It’s been a few years since Genesis hit the shelves world-wide, (I can actually say that as I sold some copies in India) and people have been asking about when Trinity will be available. At the moment, all I can say is that I’m working on it. The manuscript is complete and I’m just trying to find someone to publish it. If nothing comes along I will self-publish and follow that road.

In the meantime, I figured I might answer some of the questions that have come in over the past couple years. I usually try to respond to emails and answer questions that way, but thought it might be a fun little post to answer them in a more public setting.

In no particular order, other than how I pulled them out of my emails, here are the first five question that people have asked me about the story.

1 – Why did I kill off Kozue in the first couple pages of the book? (My wife has asked me this question several times)

Answer – When I first came along this idea I had just watched an old samurai movie Lone Wolf and Cub and I thought to myself, wouldn’t it be great to have a similar story in a science-fiction setting? Kozue had to die to continue the love she had for Atom and Margo. If she had stayed alive we would be looking at Lost in Space. Plus, it’s a story not often told. The Mandalorian probably comes closest, but we still don’t have the same familial dynamic. The bond between a father and his child can be very special, and that’s what I really tried to capture in Atom & Go. There are other father-daughter stories out there, but none of them focus on the daughter as a toddler.

I suppose I could have just had Kozue captured, but that would change the dynamic from a wandering tale to one of search and rescue.

2 – Who cleans up Atom’s messes?

Answer – Hmm, I’m guessing local authorities. I’m guessing it would have to depend on the planet where said mess was created. Rommel seemed a bit more organized than Oligump. I envision a body being left in the streets of Oligump to be picked over by scavengers until the locals got tired and dragged it out to the dump. Shelley probably had the local sheriff deputize some folks to clean up. Maybe there’s a one eyed undertaker in Shelley who spends her days building coffins?

3 – Where did the pram come from?

Answer – Atom built it. He didn’t build the whole thing, but he modified an existing pram by strapping on an arsenal of weapons that could come in handy for his line of work. I think to date he has a couple pistols, an automated laser blaster, and a missile tucked away on the safest stroller in the galaxy. The best part is it is controlled by Kozue and she has some pretty intense maternal instincts after being overlayed with the digital footprint of the real life character.

4 – Where do I see the story going?

Answer – I’ve been playing with two ideas. The first is to continue the series with Margo getting a little older in each book. The second idea is to write three trilogies with Atom and Margo at different points in life. The second trilogy would have Margo as a 12-14 year old and the third would have Margo in her mid 20’s with Atom in his twilight years. I haven’t made up my mind on either of those options and who knows what the future holds.

At the moment my mind is stuck in this story, so I’m not planning on moving on to another project in the near future.

5 – Where did I come up with the rest of the crew?

Answer – Shi started as my answer to what would Clint Eastwood look like as a female. That’s why she always wears the poncho. It’s kind of my tip of the hat to Blondie from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Daisy would be my take on Boy Named Sue and I always envisioned him as Michael Clarke Duncan from the Green Mile. He’s multi-layered and never what you expect. I feel like that’s kind of a theme with my characters. They are never fully what they seem. Hither is that way, but I guess you expect hidden talents with an ex-courtesan/imperial bodyguard. I just like that she’s not just a pretty face who can kick butt. She’s also a whiz with computers who has a sense of humor about it. And last of all, Byron. He is my interpretation of the Artful Dodger smashed into MacGuyver in a particle accelerator. He’s a kid who can build you a rolling death ball out of a toaster and a toaster out of a nuke. Plus, he has a fun accent.

At the end of the day, I wanted them to be a disparate group of low-life dregs who Atom pulled together into a family with Margo at the center of their universe.

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Well, there you have it, five random questions I’ve come across in the past couple years. I know there are more floating in my inbox and in the comments of the this blog. If you have new questions about Atom & Go or my writing style or anything else, let me know and I’ll do my best to answer them.

In the meantime, keep on reading, keep dreaming, and keep on flying the Black