Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Sabitha: Want a witty science fiction thriller about the dark side of tech-bros? E.W. Doc Parris’s The Dent in the Universe is here to scratch that itch. Doc, take it away!

Doc: I tend to write matter-of-fact, hard science fiction grounded in the current scientific worldview, leavened with wit, and kindled by the warmth of human relationships. I’m a big fan of taking a scientific notion and asking, “What if?” Especially if that leads to questions of how badly this could go for humanity if things got out of hand.

For example: What if you could send information—internet data (emails, text, video, online orders)—into the past? What would you do? Order a pizza and have it arrive in an instant? Order that anniversary gift you forgot about? Place emergency supplies right where they’re needed before a tornado strikes? These sound like great ideas. What could go wrong? Well… what if your customers are monsters? Even just one? Because, y’know, some of them will be.

Sabitha: That sounds wild in the best possible way. What inspired you to write this book?

Doc: This story came from two conceptual vectors. The first was wondering how much trouble you could get into with the simplest possible time machine. Just a machine that allows you to send emails into the past. The second was, if everybody believes the zombie apocalypse is inevitable, how would it start? I mean, everybody has plans for the zombie apocalypse, right? Most movies don’t show us how it starts. Those two ideas came together in a really fun, scary way that you’re going to love.

Sabitha: I’m sure I will! Do you have a “fan-cast” – do you have actors you’d cast as your main characters?

Doc: The character Cliff Price was informed by a few performances by Cameron Britton (Mindhunter, The Umbrella Academy). Walrus Roberts could be played by some cross between Hurly on Lost (Jorge Garcia) and Jeff Bridges in The Big Lebowski. I only see Steve Jobs when I think of Stephen Lucas. Young Steve. 1990 Steve.

Sabitha: That gives me such a clear picture. What book do you tell all your friends to read? Besides yours of course!

Doc: I’ve just finished binge-reading The Murderbot Diaries, and I’m telling everyone about them. Most of them are novellas and quick reads or audiobook listens. Read those. Martha Wells is a genius.

Sabitha:  Do you have any suggestions to help people in our community become a better writers? 

Doc: Write those stories that you just can’t avoid. If you can sit and watch Netflix at night after work and think you’d like to be a writer, forget it. If you find yourself more interested in your story than in binging the latest streamer, if you can’t tear yourself away from your own story—those are the stories we want to read.

Sabitha: Absolutely. So what’s your next writing project you can’t tear yourself away from?

Doc: After The Aurora’s Pale Light, the next book in the WalrusTech Universe series, is released in the spring of 2024, I’ve got a story called The Land of Nod in the pipeline. It’s a story of the development of nanotechnology and machine learning being used to repair human neural networks for things like nerve damage or strokes. It feels like a miracle until things get out of hand.

Sabitha: Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?

Doc: The Dent in the Universe is available exclusively on Amazon through November. Kindle Unlimited readers can devour it for free. You can find the link on the Magic Genius Books website.