Interview with SciFi Author, Podcaster, Speaker, Software Engineer & Physicist Adeena Mignogna

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER_01]: This podcast is a production of Unfiltered Studios. If you would like to know more about joining Unfiltered Studios, please visit our website at UNFPod.com for more information.

[00:01:32] [SPEAKER_07]: I was well, I mean, which I was this talented. So where did it all begin? When did you become very intrigued by technology and space science?

[00:01:44] [SPEAKER_03]: Definitely when I was a kid watching a lot of science fiction Star Wars and then Star Trek got me interested in robots and space.

[00:01:54] [SPEAKER_03]: You know, respectively, my love of robots absolutely came from, you know, R2D2 and C3PO. And then love of space came from Star Trek.

[00:02:05] [SPEAKER_03]: So, you know, and adding the fact that my dad was an engineer, so I kind of had a, you know, a STEM parent that, you know, encouraged me in the math and science stuff, especially since it was obvious that I took to it.

[00:02:19] [SPEAKER_07]: You said, you did it in order to do all the other awesome. Yeah, brain, brain milled what really inspired you though out of everything had just been just say I think I got this in me. I think I can do this to be a good career field.

[00:02:32] [SPEAKER_03]: Well, yeah, I really start Trek. You know that the next generation was on when I was a high school student or you know show, like yeah eighth grade and high school.

[00:02:44] [SPEAKER_03]: And that was really what convinced me that I wanted to do something with space exploration.

[00:02:51] [SPEAKER_03]: The sad thing though was at the time, so this is the late 80s, not a lot was happening, especially compared to today.

[00:03:01] [SPEAKER_03]: You know, we had after the Challenger disaster in 1986 it seemed like there was a low in the industry.

[00:03:08] [SPEAKER_03]: So even though I was very interested in doing these things, you know, again, it wasn't it wasn't like today missions were few and far between.

[00:03:18] [SPEAKER_03]: I remember Hubble Hubble launching. I remember following Magellan, which was a mission to to Venus, but there wasn't at least the perception was there wasn't much else, you know, there were those shuttle missions of course.

[00:03:32] [SPEAKER_03]: But it was also harder to get information, you know, because this is also pre internet days and everything wasn't available. And you know right now every launch you can watch it on the internet back then we hoped that there might be launches showing on TV and you know come the late 80s, you know,

[00:04:02] [SPEAKER_03]: just happening on TV to show it. So yeah, so even still I really wanted to work in space, but because of this, I was I was very nervous like what happens if I go and I get a degree in aerospace engineering and then like nothing's happening, you know, it gets even worse.

[00:04:19] [SPEAKER_03]: So when I was a high school senior my physics professor in high school, he you know when I looked at him at the time he was like in his 60s early 60s and he had done a little bit of everything and he had worked for grummen during the Apollo era.

[00:04:39] [SPEAKER_03]: He had worked like as an astronomer. He had done all these different things and his original degree was in physics. So I was like, oh yeah, so I was like, well, let's see if I major in physics instead of engineering is basically instead of aerospace.

[00:04:55] [SPEAKER_03]: Well, then I'm not cutting myself off from anything. I could still go to graduate school and do like anything. So it was kind of a way to kind of keep my options open.

[00:05:05] [SPEAKER_03]: And I got stupidly lucky. And a few ways one was that I went to the University of Maryland, which it was a great school for physics.

[00:05:15] [SPEAKER_03]: What was not my first choice by a long shot. But my dad had moved to Maryland the year before I graduated from high school, so Maryland became in state which really meant I didn't have a lot of choice in the matter where I was going and I was lucky that Maryland was a great school.

[00:05:32] [SPEAKER_03]: But I was also lucky in that I liked studying physics because it's you know as people can imagine not an easy major to get through and if you don't like it, you're toast.

[00:05:45] [SPEAKER_03]: Oh man. So and then things worked out I was able to get jobs still doing engineering. And you know, while I was a student and then after being a student and I'd always done computer stuff because, you know, this is where a lot of my dad's influence came in we had computers in my house in the early 80s before most of my friends or anyone else had them.

[00:06:07] [SPEAKER_03]: So I was programming from a young age and so it was just something I did. So I wound up doing a lot of that as part of my career and yeah, it's worked out.

[00:06:20] [SPEAKER_07]: Lovely and that is an eye opening. So in other words you were very much like the thin and Lizzy song, you can do anything you wanted to.

[00:06:26] [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, and I still believe that's true and I think that's you know for that's true for most people if you really want it, you know opportunities are there it requires a lot of hard work nothing nothing is easy.

[00:06:38] [SPEAKER_03]: But if you're willing to, you know, work hard find opportunities take advantage of opportunities when they present themselves yeah you can you can do whatever you want to do.

[00:06:52] [SPEAKER_07]: Totally a lot of health and fitness podcasts have done a really good job of noting how in an era mental health and other social awareness.

[00:07:03] [SPEAKER_07]: The biggest signs of when you can tell someone's going to be a complete jerk to you or.

[00:07:08] [SPEAKER_07]: Be very unorganized is it's mainly because they got their own insecurities and so as long as you put those to the side, you know, you can conquer pretty much all kinds of areas.

[00:07:18] [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I would agree with that.

[00:07:23] [SPEAKER_07]: And well, what are some tips and tricks that you recommend for anyone getting into your career field.

[00:07:30] [SPEAKER_07]: Especially studying space or programming machinery or even IT.

[00:07:35] [SPEAKER_03]: Well, so it's there is it's a very wide field at one of the things I tell to especially high school students is no matter what your true interest is you can probably overlay that with space exploration.

[00:07:52] [SPEAKER_03]: So like, because let's say you're not interested necessarily in doing pure engineering or physics because maybe let's say you haven't done well in math and you hate math.

[00:08:03] [SPEAKER_03]: There is a lot of more, you know, language arts aspects to this there's communications there's technical writing there's you know literally art you know if you go to NASA's website and look at all the artists you know renditions of stuff that we don't you know that you can't take photographs of yet.

[00:08:22] [SPEAKER_03]: So there's a lot of other things and not just pure engineering or aerospace engineering and for anyone who is more technically inclined.

[00:08:33] [SPEAKER_03]: I get, I tell them major in whatever you want to major in let's say you want to even be more on like the biological sciences.

[00:08:40] [SPEAKER_03]: There's a lot of that overlay in space exploration too as we you know look at medical stuff for people as we look at growing stuff in space you know so whatever you're interested it I had.

[00:08:54] [SPEAKER_03]: I was doing an event through my company at the local air space museum so I'm I'm a little north of DC and so we have this Smithsonian you know the National Airspace Museum down in DC and then there's the Udvar Hazy Museum also which is actually ten minutes away from from my office from where I work and so we were we periodically do events where we're like.

[00:09:17] [SPEAKER_03]: hosting you know activities for kids and stuff and there was this one high school student who is completely he was into fashion.

[00:09:24] [SPEAKER_03]: And I'm like there is still a place for that in space too especially as we're designing new space suits and we're looking at you know form fit and function.

[00:09:35] [SPEAKER_03]: And stuff that people need to wear in space and you know clothing these days has become there's a little aspect of you know technology in them as there are new materials and all that so I think I can convince him that if he's also interested in space he can merge his interest in fashion and space together in one two.

[00:09:53] [SPEAKER_03]: And go make it work for two sides of the same coin so yeah so so the tip there really is what is your true passion.

[00:10:02] [SPEAKER_03]: Follow that and there's probably going to be like an overlay with space exploration if you're also interested in space.

[00:10:09] [SPEAKER_07]: Lovely I coincidentally do security for the aerospace technology company here in Delstex is and it is interesting how you know sometimes you know while I'm doing my patrol I will see all the various drawings and newest you know designs and models they they've crafted and it is intriguing in terms of how.

[00:10:30] [SPEAKER_07]: You know it's just there's no limit to figuring out different formulas to get the same advantage of perfect travel perfect space travel perfect.

[00:10:42] [SPEAKER_07]: All kinds of other aviation and landing and protocol and safety.

[00:10:47] [SPEAKER_07]: What do you think is still kind of the biggest barrier that people haven't been able to really kind of put their mind around or justify the research and budget.

[00:10:58] [SPEAKER_03]: Well not not for lack of trying but right now the concept of getting people to Mars is still there's still a lot of.

[00:11:06] [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, still this is out there you know a lot of times people will hear about and I know I've wound up talking about you know the radiation that humans will experience.

[00:11:15] [SPEAKER_03]: Our deep space that's a biggie but what was really fascinating to me is I was at a talk.

[00:11:22] [SPEAKER_03]: Put on by a company called Xwar Mars back in May and this one woman from NASA and I'm blanking on her name.

[00:11:30] [SPEAKER_03]: But we were having a side conversation during one of the breaks and she was adding it that one of the biggest challenges in a long duration mission like Mars is food.

[00:11:43] [SPEAKER_03]: And the and not necessarily having an ample supply of food with you but having enough variety and fresh stuff that people don't aren't basically driven crazy by the lack thereof.

[00:12:00] [SPEAKER_03]: But if you don't have access to variety and fresh food that is a psychological impediment and she's adamant that that's like they're just off a factory.

[00:12:10] [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, yeah, and it could really you know damage rules mental health and so she's adamant that that's like that is like the biggest problem in dealing with that because you know even though for long duration stuff we've had people on the International Space Station for six months a year they routinely get.

[00:12:26] [SPEAKER_03]: You know, resupply of fresh stuff and everything.

[00:12:32] [SPEAKER_03]: When you're on a trip to Mars you're not going to have that resupply throughout the mission so you really are you know bringing what you can you know what you what you bring with you is what you'll have with you.

[00:12:44] [SPEAKER_07]: So things like that.

[00:12:46] [SPEAKER_07]: But yeah, that's that's insane because it's not just psychological it's also kind of.

[00:12:53] [SPEAKER_06]: Getting comfortable I guess and a new skin.

[00:12:56] [SPEAKER_06]: Yeah, yep, yep.

[00:13:02] [SPEAKER_07]: For anyone else getting into this field anything else that you would recommend they take some serious notes on saying make sure you really want to do this.

[00:13:12] [SPEAKER_03]: Well, you know.

[00:13:15] [SPEAKER_03]: You can what I've seen over the years is.

[00:13:20] [SPEAKER_03]: People will will and do change fields so.

[00:13:26] [SPEAKER_03]: It's you know.

[00:13:28] [SPEAKER_03]: Generally people are not locked into a field like they think they are so let's say they go they get a degree of engineering they think this is what they're going to do.

[00:13:37] [SPEAKER_03]: And then yeah, then they're in the workforce for a couple years and they're like, yeah, maybe not this is not what I want to do.

[00:13:43] [SPEAKER_03]: Or maybe this version of it or you know maybe instead of doing engineering they've actually rather be doing just pure math and accounting or you know like there's.

[00:13:53] [SPEAKER_03]: You know so don't feel like whatever you're doing is going to lock you into one thing.

[00:14:00] [SPEAKER_03]: And one thing only so you know it's kind of also a little bit of a mental health thing like don't beat yourself up or don't don't panic that the decisions you're making now are truly like.

[00:14:13] [SPEAKER_03]: This is it for the rest of your life because maybe not necessarily not do or die just yet right it's do for now.

[00:14:20] [SPEAKER_03]: Do the best you can right now, but maybe there's something else you know, but but definitely whatever you're doing in the moment.

[00:14:27] [SPEAKER_03]: Poor yourself into that you know because that's actually also how opportunities come is if you're working hard in the moment opportunities.

[00:14:36] [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I've you know, a lot of times.

[00:14:39] [SPEAKER_03]: I've worked with and mentor you know students coming right at a college and they're worried about their promenix promotion already it's like another you just got here.

[00:14:50] [SPEAKER_03]: Do your job and put your support yourself into this and do what you're doing stuff will happen don't don't be like a really anxious for that because because you do have to get some experience and do some work.

[00:15:02] [SPEAKER_03]: For one also just don't don't worry because if you're constantly worried about what's next you're really not going to be focused on what you're doing right now.

[00:15:10] [SPEAKER_03]: That's very eye opening oh the other one take good notes.

[00:15:16] [SPEAKER_03]: And in the form of what I always try to tell people and again, I think this applies no matter what you're doing it's not just my field but keep a work journal.

[00:15:24] [SPEAKER_03]: Even if you're not getting a personal journal, keep a work journal especially as time passes is hard to remember what you were doing a few months ago and in many office careers.

[00:15:36] [SPEAKER_03]: You will you do perform annual performance evaluations and we're going through that cycle right now and typically it's you write a self appraisal.

[00:15:45] [SPEAKER_03]: And you submit that and then colleagues give feedback and then your manager has to compile it into it into your performance evaluation.

[00:15:54] [SPEAKER_03]: And so a couple things are one you know take good notes on what you've done through the year because it will make writing that self evaluation much easier.

[00:16:01] [SPEAKER_03]: You know when you're late in the year and you're like what the heck was I doing in January, you know you can go back to your notes.

[00:16:07] [SPEAKER_03]: To it also helps because you'll be asked to provide feedback on your colleagues too and you know what what was I doing with that colleague back in January I don't remember without your notes.

[00:16:20] [SPEAKER_03]: And just also because things will repeat and even for yourself even a couple years down the road you'll run into someone or your run into a situation be like wow this sounds familiar I feel like I went through this before and then you'll have your notes and you know so take a work journal.

[00:16:36] [SPEAKER_03]: And then you'll start now.

[00:16:40] [SPEAKER_07]: Oh that's that's good and I see that you're also public speaker what is the company stem stand for.

[00:16:48] [SPEAKER_03]: Oh stem is science technology engineering and math it's just a general.

[00:16:52] [SPEAKER_07]: Oh everything of that stuff yes we know there's nothing better than just seeing that when you got in the fruit of people and you see their eyes energized they're getting it they're filling inspired.

[00:17:03] [SPEAKER_07]: Have you had some rewarding feedback.

[00:17:06] [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah just the other day I was giving a talk.

[00:17:12] [SPEAKER_03]: To the space telescope science institute I was talking about one of the missions that my company works on called halo and just getting feedback that people.

[00:17:22] [SPEAKER_03]: Understood followed along they got something out of the talk just just hearing simple things like that is great.

[00:17:29] [SPEAKER_03]: Some of the talks I give like earlier this summer.

[00:17:32] [SPEAKER_07]: I gave one the halo branded solutions company.

[00:17:36] [SPEAKER_03]: No no our halo is the habitation and logistics outposts in the module that's going to be part of NASA's new lunar gateway space station.

[00:17:47] [SPEAKER_07]: Oh sweet.

[00:17:48] [SPEAKER_03]: Okay it's going to be humanities first home away from earth it's a space station that's going to be kind of an allunner orbit that's not precisely but close so it's further way than you know space station is.

[00:18:01] [SPEAKER_03]: Now and yeah so my company is building one of the first modules that humans will be able to live in there so I've talked about that at a few the few forms in the past.

[00:18:11] [SPEAKER_03]: But then a lot of the talks I do and more frequently I try to gear them or include bits for.

[00:18:19] [SPEAKER_03]: High school and college students to again for career stuff and when you know I had I gave a talk on thermal engineering because it's it's one of the aspects of engineering where we really.

[00:18:31] [SPEAKER_03]: Do you need people so if if there are people out there yeah well if there are people out there and that that kind of sounds interesting and exciting to them.

[00:18:40] [SPEAKER_03]: We need people but yes I had that last talk several adults come up to me saying that you know they had children and one person and one case I think goes her and me.

[00:18:54] [SPEAKER_03]: I think that's that felt that they were going to a STEM career but really kind of a directionless and we're really excited that they had something to now go and tell them.

[00:19:04] [SPEAKER_03]: You know the kind of pass on so that was you know awesome yeah so all those kinds of things you know when I hear people actually got something out of it that they were paying attention.

[00:19:13] [SPEAKER_03]: That they you know a sign of a good talk to me is at the end if there are a ton of questions.

[00:19:19] [SPEAKER_03]: That's always great especially if there are a ton of questions and even when the time is done people are still coming up like after to ask questions that's always that's always great.

[00:19:29] [SPEAKER_00]: We'll return after these messages.

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[00:20:53] [SPEAKER_07]: And has been a big real turnout if you've seen like some serious just because I've been no few different colleges and it seemed like engineering was always a huge turnout at University.

[00:21:04] [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, it seems so I haven't tracked the any like specific statistics recently so when I give talks I'm usually actually at things like science fiction conventions and talking to a mixed group of people.

[00:21:15] [SPEAKER_03]: It's been a while since I've actually used to I've been back to my alma mater several times to talk although now they think about it's been a little while but you know generally.

[00:21:30] [SPEAKER_03]: I think the last time I was looking at some actual statistics is and this is really hard to believe but enrollments and STEM careers are a little down across the board.

[00:21:41] [SPEAKER_03]: And which is amazing because I mean there that's where that's where the jobs are.

[00:21:47] [SPEAKER_03]: You know, having like we're needing people in STEM fields and in advanced fields hasn't slowed down it's going to increase so you know it be who's people to still still do that.

[00:22:01] [SPEAKER_07]: Yes, lovely.

[00:22:04] [SPEAKER_07]: Yeah, many friends or family who you've been able to also pick their brain and inspire them and they're considering it.

[00:22:10] [SPEAKER_03]: Well, my own kids are a little too young but the other day I asked my 13 year old like if if you had to decide what you were going to do right now.

[00:22:21] [SPEAKER_03]: What would it be and he was interested in aeronautical engineering specifically more like things flying through the air not not space so much but the air you know so airplane stuff.

[00:22:31] [SPEAKER_03]: I've never heard him say anything like that before and but other times you know he's said other things that had you know had a stemmy feel to it.

[00:22:41] [SPEAKER_03]: So I mean like if at least my kids going to stuff things to related.

[00:22:46] [SPEAKER_03]: You know I'd like to think I'll take credit for that.

[00:22:50] [SPEAKER_03]: You know I part of it is is right it's just exposure and you know it's normal for kids to go and be interested in things that their parents are interested in just because that's what they're exposed to so.

[00:23:06] [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, but if other kids you know eventually come up and say hey miss minion or miss a dina or used to go I miss a you know I went to college for blah blah blah and you inspired me and got a that'd be awesome I'd love to hear that.

[00:23:21] [SPEAKER_07]: Yeah that's perfect kind of feedback tab.

[00:23:25] Yep.

[00:23:27] [SPEAKER_07]: All together.

[00:23:29] [SPEAKER_07]: Are you hoping that teaching this would.

[00:23:34] [SPEAKER_03]: It's going to get a little easier for some ask that question a slightly different way I'm not sure I feel like.

[00:23:45] [SPEAKER_07]: Approaching the teachings to the subject matter is going to get a little easier.

[00:23:51] [SPEAKER_03]: I don't know but what's really interesting.

[00:23:58] [SPEAKER_03]: Is of course the generative AI tools like chat GPT that can take material and you can say hey explain this to me as if I was a fifth grader and I've played around to see you know kind of that and I've talked to especially my older son.

[00:24:17] [SPEAKER_03]: Who's old enough to access and use chat GPT and I think having a tool like that that can do that is incredibly powerful.

[00:24:29] [SPEAKER_03]: And of course with any technology there's upsides and there's downsides as pros and cons it's a good and the bad there's using it properly and using you know miss using it but I think as an educational tool like that.

[00:24:42] [SPEAKER_03]: It could be pretty powerful with the understanding that current lilies that particular tool in the way it was trained you can't rely on it for fact based in for me you know you can't.

[00:24:57] [SPEAKER_03]: It was it's not a tool that is designed to give you factual information but be a language predictor which is a very different thing.

[00:25:07] [SPEAKER_03]: But still the kind of technology that that represents and then if you if you have.

[00:25:14] [SPEAKER_03]: Because you have that kind of a tool available you can have ones that are trained to just have the actual facts.

[00:25:22] [SPEAKER_03]: I think that's a very that can be a game changer and help bring more knowledge to more people.

[00:25:30] [SPEAKER_07]: Okay sweet.

[00:25:33] [SPEAKER_07]: And anything.

[00:25:35] [SPEAKER_07]: Any other events or.

[00:25:41] [SPEAKER_07]: classes that you'd like to promote from there.

[00:25:45] [SPEAKER_03]: Well of course the books that I write tend to be I try to make it interesting enough with a little bit of stuff snuck in there to make people be like oh that's interesting I wonder if that's a real thing or not.

[00:26:00] [SPEAKER_03]: So I have a series of science fiction novels called the robot galaxy series starting with crazy foolish robots.

[00:26:06] [SPEAKER_03]: Oh yes sir, yes and well while they're fictional again where I can sneak in some real stuff and I do but the idea is you know I'm hoping that you know people will be like oh I wonder about that and then it kind of makes them want to learn the real parts of that.

[00:26:24] [SPEAKER_03]: And you know I do that with some space stuff with some computer science stuff the next book that I have coming out in a few months that's a stand alone called lunar logic.

[00:26:35] [SPEAKER_03]: More of the same similar thing is where while there's sentient robots which is not real and I'm not you know.

[00:26:45] [SPEAKER_03]: The location where they are in the moon and everything about how they're living on the moon and just everything about the moon and the technology there I'm trying to make it as real issues possible the idea of being that hopefully some people will be interesting like oh that would be very interesting about living on the moon.

[00:27:03] [SPEAKER_03]: And I wonder where we where we are in real plant you know what's the reality there and everything.

[00:27:09] [SPEAKER_07]: I think it's a very good question with this or that scenario and then add this bit of science that does actually this slightly good sci-fi writing.

[00:27:18] [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, yeah.

[00:27:19] [SPEAKER_07]: You met any other famous scientists or sci-fi writers.

[00:27:23] [SPEAKER_03]: Well on my own podcast we recently interviewed John Scalsey who is a you know Hugo and Nebula award winning sci-fi writer and he's my.

[00:27:33] [SPEAKER_03]: current living favorite sci-fi author so.

[00:27:36] [SPEAKER_03]: Sweet what is he done?

[00:27:38] [SPEAKER_03]: I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm that's okay. That's okay at well his recent book that just came out as called starter villain.

[00:27:45] [SPEAKER_03]: But some of his and it was it was enjoyable but one.

[00:27:50] [SPEAKER_03]: Like sci-fi fantasy or cyber punkish or just I would say just straight sci-fi with a little bit of humor quirky.

[00:27:57] [SPEAKER_03]: And I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm definitely I would say also inspired by like a lot of us were one of his to me his best best bestest book ever.

[00:28:09] [SPEAKER_03]: And it was a Hugo winning one as well was called red shirts.

[00:28:15] [SPEAKER_03]: It's a little bit of a parody of Star Trek it's great oh my god it's great.

[00:28:21] [SPEAKER_03]: It is it's the best and you know it's even better the audiobook version because it's there.

[00:28:26] [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, it is just such a perfect pairing.

[00:28:31] [SPEAKER_07]: Got the right kind of snarkiness and sarcasm to go along with the material.

[00:28:36] [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, and so that that is his style that like shines through in majority of his novels and you know so my shape or form and we'll wait and has actually narrated a lot of his audiobooks including the recent ones.

[00:28:48] [SPEAKER_03]: So yeah.

[00:28:50] [SPEAKER_07]: Okay awesome awesome so.

[00:28:56] [SPEAKER_07]: How did you when did you feel like you were just comfortable just getting in and actually writing all this sci-fi fiction you've done so far oh gosh well I've been.

[00:29:07] [SPEAKER_03]: Working on the whole writing thing like probably my entire adult life and back into college and even high school.

[00:29:14] [SPEAKER_03]: You know so along with you know being a Star Wars fan being a Star Trek fan I grew up as an Isaac Asmoth fan you know all the.

[00:29:21] [SPEAKER_07]: And do stuff.

[00:29:23] [SPEAKER_03]: So I just as far as I can remember I've always wanted to write science fiction too for the longest time I thought I was only capable of writing short stories I didn't think I could do not.

[00:29:35] [SPEAKER_07]: And then solid G.

[00:29:37] [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, and that's what I thought but then so have you heard of are you aware of nano rimon.

[00:29:43] [SPEAKER_07]: Yes.

[00:29:44] [SPEAKER_03]: So I started my first nano rimon was in 2009.

[00:29:49] [SPEAKER_03]: And it's probably the worst thing I've ever written but the fact that I could actually sustain something for 50,000 words.

[00:29:56] [SPEAKER_03]: Like wow I could I can do this so I did more nano rimon and then so crazy foolish robots actually came out of what I wrote in 2012.

[00:30:06] [SPEAKER_03]: Hmm.

[00:30:07] [SPEAKER_03]: It was by 2012 nano rimon and it sat then for years and then a few several years later I'm like you know I got to finish something if I don't finish something I'm never going to finish anything so I buckled down and I finished that developed it into this four book series.

[00:30:21] [SPEAKER_03]: That is you know all four books are out.

[00:30:24] [SPEAKER_03]: I am going to be writing more in that universe after lunar logic is out and done and lunar logic is just a completely unrelated standalone which actually started also out as a nano rimon book a few years ago.

[00:30:38] [SPEAKER_03]: But I'm going to.

[00:30:38] [SPEAKER_03]: I still work on the short stories but since I'm into the deep in the novels right now the short stories are kind of on the back burner not completely I do some but just not as much as I used to.

[00:30:50] [SPEAKER_07]: Okay.

[00:30:52] [SPEAKER_07]: What do you think just keeps you going and do you have any writing tips and tricks for those who are trying to void the whole cliche of oh I can't come on with ideas or.

[00:31:01] [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, but so for me coming up with ideas is like not not the problem.

[00:31:08] [SPEAKER_03]: I have I have ideas to keep me going for like another thousand years so but for people who you know have issues I mean there are tons of prompt generators brainstorming like you just look.

[00:31:21] [SPEAKER_03]: For brainstorming ideas or prompt generators and there's there's tons of stuff but the thing is and again a lot of writers have the same problem I had is finishing what you start.

[00:31:31] [SPEAKER_03]: And yeah, for me it was it was a matter of a lot of it was just developing a habit and making writing a habit.

[00:31:39] [SPEAKER_03]: Don't wait till you feel like writing you said like so I said a time every single day at a certain time my tutor and then I write time yeah for now for me.

[00:31:52] [SPEAKER_03]: And and for everyone depending on your situation it's going to be like a different time a day or whatever for me it is early in the morning I'm up at my computer from five to six I am every morning that's my writing time.

[00:32:03] [SPEAKER_03]: And it's a habit I get at a bed. I have a coffee pot that you know you can set the timer ahead of time like the night before so.

[00:32:12] [SPEAKER_03]: Coffee's already I leave whatever I'm working on I leave it open on my computer the night before so like so there's no barriers to like I roll out a bed I grab my coffee and I'm sitting at my computer and it's a habit.

[00:32:25] [SPEAKER_03]: You know whether I want feel like doing it or not I'm doing it.

[00:32:30] [SPEAKER_03]: Gotcha. Gotcha. Okay. So yeah, making it a habit I think is is key.

[00:32:35] [SPEAKER_07]: Sweet.

[00:32:37] [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.

[00:32:39] [SPEAKER_07]: What do you think many will just kind of you know because people will make excuses for anything what are you saw I got writers block and it's like no you don't you just add up ideas and just need to clear your mind what are some other misconceptions you think people should consider.

[00:32:55] [SPEAKER_03]: That you know once you put out a book that like you'll you'll instantly have a million readers and a million followers and all that stuff and you know especially as an indie published author.

[00:33:08] [SPEAKER_03]: No, it's a lot of work to market your book too. To do all too well do all that it is it is a lot of work and it's continuous work.

[00:33:17] [SPEAKER_03]: You know even you know there's a there's only a handful of writers that really make a good living out of it you know at it so I still have my my day job.

[00:33:29] [SPEAKER_03]: Which is what really what supports me.

[00:33:31] [SPEAKER_03]: So you know I think I think there's that I mean you're doing the system engineering.

[00:33:35] [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah and I think you know because I'm on several forums on Facebook with a lot of writers and yeah there are a lot of people every week I see someone post in one of these forums you know.

[00:33:47] [SPEAKER_03]: I put out my book last month and I've only gotten like 10 sales and it's like man you just started.

[00:33:55] [SPEAKER_03]: You know you know you just started knowing those of you already have hardly done it at any advertising or marketing and you've actually got 10 sales that's like you should actually be happy not disappoint.

[00:34:04] [SPEAKER_03]: So it's really setting the appropriate expectations for that is a big key and then also you know kind of knowing if you're interested in the.

[00:34:14] [SPEAKER_03]: Like indie publishing path versus traditional paths and there's I recommend people if you're new to any of you know I do what I'm talking about one first worry about writing the book.

[00:34:25] [SPEAKER_03]: You know.

[00:34:27] [SPEAKER_03]: And then you can Google there's a whole pile of especially on YouTube good like YouTubers who.

[00:34:35] [SPEAKER_03]: Talk about the craft of writing the business of writing and we'll break down the indie versus traditional and all that stuff.

[00:34:43] [SPEAKER_06]: Okay, sweet sweet sweet.

[00:34:47] [SPEAKER_07]: Any writing courses or other tutorials recommend others do what it's looking at a YouTube video or two.

[00:34:56] [SPEAKER_03]: So a lot of it depends on where you're starting from.

[00:35:01] [SPEAKER_03]: I still tell people the really the big thing you need to just do is right just right don't worry about anything else because yeah because you can always go back and revise fix.

[00:35:14] [SPEAKER_03]: I don't know if you can go back and maybe go back to your own stuff and

[00:35:14] [SPEAKER_03]: Because a lot of times classes books all those things are they're just another distraction.

[00:35:19] [SPEAKER_03]: They're just another way to procrastinate from actually doing the writing.

[00:35:24] [SPEAKER_03]: That said, I mean I started off in in high school I took a creative writing class and college I took a creative writing class I have been reading craft books on an off, you know, for forever.

[00:35:35] [SPEAKER_03]: And there are so many different ones and different techniques will resonate with different people.

[00:35:41] [SPEAKER_03]: But really it started to gel for me still after I had done a few nanorimos and after I had written a couple terrible novels,

[00:35:51] [SPEAKER_03]: then it started to come together and so for Crazy Foolish robots,

[00:35:56] [SPEAKER_03]: it is so different from what I actually wrote during the nanorimos to include the titles different.

[00:36:02] [SPEAKER_03]: The main character is different, you know, like so many things are different and it's like I really did it, you know, after I wrote it.

[00:36:12] [SPEAKER_03]: But and that said there's there's a, you know, so different methods, there's like the snowflake method which is a good one for folks who are new.

[00:36:21] [SPEAKER_03]: Looking up save the cat is a good method.

[00:36:26] [SPEAKER_03]: And there's save the cat and save the cat rights a novel.

[00:36:30] [SPEAKER_03]: Save the cat was really originally for screenplays, but now the the beats that they talk about in both those books are the same.

[00:36:40] [SPEAKER_03]: I would still even if you're looking to write a novel, I would still read save the cat.

[00:36:48] [SPEAKER_03]: Over the save the cat rights a novel. I mean that one's a good one too, but the examples they give in save the cat because they're all movies.

[00:36:57] [SPEAKER_03]: Chances are you've seen most if not all the movies a reference.

[00:37:02] [SPEAKER_03]: We're in save the cat rights a novel.

[00:37:05] [SPEAKER_03]: There's a good chance, unless you really are a very well read and are real read in literary fiction.

[00:37:12] [SPEAKER_03]: You might not know, you know, a lot of those examples you might not know.

[00:37:16] [SPEAKER_03]: And again for someone like me who I'm well read in science fiction, but not necessarily in just general literary fiction.

[00:37:24] [SPEAKER_03]: There's a ton I didn't know there and I think that's going to be true for a lot of people who maybe want to write like say science fiction novel and no science fiction and fantasy and don't necessarily know other.

[00:37:35] [SPEAKER_03]: You know literary stuff.

[00:37:37] [SPEAKER_03]: So, but again, all those different different methods like are going to work for different people.

[00:37:42] [SPEAKER_03]: It's still at the end of the day you just have to write sit down and write.

[00:37:47] [SPEAKER_07]: Okay, nice.

[00:37:50] [SPEAKER_07]: Don't make it hard unless you want to want to.

[00:37:51] [SPEAKER_07]: Yeah, oh yeah.

[00:37:53] [SPEAKER_03]: And everything is a procrastination.

[00:37:57] [SPEAKER_03]: Like everything gets in the you know really all everything everything just but you know pick your writing time a day that's all you do during that writing time a day.

[00:38:07] [SPEAKER_03]: Then use the other times you can do other things and again I and that's what I do like in my my five to six a.m. in the morning that's writing time in the evening I'll do some other things like some of my marketing.

[00:38:17] [SPEAKER_03]: So talking to people like on interviews like this you know all that other stuff happens you know in the evening after the kid that are in bed and stuff.

[00:38:24] [SPEAKER_07]: Sweet.

[00:38:25] [SPEAKER_07]: How did you get involved with the big sci-fi podcast.

[00:38:30] [SPEAKER_03]: Oh, that was a fun story.

[00:38:32] [SPEAKER_03]: So me and my co hosts Steve Brian and Chris.

[00:38:37] [SPEAKER_03]: We were all writing for a trick fan website.

[00:38:42] [SPEAKER_03]: And through that we thought we were going to do some podcasting with the person who ran that website.

[00:38:49] [SPEAKER_03]: One thing led to another and that didn't work out.

[00:38:52] [SPEAKER_03]: But the for us, we kind of like, well wait, we still want a podcast and do this so we decided to make our own podcast.

[00:39:01] [SPEAKER_03]: We're very very very heavy on the track, but we're all science fiction and that's why we're called the big sci-fi podcast.

[00:39:08] [SPEAKER_03]: But because we're heavy on the track, we are a member of the track, he snebwork podcast network.

[00:39:15] [SPEAKER_03]: And yeah, we've been doing it for almost two years.

[00:39:19] [SPEAKER_03]: We do we what we do is we we release an episode a week and we about 20 episodes for our season.

[00:39:27] [SPEAKER_03]: And then we take a little break and we have some like little short snippets for a month and then we come back with our next season.

[00:39:34] [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, and so mix the interviews and just going over certain either start trick episodes or science fiction movies or science fiction themes.

[00:39:44] [SPEAKER_07]: There's so much has a topic.

[00:39:47] [SPEAKER_03]: Which yeah, and there's just so much in fact our episode coming out tomorrow.

[00:39:52] [SPEAKER_03]: We talked about the Star Trek litverse and we had to of the contemporary Star Trek authors.

[00:39:58] [SPEAKER_03]: Dayton Ward and Keith decandido.

[00:40:02] [SPEAKER_03]: Yes, they're awesome and they came and talked to us so that episode's coming up tomorrow.

[00:40:07] [SPEAKER_03]: We've talked to some actors we talked to Michelle heard earlier this year and we were actually going to see her and a bunch of people.

[00:40:15] [SPEAKER_03]: And we even talked to like you know, even outside of that one of my co-workers is also a former astronaut and he came and talked to us Rick Mastropio.

[00:40:26] [SPEAKER_03]: But then yeah, but then we will cover like you know we'll do recap of the latest season of a car or strange new worlds or last week the episode that we did covered the ghost busters movie and franchise.

[00:40:38] [SPEAKER_03]: You know, like just it's a whole wide science fiction, it's a big science fiction universe which is why we're the big sci-fi podcast.

[00:40:46] [SPEAKER_07]: There you go man.

[00:40:49] [SPEAKER_07]: All runs together after one.

[00:40:51] [SPEAKER_03]: Yep.

[00:40:54] [SPEAKER_03]: Well, and so we just last night it'll be out starting in a week or so because their episode with Keith and Dayton that comes out tomorrow that's the end of our season five.

[00:41:03] [SPEAKER_03]: I'm sorry season four.

[00:41:05] [SPEAKER_07]: It's always a blur.

[00:41:07] [SPEAKER_07]: Keep track and podcast.

[00:41:08] [SPEAKER_03]: Yes, but what is going to happen is so the our in between season content is we decided to write our own science fiction.

[00:41:16] [SPEAKER_03]: So each little short that's kind of come out for the next few weeks will be one of us reading a flash fiction story that we wrote and then we we spent five minutes reading the story to each other.

[00:41:28] [SPEAKER_03]: And none of us had heard our stories, you know, before we wrote specifically for this and then we spent about five minutes discussing it and it was so much fun.

[00:41:38] [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.

[00:41:39] [SPEAKER_03]: So we do a little bit of everything.

[00:41:41] [SPEAKER_03]: And we'll be at for folks who might be at trickle on island next spring. We were at trickle on island this past year will be there again.

[00:41:49] [SPEAKER_06]: Hmm.

[00:41:51] [SPEAKER_07]: Sweet.

[00:41:52] [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, we're busy.

[00:41:55] [SPEAKER_07]: No shortage of busyness.

[00:41:57] [SPEAKER_05]: Yeah.

[00:42:00] [SPEAKER_07]: Anything else you'd recommend for those just again trying to do their damn this.

[00:42:09] [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, well, that that's exactly it is is you know.

[00:42:15] [SPEAKER_03]: Working hard is to me still one of the the best ways to stand out to you know to get noticed.

[00:42:26] [SPEAKER_03]: You don't shy away from opportunities.

[00:42:31] [SPEAKER_03]: You know, kind of like put yourself out there a little bit early in my career.

[00:42:38] [SPEAKER_03]: There were a couple opportunities where they were stretch assignments for me.

[00:42:42] [SPEAKER_03]: And it was going to be extra work and it was going to be, you know, definitely a level up from where I really was.

[00:42:49] [SPEAKER_03]: But the opportunity was there is because there wasn't you know, there was some roles that needed to be filled and no one was there to do it and you need to get done.

[00:42:57] [SPEAKER_03]: So I just kind of like raise my hand and said, hey, I'll do it if you guys will let me and then that kind of thing that worked out and that's things like that will help you stand out.

[00:43:06] [SPEAKER_03]: But you have to do the work there's there's no getting around ever in anything ever is worth while doing is always work.

[00:43:15] [SPEAKER_03]: But if you're in a career that you're passionate about.

[00:43:20] [SPEAKER_03]: I won't say that makes every day like play because it's not true.

[00:43:24] [SPEAKER_03]: It's still work, but it's rewarding work if you're enjoying what you're doing.

[00:43:30] [SPEAKER_06]: Sweet.

[00:43:35] [SPEAKER_07]: Also, what do you think just really just get you up in the morning know and that you can make a difference and you're doing something you're actually dedicated to.

[00:43:45] [SPEAKER_03]: Well, I think the first thing that gets me up in the morning is my kids.

[00:43:49] [SPEAKER_03]: And not because they're waking me up in the morning.

[00:43:52] [SPEAKER_03]: But you know, being a mom and having to take care of my kids so that gets me, you know, I don't have a choice if I want to stay at bed.

[00:44:00] [SPEAKER_03]: I have no choice but no, I mean like especially because I put my writing session first thing in the morning really my alarm goes off at five I'm up at five with my coffee right here my computer you know working.

[00:44:13] [SPEAKER_03]: On days that I.

[00:44:15] [SPEAKER_03]: I know what it feels like to miss that as in where I've had did I have had days where I don't feel like it or something else gets in the way like my youngest when he was a little younger.

[00:44:27] [SPEAKER_03]: Like right now, not going would he predictably sleep sent until six something but there was a time when he's a little younger where maybe he's waking up early and that completely disrupts my routine.

[00:44:39] [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah well, but the thing is so I know what it feels like to miss my morning writing session.

[00:44:46] [SPEAKER_03]: And I'm utterly miserable the rest of the day.

[00:44:48] [SPEAKER_03]: So what I'll say is what gets me up is and it gets me doing that is I know if I at least get my my hour long writing session the morning.

[00:44:57] [SPEAKER_03]: I've done that for the day I could you know the rest of the day you know then I can move on great with the rest of my day whatever happens it's all going to matter yeah.

[00:45:08] [SPEAKER_07]: Okay sweet.

[00:45:11] [SPEAKER_07]: And you want to talk about your upcoming novel.

[00:45:14] [SPEAKER_03]: Okay, so lunar logic now it's going to be a lot of fun and it's really funny because it's completely rewritten from the original two originally what I had written was like a little darker and decided to lighten up the tone quite a bit but it follows aedon and a few other.

[00:45:33] [SPEAKER_03]: Robot and droids that they live on the moon and at first sort of they you know they're doing their thing and they don't know about humans.

[00:45:47] [SPEAKER_03]: Then some clues fall their way and they're like what's this and they start learning about humans.

[00:45:54] [SPEAKER_03]: And everything kind of gets up and did as they start figuring out kind of like the truth of their existence and you know,

[00:46:01] [SPEAKER_03]: and so it's figuring out finding a new normal or possibly getting reset because they you know they are robots but they you know are on the moon so the novel pretty much takes place on the moon about a hundred years from now.

[00:46:15] [SPEAKER_03]: And I've done my best to kind of extrapolate from what I really know about what's possible on the moon to set up what I have there.

[00:46:25] [SPEAKER_03]: And it's a lot of philosophizing philosophizing my pronounce in that word right.

[00:46:31] [SPEAKER_03]: Philosophizing it's a lot of philosophy in there.

[00:46:34] [SPEAKER_03]: Just say that in addition to the technology stuff.

[00:46:40] [SPEAKER_03]: And so it comes out in January.

[00:46:44] [SPEAKER_03]: And so and it's currently available the ebook is available for pre-sale on Amazon's lunar logic.

[00:46:51] [SPEAKER_07]: We signed up to your newsletter so.

[00:46:56] [SPEAKER_03]: Yes, and I have a newsletter where you can follow along all these shenanigans and know about my books and where I might be speaking next and all kinds of stuff.

[00:47:07] [SPEAKER_06]: Still are still are.

[00:47:10] [SPEAKER_07]: Okay, well man, yeah, I picked a brain and you've blown my mind.

[00:47:16] [SPEAKER_07]: You're right.

[00:47:16] [SPEAKER_07]: Oh, good.

[00:47:17] [SPEAKER_07]: But all together just this was just very detailed and very intriguing so.

[00:47:25] [SPEAKER_07]: All together.

[00:47:28] [SPEAKER_07]: Anything else that you just still just got to kind of mentioned.

[00:47:33] [SPEAKER_03]: They're so you know if you let me talk about like space in robots and all these things in Star Trek they're I'm sure there will be like a thousand things.

[00:47:41] [SPEAKER_03]: But what's just amazing is just the amount of stuff that's happening in space exploration these days compared to when I was a kid so you know I'd say plug into it if anyone who is interested.

[00:47:51] [SPEAKER_03]: Just plug in a NASA dot gov spaceflight now dot com space news dot com and just you know watch all the missions especially the science missions happening you know the James web psyche.

[00:48:03] [SPEAKER_03]: Which is just launching an OSIRIS Rex which was just coming back from an asteroid there's just so much interesting stuff happening.

[00:48:11] [SPEAKER_03]: It's it's amazing and it's hard to keep track of all of it which is just even more like mind blowing.

[00:48:16] [SPEAKER_07]: Wait, okay, well I just hope you have a wonderful rest of the year and it's all on a been for.

[00:48:23] [SPEAKER_07]: Thank you you too.

[00:48:24] [SPEAKER_07]: Okay, well stay safe out there and got speed.

[00:48:33] [SPEAKER_02]: Follow us on the web on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

[00:48:37] [SPEAKER_02]: The podcast is available on popby Spotify.

[00:48:40] [SPEAKER_02]: I heard radio anchor Apple and anywhere else podcast are available feel free to review our show and leave comments on any of those sites.

[00:48:49] [SPEAKER_02]: Thanks a million for listening.

[00:49:13] [SPEAKER_04]: Thank you.