Debut Sci-fi author Michael C Bland chats with me today about his new science fiction thriller, The Price of Freedom.
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 has won nine awards including Best Science Fiction Novel of 2022 by Indies Today. His third novel, The Price of Freedom, released today.
Michael is a founding member and the secretary of BookPod, an online book support group. He currently lives in Florida.
Welcome, Michael. Please tell us about your current release.
The Price of Freedom is the third book in The Price of trilogy. The main character, Dray Quintero, had learned a terrible truth: a coup had taken over the country but no one could see it. Now the imposters are using his own technology to control and manipulate everyone. Dray struggles with wanting to free everyone and protect his two daughters, both of whom have been scarred. It’s a story about hope, about the risks of unchecked technology, and the terrible price we all might have to pay for our freedom.
What inspired you to write this book?
It’s the culmination of the trilogy I started back in 2018. I was inspired when I was riding the subway in Chicago one day. Every single person in the car that day was staring at their cell phone. I realized I could start taking my clothes off and no one would notice. Yet there were cameras in the car’s ceiling. So while no one is watching, someone could always be watching. We’ve grown accustomed to cameras watching us and our phones tracking us. Imagine what our lives will be like twenty-plus years from now? How extreme will that monitoring become? And if we’re in trouble, or someone we love is in trouble, how do you avoid the technology that is watching you?
These questions inspired my series. Over the years, my fictional future is becoming more of a reality than I expected. I tried to make the stories as realistic as possible, but I hadn’t expected it to become as relevant as it’s become.
What exciting project are you working on next?
The third book comes out on April 8th, and I’m working on ideas for my next book. I have a number of ideas, and I’m trying to decide which one grabs me the most.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
When I won my first award. The Price of Safety has won four literary awards, and the first award gave me validation that I could write well. The Price of Rebellion has won nine awards, including Best Science Fiction Novel of the Year by Indies Today, which was a tremendous thrill.
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?
I have a full-time job in the banking industry. That position takes up most of my time during the week, but I occasionally am able to work on my writing one or two evenings (though I’m almost constantly thinking about whichever story I’m working on). Most of my actual writing occurs during the weekends. We don’t have children, so I’m able to spend entire weekends writing.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I love writing on an airplane. I have to turn off my phone, I have few distractions, and I use that time to write. I’m usually very productive on flights, so the longer the flight, the better.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A Jedi. I was a complete Star Wars fan and obsessed over the movies. I’m still a huge fan, especially of the original trilogy. If lightsabers ever become real, I’m buying a blue one. Then I’ll just have to worry about accidently slicing the furniture, the walls, the floor, my foot…maybe I shouldn’t buy one.
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
You don’t have to read the first two books to enjoy The Price of Freedom. I summarize what occurred in the first two books in the third one. All three are available, though. The Price of Freedom is also coming out on Audible, with the same vocal actor who read the first two books.