UNGOW!
Hello! Fester Cat here, taking control of Paul’s blog. I often attempt to reach
the keyboard, but he always interprets these as opportunities to take adorable
photographs of the two of us. I
humour him, but I have always had an urge to do some investigative journalism. He’s
off watching some episodes of Crossroads at the moment, so today I am
interviewing author Cody Quijano-Schell. (I fully realize this is a piece of
fluff journalism, but I have to get my paw in the door somehow)
Fester:
So Cody, you have been involved with Obverse Books since its inception?
Cody
QS: Yeah, Obverse published my first short story. I’ve since written other Iris
stories for Obverse, a Bernice Summerfield story for Big Finish and have a Dark
Shadows audio script in the works called “The Flip Side” (for Big Finish as
well).
Fester:
Tell meow more about your current project.
Cody
QS: My Iris Wildthyme story in the
very first Obverse Iris collection (“The Celestial Omnibus”) served as a
backdoor pilot for this current endeavor.
The novella series is called “The
Periodic Adventures of Senor 105” and is written by myself and others. The concept is roughly based on the tradition of the surreal
Mexican Masked Wrestler films and comic books of the 60’s. Senor 105 is a
semi-retired luchador turned scientist who obsessed with the Periodic Table of
Elements. His wrestling gimmick is
that he has a different mask for each element. And since the series is set in
1970, he has only 105 masks instead of 118 or whatever.
Fester:
So the series is all about Mexican traditions?
Cody
QS: No, not at all. It’s sci-fi/fantasy/spy/weirdness. There’s a whole cast of
international characters. 105’s sidekick Sheila is from Paris, and he has
associates from Canada, Japan, the United States, etc. He has a Japanese friend named Mr.
Tea who is obsessed with England. Then there’s Lori, a woman who aspires to be
a Canadian Mountie. Jorge Zumbido
is a Mexico City nightclub owner and schmaltzy easy listening recording
artist. And more! The series has an international scope,
but tends to avoid adventures taking place in England.
Fester:
What’s wrong with England?
Cody
QS: From 105’s perspective, nothing interesting ever happens in England - No
alien incursions or world-threatening crises. What he doesn’t realize is that there’s someone else who is
taking care of all of those.
Fester:
Ungow! Who do you mean?
Panda:
He obviously is referring to ME!
Cody:
Among others.
Fester:
Panda, please just hold the microphone quietly. You are neither interviewer nor
interviewee.
Panda:
Bah!
Cody:
Here Panda, you can sit on my knee. There. Later, I’ll hold the microphone when he interviews you, okay?
Panda:
You’re patronizing me, but that’s fine. I’m only here because I want to know if
you talk about me. There’s only one thing worse than being talked about and…
Fester:
UNGOW!!! Let’s get back on track.
Cody, you were talking about the Periodic Adventures… I take it the title is a
play on words that they’re released periodically? Like a comic book?
Cody
QS: Yes, the Periodic Adventures are released as e-books, usually every other
month, but we also plan to collect them in special-edition printed omnibuses, 3
or 4 novellas in one! The spines, when lined up, will resemble the Periodic Table.
Collect them all!
Fester:
So with an ocean of ebooks and genre fiction out there, why should my readers
be interested in your series?
Cody
QS: I think the PA’s have a unique viewpoint and the authors are given a lot of
room to put their own creativity into their novellas. There is also a
deliberate effort made to use settings and unique cultural viewpoints. For
example, the international settings/explorations of other countries, but also
many of the stories have supernatural or fantasy elements to it, which is not
as common in a world of science fiction. Senor 105 is a man of science, but
he’s seen evidence of unearthly goings-ons.
The
most recent release is called “Green Eyed and Grim” by Selina Lock and features
a rogue Grim Reaper.
Fester:
So potentially, you’re as likely to see a real werewolf as you are to see
aliens who look like werewolves?
Cody
QS: Exactly. And the point is: in a world of fiction, calling something alien
is often just a gobbledybook technobabble explanation of why something is
“scientific” instead of “magic” and that can be rather boring. The supernatural has mystery and
intrigue. Occasionally using those kinds of elements in fiction doesn’t negate
the ability to also write from a science-realism point of view in the same
series. It keeps the mix fresh.
Fester:
But there –are- aliens in the Periodic Adventures of Senor 105?
Cody
QS: Oh yes. In fact, 105’s sidekick Sheila is a mass of intelligent Helium
atoms. She’s of a race called the Sentients, one of the founding families from
the time of the Big Bang. And she’s searching for her family from whom she’s
been separated. We get hints here and there about them, and we will eventually
find out what happened to them, and who the Aurorals are. Other aliens mentioned so far are the
Modulars, the Binaries, the Wandering Ones…
Fester:
The Clockworks?
Cody
QS: Yes, when 105 crosses over with Iris, they’ve been mentioned. But
generally, 105’s universe is his universe, and hers is hers. They meet up occasionally.
Fester:
Oooohhh?
Cody
QS: They’re just friends. I think.
Panda:
Definitely!!! Iris would never get herself involved with a such a musclebound
moron, even if he is a world-class scientist and inventor! So what if he can also play the
piano! Besides, I think it would
break her mother’s heart if she didn’t marry a doctor, in fact….
Fester:
HISSSSS! You are ruining my
interview!
Cody
QS: It’s okay, really. But it is
true that Iris is the only person (that we know of) who has seen Senor 105’s
face without his mask. Well… there was a Venusian, but they kept all but one of
their five eyes shut when they looked.
Fester:
Is this one of the Venusians from Paul Leonard’s “Venusian Lullaby”? Is Senor 105 a Doctor Who spinoff?
Cody
QS: Oh no, he’s an Obverse Books original character, like the Manleigh Halt
Irregulars or Theo Possible. But I
love Doctor Who books and Paul Leonard was kind enough to allow Blair Bidmead the
use of his literary property in his Senor 105 novella “By the Time I Get to
Venus”.
Fester:
What else has the series done, or plan to do?
Cody
QS: There’s been a mysterious crater full of alien technology. The Chixhulub
crater in Mexico is evidence of the impact that killed the dinosaurs. In the
105 universe, this is the reason there’s so many strange goings-ons in his
country. Other stories have been
about strange towns, beings who are the personification of the planets of the
solar system, Venusian martial arts, and a Christmas story. Coming up we have stories with visitors
from the future, living tattoos, a globe-hopping adventure with a submarine,
and a story from Philip Purser-Hallard featuring his characters named Wood
& Stone who have been hinted at for years…
Fester:
Well I think Crossroads is over… we should probably sneak out of here now. But remind us where you can buy the
Periodic Adventures of Senor 105?
Fester:
My pleasure. This is Fester Cat, signing out and headed to take a nap. UNGOW!!
---------------------------------------------------------------
Also
visit:
follow
Cody on twitter at: @CodyQS
follow
Señor 105 on twitter at: @Senor105
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