What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?
This started as a series of dream sequences, kind of Lovecraftian in nature, that I wrote two or three years ago. I had recently read some vintage sci-fi - Singularity Station by Bell, The Heirs of Babylon by Glen Cook - and I was inspired to return to a dystopian near future that I’d originally created for my books The Cor Chronicles (fantasy of all things). Before I knew it, I had an ensemble cast that took on its own life, exploring a dark retelling of the Parable of the Sower. Not the novel by Octavia Butler, but Jesus’ story from the Bible. In the parable, the “sower” spreads seeds on four kinds of ground: path (or road), rocky, thorny, and good soil. How the seeds take root is a reflection of the quality of the ground, mirroring how the truth of God takes root in the hearts of people. But what if the most fertile ground is the sour ground?
What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?
My favorite genre varies with the day. Right now, I’m on a sword & sorcery kick (not high fantasy), but I enjoy all forms of fiction from classics to pulpy genre stuff. Similarly, my favorite genre to write also moves around. I’m a little burned out on fantasy genres right now, leaning into horror and historical horror. That being said, Whispers was my first real push into sci-fi, and I really enjoyed it.
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
Oh no... I have 70 books there as we speak. From Glen Cook’s fantasy/detective Garrett PI series to Paul Tremblay to multiple Battletech novels to some World War II nonfiction to...
What scene in your book was your favorite to write?
Oh wow. Tough one. There’s a chapter where things really go south all at once. The chapter shifts scenes through different characters’ POVs. It’s very cinematic, and I’m very proud of it. But there’s one scene in the medical center. A nurse/colonist has her back turned to one of our main characters as she works on something at a counter. She’s not even supposed to be there. She’s not on the schedule. Let’s just say it has to do with her asking earlier in the novel, “Do you ever feel like your fingers are too long?”
Do you have any quirky writing habits?
Not really, unless procrastination counts.
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
Not really, but I’ve found a sort of mantra in the song Lux Aeterna from Metallica’s 72 Seasons album. The whole song—its uplifting, driving message—has kept me going hard for almost three years now. If I were to boil it down to two lines: “Cast out the demons that strangle your life.” “Full speed or nothing.”
If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?
It’s a harsh truth, but one of my characters, Kaminski, said something very important toward the end. And I find no reason to disagree with him. Life is pain, challenge, and trauma. Anyone who says otherwise is full of shit. Overcoming it gives us meaning. We carry it with us. It makes us who we are. My pain makes me the man I am, and no one gets to take it away from me.
