Behind the scenes...I, Cassandra interview
1. Why did you write the book?
I am a huge fan of both sci-fi and cyberpunk fiction and thought it might be an interesting way to address many of the issues we face as a society, of the widening divide between the rich and the poor, the effects of climate change, and of a future where high tech gives us the power to transcend our mortality. I put all these themes together and out of it, over the course of 9 years I, Cassandra came to life.
2. Who is this book for?
If I am completely honest, I initially wrote I, Cassandra to confront several enormous issues I couldn't grapple with, to make sense of a world changing faster than I felt comfortable with. I started to write it when all the mass animal deaths happened all over the world, and thousands of birds fell from the sky and no one ever knew why. It completely freaked me out. This was in the run up to 2012 and everyone was talking about the Mayan Calendar and the end of all things. I researched a lot about this, and thought, "No, we are a smart species, it won't end like the Mayans say, but perhaps it will end," and this book is how I envisioned it as a fictional story.
3. What is YOUR favorite part of the book?
Oooh...that's a great question! I honestly adore everything about Ryan and Cassandra's love affair. There are parts of their story that continue to give me a delicious thrill when I think about it, but I don't want to ruin the surprise for readers. Let's just say, Ryan is the kind of guy I wouldn't mind falling in love with.
4. How is this book different from other books in your genre or niche?
Considering my niche so far has been historical fiction from the Bronze Age crossed with elements of fantasy (ok and a teeny-tiny bit of quantum physics), I, Cassandra is a huge pivot for me. I believe writing sci-fi is the hardest thing an author can do, especially if they are going to make it allegorical to their present society. I hugely admire many legendary sci-fi writers for doing this very thing - when a story isn't just a story, but perhaps a harbinger (like Orwell's 1984). That is why it is called I, Cassandra, because the main character predicts many things, including the end, but perhaps, ultimately I wrote this book because I felt like a Cassandra myself, and could not rest until I told this story. And just like Troy's Cassandra I think none shall believe it. Which perhaps makes it my most unique book of all.
