Then one day I decided to return to my creative-writing
roots and began working on my first novel-length, science fiction story. What
started out as a high-tech adventure, with a young man attempting to rescue his
girlfriend from a virtual reality simulation against the backdrop of the
"technological singularity," evolved into a story about accepting the
choices of our past, as well as reconciling our relationships with our parents,
both before and after death. That novel, Cyberdrome, was finally published in
2008 and has now been read by over 40,000 people around the world, gained
critical success, and created a huge fan base.
Spurred on by the success of that book, I decided to start
another. However, rather than continue with the sequel to Cyberdrome (yes,
there will be one), I decided to give myself a bigger challenge, and started a
5-book, dystopian, undersea series called, Novum. As before, what began as the
adventures of a young, reluctant, cargo-ship captain trying to eke out a living
below the surface of a distant "water world" (a planet covered by
ocean) evolved into something more: a story of relationships, the importance of
overcoming our caveman-inherited fear of the unknown, and the futility--and
sometimes danger--of trying to live in the past.
What's next? I have a few more books to finish in my Novum
series, and then I plan to start the long-awaited Cyberdrome sequel. Along the
way, I also hope to complete some of the backlog of short stories I have
outlined, covering topics ranging from how paradigms affect our view of the
world, to the very nature of reality, so be sure to follow me on one of the social
media links on my website (JosephRhea.com/contact) to receive updates and
release dates, or just stop by to chat.
Thanks for stopping by,
Joe
