1--What is the title of your latest release?
ONE LEVEL DOWN
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
In a simulated universe, a fifty-eight-year-old woman is forced to look and act five years old.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
The original idea was that this group of people were living on a colony planet, but they were struck with disease, so they uploaded themselves into a simulation instead. They wanted everything to be like their colony, just without the disease and aging and death. So the setting is a colony, but what they think is a better version.
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Definitely! Ella is a good person stuck in a terrible situation. I’d like to help her have a little bit of fun for a change!
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Resourceful, curious, brave.
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I originally wrote the story from a different perspective, focusing on a different character’s problems and issues. So I learned to see a complex situation from all sides and find the character who was most compelling.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I usually write the entire draft before doing much revision, but in this case, I did make substantial changes as I went along. There is a lot of complex worldbuilding, which requires constant re-evaluation and clarification.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Dark chocolate.
9--Describe your writing space/office!
My writing desk is in my spare bedroom, which also has lots of bookshelves and space for yoga. My desk is not fancy—it’s just a plastic folding thing that I’ve had forever. But it’s working, so I’m not going to change it!
10--Who is an author you admire?
So many! I really admire authors who are willing to take chances and try new things or push the boundaries of genre. I’d rather read a book that isn’t perfect but is trying something new than a book that fits perfectly into the mold.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
I don’t know about changing my life, but I remember reading Eon by Greg Bear as a kid and being blown away. That book probably jump started my love of sci-fi.
12--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.
In this case, it was an email. Not a big enough forum for what a big deal this book is to me! After several YA and middle grade books, this will be my first adult science fiction book. So I was pretty excited when I saw the email!
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
Sci-fi.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
Back to the Future.
15--What is your favorite season?
Spring. That’s when the wild bunnies come out in my neighborhood!
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
I usually don’t do much, but it’s nice to have a small dinner with friends.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
Check out Unity by Elly Bangs. It really blew me away.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Sushi.
19--What do you do when you have free time?
Mostly reading, exercise, just hanging out with friends. I’d really like to travel more, so I’m keeping that on the horizon.
20--What can readers expect from you next?
My next book with Tachyon will be a sci-fi horror novel about clones called PRECIOUS CHILDREN, which I’m very excited about!
Ella is the oldest five-year-old in the universe. For fifty-eight years, the founder of a simulated colony-planet has forced her to pretend to be his daughter. Her “Daddy” has absolute power over all elements of reality, which keeps the colonists in line even when their needs are not met. But his failing experiments and despotic need for absolute control are increasingly dangerous.
Ella’s very life depends on her performance as a child. She has watched Daddy delete her stepmother and the loved ones of anyone who helps her.
But every sixty years, a Technician comes from the world above. Ella has been watching and working and biding her time. Because if she cannot make the technician help her, the only solution is a desperate measure that could lead to consequences for the entire universe.
Thriller Techno | Science Fiction | Mystery [Tachyon Publications, On Sale: March 11, 2025, Paperback / e-Book , ISBN: 9781616964306 / ]
Mary G. Thompson
is the author of The Word, Flicker and Mist, and other novels for children and young adults, as well as the forthcoming sci-fi novella One Level Down. Her contemporary thriller Amy Chelsea Stacie Dee was a winner of the 2017 Westchester Fiction Award and a finalist for the 2018-2019 Missouri Gateway award. Her short fiction has appeared in Dark Matter Magazine, Apex Magazine, and others. Mary is originally from Eugene, Oregon, where she attended the University of Oregon School of Law. She practiced law for seven years, including five years in the US Navy JAGC, and now works as a law librarian. She holds an MFA in Writing for Children from The New School and completed the UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television's Professional Program in Screenwriting. She lives in Washington, DC.
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