Hounds of Gaia – Book Excerpt

Happy Wednesday, friend! Welcome to an interview with author Sean M. Tirman about the first book in The Marrower Saga, Hounds of Gaia. Let’s welcome Sean and learn about the book.

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Get to know the author: Sean M. Tirman

Hi Sean! Welcome to Armed with A Book. Tell me and my readers a bit about yourself!

Hello, all! As I’m sure is the case for many writers, I am terrible at talking about myself. But here goes nothing: I grew up in Southern California—mostly San Diego—and lived there for most of my life, but now I’ve moved across the country to Upstate New York, where I live with my wife and our two small dogs. I’m a pretty die-hard writer, working both in a writing day job and penning novels and short stories in my spare time—although I hope to make writing novels my full-time gig if I can get enough folks interested in reading my stuff.

I’m big into science-fiction (books, movies, video games—you name it); I love punk rock and metal music (although not exclusively); and I’m an avid tattoo collector. I’m currently working on getting a sleeve done in the style of one of my favorite artists, Dustin Nguyen, from Jeff Lemire’s Descender (probably my favorite comic/graphic novel of all time).

I want to say I’m a pretty normal, boring person, but I’m probably actually a little weird. But that could be a good thing, I think. The world needs more weirdness, especially kind weirdness. If we could all be comfortable in our own weirdness and accepting of the weirdness we see in others, the world would be a pretty cool place.

What inspired you to write this book?

Star Wars (primarily the original trilogy) is probably the biggest driver of my love of storytelling (and sci-fi/fantasy). But I also wanted to make something more inclusive while being exciting and unique. I was fortunate to have heroes that looked like me growing up. Not everyone gets that. There are a lot of Luke Skywalkers out there in popular media, and I just didn’t want to add another one to the mix, so it was a specific effort to offer up a more diverse cast of human characters.

Funny enough, the original idea was supposed to be a concept album inspired by Coheed and Cambria and The Mars Volta. For a long time, I thought I would make a living as a musician… doing sci-fi punk/metal… which was a real long shot. That never came to fruition. Obviously, the concept and story evolved and changed quite a bit, becoming The Marrower Saga instead (partially because of James S.A. Corey’s Expanse series, which I loved, too). I think I still have demo recordings of some of the songs on a hard drive somewhere. Maybe I’ll return to it someday.

How long did it take you to write this book, from the first idea to the last edit?

The concept was born over a decade ago—a concept album, as I mentioned. However, it changed quite a bit from inception to execution. I didn’t start writing it in earnest until a couple of years ago. It probably took me a year and a half to do all the writing. I edit and re-edit as I write, so it’s a pretty intensive process. And I was making tweaks and edits straight on through to the publish date.

I also owe thanks to Anne-Marie Rutella, whom I found through Reedsy. She was my professional editor and helped me get the manuscript into its best, final format. I definitely couldn’t have done it all alone, nor would I want to. I’m also fortunate to have a collection of early readers whom I trust deeply and who have read everything from early chapters to the completed manuscript. I’m confident this story would have been hot garbage without their input.

What makes your story unique?

This is always such a difficult question because it requires folks to take a leap and read my book. I realize that on the surface, it doesn’t necessarily seem super unique — there’s a tough-as-nails hero, a robot sidekick, a big evil organization, spaceships, big action battles, etc. It was important to me to create something very approachable, both to lovers of the genre, as well as newcomers.

You start to see the differences when you peel back the layers and get a better idea of what’s really going on here. My universe is one where humanity has come to terms with being utterly alone. There was never any first contact. Our experiments with AI have failed miserably, and the tech has become outlawed (although this is an ongoing theme of the series). So what happens when humanity realizes we’re truly alone? We do what we always do—we expand and fall right back into the same patterns we always have of oppressing one another. And we break the rules, often on both sides.

My universe is also one where things are a little turned on their head. There’s a solar system-spanning government, but a religious organization controls it. Except it’s not a god they worship—it’s science. I like the idea of taking something meant to be objectively neutral (or even good) and seeing what happens when it’s twisted by greed and other deeply human flaws.

I also always loved the idea of doing a kind of serial killer thriller set in space. I have a deep love of horror, and while there are some bright spots of horror in the sci-fi genre, there isn’t a vast pool to pull from. I’m hoping to change that somewhat. It’s not straight horror, but there are elements. I could go on and on about it, but I hope this pulls back the curtain a bit.

Who would enjoy reading your book? 

Like I said before, I hope this book speaks to longtime lovers of sci-fi, thrillers, mystery, and horror, as well as newcomers trying to find an approachable yet exciting entry point. But I also hope it offers something unexpected and maybe delivers a little hope in humanity along the way.

Maybe the best way to explain who would like to read it is through comparison. I found inspiration in Star Wars, Star Trek, The Expanse, Alien, Halo, Bungie’s Destiny, Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen, Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples, Octavia E. Butler, Martha Wells, Kurt Vonnegut, Douglas Adams, John Scalzi… It’s a long list, and I’m leaving out a lot. But if these names speak to you, I hope you find something to enjoy in my work, too.

Did you bring any of your experiences into this book?

Experiences, probably not. Worries and hopes, definitely. I’m a bit of an anthrophobe—humanity terrifies me for so many reasons. What we do to each other daily, what we do to our planet and the environment, what we do to animals (especially in the name of comfort and convenience), and even what we do to ourselves is often very, very sad. On the other hand, we are also capable of big, incredible things. I think Hounds of Gaia (and, more broadly, The Marrower Saga as a whole) shows both sides of that coin.

What’s something you hope readers would take away from it?

Curiosity. Inspiration. Excitement. Hope. I’m a lover of science and how humanity interacts with it. Carl Sagan is one of my favorite figures throughout history, and his childlike wonderment at the greater universe, even in his later years, has always inspired me to have a larger lens of our species and our place in the universe. There are so many facets to the human experience, and while it can be easy to get bogged down in how bad everything seems, I ultimately want to inspire hope.

Even when the rest of the world (or universe) seems like it’s falling apart, there’s always hope. That’s what I want people to take away.

Do you have a favourite quote or scene in the book that you find yourself going back to?

Probably the prologue. Initially, it wasn’t a part of the manuscript, but I felt it needed something more. I needed that moment at the beginning of Jurassic Park where the raptor is being put into its exhibit, but things don’t go quite as planned, or the first time you see the shark’s fin in Jaws and hear John Williams’ iconic duh-nuh. I’m very proud of the opening, and I hope it serves to grab people while also presenting the human angle I think is so vital to my story.

Hounds of Gaia is the first book in the The Marrower Saga. Can you tell me more about the series? Do you already know how many books it will have?

The main series will span three books—I love a solid trilogy. I’ve already started working on the second entry, Wolves of Earth, and I’ve got the overarching story mapped out for the third entry, Beasts of Sol. I’m hoping to finish the trilogy in its entirety within the next five years, tops. I think because I already have the core story worked out, the writing will be reasonably quick compared to this one.

I also have a few ideas for in-universe spin-offs and standalones. There’s one in particular I’m very excited about that’s like Ender’s Game meets Top Gun. I would love for this universe to become a destination for people, and I plan to keep writing in it until I run out of good ideas.

What is something you have learned on your author journey so far?

Writing is often a thankless job. You have to love it if you want to try and make a go of it, and you might find that you have less support than you had hoped. However, if you love it, it will be worth it just for the craft itself. I know that’s cheesy as hell, but I genuinely believe it. I write for myself first. I write the stories I want to read. I might just quit if I was too busy trying to write for others. I also think writing for myself has made the stories stronger overall. Trying to write for other people is a lot like doing impressions of other writers—you just can’t do it entirely to the level you might hope. You have to become your own writer, as well as your own biggest fan.

What’s the best piece of advice you have received related to writing?

Don’t give up. Persistence is the only thing that got me through to completing a book. If you want to be a better, more successful writer, you must write. Write as much as you can about everything that interests you. Don’t force it unnecessarily, but don’t be afraid to write, either. 

And don’t let negative criticism deter you. In the age of the internet, everyone has an opinion, and some people are mean just for the sake of it. If you fall victim to cruelty, you’re letting the cruel ones win. Listen to the criticism, but don’t let it weigh on you. This is, of course, easier said than done.

If you could give a shout out to someone(s) who has helped in your writer journey, please feel free to mention them below!

I don’t think I would have ever finished writing a damn thing if it wasn’t for the support of my wife, Tristen. She’s been endlessly supportive and has pushed me through some of my darker moments when I felt like giving up entirely. I also owe a debt to Winston Ward, the one-person powerhouse behind Infinite Worlds and Infinite Horrors magazines. He gave me my first publishing credits, which gave me the confidence to go bigger and try harder. And Sereli Rodriguez, the artist behind my cover art. I had a specific vision in mind, and she still made it even better than I imagined.

Where can readers find you on the Internet?

Find me on Instagram and my website.

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Book Excerpt from
Hounds of Gaia

This is an excerpt from the beginning of Chapter 5, page 125, in which one of our main characters, the good-hearted Sister Penelope, is trying to locate a lost orphan girl aboard her home colony ship, while also realizing that all is not well among her compatriots.

Sister Penelope scrambled through Gaia’s corridors, her eyes darting around every corner for any sign of the no-name girl. But after nearly an hour of searching, she had come up empty-handed. Furthermore, every Sibling she had come across, at least those willing to lend a hand, hadn’t seen her either, and the armed guards—who seemed to forget that they, too, were Siblings, Penelope noticed—were no help whatsoever.

Exhausted, both physically and emotionally, and finding herself deep in one of Gaia’s least cared-for sectors—one littered with exposed wiring, bulkhead panels, and other debris— she fell to the deck, panting and sobbing.

She knew they would find the girl eventually but that didn’t help the good sister from worrying over how scared the poor little girl must be, lost and alone on an unfamiliar ship surrounded by unfamiliar people and, worst of all, gun-toting sentries. And after Penelope had so vehemently promised never to leave her alone again.

Sister Penelope had failed at her most important job and now a child was suffering as a result. It was enough to send her heart into her throat and tears rolling down her cheeks.

No, the good sister told herself. Now is not the time for this. Pick yourself up, get back to the bridge, and make a shipwide announcement. Use your family to find the poor girl. You’re not in this alone. She’s not in this alone, and she needs to know it.

No sooner had Sister Penelope picked herself up off the cold, metallic floor than she heard the unmistakable sounds of screaming and gunfire. The bloodcurdling cries and piercing, dreadful plinking of metal projectiles bouncing off the ship’s magnetically sealed hull drove a chill down her spine. Worse still, the echoes were reverberating through Gaia’s passageways so chaotically that the good sister couldn’t quite nail down from which direction they were coming.

But that didn’t stop her from picking a direction and running once more, faster this time, toward the sounds of danger—or as close to that direction as she could manage. Whatever hostilities there were that had erupted, the cacophony meant that it was more important than ever that Sister Penelope find and keep the no-name girl safe.

As she got closer, she passed other Siblings, many with fear on their faces but all frozen in their confusion, unsure of what to do. For generations, Gaia had been a ship of peace, marked by virtually no conflict whatsoever. And that meant that gunfire was practically alien for most of the mothership’s residents. Even those who had traveled colony-side, like Sister Penelope, had rarely encountered live combat, least of all among their own people.

Penelope tried her best to make sense of what was happening as she approached the now-fading sounds of the battle. What was Mother thinking? And why now? Surely, there are other, better ways to defend ourselves than handing out guns to nervous, untrained people. We were meant to highlight the best parts of humanity, not fall prey to selfish barbarism. Unless there’s something else afoot—

By the time the good sister approached the corridor in which the gunfight had first erupted, the discord of the conflict had all but faded and there were no more sounds of screaming. Still, she ran as fast as she could, rounding the final corner. But she skittered to a halt when she discovered what was waiting for her in the dimly lit dead-end corridor. 

Like all the passageways in this part of the ship, it was littered with a random array of debris from unfinished maintenance: bulkhead panels, storage crates, loose wiring, etcetera. But, among the metallic rubbish, Sister Penelope saw shapes she couldn’t quite make out—biological shapes that lacked the sharp, harsh angles of manufactured steel. These were organic, Penelope was certain. Everything, metal and biomass alike, was covered in a thick, viscous substance that coated the floor and walls, and dripped off the ceiling. And it all stank of warm rust, like scrap metal left out in the sun.

Blood. The substance on the walls, ceiling, and floor was fresh blood. And the shapes, Penelope realized, were her Siblings. Or they used to be. Now, they were just pieces, ripped apart and strewn about the corridor. Arms torn out of their sockets, legs snapped at unnatural angles, hands missing fingers, feet still wrapped in boots, shattered skulls, and ruptured rib cages. And some of the bones were cracked wide open, their marrow—what was left of it—glistening in the dim light.

The good sister dropped to the deck, heaving and writhing, vomiting up everything in her stomach. And between heaves, she sobbed so achingly she could hardly breathe, gasping and wheezing. Yet rather than wondering what kind of monster it was that could do such a thing, how such horrors could be wrought upon her and her family, only one question, repeated over and over again, filled her mind: Why?

And then she heard it, another sound in the darkness, weeping mirroring her own, only smaller, frailer. There was someone else in the corridor, and they were alive. 

It was the no-name girl, Sister Penelope was certain of it. And, despite the carnage by which she was surrounded, the good sister recognized the crying as a call for help, desperation from a child who needed to feel safe, cared for, and loved. And so, Sister Penelope rose to her feet, wiped her face with one of her sleeves, and marched through the slaughter.

There, cowering and rocking back and forth in a tight ball behind one of the storage crates, sat the no-name girl covered from head to toe in viscera but for two emerald eyes staring up at Sister Penelope.

Without so much as a thought, the good sister squatted down, enveloped the girl as best she could in her arms, and managed to squeak out a single phrase.

“I’m so sorry,” she said.

And then, Gaia’s emergency sirens blared.

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Interested?

Find Hounds of Gaia on Goodreads and Amazon.  Thanks for taking the time to join us for this interview!

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