Ada: Solstice Volition received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.
Following find an interview with author Michael Fleming.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
Ada: Solstice Volition was published in June 2017.
What’s the book’s first line?
In the fraction of a second between Cosmonaut Gromova’s radio cutting out and the roar of the first stage rocket firing, she has the strangest thought. A doubt. She wishes she believed in God.
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
Taking place in a city of refugees in the Pacific Northwest nearly two centuries from now, this is a story of two teenage friends, Ada Anand and Aisling Connors, and how their lives are affected by terrorist violence in their society. It’s a character-driven sci-fi adventure that’s ultimately a superhero story, but not of the spandex and supervillain variety one might expect.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
Fifteen years ago my wife and I lost our first child, an event that fundamentally changed me as a human being. Years later during one of the darkest periods of my life, Ada Anand manifested herself in my imagination and I felt compelled to make an attempt at telling her story. In the book, Ada Anand saves her friends and the city of Pacifica, but in real life she saved me.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
This is a science fiction story for people who aren’t necessarily into science fiction, which can be enjoyed either as a noir action-adventure or for its deeper themes and higher concepts. The heart of Ada: Solstice Volition is the friendship between two teenage girls who you’ll feel like you’re friends with too, making the extraordinary events they’re confronted with all the more engaging.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?
As the hero of an adventure story, Ada Anand’s most distinctive trait should be her bravery or her strength, but I think it’s actually her earnestness in her approach to life and in her relationships with her friends and family. In some ways she’s like a younger version of the lead character of Jess Bhamra from Bend it Like Beckham, who is so genuine and open that it’s impossible not to root for her.
If they made your book into a movie, who would you like to see play the main character(s)?
I think that the casting director would have to scout a young unknown actress to play Ada Anand, not only because the pool of Indian actresses in western film is so small, but because even in Bollywood there seems to be a prejudice against actresses with dark complexions, and Ada has very dark skin. It would be a great opportunity for one talented girl to break that mold.
When did you first decide to become an author?
When I typed the words ‘THE END’ on the last page of the very first manuscript draft of Ada: Solstice Volition, I thought that I might be onto something.
Is this the first book you’ve written?
Not only is this the first book I’ve written, it’s my first attempt at crafting fiction since high school. Life got in the way of my creative writing for a long time, but I’m so glad I’ve rediscovered my love for it.
What do you do for work when you’re not writing?
By day I am an independent technology and marketing consultant, working primarily in the Agriculture industry. It’s a lot of fun actually, and over the years I’ve been presented with opportunities to be creative in so many different ways.
How much time do you generally spend on your writing?
I try to schedule-in little blocks of time of 30 minutes to 2 hours when I can, usually between midnight and 2AM. Occasionally I manage to dedicate an entire weekend afternoon to my writing, though that is just a few times a year.
What’s the best and the hardest part of being an indie?
Being an indie, I love having complete creative control over every aspect of the finished book that makes it to the reader, but being a one-person operation means that I’m also stuck doing all of my own editing, which is an ongoing challenge for me.
What’s a great piece of advice that you can share with fellow indie authors?
My advice to fellow indie authors is to check out the other great resources here on IndieReader.com as a source for ideas and inspiration, and to submit your novel for review once it’s ready. Sure it’s scary, but what do you have to lose?
Would you go traditional if a publisher came calling? If so, why?
When it comes to the business aspects of publishing, every opportunity is worth considering. I did my research and tested the traditional waters a few years ago and it just didn’t feel like the right fit for me at the time. Since then I’ve listened to enough of Joanna Penn’s The Creative Penn podcasts to know that some authors have made a successful go of it in the hybrid indie/traditional space, so who knows what sort of innovative ideas might present themselves down the road.
Is there something in particular that motivates you?
Regarding my motivation to write, I just really love the idea that someone will read the words I’m putting on the page. Everyone has those books that kept them up all night, or that engrossed them to the point they missed their bus stop by ten blocks. The very idea that my words could potentially create a moment like that for a reader today or twenty years from now is the whole reason I do this.
Which writer, living or dead, do you most admire?
My list of favorite authors is populated by the giants of fantasy, adventure, and horror, but above them all is beloved Canadian author L.M. Montgomery. Anne of Green Gables is a work of genius by every measure, a story that isn’t just delightful, but necessary, because it brought Anne Shirley to life and let the world share in her adventures.
Which book do you wish you could have written?
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein would be at the top of my writer envy wish list. Frankenstein was such an innovative and influential piece of fiction that is still so relevant now, two-hundred years after it was first published. I wonder if even Shelley herself could have imagined the reach her little horror story would have.