Today, we’re talking with Nathan Gregory about his book,
Tell us something unexpected about yourself!
I make things up. That's what we writers do, make things up.
Why do you write?
After the crash of the 2000s I became depressed. As an outlet, self-therapy, I started writing. I never wrote for any audience but myself, and never had any intention of publishing. But a good friend persuaded me to put that first story, ‘Chromosome Quest,' on Amazon, and to my shock and surprise, it sold. It keeps selling, a steady trickle, but sales nonetheless, and spawned two sequels and a prequel. This new book is a sequel to the prequel. But old CQ outsells all the other books combined, to my constant amazement.
Where did you get the inspiration for your current book?
The current book flows naturally from the ones before it in the series. The series, the entire story arc, is deeply rooted in various mythologies around UFOs, extraterrestrial life, and ancient aliens. The story arc represents my original ideas about how Aliens might exist on Earth. I borrow equally from Erich Von Daniken and E.E. “Doc” Smith. I used so much of Smith's fictional world in ‘Chromosome Conspiracy' that I asked the author's estate, in the person of his grandson, for permission, which he kindly granted.
What do you enjoy the most about your genre?
As an engineer, one might assume my interest lies with the technological innovations and fantastical worlds depicted in sci-fi. There is truth in that, but I equally enjoy exploring the ways in which these speculative futures reflect and critique our present-day societal structures and norms. Science fiction serves as a lens through which complex issues such as power, identity, and morality can be explored in imaginative and thought-provoking ways.
How would you describe your writing process?
Three cups (at least) of strong coffee, NIFOC, and total silence. I usually start sometime between 3 AM and 4 AM, and stop when the coming day refuses to accept “go away.”
What advice would you have for other writers?
Illegitimi non carborundum. Scribe ut tibi ipsi placere primum. (Don't let the bastards grind you down. Write to please yourself first.)
How do you select your books’ titles and covers?
I consult the stars, deciphering their cryptic dance, for in their celestial choreography lies the truth of my decisions. If that doesn't work, I often find I must kill a chicken for the blood and entrails to use in an obscure little ritual that was handed down from my distant Scots-Irish ancestors.
What's your next step?
I think I may step back from fiction for a while. I have two non-fiction works I'd like to complete. But before I get to work on those, I want to take a road trip. A long road trip.
What book do you wish you'd written?
I won't say I exactly wish I had written it, but a book which I love, which I can deeply relate to due to having grown up in the “Bible Belt,” and which I feel is vastly underrated, is Heinlein's “JOB: A Comedy of Justice”
How do you react to seeing a new review for your book?
trepidation. fear. And sometimes, a sigh of blessed relief.
