John P. Murphy leads a quiet and somewhat ordinary life in Merrimack, New Hampshire, except for the robots, that is.
Murphy readily admits to a life-long fascination with robots, which drives his dual career path. He holds a Ph.D. in robotics and works in machine learning and network security by day. By night, he is a sci-fi author whose stories often center around robotics. “The author Isaac Asimov was a very early influence on me (together with Star Trek: The Next Generation), not only as I grew up to be an author fascinated with robots, but as an engineer who pursued a Ph.D. in robotics,” he said.
Murphy says he has always been a writer, beginning in first grade. In high school, he dabbled in playwriting, “But, it wasn’t until after I finished grad school, and had the experience of working hard toward a goal, that I got serious about becoming a better writer.”
“I’m pretty eclectic and my influences are all over the map,” said Murphy. “I would consider myself a success as a SF/fantasy author if I could be favorably compared to Terry Pratchett, Diana Wynne Jones, or Hayao Miyazaki — people who have managed to perfectly blend wild fantasy, keen insight, and great kindness into their work.”
Murphy enjoys writing mystery plots in fantastic settings and peppers humor throughout his work. His first book, a novella, The Liar, originally appeared in the Magazine of Science Fiction and Fantasy and later became a standalone. It was nominated for a Nebula award for best novella the year it came out. “It’s set here in New Hampshire, and I’m still very happy that I got the voice and feel right for the book. It has a gentle sense of humor and laid-back pace that can be hard for me to get right,” Murphy said.
Murphy creates memorable characters such as his favorite villain from Red Noise, John Feeney. “He’s a slick old gangster, a little past his prime but with a lot of tricks up his sleeve,” said Murphy. “His sense of humor even as everything came apart for him made it a lot of fun to keep writing his scenes.” Murphy’s favorite protagonist is Andy Baldwin from his novella Claudius Rex. “He’s a private investigator working (grudgingly) with an obnoxious artificial intelligence. I had so much fun writing his dialogue and the way he and the AI manipulated and needled each other but ultimately found a kind of friendship.”
The author is currently working on two new books in parallel. One features a small crew of scientists on a deep space science station who are disrupted by the unexpected death of one of their colleagues. When rumors arise that the colleague’s death was not accidental, but murder, an investigator who is terrified of space travel is sent to unravel it all.
“My work has always involved a lot of humor, so I can really only reliably write for people with the same weird sense of humor I have,” quipped the author.
On May 14, 2022, Murphy will be among a group of sci-fi writers in a moderated discussion presented by New Hampshire Writers’ Project (NHWP). NHWP, a writers’ professional organization, has recently introduced a new series called “Speaking Of…” “Sci Fi: Reaching the Outer Limits of Great Storytelling” is the latest conversation in the series and will be moderated by Jeanne Cavelos. Other sci-fi authors participating are James Patrick Kelly, R.W.W. Greene and E.C. Ambrose.
The panelists will be discussing what makes sci-fi unique from other forms of writing, why they gravitated towards science fiction as a way of telling their story, what the unique challenges are, and how they create worlds that not only seem possible but probable. Members of the public are invited to register for the event by visiting https://nhwritersproject.org/2022/04/25/speaking_of_sci_fi/. The discussion is taking place virtually through the Zoom platform.
John P. Murphy is a member of NHWP.
About New Hampshire Writers’ Project
Founded in 1988, the New Hampshire Writers’ Project (NHWP) is the state’s largest literary arts nonprofit organization. The NHWP fosters and celebrates New Hampshire writers and provides a supportive community to writers of all ages, experience levels, backgrounds and genres. NHWP core programs, publications, website and annual 603 Writers’ Conference provide writers and readers with opportunities to meet each other, network and learn more about the art of writing and the business of publishing.
