Stephen Cox

MEET THE COMMS CONSULTANT BEHIND ’60S-SET SCI-FI OUR CHILD OF THE STARS

Tell us a little about your protagonists. What’s their story?

The ’60s, small town USA. Young couple Molly and Gene are devastated by personal tragedy. Then a disaster strikes, and Molly, a nurse, must care for Cory, a dying orphan from the stars. It’s their fierce love for their innocent, unforgettable son versus everyone who would exploit him.

Did anything particular spark the idea?

I read a couple of Ray Bradbury novels and thought I’d write a Halloween short story. Molly and Cory arrived fully formed. Everything else flowed in: the music; the issues; my mother’s friends; some SF/F I loved, and some I wanted to subvert.

Did your experience in communications for Great Ormond Street feed into it?

Yes, quite a bit is set in a hospital. I used to arrange photoshoots with children with complex long-term conditions. Sometimes photographers would demand “a pretty child” or “one that looked normal”. That outrage fed just how odd Cory looks.

How long did the book take to write?

Several years, on and off. Early drafts went in all directions – too many POV, erratic timeline, etc. I got the sense of the book by making Molly, Cory and Gene the core. I also wanted a story that would reach out to people who might not read much SF/fantasy. IB

Our Child Of The Stars is published on 24 January.