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

Sabitha: Ready for a space opera adventure that will take you around the solar system? We’ve got you covered. A.L. MacDonald, can you tell us about your book Orbiting Fortunes?

A.L.: Orbiting Fortunes is a science fiction novel set in the not-too-distant future. Alan Mercier has left his life as a cop on Mars behind and now flys a space junker, fighting over valuable debris in Earth’s orbit. One find in particular pulls him into the dangerous and murky world of pirating. He discovers that it’s harder to walk away from the cop life than he thought.

Sabitha: Dramatic! What inspired you to write this?

A.L.:  I love space and spaceships. Lots of people say that, sure, but I love them ten times more. I am a huge fan of Star Wars, Andy Weir and Chris Hadfield (both as an astronaut and an author). I regularly watch hours of live stream footage of SpaceX assembling their new starship in Texas. I wanted my book to imagine what the future of those starships will be. We can’t fly them yet, so this is as close as we can get.

Sabitha: What book do you tell all your friends to read? And what about them do you love?

A.L.: The Martian and Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Also, The Apollo Murders by Chris Hadfield. When people say those books get a little lost in the technical detail, those are my favourite parts!

Sabitha: Since technical details are fun for you, I bet you go for scientific accuracy when you write! How much research did you need to do for your book? 

A.L.: I am not sure why, but I spent several hours – possibly days – researching spacecraft reentry. Specifically the distance between the atmosphere interface and the splashdown/landing point. I probably should have just gotten rid of the scene, but then how would I have shown off all the stuff I’d learned!?

Sabitha: Have you ever killed off a character your readers loved?

A.L.: No, no. Well, I mean, don’t get me wrong, I slaughter characters, but they are usually quite evil or at the end of their usefulness to the story—I’m kidding! I don’t mean to ruin peoples’ days by reading my book! My aim is to put smiles on faces! Chuckles would be even better. I dream of guffaws.

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?

A.L.: My book is right here. You can’t turn around without finding me on social media: Twitter, Instagram, and my website.