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 nearly 100 novels set in the Everrealms, a multiverse of worlds. As our Author of the Day, he tells us all about "Hear, O Earth", book one in his A Prayer for Earthrise series.
Please give us a short introduction to what Hear, O Earth! is about.
The novel is about an alien invasion. Big, tentacled, nasty squid-like aliens from another galaxy. When they threaten Earth, three retired veterans must put on their uniforms again and fight to protect Earth. The novel is the first in a series titled A Prayer for Earthrise. The series is set in the larger Earthrise universe, which includes dozens of novels spread across multiple series. (Even if you haven't read other Earthrise series, you can start here.)
What inspired you to write this story? Was there anything in particular that made you want to tackle this?
The three main characters -- Marco, Addy, and Einav -- also star in Earthrise: The Original Series. I wrote 15 books about them there. And I felt they had more stories in them. More adventures to undertake. More aliens to fight. More bad jokes to crack. So I brought them back for a new adventure. (Even if you haven't read the original Earthrise series, you can dive in here and understand everything.)
The return of Marco and Addy is a highlight for fans of the Earthrise series. How did you approach writing them as older, retired characters compared to their earlier, more battle-hardened selves?
I loved reconnecting with them. It felt like no time had passed. Marco, Addy, and Einav just write their own stories. They're definitely different by now, compared to the early years. They're indeed older and retired, and they've gone a bit... soft. One theme in the novel is their struggle to "come out of retirement" and learn to be soldiers again.
The concept of alien species, some calling them gods and others calling them invaders, adds an interesting dynamic to the story. How did you envision the relationship between these aliens and the humans they threaten?
It was fun to explore the "ancient gods were aliens" idea. It's far from an original idea, but I tried to give it a unique twist, and design how the pantheon of aliens works. The ancient Sumerians worshipped the hydrians as gods of water (makes sense if you live in a dry land highly dependent on water for survival). In the story's futuristic timeline, there's still a cult of humans who worship them as gods. And we learn that these "gods" are actually aliens from another galaxy, who've been traveling toward Earth for thousands of years, and... well I won't give more away. :)
In Hear, O Earth, the theme of "heroes rising from despair" plays a significant role. What inspired you to weave such a powerful theme of hope and resilience into a galaxy-spanning war story?
This is a theme that repeats itself in all my novels (88 of them, as I write this). I think those are the stories that appeal to me as a reader -- stories of grand struggle, moments of despair, then a rise to triumph. I just think they make inspiring, meaningful stories. That's how I feel when I read those tales, so I try to write them too. I think this theme is indeed common across science fiction and fantasy as genres.
Many readers have praised the balance of action, emotional moments, and humor in the book. How do you maintain this balance while writing such an epic space adventure?
Thank you! I hadn't considered that before, but yes, it's true. I do think my books tend to mix action, emotional moments, and (my attempt at) humor. I don't plan it that way intentionally. I just try to let the characters tell their story, and let things flow naturally, and that's what comes out. Sometimes I feel like writing a dark, scary, violent scene, and maybe the next day, Marco and Addy are bantering and roasting each other, and it's a more funny writing day.
You introduce new alien species, such as the voidgazers and hyds. What is your process for developing these unique species and their relationships with humans?
My rule with alien monsters -- and this repeats itself across my work -- is that they must be scary. I think it's because I grew up in the 80s. I grew up with alien monsters like the Predator and the xenomorphs. So when I write alien invasion stories, those aliens are going to be monstrous. I've written about aliens who resemble spiders, squids, snakes, scorpions... Anything that scares me. I guess I still have a soft spot for old monster movies.
Given the vast number of books in the Earthrise universe, how do you keep the stories fresh while still staying true to the core elements that fans love?
There are currently 33 novels in the Earthrise universe (spread across four series). I think ideas are the easy part. I have many ideas for more Earthrise stories. So the challenging part isn't coming up with fresh ideas. I have drawers full of them. Given enough time, I could write countless Earthrise stories. It's just a matter of finding the time to write entire novels, which, as it turns out, tends to be time consuming.
You’ve written about wars and alien invasions in previous books, but this new war is described as one that "can devour our very galaxy." How did you raise the stakes in this story compared to earlier ones?
Yes, it does indeed get harder to raise the stakes sometimes. In the original Earthrise series, aliens were "just" attacking Earth. This time, they're monsters from another galaxy, who threaten the entire Milky Way, potentially the entire universe. But I think raising the stakes is not essential for a sequel or spinoff series. You can easily go smaller and still write impactful stories. Some of the best stories in science fiction can be "small" in scale even against a larger backdrop of war. The movie Alien Mine comes to mind. Possibly my favorite book in A Prayer for Earthrise, for example, is the fifth one, because the human heroes are trying to escape an "alien zoo" they're imprisoned in. The stakes are lower in this one -- it's an escape story, not a galactic war -- but I quite possibly had the most fun writing that one.
Some readers have expressed curiosity about missing characters like Lalani Tala and McIntosh. Can you offer any insight into whether they will return in future books?
Lailani's story is resolved in the fifteenth and final novel of Earthrise: The Original Series. She's mentioned a lot in A Prayer for Earthrise, though she doesn't appear in person. But ... there will be more Earthrise books, so maybe (maybe) she'll still return someday.
As for McIntosh fans, I'm sorry... she was a minor character and won't be returning. We'll never forget you, McIntosh.
This book is the first in a new series, A Prayer for Earthrise. What can readers expect from the upcoming books in this series, and how will it connect to your previous works?
I just released the sixth and final book in A Prayer for Earthrise (titled On the Milky Way Rivers). The six-book series can stand alone, if that's all you want to read. Or you can read it as part of the larger Earthrise universe (which I hope you do). In the future, I hope to keep expanding the Earthrise universe with more series.
The title, Hear, O Earth!, is evocative and powerful. What is the significance behind it, and how does it tie into the broader themes of the story?
It's a reference to an old prayer. I won't elaborate, but maybe your readers will get the reference. The series is titled A Prayer for Earthrise, and the six individual book titles are all references to prayers. The series is NOT religious in nature, but I thought the concept of prayers--evoking hope and yearning--made for a good title theme.
What are you working on right now?
I'm currently writing a novel titled The Freedom Fleet. The concept? WW2 in space. The Axis vs. the Allies in the era of spaceflight. You can already grab the novel for preorder, if that concept sounds intriguing to you.
Where can our readers discover more of your work or interact with you?
Visit my website, where you can learn about me and my work, and also download some free books: DanielArenson.com
I also have a Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/danielarenson
And a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/DanielArenson
See you there!