Hi everyone and welcome back to Brunch! Today I'm continuing the SPSFC author features with a finalist interview!
David Hoffer, the 2022 fifth place finalist, is here to talk about his book Melody, his contest experience, and many generally nerdy things!
Before I turn it over to him: SPSFC year three judging applications are currently open at https://thespsfc.org/ ! I am recruiting a team if anyone is interested in being a judge, so are other teams! Author applications will be open soon so stay tuned
Without further ado, here he is!
Welcome to the Sunday Brunch Series! Can you tell everyone something about yourself that isn't in your author bio?
Thank you, Athena, for inviting me to speak at your Sunday Brunch Series.
My love for sci-fi started with the original Star Trek (cartoon included) and I recall being in awe watching the original Star Wars. Science fiction is more than just entertainment, it ignites my imagination and expands the possibilities of a universe we barely understand.
I once wrote a column for a popular technical publication and still work in the IT industry. That experience helped me with the first contact scenario presented in the book (at least, the technical bit).
What's your brunch order today?
A cinnamon roll smothered in frosting with oatmeal topped with blueberries and walnuts.
Your book, Melody, was a finalist in this year's SPSFC! Congratulations, it was certainly an interesting read! How do you feel about the competition overall?
First off, thanks for volunteering your time as a judge in the competition. I appreciate the considerable time and effort spent to support the indie community.
Regarding the competition, I appreciate the SPSFC is open at no cost to the author and has a transparent judging process. As far as I'm concerned, this is the Nebula for indies.
Melody took a pretty standard form of first contact (a signal beaming towards Earth) and transformed it into something almost spiritual with the reincarnation aspect - but there are also hard sci-fi elements! Can you tell us how it all came about?
When I read the 14th Dalai Lama's claim that if rebirth were true for one, then it must be true for all, I recall thinking, "Well, if that's the case, then it has to occur throughout the universe." Shortly afterward, I began writing a tale about a little girl taking a picture of the night sky with her father.
Lots of people believe in some sort of heaven or hell. Buddhists call it a continuity of consciousness. I called it the "conscious plane". I imagined such a place existing in a separate universe governed by different physical laws, one that interacts and runs parallel to this universe.
There are hard science elements to the book, from detecting gravitational waves (inspired by the European Space Agency's Laser Interferometer Space Antenna project) to deciphering the alien message using a 'virtual machine'. From a sociopolitical perspective, the events unfold in the way I believe society would deal with the challenge of first contact (not well).
I love stories that explore the human condition through the prism of science and an ever-expanding understanding of the universe(s). The more I learn, the more I wonder, and I try to bring that feeling into my writing.
Sagan put it best: "When we recognize our place in an immensity of light years and in the passage of ages, when we grasp the intricacy, beauty and subtlety of life, then that soaring feeling, that sense of elation and humility combined, is surely spiritual."
Did you start out writing a First Contact novel or did it take place as it went?
It was a first contact story from the beginning. The book is told through two POVS: a grieving father that slowly transforms into an otherworldly being, and the director of JPL, who manages the technical aspects of first contact. The two perspectives intertwine in a way I hope the reader finds entertaining, thought-provoking, and different from what they've read before.
What's your favorite sci-fi trope in general?
First contact is a favorite, though I enjoy every trope sci-fi has to offer. Currently, I'm reading "He who fights with Monsters" (LitRPG) and have recently finished re-reading The Martian and all the books in the Bobiverse universe.
For Melody, I tried to put a unique spin on a familiar trope. Hopefully, the reader feels the book is unlike what they've read before.
What's your favorite sci-fi book of all time?
Frank Herbert's Dune (from the classic through Chapterhouse). It's no accident my main protagonist, Stephen Fisher, has an inner life resembling that of Paul Atreides as he comes to terms with his own past. A close second is Asimov's Foundation trilogy.
What other generally nerdy things are you into?
I love what astrophysics can tell us about our place in the universe. Shout out to the podcasts "Star Talk" and "Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe." AI is a topic of interest as well, not only the challenges, but the promise of what the technology can do to help us become an intergalactic species.
On a non-nerdy note, I love to surf and have a few shark stories.
Do you have a WIP or what can we look for next from you?
I'm currently writing the sequel to MELODY, tentatively titled "The Prophet" to be released in 2024. A quick blurb: An ancient enemy corrupts an evangelical church they will use as a stepping-stone to the stars.
Thank you to readers who left kind reviews or otherwise reached out to me. The sequel wouldn't have happened without your support and encouragement.
Thanks so much for taking the time to interview! The last "question" is always an open forum for the author to talk about anything else they'd like to cover!
I encourage every author to speak out against the growing threats to our freedoms. Read what you want, love who you want, and use whatever pronouns you care to use. It's nobody's business but your own. Intolerance and hatred need to be confronted and defeated.
Also, support the actors and writers in their efforts to make a living in a rapidly changing environment due to AI and streaming.
You can contact me at david-hoffer.com.
There you have it! You can find the author online at https://david-hoffer.com/ or on twitter at https://twitter.com/DavidHoffer14
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