What are your Crips really up to?
Find out in The Super Spud Trilogy!
Genetic engineering has accomplished many things, one of which has been to create the Super Spud! The humble potato elevated to new heights, creating the most flavoursome crisps ever known to humankind! But that's not all - A magical transformation occurs to all Super Spud crisps not eaten before their use-by date. They take on a life of their own. And so long as they remain undetected by humans, they enjoy life in their own Super Spud cities, take part in major Super Spud sporting events and even start the odd Super Spud war or two. Join Colin, Cougar, Hannibal Vector, Generals Rock, Jock and Strap and all the others in their rollicking adventures. You'll never look at a packet of crisps in the same way again! Fun, quirky and totally original.
~About The Author!~
Michael Diack resides in Manchester, UK. He currently works as a field geophysicist in Oman. His first novel, The Super Spuds Trilogy was released in April 2012. He has a quirky sense of humor and enjoys playing table tennis and football. Some of his favourite books include Norwegian Wood by Murakami and The Hobbit by Tolkien.
I want to say THANK YOU to Micheal for giving me the chance to interview him! It was so great getting to experience The Super Spuds and getting to know more about him and his work.
Please visit Michael on his Goodreads page ~HERE~
He also has a lovely blog, full of information all about the Super Spuds world!
You can check his blog out ~HERE~
The Super Spuds Trilogy is available for purchase from Amazon:
Paperback and Kindle ebook format
~HERE~
INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR:
Q: Tell us some interesting things about you!
I studied geology at Manchester University. I always wanted to be a volcanologist like Pierce Brosnan from Dante’s Peak – save the town, get the girl, be the hero. My life didn’t quite turn out like that, but my job is great. I’m working in the desert in Oman looking for oil and gas, and it’s very rewarding to experience the different culture, scenery and wildlife. I love table tennis, squash and badminton and my favourite band is Coheed and Cambria.
Q: What was your target audience and why?
I wrote the book at university when I was 19. I guess the target audience at the time of writing were fellow students with the same kind of humour as me. Initially, there were lots more sexual innuendos and some mild swearing, in time I took these out and tried to make the book much more approachable for all age groups. Now there are no swear words, the Super Spud equivalent version of sex is holding hands, and the graphic violence is comic in its depiction. My gut tells me the core target audience it will appeal to is still the student generation (18-22), but I honestly hope adults will find it enjoyable and younger readers, too.
Q: What gave you your start as a writer, have you always had the inkling to write?
Typing away, while listening to music is the ultimate escape for me. I’d say I began writing seriously during university. There were only so many lectures about rocks that I could take before my mind went crazy, so writing and creating stories was a perfect balance and remedy for me. I don’t sit down and think of a story, it’s usually just there in my head, eating away and telling me to write something, be it a sentence or a few pages.
Q: Did your job as a geophysicist play a role in forming of this book?
I can’t say it did. As I wrote earlier, I actually wrote the book at university. However, once I began working in Oman I took inspiration from the place names and replaced them as the cities: Mt Birba, Mt Harweel, Mt Hiba are all the names of field prospects I have worked at.
Q: Where did the concept behind Super Spuds stem from and what was you greatest inspiration?
The initial concept I created in a short story at my primary school. The first chapter of the book is pretty much that short story: Colin meets Lucy, they get separated and they try to meet at the local rubbish tip. In that story, with my childhood innocence, Colin and Lucy do meet-up, get married and live happily ever after. One day at university, bored of revising, the story came back to me and I just knew I had to write. The story then flowed freely, I knew what I wanted to write and it was written in about a month. I then left the book for several years, and came back to it once I had a job and more financial leverage to get it published and market it.
Q: Are you a big crisp fan? What you pick as your personal crisp flavour and what does it say about you?
I was never a massive fan, if I went to a shop feeling peckish, I’d always choose a Mars bar over a packet of crisps. I do enjoy them, though, especially salt and vinegar flavour (boring, I know). But I’d hate to be a salt and vinegar flavour in the book with an arrogant and self-obsessed personality; they are not good traits to have. I do enjoy Doritos and Pringles, usually once they are opened I won’t stop and just eat the whole pack in minutes.
Q: What gave you your ideas for the different flavours and their personalities?
I wanted the story to be a mix of conventional flavours so people could relate to them (ready salted, salt and vinegar) and, of course, non-conventional flavours that readers would be like “what is that combination?” In terms of personality, I tried to make sure the flavour personalities matched their chemical composition and to add at least some logic. That was the case for tuna, steak and spinach, garlic flavours etc... Some flavours only have a bit part for comic effect, like the hot cross bun flavours or Swiss roll flavours.
Q: Out of the Spuds you have created so far, which is your favorite and why?
In terms of flavour, I think the steak and spinach flavours are the most fun for me to write about. They are always trying to be a hero, at any cost, and it’s always amusing making them do ridiculous acts of heroism. My favourite character was HV, he was a bit crazy, but harmless and, ultimately, a brave Super Spud when it wasn’t in his flavour personality to do so. All the characters are great to write about, though, and they each bring their own contribution to the story no matter how small a part.
Q: If you were a Spud and made it past your consumption date what activity would you participate in?
This is a great question. Unless I was a steak and spinach, the Olympics would be a guaranteed death, at least with racing there would be a bit more of an equal playing field. I’d think I’d try my luck at the football or the Boat Wars. Knowing my survival skills, I’d be eaten by seagull within the first minute of making it to a Super Spud city.
Q: What was the biggest challenge you had while writing the Super Spud trilogy?
Obviously, my book is about magical crisp packets so there has to be a certain amount of disbelief, but I was always worried the reader wouldn’t be drawn in by the concept, or overly scrutinize a certain aspect of the magic rules. This was the biggest challenge for me, but once I had nailed down the strict rules and stipulations regarding the Super Spuds, the whole book was enjoyable to write. Another challenge was trying to find the balance between what I personally found funny. I enjoy the process of writing about Super Spuds so much, sometimes I’ll write something just for my own amusement, then go back, read it, and realise only I would laugh and promptly delete it. I’m sure now there are bits I wrote I didn’t mean to be funny, and other parts I wrote thinking it was funny but no-one cares. Feedback from the story would be great though, what readers liked and what they didn’t like, so I could make the next set of adventures even more fun.
Q: What can you tell us about the upcoming super spud adventures?
I’m taking all the feedback on board from the set of adventures and trying to make the next story more complete, in terms of core characters that people can relate to and stick by for the whole book. On one hand, the Super Spuds are very vulnerable so they can’t seem too invincible, but I don’t want to keep introducing new characters as often as the first and the next story won’t see as many deaths. So, this new set of adventures sees King Martin go on a rescue mission to China, from there the Spuds go to America and sail across the Atlantic visiting the sea salt flavours in the ocean. In the meantime, the evil Super Spuds have all gone quiet and the generals suspect they are planning something big. And they are: something so big that this will most likely be the conclusion to the stories. If anyone has any suggestions for new flavours, I’d be happy to read about it.
WHAT I THOUGHT:
This book definitely deserves the four stars I have given it!
The author has taken such a normal, everyday item and turned it into a brilliant and unique adventure. The concept of Super Spuds is the most original I have read in a long time. The authors creation is fresh and fun which made it quite enjoyable for me to read. Who would have known our crisps actually have a life of their own!
Michael writes with a great new style and his wonderful imagination really shines on every page.
The story itself is well written. It is clear this book was well thought out and edited.
The author doesn't miss a beat throughout the whole trilogy. He includes all the background you need on the super spuds and then some.
I loved the wacky humor aspect of this trilogy. Michael has, what may be to some, a dry almost cynical sense of humor, but it really keeps you on your toes. In the Super Spuds world they have clever means of travel, great defense systems, an interesting form of a hierarchy and dangerous, deathly sporting events.
There are twists and turns throughout every adventure and you never know what to expect next. Perhaps a seagull attack? Or maybe a rescue mission amid a war with treacherous foes?
Super Spuds is also full of great pop culture references. This is something that makes this book relatable and very intertaining for adults. However, this would be equally enjoyable for young adults.
I think my favourite thing about the Super Spuds was their flavours. Each flavour has it's own personality with well defined strengths and weaknesses.
It didn't matter that the main characters were actually a favourite snack. The more you read, the more they become like quirky people.
This book was so enjoyable to read and I would recommend it to anyone who likes to laugh and relax with a fun filled adventure.
Favourite Quotes:
“Look at the way these Super Spud crisps packets are mysteriously aligned, Molly. It is sights like this which restores my faith that the truth is out there,” said Sculder.
“I have saved you again. Welcome aboard my star ship – the Super Spud Exitprise,” said General Pistachio.
“It’s a Klingspud battlecruiser, they must have been cloaked. Shields up!”
