Inspiration is a funny thing. It's unique to each of us. If you received my last newsletter of 2023, then you will recall I achieved my goals, and honestly, accidently overachieved (you can catch up here). This isn't a bad thing, and you certainly could make the argument I set my goals too low. But I would counter, I never imagined my first novel to do as well as it has. I also never thought I would have an audiobook within the first year of having a novel released. I wrote A Fold to Extinction for myself, but here we are. There are foundations, inspirations, I have to give credit to.
Michael Crichton: Probably best remembered for Jurassic Park and The Andromeda Strain, he is still remembered today for his science fiction, techno-thrillers, and medical dramas. Fans of A Fold to Extinction will recall a homage to Michael. I love how he blends reality with fiction, and how Michael explained complex issues in easily understandable and entertaining ways. If you have not read his work, I highly encourage it. My wife has since also enjoyed some of his less memorable novels such as Prey and Sphere.
Robert Heinlein: I looked into Robert Heinlein because of a controversy around his book Starship Troopers and the movie adaptation of the same name. In short, the two are nothing alike, with Robert experimenting with a different type of society, and the movie lampooning concepts the director and family thought were "fascist." I learned of his other works and now see him as a key science fiction inspiration.
C. S. Lewis: You likely know C.S. Lewis for his work The Chronicles of Narnia. I found C.S. Lewis by a different title, Out of the Silent Planet. The book stuck with me after reading it in high school. It has remained one of my favorite classics ever since. I love how he was able to create characters that were opposites, without making them caricatures of the concepts he was discussing.
Ayn Rand: Of all the writers listed here, Ayn is the only one who is less artist and more philosopher. You can go either way on how you feel about her personal beliefs, but I was interested in how her writings and stories were shaped by her experience in Russia. Ayn was born into a Jewish family under the former Russian Empire. As a child, she saw the fall of the Russian Empire and the rise of the Soviet Union. Her philosophy, and by extension her stories, are extremely critical of central control and forced economies.
Frank Herbert: To me, Frank Herbert is the father of the space opera. His work Dune, and the subsequent series, continues to influence media to this day. It mixed modern middle east politics in a hidden way that created a compelling journey that was combined with a complex feudal system, an understanding of multidimensional travel, politics, religion, technology, and emotion. If you want a mind bending read, you need to read Dune. Afterall, fear is the mind killer.
D.J. Molles: The only living contemporary author on my list. I found D.J. Molles's book The Remaining, by accident during a long flight. I took a risk and ended up reading the entire series and spin off series, Harden. It was a fresh taken on a beaten down genre. D.J. approaches his characters from his police background, and this creates a strong connection to military veterans and law enforcement alike. I credit D.J. with being the only author that has written a scene that made my heart hurt. So, of course I had to include him.
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