In WORDS, an activist fights to clear her name after she is suspected of launching a devastating hack that spreads ominous text messages setting the world on edge. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

The inspiration for the setup of WORDS was the prolific dependency on the internet by the general public. What would be the impact on society and individuals if we had no internet now since it has become such an integral part of our lives? And “Could that happen? If so, how?”

Those two main questions persisted–“What if…?” and “How?” After going over numerous complex options and solutions, the answer boiled down to a simple idea inspired by a proverb from the Dutch philosopher, Desiderius Erasmus–“In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.” This proverb has other meanings but it prompted me to think of something different.

The primary use of the internet is visual. The ‘internet” didn’t have to be eliminated, it just needed to be made unusable. That could be done by blocking a person’s computer monitor, phone, or any other video screen. The story evolved from there.

It began as lines of text that would block all video screens, then the idea changed to a gradual build-up of lines of text, then it narrowed down to just a ‘single line of text’. That would be enough to disrupt use and lines of text would be ‘added’ as the story evolved. This would also create suspense and a mystery as to who or what caused the texts to appear.

Was there anything from your own life that you put into the characters in your novel?

The fact that I am a single father was useful in developing the ‘father/daughter’ relationship in the novel. Although very different there was an emotional pull between the relationship in the book and my own life. However, like all ‘real life’ inspirations or connections it just provided some ‘seasoning’ to the story. The main idea in all the characters was to have them be relatable. Put them in a ‘real life’ situation that could happen to anyone. Regardless of their background, or nationality.

I found the science in the novel to be well-developed. What kind of research did you do to make sure you got it all right?

The research was a priority in writing this book. There are stories of authors traveling to other lands or working in a unique profession to gain knowledge. While that is valid and would be nice to be able to do, I believe it really isn’t that necessary today. What is necessary is the ‘search’ in ‘re-search.’ There are many journals, books, papers, and other outlets that provide accurate and verifiable facts on various topics. The trick is to dive deep. Find the details. Then make the research understandable to the reader. That requires the ‘writer’ to weave information into the story not present a dissertation. A good story will allow the reader to ‘learn’ about something they didn’t know about. If a story is based in ‘reality’ then factual research is a must. I did seek out some medical professionals and computer professionals to help me understand or explain certain issues. Information and research on Artificial Intelligence over the last few years has surged.

The great historical/thriller writer Ken Follett said-to paraphrase–‘He thanked historians for all their work…he simply takes what they have found and looks for the story.’ He has a point. The facts are out there, we must find them and translate them in an interesting way for the reader.

Can fans expect to see more work from you soon? What are you currently working on?

Yes, I think it will be this year but I am currently working on two possibilities. A sequel to WORDS and a romantic type thriller. We’ll see which gets finished first! TBD.

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Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2024/07/13/102448/