Dissonance, Volume Zero: Revelation follows a man and his family on Earth who move underground when alien creatures arrive in massive numbers sparking global anxiety and uncertainty. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

Well, as you know, I’ve penned a trilogy of novels called “Dissonance” that take place in 2042, 16 years after the alien invasion of 2026. The trilogy was initially intended to be just one novel, but it just kept ballooning with undercurrents of subplots, and so much more. I thought I was done when I finished the final chapter of the trilogy, but like a tractor beam, it just sucked me right back in. There was a glaring 16-year gap there ripe for the mining, and I felt an origin story was in order. I also was so pleased at the notion that, though some characters die in the trilogy (and I hate playing God, for that matter), they’re alive again in the prequel. It’s like a keen splash of water on the face when you meet an old beloved friend that you cared about. I LOVE that aspect of it. There are also characters whose backstory I really wanted to explore, such as Pastor Rosie’s. There’s a LOT to that woman. I could pen a whole trilogy based on her alone. 😊 But I did want to go back and visit the actual invasion as well as the actual day of the attacks (which happen three months apart from each other, thus brewing the anxiety you mention) and explore what that might have been like. There proved to be a treasure trove of narrative that I was able to flesh out, and consequently it’s become my favorite of the entire pentalogy-in-the-works (working on the 5th installment as we speak!) as it is loaded with a lot of heart and thematic depth.

The supporting characters in this novel, I felt, were intriguing and well developed. Who was your favorite character to write for?

Thank you! Honestly, as mentioned, it’s Pastor Rosie, but frankly I really liked writing young Cameron. He is six, bordering on seven, when the aliens invade, and it rocks his little life. His entire worldview is impacted and colored by these things, and he’s forced to sacrifice his childhood in the name of service, keeping the gorgons at bay and helping to ensure the survival of their little Blockade as he grows. I loved traveling down through the years with he and Rutty, with their dad, their mom, Sissy, the captain, all of them. It was an amazing experience to journey down through the years with them.

How did you balance the action scenes with the story elements and still keep a fast pace in the story?

That is such a great question, because it truly was a balancing act. You need peaks and valleys, rises and falls, crescendos and decrescendos. It’s a tough assignment because your blood has to get pumping on occasion, and really get immersed in the action; you have to be reminded of what a tangible, visceral threat the gorgons truly are. They border on the periphery of your entire life in a Blockade, that threat up there on the surface. So when the two worlds collide, humans are the weaker species, and as such, survival mode kicks in. My heart was pounding as I fleshed out several narratives like the moment the gorgons activate, the infiltration of the Blockade by the berserker, Andrew’s mission where he loses one of his crew, the final mission, etc. There were lots of ups and downs to balance, but I was so much more focused on telling the heart of the story, which is parenting through trauma.

Is this the first book in the series? If so, when is the next book coming out, and what can your fans expect in the next story?

Well, it depends on how you look at the word ‘first.” Chronologically, yes, it comes first, as its set before the invasion of 2026, whereas the trilogy is set 16 years after the invasion in the winter of 2042. It’s a prequel, meaning “sequel that happens before.” So it depends if you like to watch Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and The Return of the Jedi and THEN watch the prequels, or if you like to watch the prequels and THEN the original trilogy. Ultimately, Dissonance Volume Zero: Revelation and Dissonance Volume I: Reality are both beginnings, so you can’t go wrong starting with either. Both will tantalize you to want to read further and explore the world-building I’ve conducted across the post-apocalyptic landscape of 2042. But you may have noted that Dissonance Volume Zero: Revelation ends in 2037, and Dissonance Volume I: Reality introduces you to Earth in 2042. So, once again, I was sucked back in to mine the remaining years for content, and thus, you can expect Dissonance Volume Up: Rising before October of this year. This second prequel bridges the gap from Dissonance Volume Zero: Revelation to Dissonance Volume I: Reality. It’s coming along really well, and I’m very excited about it! But what I’m mostly excited about is for Dissonance Volume I: Reality: I’ve had it adapted to a screenplay and it’s now being pitched to major streaming networks. All of my hopes are pinned to that, and I’m very, very excited to see what comes of it. Thanks for journeying with me!

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