The Silver Sphere follows a writer who finds a derelict AI which is the beginning of a wild intergalactic adventure. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

The novella began with a wisp of an idea for a short story on my blog. I’ve done this before. In every case, the story stayed short. I presented it as a single blog post. For some reason, The Silver Sphere refused to be relegated to a single post. It grew into a seven-part novella.

This is a riveting novella that is just under 50 pages. What inspired you to break this story up into seven parts?

The story grew to five continuing blog posts. After the fifth post, I said to myself, “Wait a minute. Only your wife and daughter plus a few friends are going to keep up with the story. Why not make it into a book?” So, I did.

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

I’d say friendships and emotional connections. I believe the world-ending scenario had to come, at least in part, from the threats of COVID and extremism prevalent and lurking in today’s world.

What can readers expect in the next story in the series?

The next book contains fourteen episodes. It’s twice as long as the first. I’m introducing a third main character. I have a bigger canvas that allows for more character development. It seems many of the reviews I read asked for these enhancements. The new book is titled, “Cataclysm–End of Worlds.” I expect to release it in early October 2021. I’m being deliberately coy about including more details.

PS–The Silver Sphere episodes are no longer available for free on my blog (www.davidgittlin.com).

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