Daniel Weisbeck

Hello bookworms! As promised, I am back with my interview with Daniel Weisbeck who wrote the wonderful scifi biopunk novel, Moon Rising. I reviewed the book yesterday and you can check out my review by clicking on my review graphic below.

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Hi Daniel! Welcome to Armed with A Book. Thank you so much for hanging out with my readers and me today. Please tell us a bit about yourself.

Hi, Kriti. Thank you for reading Moon Rising! I’m delighted to be talking with you. I’m a US native and UK transplant, having moved permanently to London in 2001. My work in the software industry brought me to the UK, and now I call it home. I live on the English coast with my partner, four dogs, and several rescue farm animals, including thirty sheep and two ex-racehorses. 

I’ve been a writer of various formats over the expanse of my career in marketing. My first novel, Children of the Miracle, published in 2020, took two years to write. But once I found my voice, writing books became more accessible and much more fun. I am now retired from the software world and write full time. I’ve published four novels and one short story. Children of the Miracle won the IndieReader 2021 Discovery Award for Science Fiction.

I really enjoyed Moon Rising and am excited to dive into the next book of the Upsilon series. I was reminded of Battlestar Galactica and The Matrix and enjoyed being in Silon’s world. What were some of your inspirations for this story?

Oh, yes! You had me at the Matrix, one of my favourite series. I’ve always been attracted to science fiction and tales of the future. I have a special love for all things Cyberpunk like Blade Runner, and I’m a big fan of films like Star Wars, Brazil, Space Odyssey 2001, and Osamu Tezuka’s Metropolis, to name a few. My guilty pleasure is Fifth Element, not a great science fiction script but oodles of fun and couture. But my most considerable influence when it comes to speculative science fiction is Brave New World. I’ve read Huxley’s dark future about one hundred times, and it never grows old. That is the kind of science fiction I hope to write.

Science-fiction thrillers are one of the most fast-paced books I have read. They offer an opportunity to think about our potential future and analyse the kinds of problems that might come up. What made you focus on android and AI for this series?

I love the idea of a non-human protagonist that has a very flawed human-like emotional arc. Moon Rising represents an existential shift away from humanity struggling to define itself in an advanced technological world to organic technology struggling to express itself in a human world. Silon’s story is not just about sentience but of diversity, acceptance, and how AI will fit into society.

Your descriptions of android and AI technology were well thought out. Having studied computing science and AI, it was fascinating to be in a fictional world where they have such a concrete presence. How many years in the future do you think Moon Rising could take place?

I am so pleased you enjoyed the speculative science in Moon Rising. I always make a point to try and explain the technology in my books but not overwhelm the story with science. Biomechanics, genetic engineering, and organic computing are areas of science that are just getting started but are advancing quickly. The root ideas in my book come from actual experiments and innovation happening as we speak. I don’t see why creatures like Silon and Nutt couldn’t readily exist in the next fifty years. The technology and know-how are there; getting it all to work is what takes time.

What kind of research went into writing this book?

My background working in software has allowed me to sit down with many brilliant scientists and computer engineers over the years. These experiences form a large part of the science in my stories. I also have an addiction to reading about science, particularly genetic engineering. I read for my own interest, not just as research. Scientific American and New Scientist are two magazines I read religiously. Besides that, I do a lot of online research into specific technologies I want to include in my stories and, on occasion, reach out to old colleagues who I consider subject matter experts in a particular field.

Silon is special and as much as she is trying to live in a human society, she has to figure out her own place. I suspect we will see more of this in the upcoming books. What else is in store for Silon and Bobby?

I’m nearly done with the first draft of the second book. The whole series will be around four books. It might go further. You can expect more world-building in book two as we discover Silon’s relationship with Nomad Robotics is far more complex than either she or Bobby imagined. There is also a much bigger picture at play with the Upsilon Series androids, and book two will start to reveal more corruption, secrets, and unforgettable characters who will challenge Silon’s journey to find her true self. Expect the unexpected. 

How is the Upsilon series different from your Children of the Miracle series?

The Upsilon Series and Children of the Miracle are both speculative science fiction based on ideas of engineered evolution. But that is where the similarity ends. I would compare Moon Rising to the BladeRunner and Ghost in the Shell series and Children of the Miracle to Brave New World. Moon Rising is Cyberpunk horror/thriller fun. Children of the Miracle is more of a dystopian tale. But both have a rainbow of LGBTQ+ and Sis characters. I want readers from all walks of life to find something of themselves in my vision of the future.

What kind of response were you expecting from your readers? What has their response been like?

I have been overwhelmed with the positive response to Moon Rising so far. I am always nervous about the launch of a new novel. I took some significant risks with Moon Rising by opening the book as a horror story in Part One. The science fiction doesn’t kick in until Part Two. I haven’t seen many other books combining the two genres as I have. So, I am very grateful that people are reading it and relieved to see positive reviews. 

My last question for you today is what would you tell your younger self when it comes to writing?

I would tell little me not to wait. Don’t let life get in your way. Start writing down those crazy stories in your head earlier and keep writing. One day you will be a full-time author, and you will love it.

Thank you, Daniel, for answering my questions. Wishing you the best with Moon Rising and looking forward to joining Silon on her next adventure!

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Many thanks to the author and Storytellers on Tour for providing me a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Find this book on Amazon, Goodreads and IndieStoryGeek. My review can be found here.

Happy Reading!