This week’s 7 Questions is with prolific Science Fiction author, Dale Musser. 
Inspired by an idea he had in 1962, his eight book strong series THE SOLBIDYUM WARS SAGA follows the adventures of main character, Tibby, as he goes on an adventure in a 600 year old space ship. He has taken some time out from writing book nine in the series to talk to us about writing, pet couture and badgers.
1. Pipes and pumps, seem similar to a non pipe person, is Tibby based on you?
I’m far removed from being like Tibby. About all that Tibby and I have in common is height. Tibby is athletic, coordinated, and a martial arts expert, whereas I am lucky if I can walk in a straight line and stay upright. As close as I get to anything martial arts related is I can say “HA!” and act like I’m going to hit someone and then run away as fast as I can as while they roll on the ground in fits of laughter. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t some elements of me in Tibby. Every character a writer creates has some element of themselves in it, even the villains. We take what we know and feel and extrapolate from there to develop our characters and in so doing we reveal tiny bits and pieces of what we are made of.
2. You have worked and lived all over America, would you say that this has had an impact on your writing.
Definitely. Not just living and working here but working abroad as well. Seeing new places and meeting new people provides a fertile environment for growing new characters and story ideas. In each of my books you can find ideas based on things I saw and experienced at different places in the world. Books 3 and 6 in The Solbidyum Wars Saga in particular draw on those places, experiences, and cultures. I simply used elements of those events and the people from my past and put them into a different setting and then exaggerated things to work with my story line.
3. Who is your biggest fan?
That is a big argument among several of my fans. Farid Tidjani, was the first to proclaim himself my number one fan, but since then there have been a few others who may our shine him. Tommy Thompson, D. Gronsky, and Kenneth Kania would rank pretty high on the list.
4. What are your feelings about pet couture?
Now this is a serious question. I’ve seen a lot of male bull dogs that refuse to be seen in public wearing a pink poodle bow. Trying to persuade them to get in touch with their ‘bitch’ side doesn’t seem to be working. I have a sister who breeds pugs and while they are willing to go along with some accoutrements, they are quite insistent that they must appropriately reflect their true nature. For myself, I’m sort of liberal on the subject and as far as I’m concerned whatever makes your pet happy is fine with me (so long as no one is being hurt by it.)
5. Where do you start when building a universe.
For me the worlds usually come before the story. I’m always seeing places that inspire ideas and make me wonder “what if.” TV documentaries about space and other planets and the conditions on them always make me wonder what kinds of life could exist there. For example in book 6 of my saga I have a planet that circles a sun that is undergoing violent solar flares that would endanger most life forms on the daylight side of the planet. I ideas of what life on such a planet would be like and how it would evolve. Then all I did was place my characters in this environment in a survival situation.
6. What is your ideal sandwich?
I’m a huge fan of food but I would have to say my ideal sandwich is a simple hamburger with lettuce, onion, and tomato. There are many others I love but this one still is my favourite.
7. Do you happen to have a favourite badger?
Stoffel… he would be my choice.
And you can find Dale online: https://www.amazon.com/Dale-
