When (science) fiction mirrors reality
As a science fiction writer, I access my inner Steven King (without all of the excess baggage), seeking “Holy shit!” heart-stopping moments lurking in the dark corners of my imagination. It’s not for the sake of gratuitous scares, although what’s wrong with that? Conjuring dangerous scenarios and dark passages filled with a palpable sense of perilous dread transports readers into the story. THE GOLDEN ELLIPSE bursts with horror-themed surprises enmeshed within the novel’s paranormal sci-fi narrative. So, nothing extraordinary or unusual in a good scare. The challenge comes in keeping everything fresh, original, and derivative-free. It is über important to me. I have read and seen too much in recent years that appears cookie cutter and assembly line made by a committee whose main goal is to ape past success with diminishing results. Anyway, I could go on regarding the sorry state of what passes for entertainment in today’s world, but I won’t.
News stories mirroring plot details in my books
Having said all of that about originality and keeping things cutting-edge and inventive, I am a reflection of movies, television, music, and books I have read and enjoyed throughout my life. Entertainment that stuck in my psyche, leaving indelible marks. Whether a movie: Raiders of the Lost Ark. A television show: LOST (uh, ok). A favorite tune: All Lost in the Supermarket by The Clash. Or a novel like The Lost World, by Michael Crichton, (also a sequel), I like my entertainment well-made, and the more iconic, the better. I guess if it has lost in the title, it can’t hurt.
So I it should not be too surprising to stumble onto synchronicity moments mirroring my creative works and ideas out there in the ether. Here are two recent examples:
A movie called The Lost City, starring Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum. Not only is the subject matter similar in tone to my book, THE LOST SHIP, but the movie’s logo is really similar to what I created in those heady pre-pandemic days of 2019. Don’t get me wrong, I think it looks great, and hope the movie does well. However, I am almost afraid to watch it myself. What else will I find? Is Channing’s character named Owen? Or, worse yet, is Sandra’s character named Rachel?
The Lost City example is far from the norm. Most synchronicities are more nuanced. Just last week, an eye-grabbing headline with the words, “Flesh-Eating Alien?” caught my attention.
In THE LOST SHIP, Book Two in my PTB Trilogy (Summer 2022, stay tuned), I introduce the concept of an evil alien species enjoying human flesh in their ET diets. Nothing new, right? Other books, movies, and TV shows have broached this frightful topic; a famous Twilight Zone episode comes to mind. What gets me is that I just completed a chapter that springs a gut-wrenching surprise on one of the characters. I’m not too fond of spoilers, but this tidbit is not central to THE LOST SHIP storyline. However, the practice of cannibalism looms large. Click on the flesh-eating alien story above. It circles back to one of the more dreaded and frightening aspects of alien visitations and abductions.
Throughout the first half of 2022, I will have more information and interesting posts on THE LOST SHIP, including the book’s cover reveal, release date, sample chapters, and lots more.
