed, with the help of my very able and very small team, to get The Synthetic Hunger on the shelves of independent book stores in the USA, UK, Denmark, South Africa and Canada. This was more than I had hoped for in a self-published debut. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve done here.
If you could go back in time to one book you read for the first time, what would it be and why?
I remember reading The Physician by Noah Gordon when I was about twelve years old. It was the first really long book I had read, totalling 712 pages. The story starts with a young boy of around the age I was when I read it, and takes him all the way through to manhood, with him learning about basic human nature and life along the way. It’s set in 1010 AD, if I remember right, so life was incredibly different. But human nature was very much the same, and I remember finishing that book a different person.
What’s one tip you would give your younger self if you had the opportunity?
I’d say that people are more capable than they think they are, myself included. Just go for it. What have you got to lose that cannot be gained right back?
And finally, what do you hope the future holds for you and your writing?
Well, I have already started on book two of The PanTerran Saga. I’m hoping to garner as much support for my debut as possible so that by the time I am finished with book two, I can approach a more traditional publishing route with proven demand for my work. I’d love to get my books out as far and wide as possible.
Follow all of Sebastian’s work on his official website
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
