What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?
“When you spend a career inside the intelligence community, you accumulate a world of stories you can never directly tell. To capture the essence of what I lived, I had to find an entirely new lens.
My background was as the Chief AI Officer at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, living at the intersection of orbital sensors, computer vision, and autonomous workflows. I noticed a glaring void in speculative fiction: countless stories feature artificial intelligence, but none had placed consciousness inside the constellations themselves—making the satellites the protagonists operating in the cold silence of low Earth orbit.
The Shadow Ephemeris grew out of that unique perspective. It’s hard science fiction built on real physics and tradecraft, but at its core, it’s a cautionary tale about unchecked autonomy and the catastrophic margins of error when AI is deployed irresponsibly.”
If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of your book, what would they be?
Mosaic – Tycho, “A Walk” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6ih1aKeETk
Flux – Sleep Makes Waves, “Perfect Detonator”
Isobar – The Last Sighs of the Wind, “Bird Song” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0xlm1g-uhI&list=RDc0xlm1g-uhI&start_radio=1
Keyhole – The Tides of Nebula, “Ghost Horses” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTLM0OVnSQQ&list=PLUGphV2Vmebp0gGd7sA4JYTvA1mMNIciC&index=3
Vorkuta – “Russian National Anthem” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CziJnrFzlrk&list=RDCziJnrFzlrk&start_radio=1
What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?
Science Fiction and Fantasy, the same.
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
The Canticle of Leibowitz
Watership Down
The Screwtape Letters
What scene in your book was your favorite to write?
The last scene of the book, on board the “doomsday plane” with the President of the United States.
Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)
I made playlists to help set the mood in low Earth orbit: https://open.spotify.com/user/31f7jfmaq2ge4zo5kss2xt5mjocq
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
When you’re gone, people won’t remember your accomplishments. But they’ll remember how you made them feel about themselves.
If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?
If you can't speak truth to power, then speak power to truth.
