What is the title of your latest release?
QUANTUM REACTION
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
It’s a thrilling sci-fi mystery based on the premise: what if Star Trek-like teleportation were on the verge of launching but not everyone was thrilled by the prospect. With protagonists of a blind man and a woman who struggles with demons from her past, it’s structured like a mystery novel with strong action sequences and takes place in a near-future Earth.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I had the idea for the opening chase scene—where the blind guy gets away—long before I started writing. Boston’s T system and the varied towns that comprise its metropolitan area fit the novel’s needs perfectly. Plus, I lived in Boston for several years and really enjoyed it.
Would you hang out with your protagonists in real life?
I’m pretty sure I’d enjoy hanging out with JT, the blind exec, but would think twice before befriending Angela, even though she is more loyal and friendly than she appears at first glance. Her German shepherd, Rocky, would probably deter me from trying to get close to her.
What are three words that describe your protagonists?
Resourceful, intelligent, witty
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
After publishing 8 novels in a different genre under a different pen name, I thought this would be easy. I was wrong. Completing this novel took much longer. I got sucked into their imaginary lives and often woke up with ideas for new action sequences or ways they could investigate the murder and attack that kick off this story.
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I typically write a batch of chapters to get the flow going before pausing to edit them. My wife is my first reader and typically provides the best feedback, especially on the characters’ interactions and emotions. After I complete a full draft, there are more rounds of editing—only finishing after I’ve incorporated my copy editor’s inputs. I rarely name most of the characters until quite late in the process. For QUANTUM REACTION, for example, I had “[dead woman]” or “CEO” scattered throughout the manuscript until I finally settled on the names for all the characters besides the two protagonists.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Italian if I’m cooking; Indian if I’m eating out. I prefer to avoid the hard work of learning all the Indian spices and techniques when there are great Indian restaurants nearby.
Describe your writing space/office.
I work at a stand-sit desk in a home office with large windows looking out at trees and the elementary school across the street. I face a side wall where prints of the covers of my previous novels are mounted but still manage to get distracted when the kids are playing outside.
Who is an author you admire?
I’ve always enjoyed authors who manage to combine an intriguing premise, plot without obvious holes, good characterizations, and still manage to mix in some humor. In the sci-fi genre, John Scalzi’s Lock In series was an inspiration for me as an action-filled, near-future Earth sci-fi mystery with interesting characters and some snarky humor.
Is there a book that changed your life?
Go Dog Go, the children’s beginner book by J.D. Eastman, was the first book I remember reading by myself. It started me on a lifetime of reading and enjoying made-up worlds. I mean what’s not to smile about with scintillating dialogue such as, “Do you like my party hat?” “Yes, yes, I like your party hat.”
Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
I got “the call” for my first novel and was pretty excited until I realized that the publisher planned next to zero marketing, would change the title and cover, and keep ~75% of the earnings without doing much more than I could now do as an indie author by hiring professional editors and cover designers and marketing my book myself. I published on my own and have been very pleased with the results ever since. Although, I would definitely accept a movie deal for QUANTUM REACTION, or any of my other novels. So, if you’re a producer, please call.
What’s your favorite genre to read?
Sci-fi. What I’ve always enjoyed most about it is that the best books in this genre can be mysteries, thrillers, historical fiction, romance, literary fiction—all mixed in with varying degrees of speculation.
What is your favorite season?
Summer. But I live in Silicon Valley where summer typically have temperatures in the 70s-90s and no rain. This offers plenty of opportunity for outdoor activities or simply napping in a hammock.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
As my grandfather once told me, reaching the next birthday is celebration enough and certainly way better than the alternative. I’m happy enough to have friends and loved ones to remember and perhaps get a nice dinner together.
What do you do when you have free time?
Probably similar to many authors, when I have free time, you’ll often find me reading. I also enjoy hiking, traveling, and brainstorming ideas for new and interesting plots. It’s probably best if the authorities don’t scrutinize my internet search history and learn how often I look up different ways to kill people, escape from hair-raising situations, or the like.
What can readers expect from you next?
My immediately next project is starting a new series of humorous murder mysteries under my other pen name. As Marc Wayne, I have ideas for a sequel to QUANTUM REACTION that would be called QUANTUM GLITCH. This would take place several years in the future with the premise: what if teleportation had become widely available, but unexpectedly started malfunctioning. I’m also planning a sci-fi heist novel that would be set in an isolated star system with a small human population living on space stations. Without warning, the federation they’re part of has stopped making the interstellar visits necessary to supply the community.
Life-altering tech is on the horizon, and someone wants it stopped—permanently. Can a murder witness escape paying the ultimate price?
Near future. Angela Kapp struggles with demons from her past. Working remotely from an isolated cabin in a dead-end customer support job, she drinks too much and spends her days avoiding the world. But while on shift using a visual-interpretation headset to assist a blind person, the cynical loner is horrified when she virtually experiences the other woman’s gruesome slaying.
Shocked the next day when she recognizes the killer closing in on a second sightless client, Angela shouts for the software engineer to run. And after learning that he and the first victim are connected by a soon-to-be-released teleportation innovation, she convinces him to go to ground in her secluded home … only to become a target herself.
Can her paranoia and his unexpected skills thwart a sinister plot?
Quantum Reaction is a gripping science fiction mystery. If you like resilient heroines, unique blind heroes, and high-adrenaline action interwoven with humor, then you’ll love Marc Wayne’s flash forward to adventure.
Buy Quantum Reaction to take a leap into tomorrow today!
Perfect for fans of John Scalzi's Lock In series.
Thriller Techno [BGM Press, On Sale: September 20, 2023, e-Book, ISBN: 9781732716483 / ]
Marc Wayne writes thrilling sci-fi mysteries. After publishing 8 novels in another genre under a different name and having several best-sellers, he has turned to his first love: sci-fi.
His years of marketing leadership positions in Silicon Valley honed his writing skills and sense of humor. Writing fiction was part of Marc’s everyday work for many years—these were just called ads, emails, and other marketing materials.
To Marc, it often felt like he was living at the intersection of technology and the future, where things you dreamt about could often become possible. After that, writing near-future sci-fi hasn’t felt like such a stretch.
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