Q: How did you come up with the details and dates in the chronology?
A: I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted the colonists to be like
before I started the chronology. Writing
the chronology became a matter of getting from the present day to the Pearl colony
several hundred years in the future, while simultaneously addressing the
question of how the great wealth of humanity’s intellect could produce a society
that lacked even the most basic capacity for critical thought. Even today,
humans have already cured diseases that were deadly or incapacitating less than
100 years ago. Technology has made the world smaller and easier to navigate. I
tried to carry these strands of progress to their complete realization, which
is a world without the problems that have plagued humankind throughout our
existence. So all the dates and details are just my thoughts on the possible
extensions of human progress, colored by the hopeful belief that human beings
are capable of such intellectual feats.
Q: How has your experience as a forensic scientist influenced your
writing?
A: Not very much in regards to Our Dried Voices, simply because I wrote
most of the novel before I even began my graduate work in forensics. I’ve drawn
on my knowledge of forensics and very brief experience with trial law in my
second novel, which I am currently editing.
However, I have no plans to write a forensic crime novel, in the vein
of Patricia Cornwell or Kathy Reichs.
Q: Do you have a muse or consistent source of inspiration?
A: Books in general. I get so many ideas from reading, and even find
myself unconsciously drawing on the language of whatever author I’m reading at
the time.
Q: In Our Dried Voices, technology and automation have rid humanity of
the need for creativity and original thought.
How do you think present day technologies contribute to society as a helper
or inhibitor of these characteristics in the real world? Do you see present day technology as a threat
to humanity’s creativity?
A: Like many other things, I think the benefits of technologies depend
on how we employ them. Obviously, endeavors to cure disease and alleviate world
hunger are admirable pursuits. In an ideal world, we wouldn’t have to worry
about such hardships. But I think we should question how much we want our
technologies to do for us. Do we want our cars to parallel park themselves, or
even drive someday in the future, or is there value in learning and practicing
these skills ourselves? The problem in the colony of Our Dried Voices is that
the colonists lose all the skill and intellect that made these technologies
possible. I think humans can be endlessly creative, and technology can play an
essential role in this process, but maintaining that creativity will require a
concerted effort.
Q: Are you planning a sequel?
A: Not immediately. I know the end of the novel definitely leaves room
for a sequel, but I’ve got a couple different projects planned next. However, I
can imagine myself writing an Our Dried Voices sequel someday.
Q: What is next for you, writing wise?
Do you have any current projects you’d like to talk about?
A: I’m currently editing a novel entitled The Friar’s Lantern. It’s a
gamebook, or choose-your-own-adventure book (yes, just like the ones you used
to read as a kid, but slightly more grown up). It’s about fate and free will
and features a philosophy problem called Newcomb’s Paradox and a murder trial
in which you are a juror.
Q: What are a few of your favorite books?
A: The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, 1984 by George Orwell, Long Walk to
Freedom by Nelson Mandela, Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace, The Plague by
Albert Camus.
Q: Are you a vegetarian?
A: No. I think there are important nutrients to be found in animal
proteins. That said, I believe more humane farming methods also produce a
healthier product, in contrast to factory farming.
Q: Can you tell us a little bit about your process? Do you have a regular writing routine?
A: I’m big on outlines, which I think comes from my experience as a
philosophy major in college. Outlines help me map out philosophical arguments,
and in writing fiction they help me structure my stories. Usually by the time
I’m actually ready to write a complete piece, I have a pretty good idea of
where I want things to go. After I’ve finished a first draft, I will go through
several rewrites, each one focusing on a few different aspects of the work,
including overall content, sentence structure and word choice. And I always like
to read my pieces aloud at least once so I can hear the flow of the words.
Q: What do you think it is about the sub-story in Our Dried Voices that
made it the one story that
remained to the people of the colony?
What inspired the sub-story?
A: I think all people have a strong sense of home, and the idea of
going home is so universal across humanity as to withstand the test of time.
The colonists certainly share this idea of home, even if they can’t articulate
it. They remain very much bound to the confines of their colony, unwilling to
explore the meadow beyond the rudimentary fence, or even sleep in a different
bed despite the uniformity of the barracks-like sleeping halls. The sub-story
is based on another very well-known homecoming story, which I have only shared
in my monthly e-mail newsletter. For now, I will leave that secret to the
imagination of my readers.
About
the Author:
Greg Hickey was born in Evanston, Illinois in 1985. After
graduating from Pomona College in 2008, he played and coached baseball in
Sweden and South Africa. He is now a forensic scientist, endurance athlete and
award-winning writer. He lives in Chicago with his wife, Lindsay.
About the Book:
In 2153, cancer was cured. In 2189, AIDS. And in 2235, the last
members of the human race traveled to a far distant planet called Pearl to
begin the next chapter of humanity. Several hundred years after their arrival,
the remainder of humanity lives in a utopian colony in which every want is
satisfied automatically, and there is no need for human labor, struggle or
thought. But when the machines that regulate the colony begin to malfunction,
the colonists are faced with a test for the first time in their existence. With
the lives of the colonists at stake, it is left to a young man named Samuel to
repair these breakdowns and save the colony. Aided by his friend Penny, Samuel
rises to meet each challenge. But he soon discovers a mysterious group of
people behind each of these problems, and he must somehow find and defeat these
saboteurs in order to rescue his colony.
(234pp, ISBN#9781940368931)
Purchase at:Amazon $2.99 Kindle, borrow on Kindle Unlimited or $12.53 Paperback (Prime Eligible)
