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

Zilla: Science fiction exists to show us an alternative future—and sometimes, an alternative past. That’s what we get in Peter Fatouros’ novel, Nine to One: A New Generation. Peter, can you introduce us to your book?

Peter: Nine to One: A New Generation is a story that takes place in an alternate universe where starting in 1965, the birth ratios changed so that instead of boys & girls being born in essentially equal numbers, from that point on, nine girls were born to every boy. The book follows several characters as they navigate their lives in a world that’s struggling to adjust not only to the changes of the 60s, 70s & 80s, but also the fact that the new generation is 90% female.

Zilla: What inspired you to write this book?

Peter: It started before the pandemic when I was riding the bus home from work. One day, I noticed that even though the bus was packed like a sardine can, there were only two or three guys on the bus. I ignored it at first, just a funny thing to notice. But then it kept happening, every night, five days a week. No matter what time I took the bus, it was the same thing, a bus load of women with a handful of men. I started wondering what was going on. That led to me imagining if the whole world were like this & what that would be like. That then led to me wondering how such a world might have come about. Before I knew it, the ideas for a book were coming to me.

Zilla: What a neat beginning! From there, did you do a lot of research?

Peter: A good bit. I spent a good deal of time looking up historical figures, election results, and government agencies that don’t exist anymore. Towards the end of the book & into the sequel that I’m writing, historical accuracy isn’t as important as things have changed wildly. However, at the beginning, a number of things happening in history would still be happening in the book, even with a change as wild as this book’s premise. So I wanted the beginning of the book at least to be as historically accurate as I could get it.

Zilla: Is your work more plot driven or character driven?

Peter: Character driven. There are a few subplots here and there, but it’s mostly a story about these characters and the world that they are living in. A look into how they’re changing themselves, trying to change society, or just growing up in a situation unlike anything that the world has seen before.

Zilla: What’s your next writing project?

Peter: The sequel to this book, which will pick up where it left off in 1985 and continue the story. I’m also working on a science fiction podcast called What Could Have Been.

Zilla: 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?

Peter: I can be found on Bluesky, Instagram, Threads, and Tik Tok. My Book can be found as an Amazon eBook, Amazon Paperback, or read about it on Goodreads.