Interview with Daniel P. Douglas, Author of Showdown at Jupiter’s Edge

What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Showdown at Jupiter’s Edge?

I wanted to write something that was a cross between Star Trek and Hill Street Blues. More broadly, the inspiration also came from my lifelong enjoyment of science fiction, especially space opera. The ideas I had brewing in my head for the story were a good fit for that genre, which is not a genre I had written in before. I guess you could say another part of the inspiration came from the idea of trying my hand at something new. It was a challenge, but that’s how we grow.  

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of Showdown at Jupiter’s Edge, what would they be?

Maxo is a man of action but he is also very contemplative and into self-analysis, at least as we see him in this book. Five for Fighting’s Superman comes to mind, just because I’m sure Maxo feels some conflict about his identity and what comes with it. Colonel Zaza D’Rump, in fact, has his own theme song and it is played, so to speak, at various times in the book. It is a flourishing anthem of harps and trumpets. I imagine it comes close to the kind of propagandistic fanfare you might hear in a corporate video. Alice, who is Maxo’s fellow cop, has a classic theme song, Respect by Aretha Franklin.  

If you had to write a blurb for the last book you read, what would it say?

The last book I read would have a blurb something like, “The Bayou is all you think it is and more. Much more, so beware the flesh-eating wild child whose appetite is insatiable and whose loneliness he will not tolerate anymore…

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

I seem to enjoy writing in different genres and the same goes with reading. I usually gravitate to science fiction, but I also enjoy mysteries, fantasy, and thrillers.

Do you have any quirky writing habits?

I don’t have any quirky writing habits that I know of, although I do like to isolate myself and listen to music, with headphones, while writing.  

Where did you write Showdown at Jupiter’s Edge?

I wrote Showdown in my lair, which is basically my den. I share it with our three cats and three dogs, who probably wonder why I talk and laugh to myself while punching little keys on a keyboard. As pets, they are very forgiving. Humans would think I was crazy. 

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Turns out, the best advice I received wasn’t directed at me personally, but I went ahead and took Obi-Wan Kenobi’s observation to heart: “Your eyes can deceive you, don’t trust them.”  

Daniel P. Douglas is the author of the new book Showdown at Jupiter’s Edge

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