Interview with Daniel Arenson, Author of The Freedom Fleet

What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write The Freedom Fleet?

The concept behind Freedom Fleet is: What if WW2 were fought in space?

My grandfather fought in WW2, and I’ve consumed many books and documentaries about the war. I had the idea to write a WW2 adventure—but to set it in space, in the future, with the Allies and Axis battling in starships.

Harry Turtledove played with WW2 in his works, dubbed “alternate history.” For example, he wrote a series about an alien invasion that takes place during WW2. For my series, I wanted to set the story in the future. Call it “alternate future history.”

In Freedom Fleet, we learn that in 1944, a secret Nazi experiment split the universe in two. In our universe, we won. Hitler died. Freedom prevailed. But in a parallel universe, the Nazis discovered the atom bomb first… and conquered the world. The light of freedom perished, and the Nazi shadow spread across Earth, the solar system, and the stars.

In 2207, a portal opens between our two universes. One universe of freedom. One of tyranny. And through this portal flies the Weltraumwaffe, the space fleet of the Third Reich. It’s WW2 again—this time in space!

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of The Freedom Fleet, what would they be?

Admiral James “Bulldog” King is the main character. He’s pushing seventy, he’s old fashioned, and he loves Johnny Cash. His theme song would be “Life’s Railway to Heaven.”

Samantha “Stowy” Perry is an autistic orphan who struggles to survive in “the Fatherworld” (the name of parallel Earth under Nazi rule). Because she’s disabled, the Gestapo deems her subhuman and hunts her. Stowy dreams of finding a way to our universe, which she envisions as a castle on the clouds. Her theme song would be “Castle on a Cloud” from Les Misérables.

What’s your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

Fantasy and science fiction are my favorites, though I read in other genres too.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

I just finished reading The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin, and The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers. Coming up on my TBR list are Not Till We Are Lost by Dennis E. Taylor, and Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson. So… yeah, fantasy and sci-fi. ☺

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

I can’t choose! I enjoyed writing every page. But I think the last few pages were particularly poignant. No spoilers…

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

I suppose this might be quirky? I’m not sure. Let me know. I like writing while watching concert films in the background. If it’s a band I like, I find filmed concerts of theirs. I let them play in the background (on a second monitor) while writing. I wrote Freedom Fleet while watching musicians like Dio, Iron Maiden, Gojira, and Nightwish play live on stage. Something about live music motivates me to write. Oddly, when I’m reading, I like silence!

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

I hope they remember the characters. For me, good characters are the foundation of good literature. Everything else can be amazing – the plot, the prose, the flow, the action – but if the characters are dull, the story won’t work for me. So I put a lot of effort into creating good characters. I hope that I succeed. If readers remember the characters long after finishing the book, hopefully that means I did a good job.

Daniel Arenson is the author of the new book The Freedom Fleet

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