Breach Effect
Behind the Scenes
Author's Note
How do you begin a book with such a unique blend of genres? Into what place do you drop your readers? I struggled with the beginning of Breach Effect because I couldn't decide when/where to start. In one iteration, the book began immediately after Ewen arrives in the new world and Jaxon discovers him in Raub Memorial Park. In another version, I began a year after Ewen's departure from his world. Eventually, I decided to split the difference. I wanted to lay enough groundwork that I didn't have to explain to the reader in detail how Ewen learned to communicate using Sprites or do introductions.
Because I had already been working with Ewen throughout The Dragon's Son, I knew who he was. But the members of Sundown were strangers to me. Prior to beginning the plot-writing process, I had to flesh out each of the characters, taking particular care to understand their motivations and personal histories. Bringing together the members of Sundown was a chore in itself, but I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Jaxon, Silas, Faye, Sunny, and Micah.
Unlike Cardinal Zero, I wanted to focus less on the physics of the science fiction world and more on the human relationships. I could easily have included Jaxon and Micah's aerial dogfighting but decided to keep readers engaged elsewhere.
Because I had already been working with Ewen throughout The Dragon's Son, I knew who he was. But the members of Sundown were strangers to me. Prior to beginning the plot-writing process, I had to flesh out each of the characters, taking particular care to understand their motivations and personal histories. Bringing together the members of Sundown was a chore in itself, but I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Jaxon, Silas, Faye, Sunny, and Micah.
Unlike Cardinal Zero, I wanted to focus less on the physics of the science fiction world and more on the human relationships. I could easily have included Jaxon and Micah's aerial dogfighting but decided to keep readers engaged elsewhere.
Behind Summerwine & Sundown |
Sprites |
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The military contractor group Sundown is named after my father's high school band in which he was lead singer. While bouncing from band to band in the sixties, my father was also in a group named Summerwine, so called after the 1966 hit "Summer Wine" originally sung by Suzi Jane Hokom and Lee Hazlewood.
After listening to my father's old recordings one evening, I asked, "Do you mind if I use those names in my next book?" He shrugged and gave his blessing. |
Because Ewen punched through the space-time continuum, he wound up in the timeline/realm of my other books (Cardinal Zero & The Falkrow Narratives). Therefore, I had to create communication technology that was more advanced than what Cardinal Zero boasted but that would act as a predecessor to the bio-integrated AIs found in The Falkrow Narratives (Pathos, Ethos, and Logos).
Haven't read Cardinal Zero? Learn more here. Haven't heard of The Falkrow Narratives? Learn more about the first book here. |
Volcanoes & the Geography of Java
Mt. Semeru's Eruption (2021), BBC.
So, how much do you know about Volcanoes? How much do you know about the Pacific island of Java? Not much? Cool, me neither. Everyone thinks, "Yeah, volcanoes erupt. They explode and there's lava and burning chaos..." Except, that's not the case. It depends on the type of volcano and the surrounding geography.
With the crew of Summerwine heading to Java and Ewen's showdown with Mt. Semeru imminent, I knew I needed to brush up on the science behind volcanoes--fast. I began watching documentaries, asking questions on Reddit, and reading journal articles about the physics behind volcanic eruptions. Here are some of the questions I pursued:
How fast does a volcano erupt?
What depends which direction a volcano will spew most matter?
What type of matter comes for a volcano? Is it dependent upon the volcano type?
What is a pyroclastic flow? What is is comprised of? Can you escape a pyroclastic flow?
What are the unknown dangers of a volcano? What about gases?
On top of researching everything from tectonic plates to gas ratios, I also had to take into consideration the island of Java's geography (as it was in the distant future, not as it is currently). I reviewed the historical records of Mt. Semeru's eruptions over the past several hundred years and then created an eruption similar in scale and magnitude.
I also had to determine if Mt. Semeru's eruption could reach Juanda International Airport (Java's international airport located near Surabaya). Normal eruptions would come close, but not reach it. However, an abnormal eruption--such as the one Ewen was forced to face--most certainly could. So, how long would it take for a pyroclastic flow to reach the airport some 50 miles away? What kind of damage would it cause?
Much thought was put into Ewen's first trial as Aurora incarnate.
With the crew of Summerwine heading to Java and Ewen's showdown with Mt. Semeru imminent, I knew I needed to brush up on the science behind volcanoes--fast. I began watching documentaries, asking questions on Reddit, and reading journal articles about the physics behind volcanic eruptions. Here are some of the questions I pursued:
How fast does a volcano erupt?
What depends which direction a volcano will spew most matter?
What type of matter comes for a volcano? Is it dependent upon the volcano type?
What is a pyroclastic flow? What is is comprised of? Can you escape a pyroclastic flow?
What are the unknown dangers of a volcano? What about gases?
On top of researching everything from tectonic plates to gas ratios, I also had to take into consideration the island of Java's geography (as it was in the distant future, not as it is currently). I reviewed the historical records of Mt. Semeru's eruptions over the past several hundred years and then created an eruption similar in scale and magnitude.
I also had to determine if Mt. Semeru's eruption could reach Juanda International Airport (Java's international airport located near Surabaya). Normal eruptions would come close, but not reach it. However, an abnormal eruption--such as the one Ewen was forced to face--most certainly could. So, how long would it take for a pyroclastic flow to reach the airport some 50 miles away? What kind of damage would it cause?
Much thought was put into Ewen's first trial as Aurora incarnate.
Did You Catch It?
Breach Effect ties The Aurora Chronicles to The Falkrow Narratives and Cardinal Zero. In the grand timeline, the book occurs after Cardinal Zero and before The Falkrow Narratives.
If you've read Cardinal Zero, you're likely to have caught some of the references dropped throughout the book. These include:
Raub Memorial Park -- named after Commander Ben Raub
Hawke Air Force Base in Thessaloniki, Greece -- named after Javelin Mairead Hawke
Aleks Hawke -- only child of Mairead Hawke and Kole Zerik
The Falkrow Narratives are referenced far more indirectly with the existence of Caelestis, the famed space colony from which protagonist Rhys Falkrow and his sister Alina escape.
In a nod to The Falkrow Narratives, Jaxon says the following in a message to Ewen:
If you've read Cardinal Zero, you're likely to have caught some of the references dropped throughout the book. These include:
Raub Memorial Park -- named after Commander Ben Raub
Hawke Air Force Base in Thessaloniki, Greece -- named after Javelin Mairead Hawke
Aleks Hawke -- only child of Mairead Hawke and Kole Zerik
The Falkrow Narratives are referenced far more indirectly with the existence of Caelestis, the famed space colony from which protagonist Rhys Falkrow and his sister Alina escape.
In a nod to The Falkrow Narratives, Jaxon says the following in a message to Ewen:
"... I know you probably don’t understand the significance of that but… know that your gift not only saved millions of people but is now being used to further assure humanity doesn’t go extinct. I mean, who knows? Maybe humans will return to Earth thousands of years from now, voyagers from Prima Signa or Caelestis returning to the cradle of humanity.” He sighed. “That would be a story.”
The Music of Breach Effect
Every book I write is accompanied by its own soundtrack. Sometimes I include pieces of the soundtrack in the Interactive Media section. Here are some of Breach Effect's highlights:
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