Reflecting the Diversity of Our World
In Glitches of Gods, an engineer grappling with his father’s death is propelled into an alternate timeline and a new life following a mysterious technical glitch. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I began with a set of themes I wanted to explore: the multiverse, AI, virtual worlds, memes, and leadership. Don’t ask me why these particular themes – I don’t have a logical explanation. I felt they would create an intriguing combination. I then employed the Save the Cat method to outline the story structure and develop story beats until I had a compelling narrative. As a test, I narrated the entire story to some friends to gauge their reactions. Only after that did I begin the actual writing process.
What character did you enjoy writing for? Was there one that was more challenging to write for?
The protagonist, Julien, is my favorite character to write. He begins as a likable yet irresponsible individual who doesn’t take anything seriously, but throughout the story, he gradually evolves into the responsible person he needs to become. As an author, crafting this transformative journey was incredibly rewarding. Of course, there’s also Zha-Zhar, who seems to be a fan favorite among my readers. She was definitely enjoyable to write as well, though as a supporting character, her personal growth wasn’t as central to the narrative.
I can’t recall struggling significantly with particular characters, though some were easier or more enjoyable to write than others. To be clear, I’m fond of each character in my novel. However, just as in real life, some personalities are more challenging to engage with.
What is one thing that you hope readers take away from Glitches of Gods?
Human diversity is a central theme in my work. While I’m unsure if some groups, such as the LGBTQ+ community, are still underrepresented in contemporary fiction (they certainly were for many decades), I consciously try to ensure they have significant representation in my novel. I believe in creating a rich tapestry of characters that reflects the diversity of our real world.
Can you give us a glimpse inside Book 2? Where will it take readers?
I plan to take readers to another world in the Playspheres saga. This time, it will probably be a bit more fantasy-oriented than the first one. But the plan is to continue the larger thread that I started with the first one.
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Julien feels utterly miserable. Creator of the AI that killed his father, the brilliant engineer deftly evades work on the world’s first human-level android, dodging the off-chance of snuffing out more lives. Instead, Julien much prefers bickering with his virtual assistant, crafting memes with his quirky friends, and shagging dates across a broad spectrum of genders. Yet, due to a maddening jump across timelines, he grudgingly faces his greatest dreads: raising a family and leading his team to win the AI race.
Drowning in new duties, Julien aims to avoid a second AI disaster. But when a mysterious technological infection wreaks havoc on the city, Julien flip-flops between shielding his loved ones and leading his team as he battles it out with broken robots, idiot protestors, and a rather sinister cat. Learning he got himself involved in a war between gods, should Julien save his new family or finish his team’s android to prevent an AI apocalypse?
Glitches of Gods is the extraordinary first book in the Playspheres epic science fantasy series. If you like cynical sentients, wacky worlds, and plenteous profanity, then you’ll love the kick-off of Jurgen Appelo’s bewildering and humorous dystopian sci-fi saga.
Buy Glitches of Gods and choose sides in a super-sentient war!
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2024/08/16/reflecting-the-diversity-of-our-world/
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