So, when writing Trinity’s Children, this first-book-syndrome slapped me in the face, like a trout. If that reference doesn’t mean anything to you it’s probably because you were born well after 1980, have no idea what Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is, and I’m not going to tell you here. Suffice to say, it’s light-hearted fun, trouts are involved, and I will leave it with:
“/slap Readers”
One area of trout-slappage was Charlotte Omandi. Wow, what an amazing woman she turned out to be. I really had no idea. When the idea for Paradigm first came to me, all I really knew was that Doctor Damien Howard had a genetic mutation that enabled long life, was quite clever, and had been contacted about an existential threat posed by aliens. The next person who showed up, was Charlotte. I knew she was a product of Howard’s eugenics program, native of Kenya, and an exceptionally charismatic leader. Everything else in Paradigm really flowed from these first two characters. James, the lovable rogue with a devil-may-care attitude that hides some darkness we’ve seen hints of, but have yet to explore. Misha’s backstory about her sister and connection with Linnea evolved as the two interacted. Early on, I honestly wondered why Misha showed so much animosity toward Linnea, and why she always called the young telepath Barbie. That wasn’t in any of my outlines, but it prompted the backstory you all have now read and, I think, provides depth and definition to their relationship. They revealed it to me, rather than the other way round. Yes, I know that still makes me sound rather insane. Please refer back to my previous writers are cracked comment.
Anyway, I could go on and on discussing Rick, Annchi, Linnea, Karishma, Damien, and Coleman’s background, but will probably leave that for my Patreon page. To do otherwise would turn this author’s note into its own self-indulgent novella, and who needs that?
So, let’s keep the focus on Omandi. By the Epilogue of Trinity’s Children, after Doctor Howard exposes the depth of his feelings, we find Charlotte alone in her small chapel. We see in the simple coin she touches all that came before, why she was the epicenter of everything, and how only she could, quite literally, bring about e pluribus unum…out of the many, one.
…or, at least, that was my hope. You all are the final judges on whether I succeeded.
Changing Genres
Writing Science Fiction is hard and don’t let anyone tell you differently. Fantasy is hard too, but for entirely different reasons. In my opinion, the hardest part of Fantasy is developing a consistent magical system that passes the bovine defecation test without making protagonists over powered. For me, the hardest part of Science Fiction is deciding just how much science there will be and how much fiction.
Star Trek’s original series is a great example, which is why you may have notice a few subtle nods to Gene Roddenberry’s creation within Paradigm. Shields, phasers, transporters, warp engines…how did they work within the Star Trek universe when the show debuted? No one knew, and no one really cared. Those technologies made logical sense and that was enough. Obviously, as the years have passed, science has caught up to some aspects of Star Trek. Realistic warp engines have been theorized, fusion engines have been designed, and transparent aluminum actually exists. It really does, look it up.
In writing Paradigm 2045 I had to decide how much I would rely on hard science and how much on “theoretical handwavium.” I tried to strike a balance and look forward to hearing how you folks think I did.
Almost all of the capabilities found within the Paradigm universe either exists now or have been theorized. The Alcubierre warp drive is a real thing, at least in theory, as are plasmatic shields, and high intensity discharge weapons. We now know dark matter exists, but are largely clueless what it does, which makes it perfect for my using it to power Handwavium Singularity Gates™.
Here’s a fun fact. I actually had to do an early rewrite when I was about 50,000 words into Paradigm because my “non-technical” alpha readers thought it was too dry and scientific. My “technical” alpha readers told me there were holes in my physics through which one could drive a bus. (Damn it, Jim, I’m an author, not an engineer).
This is just one of many reasons why alpha reader input is so critical. I took that feedback, increased the pace of the story, reduced the reliance on hard science, and, I hope, created a better story for having made those changes.
Well, that’s it, another novel, and author’s note, in the can. Again, I hope you enjoyed Paradigm 2045: Trinity’s Children, and are looking forward to the next two books in the trilogy.
If you did, please, please, please consider posting a review to Amazon and Audible. For my part, I will endeavor to do right by both you and the wonderful characters who inhabit this world you’ve so graciously taken time to enter. As always, please feel free to contact me on Facebook, Instagram, or at Spartamac.com.
Author’s Bio
Robert W. Ross is the author of the critically acclaimed Sentinels of Creation print and audiobook series. Paradigm 2045 is his first full-length Science Fiction series, and Trinity’s Children is the first book in that series. Robert has both a passion for pop culture and a loathing to discuss himself in the third person. However, his wife convinced him that anyone who took the time to reach the end of his books or audiobooks might want to know a little about the person who made them.
To that end, Robert’s influences include authors such as Robert A. Heinlein, Philip Jose Farmer, and Brandon Sanderson. He has a deep and abiding love for all things Star Trek, Doctor Who, and Sponge Bob. While Robert can often make obscure TV, Book, and Movie references, he sadly has none of his character’s genetic enhancements. To the contrary, he is quite sure the brain space taken up by all that trivia is directly responsible for him lacking any sense of direction.
In addition to his work as an author, Robert has led the Artificial Intelligence and Experience Design efforts for a number of Fortune 100 companies. He is also a keynote speaker and guest-lecturer at both Georgia Tech and Kennesaw State University.
In both interviews and reviews, Robert's unique blend of pop-culture, alternate history, near future science fiction, magical systems, and strong female characters have been highlighted as key factors in his series’ success. Given the intense interest in his female protagonists, he has agreed to write two novellas that highlight their origins. The first novella, Isabella's Campaign, was published in September, 2019 as part of the Storming Area 51 anthology that Robert supported along with a number of wonderful authors he's met along the way.
While Robert's first series, Sentinels of Creation, was written as urban fantasy, his second series, Paradigm 2045, leverages the hard science side of his experiences while still weaving in the humor and character banter which are hallmarks of his writing style.
Outside of Robert's business and writing commitments, he enjoys helping facilitate the collaboration between authors, cover artists, and audiobook voice actors. He is a big believer that such collaboration can make its own magic, causing an already great story to become even greater. For Robert, this magic is the product of his personal collaboration and friendship with narrator, Nick Podehl and Greek artist, George Patsouras.
Robert lives in Atlanta with his wife and kids, one Siberian husky, and about eleven different Apple products. He is a fierce advocate for children with special needs, their parents, and the local organizations that support both.
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