KRIS PR: Deus Ex Homine follows a genetically bred Cop who stumbles across a mysterious girl in danger, and everything he thought he knew about himself and his life starts to change.What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

I spent almost two decades as a police officer, and the majority of that was on the frontline in uniform. It was often the most mundane cases that you had to be careful of, because anything that seemed too simple – was often too simple. In this case, a young ‘Missing from Home’ as we would call them, begins the unravelling of a national conspiracy. I may be taking my experience and extrapolating a little… But the potential for this to happen is real, especially with cases of Eastern European human trafficking on the rise in the UK, even today. 

The gene editing actually came from when I attended a TED Conference in Banff to be trained in how to organize them. One of the speakers gave a talk on how CRISPR was the future of human genome editing, and that was it, the idea that led to the story was born. 

I find the world you created in this novel brimming with possibilities. Where did the inspiration for the setting come from and how did it change as you were writing?

I actually policed about 30 minutes travel away from Manchester and visit regularly. I love the city, so that became the setting. PK Dick is one of my favorite authors, and I also love the Blade Runner films/book, so they definitely shaped the worldbuilding. The tech plague and the cyberware kind of grew as the story did; Cyberpunk 2077 (the game and comics) definitely helped there. I am writing a free prequel on Substack about the plague and the early years of the UK Edits here Substack Home – Gareth’s Substack It’s free to sign up so if you love the book, go and jump in. 

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

The biggest theme revolves around Kris, someone who has grown up being indoctrinated in a neo-religious setting based on the teachings of Nietzsche. It also explores transhumanism – what makes us human – and how to navigate being born with attributes that 99.9% of the world do not have. It’s a kind of complicated coming of age story for the post-modern man, who is torn between competing obligations, and trying to figure out who he is. The women in the story take center stage for the next book, where Aimee comes into her own and Selena continues her quest to control their lives. 

Where does the story go in the next book, and where do you see it going in the future?

The next book is almost done so it will be coming soon! It explores Mori’s arc and Aimee and Peeler’s next steps. Kris is loosening from his Temple teachings and quite frankly, he’s a scary character to write. Canen is threaded throughout, and I know from the early feedback that readers love him – do not worry – he plays a large role in the forthcoming books… I can’t say too much without giving away the plot, so I’m going to stop there 😄

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