Planet of the Rapes follows fighter pilot Major Olivia Freeh into a high-stakes mission where a mysterious alien object challenges humanity’s understanding of the cosmos—and itself. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

I’m sure it’s no surprise that Planet of the Apes planted the seed of this story. The 1968 film had a tremendous influence on my formative years, not just watching the movie but its constant presence in popular culture. I wanted to write something to express that influence. “Rapes” was an obvious rhyme for “apes,” but I wasn’t sure that title would lead to a story I wanted to write. Then I thought of the famous, shocking twist at the end of the movie, of Charlton Heston on the beach screaming out his heartbreak and rage. That moment was a condemnation of nuclear arms proliferation, and I realized my story could be a condemnation too. “Planet of the rapes” isn’t titillating or salacious. It’s an accusation.

Even so, I didn’t follow through with the idea at first. The title was too harsh, too ugly. Even for me. Then came the US Presidential Election of 2024. I watched in horror as my country failed to learn from the past and continued to lurch, zombie-like toward becoming the worst version of itself. In the many years since I’d first thought of the title, the real world had moved closer to a “planet of the rapes” instead of further away. I decided harsh and ugly things needed to be said after all.

Major Olivia Freeh is an interesting and well-developed character. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?

First and foremost, Olivia is angry. With her fiery red hair, she is the personification of the anger many of us feel right now. And rightfully so. She is mistreated from the first paragraph. Justified as it is, her anger often gets the better of her. She lashes out in ways that are sometimes amusing, sometimes counterproductive. I had hoped to give her a chance to release some of that anger as the story went on. When she is able to take positive action, rescuing herself and others, it gradually eases her fury. And eventually, Olivia finds someone who needs her, which convinces her to allow herself to need another person in return. She finds peace in that relationship which I think was missing in her life even before this story began.

Olivia is also strong. This is true literally and figuratively. She’s athletic and fit but also has the determination to not give up when obstacles block her path. She would have needed both to succeed in her military career and even more to endure this latest adventure. She isn’t the toxic kind of “strong” either. She sees others suffering and suffers too.

She isn’t perfect, of course. Olivia is someone who takes herself very seriously. She’s a pilot and considers that the best thing a person could be. She values knowledge and intelligence but has little time for topics she isn’t already an expert in.

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

Misogyny and toxic masculinity are obviously major themes in the book. I had hoped to draw a straight line connecting Olivia’s mistreatment in contemporary times – being underestimated, devalued, and discarded – with the dystopian nightmare to come.

I also wanted to say that looks can be deceiving. You have to look past appearances to see the truth. Like all women, Olivia is constantly judged based on her appearance. Her strength and skills are underestimated at every turn. But I also wanted to turn that around, and show that sometimes appearances are intentionally deceptive. Olivia is brought to live in a magnificent palace, gaudy and ornate on the outside but rotting and ruined on the inside. She sees that wealth, piety, and social standing are a carefully constructed facade concealing greed, corruption, and hate. Likewise, a bully depends on the appearance of strength to get what they want but cowers in fear when someone finally stands up to them. Ironically, this book itself is something other than it might first appear.

Finally, this is a story about the stubbornness of love. Like a persistent weed, love can spring up where you’d least expect.

How did you approach balancing technical aerospace details with accessible storytelling for readers?

I tried to find the balance by giving out technical details on a need-to-know basis. Getting the full technical specs of the experimental space plane all at once would overwhelm a reader, not to mention it would be boring as hell. Instead, I would dole out technobabble as things came up in the story. The details are more relevant to the reader at that point and more digestible. This also stopped me from including a bunch of technical information that didn’t really have any purpose in the story. I also worked on the assumption that qualitative data would be more well-received than quantitative data. For example, rather than saying something like “8 million pounds of thrust” I said “more thrust than a Saturn V rocket.”

It’s also helpful to have an editor to watch your back on that stuff. Getting other points of view makes a big difference.

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