Sci-fi author Michael C Bland joins me today to talk about his new thriller, The Price of Rebellion.
Bio:
Michael’s debut novel The Price of Safety was published in 2020. Though released during a global pandemic, The Price of Safety reached #7 in Amazon’s rankings for Dystopian novels and won awards for both Science Fiction and Thriller (by Indie Book Awards) as well as New Fiction (by National Indie Excellence Awards). The second novel in the trilogy, The Price of Rebellion, was released in May 2023. It won Best Science Fiction Novel of 2022 by Indies Today and was awarded a Bronze Medal for Science Fiction by Readers Favorite.
Michael is a founding member and the secretary of BookPod, an online book support group. He currently lives in Florida and is working on the third book in The Price of trilogy.
Welcome, Michael. Please tell us about your current release.
The Price of Rebellion is the story of a band of rebels who discover the technology they’ve relied upon has been used to trick them. They have computer screens in their eyes and implants in their skulls that enable them to access the internet at all times. Yet those computer-screen lenses hide the fact power has been stolen in the highest reaches of government. Dray Quintero joins their rebellion, as he’s learned about the coup himself, and fights to free the country while trying to protect his family. Then his wife broadcasts a preposterous claim, one that wrecks him because it gives him an improbable, aching hope. He has to choose between the rebellion and his desperate hope.
The story is about a man protecting his family, about the risks that come from technology that isn’t contained, and about a future we might face if we’re not diligent.
What inspired you to write this book?
I was riding the “L” in Chicago one day when I realized every other passenger had their faces buried in their phones. I thought I could strip naked and no one would notice. Yet there are cameras on the ceiling—so someone could be watching. That led me to wonder how many cameras I didn’t see, how many ways I was being monitored and tracked and cataloged without my knowledge. My story grew from there, with the tale of the main character fighting to protect those he loves in a world 25 years in the future. Technology becomes so interwoven in their daily lives that they can’t escape it, can’t avoid it, and the wonders of the future are used against them.
What exciting project are you working on next?
I’m working on the sequel to The Price of Rebellion. The rough draft is done, so I know the stakes the characters face, how the story ends, and who survives.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
When I received my publishing contract. Before then, I didn’t really consider myself a writer. I’ve taken classes, worked on my novel for countless hours (so many hours) and struggled to make it the best story I can write. But until I received the validation that came with the publishing contract, I didn’t think of myself as a writer, not deep down. Now I do. And to receive positive reviews from strangers, to hear their interpretations of the characters and story and where they think it will go next, is so gratifying and special to me.
Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your workday like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
No, I have a full-time job outside of writing. My day job is in the finance industry. I work for a company that provides small business loans. I enjoy being able to help others achieve their dream of owning or expanding their own business, though my own dream is to one day be able to write full-time.
As it is, I write mostly on the weekends. I work on ideas and characters and various thoughts during the week, but most of my actual writing occurs on the weekends. If I could write full-time, I’m sure I’d have a number of books published by now.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I rarely come up with my characters’ names. I came up with Dray’s last name, but I struggled with his first name, as well as most of the characters. My wife helps me with this. I brainstorm names for each character, then I will tell her about the character, who they are and how they fit into the story (without giving away too many spoilers). I then read the various names I’d come up with for the character. Most of the time, she picks one to use. A few times, she rejects every one of my suggested names (that only stings a little) and comes up with another name to use. She’s great at this, luckily, because it’s not my strong suit.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a Jedi. The first Star Wars movie came out when I was little, and it captivated my imagination. When I got a little older, I wanted to be a comic book artist. I even created three comic books of my own when I was ten years old. But I went back to wanting to be a Jedi. Give me a lightsaber any day!
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
I’ve been blessed to have received numerous awards for The Price of Rebellion. Readers’ Favorite, Indie’s Today, and The BookFest selected The Price of Rebellion for various awards, with Indie’s Today selecting The Price of Rebellion as the Best Science Fiction Novel of the year. Each one has meant a lot to me, and has further validated my dream of becoming a writer.