Young adult sci-fi author R.M. Zubairi is chatting with me about Two Infinite Things, today.
Welcome, R.M. Please tell us a little bit about yourself.
I write comedic magical realism, sci-fi, and fantasy for YA and middle-grade audiences. When I’m not writing, I’m a Health Care Hero (according to the t-shirts my job gives me) and married father of three who spends my spare time mountain biking, running, and losing games of 1-on-1 basketball to my son.
Please tell us about your current release.
Two Infinite Things is a story about a super-anxious, neurotic sixteen-year-old boy named Orville Hatch who’s trying to balance all his regular life stuff, like school and friends and a girl who doesn’t know he exists, with the mutants and assassins that keep trying to kill him.
What inspired you to write this book?
There’s a quote from an old Star Trek movie: “The good of the many outweighs the good of the few, or the one.” It’s a nice idea until you happen to be the one. This is pretty much his story.
Excerpt from Two Infinite Things:
This was the day, Orville thought. It had to be the day. When Penelope came through that door, she would never know what hit her. He steadied his homework in his trembling hands.
The moment arrived faster than he expected when Penelope just popped in. He had it in his head that there would be music.
He was suddenly calm. Confident. He got up and stood in her way, letting her come to him.
“Last night’s homework,” he offered. “Some people were saying it was hard.”
Penelope took the paper from him and scanned over it. Her jaw slowly fell open. Her huge brown eyes gazed upon Orville in adoring wonder.
“You did this?”
Orville nodded nonchalantly. “It was nothing.”
Penelope dropped her books and flung her arms around him, locks of raven hair flying into his face. Orville closed his eyes as the scent of cherry blossoms wafted over him.
“You’re amazing,” she whispered into his ear. “I love you.”
That was how it went in his brain, anyway. As Penelope walked by while he stared at his pencil, he thought tomorrow might be a good day to do it for real.
What exciting project are you working on next?
The sequel, An Infinite Hour, is right around the corner. It takes Orville’s saga into the world he wasn’t supposed to inhabit and sets the stage for the final book in the trilogy. Also look for The Gatekeepers, a middle-grade comic fantasy about a pair of siblings who discover that their whole world, right down to their house and their parents, is not what it seems.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I feel like I’ve always been a writer, but just took a few diversions along the way. No regrets, though, as I think life experience is critical for understanding the human condition.
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’m fortunate to have a full-time job that pays the bills and provides health insurance for me and my family. It’s a lot easier to be creative and take chances when you know that your next meal doesn’t depend on trying to be all things to all readers. On the other hand, writing time can be hard to come by, so I do have to make it count. When I’m not at work or writing, I divide my time between reading, hanging out with my family, and getting some kind of exercise.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
My books have to be funny, even if they deal with some heavy topics. Sci-fi and fantasy are necessarily absurd, and it’s okay to laugh at it. My one rule is that the humor has to stand on its own without any self-awareness from anyone involved.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
An NFL punter. They get paid millions to give the ball to the other team. There’s literally no way to screw that up.
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