Erik Melendez - Action-Packed Sci-Fi Stories

Erik Melendez is a young adult novelist, and martial arts enthusiast. He holds a black belt in Kung Fu and is skilled in firearms and other weaponry. In high school, he worked his way up to a cadet lieutenant junior grade for the NJROTC program, where he participated on the drill team, physical fitness team, and academic team. An avid fan of Star Wars, Star Trek, and Doctor Who, Erik gleans plenty of inspiration for writing action-packed sci-fi stories. He is the author of The Omega Archives. As our Author of the Day, he tells us all about this series.

Please give us a short introduction to what The Omega Archives series is about.

The Omega Archives: Escalation is about Alex Connors, a teenage super-soldier taking on Axel, a super-terrorist that is seemingly better than him in every way forcing Alex to think outside the box to stop him while battling internally with his training.

"The Omega Archives: Escalation" is the latest installment in your series. What inspired you to continue Alex Connors' story, and what can readers expect from this sequel?

I always wanted to tell more of Alex's story. There was just so much I wanted to tell. In the sequel you can expect intense action, new interesting characters, and a more interesting plot.

In this book, Alex must confront Axel, a formidable adversary. What challenges did you face in creating a compelling antagonist like Axel, and what sets him apart from other villains?

Well first not only is he another super-soldier (or super-terrorist) but one of the biggest reasons is that Axel has years of combat experience competed to Alex who is still relatively new to the field. This allows Axel to be several steps ahead of Alex in so many ways.

Alex is still grappling with the effects of brainwashing from his training in the Omega Project. How did you approach portraying his internal struggles and maintaining the balance between his humanity and his combat skills?

By showing Alex feeling sickly whenever he feels any kind of emotion. In his training he was taught that emotions are just distractions that will get you killed so Alex must grapple with that as well.

Martial arts plays a significant role in your writing and your personal life. How does your background in Kung Fu and firearms training influence the action scenes and combat sequences in your books?

Being a fan of martial arts and firearms helped me write more interesting and believable action sequences in the book not to mention making Alex look more professional.

Can you tell us more about the Omega Project and its significance in the story? How did you develop this fictional organization and its impact on the characters?

The Omega Project is the super-soldier program that created Alex. He spent thirteen years of his life training until it was destroyed forcing him to escape.

As a fan of science fiction franchises like Star Wars, Star Trek, and Doctor Who, how do these influences manifest in your writing style and storytelling techniques?

Some scientific aspects of Star Trek helped shaped the story, but one franchise that impacted the story was the video game series Resident Evil which also featured mutants and genetic manipulation which is a theme in the series.

"The Omega Archives: Escalation" is categorized as Teen & Young Adult fiction. How do you tailor your writing to resonate with younger readers while still engaging older audiences?

As Baz Luhrman once said teens just want validation, so having the book feature things like military and genetics would give them an idea on how that stuff works.

Action-packed sci-fi stories often require intricate world-building. How do you approach creating the futuristic settings and technologies in your books to make them feel immersive and believable?

The book does take place present day. But some of the other stuff like the genetic manipulation I did some through research on genetic engineering and one real life example is CRISPR gene editing which does involve genetic modification.

What research or preparation did you undertake to ensure accuracy in depicting military tactics and weaponry in your writing?

I have been studying military stuff for a long time as a hobby, so I put my knowledge to use here.

What themes or messages do you hope readers will take away from your books, particularly from Alex Connors' journey?

One of the biggest themes in this book is accepting who you are vs rejecting who you are where Alex is trying to regain his humanity, Axel is rejecting it in every way.

Do you have any interesting writing habits? What is an average writing day like for you?

I usually break down my books as much as I can in order to make them better. For instance, I often have my books in various stages called alphas and betas like how computer programs are made. As the word count increases, I bring it to a new stage.

What are you working on right now?

Currently i am planning to write a spin-off for the series.

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

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