2024 Attack on America follows a seasoned cybersecurity expert who finds himself at the center of a crisis threatening national security. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

A few years ago I read Homo Deus by historian Yuval Noah Harrari. Harrari warned us that Artificial Intelligence would soon far surpass human intelligence as we think we commonly understand it, with unpredictable risks for mankind. At the time, the idea seemed far-fetched, but the rise of AI products like ChatGPT convinced me that Harari was onto something. I was inspired to write about this. Since I’m not a researcher, fiction seemed like my best option. I started asking myself: If Harari’s prophecy came true, what form would it take? And that’s the Enter Demiurge subtitle…

What was your inspiration for Gabriel Brinkerhoff’s character and how did you craft his outlook on life?

For me, rule number zero in fiction is to have fun writing, because if you don’t, there is no way readers will have fun reading your sh*t, which is rule number one [laughs]. In order to have fun, I needed to tell a story about people—because readers are people, and they’re naturally intrigued by other people’s predicaments. Telling the story from Gabriel’s perspective made sense, given that he would be the kind of person you’d expect to face these challenges in real life—someone working for a major government agency. Living in the Washington DC metro area allowed me to draw on the stories and anecdotes from my real-life friends, which inspired characters like Gabriel Brinkerhoff, and also Dexter Banfield, of course.

I checked out the readers’ reviews on your novel’s Amazon book page. Someone mentioned dual plots that ‘somehow work’ in the end…

I think I recognize the comment. I appreciated it, but I think the reader might have missed one of the novel’s less obvious points. Gabriel’s struggles with AI and his personal struggles in his marriage share a common thread: they both reflect a man dealing with two major issues of our time. The AI part is straightforward, but the marital issues are more subtle. In a post-meToo world, traditional masculinity is no longer “in.” The conversation is now all about women’s empowerment, LGBTQ rights, and the rights of minorities. My first encounter with this was at a conference, a web developer conference no less. One of the speakers was an Asian woman. She was very “woke”, albeit I don’t think the term was in wide use at the time. She proclaimed, “Dear white cis heterosexual man, it’s time that you take a step back and let black, asians, women and all other minorities take the stage.” I’m all about human rights and the rights of minorities, but why did that have to come in the form of me—a white, heterosexual male, guilty as charged—getting discriminated against?

Since then, I’ve kept an eye on what’s been labeled “woke” culture, and I’ve noticed that when it comes to fiction, the voices of men on the receiving end of this shift are conspicuously absent. Sure, we have plenty of Chuck Norris types in fiction, but who’s telling the story of the regular guy with his average allotment of masculinity representing his only tool to navigate this world? Who is telling his story? Who is letting us know about the challenges he’s facing and the responsibility he still carries?

And this would be Gabriel?

Exactly. Gabriel faces two challenges: one from AI and one from the rapidly evolving definition of masculinity in our days. Masculinity as we know it—or should I say, as we once knew it—risks being labeled as “toxic” these days. Males are confused about their role in our society. Young men opt to stay home, play videogames, smoke pot, or avoid long-term romantic relationships altogether. Once a reader picks up on this—whether consciously or unconsciously—it’s easier to see why the dual plots work well together. They are two sides of the same coin.

And what about Dexter?

When it comes to masculinity, Dexter faces the same exact challenges as Gabriel, but his approach is different. He’s deliberately avoided forming deep bonds with women and has even refused to marry the mother of his daughter. Given the current climate, who can blame him? One of the paradoxes I’m seeing is that readers, both men and women, seem to admire son-of-a-bitch Dexter more than Gabriel, even though Gabriel is the one who took the responsibility to raise a family after all.

Can you tell us about Mary too?

Here’s my confession: I feel a bit guilty about Mary. The novel explores masculinity, so I needed to focus on the male characters and couldn’t afford to dive too deeply into Mary’s psychology. Imagine writing a book from the perspective of Black enslaved people in 19th-century Louisiana—no one would expect you to explore the inner life and the psychology of the white slave owner, and implicitly make him more human. You need an antagonist. In a way, that’s how Mary fits in here, though I didn’t want her to come across as completely one-dimensional. By the end of the novel, I think she’s portrayed with a modicum of respect. Her perspective is also accounted for. After all, we’re all just sapiens trying to make sense of the world we live in using the tools we have. The world is a circus with eight billion clowns, that’s the way I put it when my mood is in cynical mode.

Let’s address the elephant in the room. Many reviews mention, or even criticize, the amount of graphic sex in the novel…

I totally understand that reaction, and I expected it, especially after hearing similar feedback from my beta readers, particularly the women. I considered toning it down or making those scenes less graphic, but in the end, I decided to stick with my original vision. Not only did I want to stay true to the masculine perspective, but those scenes were essential to making Gabriel’s sense of betrayal feel real. The same goes for the liberation he experiences in the “Only God Can Judge Me” chapter. Readers who aren’t offended by sex really appreciated those parts—including many women. Of course, sex is still a taboo topic, especially for an American audience.

I felt that the action scenes were expertly crafted. I find that this is an area that can be overdone in novels. How did you approach this subject to make sure it flowed evenly?

I’ve always been fascinated by the plotter vs. pantser thing. Personally, I’m somewhere in the middle. I created a rough outline for the story to make sure all the loose ends would tie up, but once I had that map, I did a lot of “pantsing.” That was by far the most fun part of writing. Playing God with your characters? Priceless. Anyway, to answer your question, the outline was an essential tool in making sure that inconsistencies wouldn’t creep in.

Can you tell us more about what’s in store for Gabriel Brinkerhoff? Will there be a second book?

Gabriel Brinkerhoff’s journey is one that’s very close to my heart. I can assure you that his story is far from over. As some readers have already guessed, now that the stage is built and Demiurge is among us, the possibilities are endless. Or shall we talk about Dexter? ‘Nuff said. Keep watching this space, because the future holds exciting developments!

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