I was lucky to get an interview with author Matthew Marcellus, whose sci-fi military thriller, America’s Last War, is just out.
Please, tell us a bit about yourself…
I am a sci-fi writer who enjoys outdoor adventures in my free time. I enjoy hunting, fishing, mountain climbing, hiking, and paddling. I reside in upstate NY. When I am not writing, I try to stay outside!
Why should I buy your new book?
America’s Last War is a realistic, sci-fi military thriller depicting a modern-day civil war in America. The book shows how the extreme differences in lifestyle, culture, and political ideology that currently exists in the USA will lead to the country’s next civil war.
“A lot of the themes of the military sci-fi books/movies from the 1980’s are starting to become true. Like Terminator, Running Man, Escape from New York, etc. I think if you write a sci-fi book today and 10-20 years from now it becomes true, you’re on to something good.”
What got you into writing? And how long have you been doing it?
I got into writing because I couldn’t find anything good to watch on TV. I first started writing sci-fi books in 2021, with my first book ‘The Lost Paladin’.
Why did you choose to write military sci-fi? And why pick this particular subgenre?
This is the second sci-fi realistic military thriller I wrote. A lot of the themes of the military sci-fi books/movies from the 1980’s are starting to become true. Like Terminator, Running Man, Escape from New York, etc. I think if you write a sci-fi book today and 10-20 years from now it becomes true, you’re on to something good. I got a good response from my first sci-fi military thriller, WW3: The Dragon Rises. I figured if people enjoy these types of books I might as well keep on writing them!
Subgenre: Military sci-fi thriller
Self-published: 2023
Pages: 277
Which other author has had the biggest influence on your writing?
Michael Crichton.
What’s the best thing about being a writer?
That passive income paycheck at the end of the month.
What’s the hardest thing about being a writer?
Dealing with finger cramps while typing.
Do you have any tips or an author app, tool, or resource that you can really recommend we try?
Every author on Amazon should put their book on Amazon Audible ACX. You can make a deal with a narrator, so you don’t have to pay money up front. Audiobooks are the future in my opinion. Less people are reading, and more people are listening to books. The technological progress in remote earbud speaker technology, smart phones, and universal wi-fi means listening to books is going to become easier and easier across the globe. Also, because of the nature of audiobooks, there are fewer low content books that clog up the algorithm, unlike KDP.
And now it's time to yank out your Palantir! Let’s talk about the future. What new projects are you working on?
I’m building a cabin on my property. I am milling the lumber from trees I cut down to build it. Not much of a carpenter, so it should be interesting!
Do you expect new technologies to come along soon that will have a huge impact on self-publishing? For instance, when will we see a decent novel written by an AI author?
Chat GPT has already written some screen plays. I read a few of the AI scripts that were available online. I was not impressed. There are also new technologies that teachers will demand to combat plagiarism in schools. I think that with every advance in AI writing capability there will be another AI programmed to detect if the book was written by a human or robot. Also, most advanced forms of AI eventually begin communicating in their own languages. Once this happens the plug to the power source gets pulled (hopefully) and it’s back to the drawing table for the engineers.
Spoken like a true sci-fi author. It’s 100% going to be interesting to see where the developments in technology lead. Already many AIs know a lot more than we humans do and I’m pretty amazed at what they can do and their sheer speed…like the AI that helped me create all these cover suggestions for your novel.
I know I had to spend a few days working on fixing errors and extending it to get it right…but still.
The original unmodified AI created image that Matthew wanted for his cover.
The finished paperback cover.
See other covers created by Rune S. Nielsen.
Do you have any dreams you’d like to share?
America’s Last War coming soon to a movie theater near you!
Anything else you would like to say before we close?
If you visit NYC, make sure you visit upstate NY afterwards. We have mountains, moose, big lakes and waterfalls, wolves, rattlesnakes, and a whole lot more!!
Point taken, I’ll definitely do that. Thank you for doing the interview Matthew Marcellus! I hope lots of readers find your books and that you get them turned into movies.
COVERS BY RUNE
I create book covers, maps, vignettes, and character art using AI technology combined with drawing. A mix of free-style painting and AI.
