What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Alien Whispers: Conflict and Communion?
The inspiration is derived, of course, from the flow of the first two novels in the series, where the alien characters and their modus operandi were introduced. I have always loved science fiction and the infinite scenarios available to an author in the genre. We are only just beginning to understand the universe—there’s some way to go yet—and what we think we know is likely to change in the future. And the presence of aliens is a distinct possibility, whether interplanetary or interdimensional.
Beyond that, a prime inspiration was the current day behaviour of our own species with a stretch to imagined post-conflict world orders. Mix that with the presence of the Rbuzen aliens and the developed hybrid beings working with Laura Sinclair on Mars, plus other aliens who bear ill will to Earth, and the plot directions became almost self-creative.
There is also the distinct possibility of other dimensions. To quote a Terran translation of an Rbuzen saying, before the aliens’ discovery of extradimensional space: ‘Like the worm in the soil, or the spider in the web, we know nothing of creation, save that of our immediate surrounds, for that is all we need to know in order to survive.’
What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?
As a youngster growing up in the cobbled streets of Stockport, UK, I read a lot of science fiction, and loved the ‘old-school’ masters such as HG Wells, Jules Verne, Isaac Asimov, and John Wyndham. That hasn’t changed much, but I do enjoy a Stephen King and Dean Koontz story. I also enjoyed Agatha Christie novels which are a great insight into the human character. Anything with a bit of mystery appeals.
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
The Big Dark Sky by Dean Koontz.
What scene in your book was your favorite to write?
I really enjoyed scripting the Prologue. It serves to link the previous two novels in the series, and also hints at what is to come, thereby hopefully priming the reader’s interest and imagination. Outside that, I loved the scene when the villain of the piece, Damien Dayananda, actually realizes that aliens are for real!
Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)
None whatsoever. I don’t even have a strict timetable. I write when I have the inspiration to do so. Any quirks would only get in the way.
Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?
Just to think beyond the everyday. Look at the stars now and then, and let your mind wander and wonder. Think other dimensions, too. Everything and anything is possible.
If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?
To maintain and nurture a sense of wonder at the universe we inhabit. Have the courage to think outside the square. Don’t just leave it to the philosophers. People like you, people like me—we can discover new worlds.
In Milijun for example, Laura Sinclair is a single mother who is taken out of her comfort zone and thrust into an eerie out-of-this-world experience. She faces impossible odds. And she has a teenage son to boot! Yet, remarkably, she survives and thrives.
Clayton Graham is the author of the new book Alien Whispers: Conflict and Communion
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