What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Verses of the Void?
I promised to publish and dedicate this novel in honor of my bandmate Bob, who passed away from cancer in 2021. The concept originated in a short story for a 2015 writing course in college, and the characters were too fun to abandon after a handful of pages. In building the world around the characters, I was inspired by the challenges that humanity faces today: heating geopolitical tension, worsening climate extremes, scarcity of food and water, and fundamental extremism. I wanted a story conditional to a future that our descendants may contend with.
If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of Verses of the Void, what would they be?
Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden (Whisper); House of the Rising Sun by The Animals
What’s your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?
Sci-fi, espionage thrillers, suspense.
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
Lords of Uncreation
What scene in your book was your favorite to write?
It’s tied between Prometheus Wept and Event Horizon.
Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)
I’m a meticulous plotter, I’ve catalogued a notebook’s worth of miscellaneous material and probably tossed several more in drafts and concepts.
Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?
The golden rule!
If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?
Earth is our lifeline.
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