by Chris Medvescek

Michael Murphy thought about becoming a U.S. Navy SEAL when he graduated from high school. But, he says tongue-in-cheek, he decided his wheelchair and ventilator might hurt his chances. Instead, he became a full-time writer.

It was a good choice for the self-described "science fiction nerd" from Oconomowoc, Wis. Murphy's self-deprecating humor, lively imagination and fiercely opinionated independent streak have led him to write several novels, two of which he has self-published: Old Soldiers (1989) and To Rule in Hell (1stBooks Library in 2000).

Murphy, 35, has an unspecified form of muscular dystrophy with symptoms similar to those of spinal muscular atrophy. He travels the galaxy from his bed via his "surrogate body" — the Internet — and two switches connected to a Morse code program called EZ Keys. If muscular dystrophy has limited his real body, he's adamantly refused to let anything limit his mind.

"When I was in high school, I read 1984 for the first time, and was so terrified by it that I vowed right then that I would do whatever I could, no matter how small, to make sure that no such society ever comes into existence," he says. "I do this by being a free thinker, and sticking to my convictions regardless of where society, organized religion or popular culture might stand."

Self-Publishing Has Its Pros and Cons

J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books, worked for over a year to find a publisher willing to give her manuscript a shot. So it's no mystery that many serious writers have considered self-publishing their works. To Michael Murphy, the biggest benefit of self-publishing is the guarantee of publication. "There's no sending off a manuscript, waiting on pins and needles for six months hoping it'll make it out of an editor's slush pile, only to have it returned with a form letter rejection," he says. The process also has become less expensive and less risky with the advent of print-on-demand publishing, he says. When he self-published Old Soldiers in the 1980s, the publisher printed about 1,000 copies, did very little promotion and then made Murphy buy back the remaining stock when the contract expired. Murphy's arrangement with 1stBooks Library for To Rule In Hell is more realistic. No books are printed until an order is placed, which lowers the cost. 1stBooks mainly publishes e-books but offers a paperback option, which Murphy took, along with the basic promotional package. His expense: just over $1,000. But, he adds, costs vary with different publishers and different options. Murphy says self-publishing offers writers slightly higher royalties than the traditional approach. Many self-publishers also allow writers to retain most of their rights (movies, television, foreign language sales, etc.), as well as the right to cancel their contracts should a traditional publisher want to buy the work. On the downside, most self-publishers don't do any editing, which can be critical for new writers. A good editor not only corrects mistakes but brushes up the manuscript and makes it more readable. Some writers hire freelance editors, he says. Once the book has gone to the publisher, it can cost extra to make editing changes. Book promotion is another shortfall of self-publishing. Most companies offer a promotional package (for a fee), but it's usually up to the writer to make the public aware of the work. Murphy's advice: Target the audience you have in mind with ads in the appropriate media (magazines, newsletters, Web sites, etc.). Also check with local bookstores. As for people who "look down their noses at writers who self-publish, assuming we're not good enough for a ‘real' publisher," Murphy says, "I remember that my books are out there, while most of the ‘real' writers are still waiting to be accepted." Murphy can be contacted through greg@1stbooks.com

‘How About Accounting?'

Writing always held allure for Murphy. Never able to walk and using a ventilator since age 7, he found his fun in creating action hero comic strips. At 15 he tried to sell his first short story and — unlike many fledgling writers — didn't give up when it was turned down.

"All I can remember is that it took place after a nuclear war and, like most stories written by 15-year-olds, was so unforgivably bad that I thank God that no editor inflicted it upon the public," he recalls wryly.

His writing greatly improved during his sophomore year, thanks to an English teacher who required a short story a week and a completed novel by the end of the year. Almost 20 years later, teacher Mary Jo Newberg continues to help out as Murphy's editor/proofreader/sounding board and honest friend who "isn't afraid to tell me when something sucks," he says proudly.

"One aspect of my writing I've always taken pride in is my realistic portrayal of women, and I think that part of that is thanks to Mary Jo's influence."

Graduating from Oconomowoc High School in 1984 wielding such accomplishments as 1983-84 Student of the Year, and a listing in Who's Who of American High School Students, Murphy considered college but rejected the idea. "There was no Internet in those days, and I couldn't find any schools that offered correspondence courses in history, which is what I wanted to study.

"I actually had one college big shot say to me: ‘History isn't a suitable subject for someone in your position. How about accounting?' I hung up on him, started writing and have never looked back!"

A Best Friend

Initially, Murphy created a mystery-thriller series based on a paraplegic Vietnam vet detective. "When my first novel, Old Soldiers, came out, I was still in my early 20s, and naively assumed that it would become an instant bestseller, I'd be signed to a multimillion-dollar book deal, and be heralded as the next Mickey Spillane!" he says with malicious delight at his own innocence.

"With visions of parties at the Playboy Mansion dancing in my head, I churned out three more mysteries featuring my disabled private eye. The only drawback was that I couldn't get a mainstream publisher who was interested."

Again refusing to let failure keep him down, he turned to his first true love, science fiction.

"Science fiction, the genre itself, is one of the best friends I've ever had," he says emphatically. "I was born into, without question, the greatest family on Earth, but despite their constant devotion, life as a ventilator-dependent quadriplegic can seem very dark sometimes, especially during Wisconsin winters, when I'm mainly homebound.

"When the walls start closing in, all I have to do is open a book — or even watch a tape of ‘Star Trek' or ‘Babylon 5' — and live inside my head for a while. And a portion of my brain cannot help but think, ‘If we humans ever get our act together, maybe we can accomplish something like this.'"

Marines in Space

To Rule in Hell is "a standard space opera" that takes place centuries in the future, when Earth is but a mythical memory. Despite its futuristic setting, its origins are in ancient history.

"I wanted to write a book about marines in space — the sort of marines used by the ancient Greeks or Phoenicians," Murphy explains. "Before the advent of ranged weapons, the only way for two ships to do battle was for one to ram the other, toss over ropes with grappling hooks, then send marines across to kill or capture the crew. The Turspa System Guard [characters in his book] was my attempt to place this concept in a science fiction setting."

The plot for To Rule in Hell was born — no joke — at a Christmas party with his relatives.

"After three hours of hearing nothing but hunting and fishing stories, I was so bored I almost started talking to the stuffed deer heads," he recalls. "All I wanted to do was go home and immerse myself in a game of Police Quest [a computer role-playing game]. When this desire began to feel almost like a narcotic withdrawal, I thought, ‘If I'm this addicted to simple, CD-ROM technology, imagine 50 years from now, when full-sensory virtual reality is available.' By the end of the evening, I'd cooked up the whole plot."

Murphy bills To Rule in Hell as a classic battle between good and evil, freedom and slavery, reality and fantasy. The fast-paced and detailed plot is laced with dead-on observations about human relationships and foibles. Murphy's multidimensional main characters are, like himself, rebellious "realists" who prefer to stare reality in the eye and deal with it, often with ironic asides.

And what's a realist? "Terrible things might happen in the future, which is why I live strictly in the moment. My only plans are to work hard, have as much fun as I can when I'm not working, and try to appreciate what I have right now."

Facing Reality

Reality in the book-publishing world can often be a downer. In addition to his disappointing first experience with Old Soldiers, Murphy encountered an even more difficult situation with To Rule in Hell, when he was defrauded by his agents.

Murphy turned to self-publishing, with an Internet-based company called 1stBooks Library, and has been very pleased with the results.

"I've come to think of the Internet as my surrogate body, because it's given me more freedom than I've ever experienced in what novelist William Gibson called the ‘Meat Time,' which is futuristic, hacker slang for the hours spent offline," he says.

He ticks off the Web's advantages: online research, an interactive writers' critique group, shopping for the latest Neal Stephenson novel or Iggy Pop CD, submitting manuscripts, studying history, and getting NASA space station updates and images from the Galileo and Stardust probes on a daily basis.

The Internet also partially compensates for one of Murphy's greatest losses — the ability to attend science fiction conventions.

But thanks to the Internet, he says, "I'm now better able to keep in touch with all my old friends from my convention days, as well as several relatives."

Not entirely housebound — he gets out occasionally for Mexican food, book-buying binges and jaunts around the neighborhood with his cocker spaniel Murph — Murphy doesn't waste time worrying about what isn't. At the moment he's finishing another science fiction novel and beginning the first draft of a new one, "just to avoid burnout."

And while his "realism" tells him that his beloved science probably won't come far enough in his lifetime to cure his muscular dystrophy, his die-hard energy and drive for life — and his novelist's sense of a good plot twist — allow for other possibilities.

"While I try to be realistic, I also have to say that science and progress have surprised me on more than one occasion. I might not be a cock-eyed optimist — but I am hopeful."

Murphy's book To Rule in Hell can be obtained in hard copy or as an e-book by visiting http://www.1stbooks.com/ or by contacting 1stBooks Library, (800) 839-8640.