Meet the Author! (12/16/2008)

What inspires you? The series is very complex... ideas like that don't just come from anywhere.

My interest in science fiction came at a young age. I actually have my father to blame for that! He got me hooked on Star Trek as a child. It's funny, because my dad is one of the gruffest men out there, not the type you'd envision watching science fiction late at night. But sure enough, his enjoyment of it became my passion for it. The release date for Hero is actually a little acknowledgment to my father, as it's being released on his birthday.

After that, I'd have to credit a few classic video games for really defining the science fiction genre for me. X-Com definitely got me into the military aspect of science fiction, and games like Master of Orion sparked an interest in alien politics and diplomacy. I couldn't name one specific thing that brought me to Epic, but it was a combination of all of the above. I'm sure I could name a few other influences, too.

As far as the inspiration for the Epic story itself, that's come from countless directions. It's a little funny, because sometimes the oddest things can inspire me seemingly out of nowhere. For example, the inspiration for Esther Brooking came from a fleeting glance with a total stranger. The EDEN base of Nagoya was originally Tokyo, until I got a chance to actually visit Japan and stay in Nagoya. The phrase "Battering Ram," which has kind of become a fan favorite, was coined during a game of Halo 2 with my friends while I was bashing a building's doorway with a Warthog, yelling "Battering Ram!" repeatedly at the top of my lungs (like an idiot).

I would be remiss if I didn't mention my Christian faith as well. There have been times after heartfelt prayer about writing that entire storylines have popped into my head. I have to credit God for that. I've also been inspired by a few Biblical personalities, two in particular, but I won't go into too much detail about that yet. I'll go so far as to say that two characters in Epic specifically, though not modeled after people in the Bible, were definitely inspired by them.

As for the complexity of the storylines, it's hard to pin down anything that gave me that outside of the aforementioned prayer. Sometimes things just come together in a way that even I can't explain. There have been times when I've leaned back after a brainstrike and asked myself, "Did I really just come up with that?" I consider those moments blessings from above.

Overall, I'd have to say that life inspires me. I strive to make my world real, and nothing is more inspirational than the real world. Everything from the wonders of nature, to the human condition, to the complexity of our own life storylines, has attributed to Epic being what it is.

It's a hard question to answer, and even I'm not sure if I've given you an answer I'm completely satisfied with. But hopefully it did give you a little bit of insight. My state of creativity is always evolving. I never know in which direction life will inspire me.