Daniel Arenson - 2,000+ Pages of Heart-Pounding Science Fiction

Daniel Arenson is a bookworm, proud geek, and USA Today bestselling author of fantasy and science fiction. His novels have sold over a million copies. The Huffington Post has called his writing "full of soul." He's written over eighty novels.  As our Author of the Day, he tell us all about his Soldiers of Earthrise box set.

Please give us a short introduction to what Soldiers of Earthrise: The Complete Series is about.

While I write fantasy and science fiction, real history often inspires my work. For example, the Judean uprising against Rome inspired my series Kingdoms of Sand, while WW2 inspired Children of Earthrise. The inspiration behind Soldiers of Earthrise was a lesser-known conflict, the Philippine–American War. This isn't historical fiction. It's science fiction with spaceships, aliens, and action. But I think you'll see the influence of real history in the story.

Tell us more about Jon Taylor. What makes him tick?

Jon wants to be a musician. He doesn't care about war, doesn't want to be a soldier. Until his brother dies on Bahay, a wartorn planet. When he's drafted into the military, he sees a chance to find out how his brother died and avenge his death.

Why did you pick Bahay as the backdrop for the series?

I had the idea of a planet colonized by Filipino settlers in the 19th century (brought there by aliens). The planet would develop independently from Earth for centuries. It would miss the great technological developments on Earth like flight, computers, and space travel, and instead have to forge its own path, all with a backdrop of Filipino culture and mythology. I thought that was an interesting concept to explore.

Did you plan from the start to turn this into a series, and why did you title it?

Yes, Soldiers of Earthrise was planned from the start to be a six-book series. It's part of my larger Earthrise universe, which also includes the series Earthrise: The Original Series and Children of Earthrise.

Which book in the box set is your personal favorite and why?

All of them! I can't possibly choose. They tell one long, complete storyline. Each volume is an act in the story.

Readers say you have a very vivid imagination. Where do your best sci-fi ideas come from?

From whatever fascinates me at the moment. While writing Soldiers of Earthrise, I was reading a lot about the Philippine-American war. The musical Miss Saigon and the opera Madama Butterfly were also playing in the background then, inspiring the story. At other times in my life, other interests inspired different stories. Right now, for example, I'm working on a dinosaur series.

How do you go about worldbuilding? Do you have a set of "rules" for your worlds?

I usually start with a basic high premise -- a world where dinosaurs live again, a world settled by 19th century Filipinos, and so on -- then gradually just add more and more to it. As the story grows, so does the world.

What do you hope readers take away from your books? Do these contain a hidden message?

I don't try to add messages or themes to my books. But I suppose Soldiers of Earthrise is about how we view other cultures with fear, suspicion, or fascination, how we can learn from each other but often end up hating each other. That sounds a bit trite as I write it out, but hopefully it's more poignant when you read the actual series. :)

The books contain a lot of twists and turns. Do you plan these out before you start writing, or do some of it just "happen" while writing?

I usually outline a series and know more or less what will happen. But I leave room for little surprises. Sometimes plot twists surprise even me.

You also used the history of the Philippines in your stories - why did you take this approach, and how much research did this require from you?

I felt like some conflicts in human history -- world wars, the Nepoleaonic wars, the Vietnam war, and others -- have been explored in many novels and movies. But very little art was created about the Philippine-American war. It's a "forgotten war." I thought that would make an interesting inspiration for a science fiction retelling of that conflict.

What is your number one secret to remaining productive? Do you aim for a set number of words per day?

I just try to write when I can, word by word, and it adds up over time. No secret. Just persistence.

What are you working on right now?

I'm working on a novel titled Where Dinosaurs Roam, the second volume in the Mintari series. You can learn about Mintari here: https://danielarenson.com/Mintari.aspx

Where can our readers discover more of your work or interact with you?

You can visit my website and download three free novels (in ebook format): DanielArenson.com

You can also meet me on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDanielArenson/