When it comes to details of the plot, vehicles and characters in Gemini Force One, we’re trying to keep our powder dry. If you’ve backed the Kickstarter project (thank you!) or if you’ve liked the GF1 Facebook page, you can also see updates including excerpts (read by me!) and character biographies (including head-and-shoulder sketch portraits).
This is a fully-planned book project that is ready to go into production. And although there’s a detailed plan for the entire first novel, if I get any even better ideas, they can still make it in. Last night, for example, after a two-hour plot workshop I led with the Group 2012 writers at Blackwell’s, Oxford, I came up with an additional plot twist. Oooh. Me like twisty plots.
Here’s a video of Jamie Anderson and I answering GEMINI FORCE ONE questions from backers and from Anderfans.
Have you been watching my tweets and Facebook updates? If so, you may have seen some of the AMAZING progress made in the campaign to complete and launch an unfinished project by one of my heroes from childhood – Gerry Anderson. At the time of writing this, the wonderful Anderson fans have pledged £15,659 towards our target of £24,350.
In preparing to write GEMINI FORCE ONE, I had to do a lot of thinking. Not just about the plot but about how I, as a completely new writer to the project, would find my way into it. I’m not Gerry Anderson, after all. Even with the notes, audio fragments and chapters he’d left while working on the project in the last years of his life, it’s not the same as being able to talk to Gerry in person.
Before I could agree to take on the project, I had to know two things: something about Gerry’s inner reason for writing these stories. And to understand how they worked from the inside.
With the first thing: a writer doesn’t always know WHY they write about something. But talking to Gerry’s son Jamie, we were able to find reasons, from things that Gerry has said, and from things that have happened in his life, which may well be behind his particular fascination with the ‘formula’ behind so many of his TV shows.
(No I’m not going to tell you what we decided! That’s all part of the mysterious process by which we create!)
On the second issue, understanding how these stories work from the inside, I started to think about the parallels with my own work. A question I’m often asked is about my own influences. I make some guesses, but the truth is that a lifetime of influences go into a story. So with Joshua Files I may be conscious of trying to channel INDIANA JONES, JAMES BOND, THE BOURNE IDENTITY. But that’s not all that goes into the pot. You probably need to go earlier and younger into my set of influences.
When I sat down to think about it, there were many eerie similarities with THUNDERBIRDS and THE JOSHUA FILES. Things that no-one – including me – had spotted until now.
And I’m not the only one who owes a debt to Gerry Anderson…
The project I’ve referred to as Thrilling New Project is a collaboration – between the late, great, AMAZING Gerry Anderson, creator of classic sci-fi adventure shows as Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlett, Space 1999, UFO and many more – and little ol’ me!
In the last few years of Gerry’s life he’d started working on something new – a series of books about a new rescue agency – GEMINI FORCE. He’d imagined a massive semi-submersible platform that would rise majestically out of the sea, beaming powerful blue lights into the sky – the secret base, GEMINI FORCE ONE. However, although he was able to draft story lines, chapters, character descriptions and an outline plot for the first adventure, Alzheimer’s disease soon made it extremely difficult for him to make any more progress.
It was one of Gerry’s last wishes to see GERRY ANDERSON’S GEMINI FORCE ONE find its audience among new young readers as well as older fans of the TV shows.
Gerry’s family wanted to fulfill this wish, so they began looking around for a writer who might be able to complete the first book and to continue the series with the same philosophy that imbued all of Gerry’s work – a blend of action, adventure, hi-technology, tension and ultimate human drama.
When the Anderson Estate asked me if I’d be interested in the project, I was thrilled beyond belief! Gerry was still alive back then (last year) and I was so excited at the prospect of meeting and maybe even working with such a master of entertainment. Not only that but I recognized just what a debt I and many authors like me owe to Gerry Anderson.
I can remember exactly what it felt like to watch his shows – my personal favourites were THUNDERBIRDS, SPACE 1999 and later, TERRAHAWKS. The spirit of adventure that imbued them, the production values and loving attention to detail, especially engineering and science, impressed me deeply. And inspired me!
SO – to have a chance to take over the work of such a tremendous, personal influence on my own work – can you imagine?!
I’ve been keeping this project under wraps for months now. Gerry’s passing was obviously a huge blow to the family. GERRY ANDERSON’S GEMINI FORCE ONE, however, already had enough Anderson DNA to have a life of its own.
That’s why today at 9.30am, Anderson Entertainment launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise money from Anderson fans, my readers, and adventure readers all over the world, to get GERRY ANDERSON’S GEMINI FORCE ONE published just the way Gerry wanted – a contemporary sci-fi adventure series for the young AND the young-at-heart (meaning, people like me!)
For you or your Build-A-Bear – a GF1 mission patch.
GEMINI FORCE ONE – regular video updates about the project, background and its future (all in your hands!)
Amazing rewards for our beloved backersAlso to give us feedback, please! We might be able to dig out more items for the rewards – just let us know what you might like. (within reason, please! We’re not going to be able to take you to Disneyland or anything like that…GEMINI FORCE ONE can only happen with YOUR help! IT’S YOUR DECISION. You can also help by letting all your friends know about GERRY ANDERSON’S GEMINI FORCE ONE. Tweet with the hashtag #gf1Follow @GerryAndersonTV, @RealMGHarris and #gf1 Tweet it, everyone! Tweet like the wind!
