What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?
Years ago, I wrote a dynamite chapter that ended up getting cut! In it, a functional space elevator appears overnight off the coast of South America. No owner, no explanation. Very mysterious. Last year, I came back to that idea to kick off the Ascending Carbon Series. Book one was wildly successful, and book two, Second Ascent, takes the story to new heights.
What’s your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?
I love hard science fiction, particularly when a story reveals something about our amazing universe that isn’t well-known or has never been discovered! I’m not talking about magical powers or some insane dreamworld that could never exist. I’ll leave those ideas for the fantasy writers. Our real universe has plenty of blow-your-mind qualities that can drive a great sci-fi story, and when you add a touch of fiction by asking, “What if?”, you get an adventure that grabs the reader and doesn’t let go. That’s what I want to read. And that’s what I write.
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
Honestly, I don’t have a TBR pile. For one, I read exclusively on Kindle, so there’s no stack of paperbacks on my nightstand. Instead of queuing books, I’ll peruse the latest efforts from a long list of authors I follow or snoop around the Amazon Top 100 lists to discover authors and books I haven’t noticed. Once every few months, I’ll pick out an old classic from Asimov or Clarke or even Jules Verne and read it just for grins.
What scene in your book was your favorite to write?
In Second Ascent, there’s a scene where a materials scientist tests the physical nature of an impossible container. You see, he’s discovered a material that exhibits Euclidean geometry (normal everyday measures) on one side but hyperbolic geometry on the other. For those who aren’t familiar with hyperbolic geometry, take a look at one of M.C. Escher’s tessellation artworks, where interwoven birds or fish repeat to infinity at the edges. A hyperbolic container could theoretically hold infinite space. Now THAT scene was fun to write!
Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)
I can’t start writing until I have my decaf one-pump almond milk mocha in my hand.
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
For Second Ascent… look up. You’ll be amazed by what you find.
If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?
I’ll paraphrase physicist Werner Heisenberg: the universe is not only grander than we imagine, it is also grander than we can imagine.