Cyberpunk-Filled April: Interview with Mark Everglade [Introduction]

Esther

April 8

Happy Monday, my lovely peeps🐥!
The weekend flew! But don't they all? I spent yesterday at Costco where I went around nibbling on samples, grabbing their $4.99 chicken, and trying their cafeteria food. And then, of course, crashed as soon as I got home and spent the rest of the evening with my journal and Kindle.

Today's post: The first post in the Cozy with Book's Cyberpunk-Filled April: An interview with the publisher behind the Cyberpunk Stories: Build-Your-Own bundle, Mark Everglade!

A Cyberpunk-Filled April

With how much I've grown to love this genre, I decided to dedicate an entire month to cyberpunk. Having been introduced to many amazing authors, including some hidden gems in the indie community, I wanted to spend my favorite month getting to share this genre via interviews and book reviews. Initially, having only a genre-themed TBR, I ended up getting to work with Fanatical (with help and thanks to Charlotte) in featuring their Cyberpunk Stories: Build-Your-Own bundle and from there, was able to also work with a few authors to pull together some interviews.

So sit tight and grab a bucket of popcorn as I introduce a handful of lovely authors and titles!

I first got to know Mark when I had the pleasure and opportunity to read and review his book, Song of Kitaba. Not only is he one of the authors in the bundle (Inertia by Mark Everglade), but he is the publisher behind the bundle!

So, before we dive into the interview questions I've sent out to the guests, here is a guest post to introduce you to the one who made the Cyberpunk Stories: Build-Your-Own bundle possible. One of my interview questions involved "inspirations" and in this post, Mark dives deeper into his inspirations for the science fiction stories that he's written.

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"What inspires the science fiction you've written?
(When you're in the middle of your writing, do you
find yourself more obsessed 'how do we survive'
modern science or imagining how people can
stretch for something better?)"

I am a traditionally-published cyberpunk author who has dedicated his life to dystopian fiction with the goal of giving those who are oppressed by their governments and employers a voice. I touch on topics ranging from global warming to artificial intelligence, poverty, and our relationship to technology. I'm inspired by Neal Stephenson, Jim Keen, William Gibson, and the early works that were so important to the origins of our subgenre such as Brave New World, 1984, and We.

I have always tried to incorporate sociological conflict theory in my work so that there is a certain theoretical depth to it as opposed to writing just another thriller, though I do love writing action scenes with jetpacks, cybernetic augmentation, and on-the-fly hacking. The values my characters have, though they are at times misguided and at odds with the status quo, make it so that they are always pushing for something better as they explore their relationship with the planet. Gliese 581g makes an intriguing backdrop for the stories, since half the planet is always light and half the planet is always dark, and we get to see how the government and corporations work to commodify the planet's resources and even light itself as the people rebel against control.

The Fanatical cyberpunk book collection represents the true philosophy of the genre, exploring characters who are oppressed in myriad ways because of their race, gender, class, and orientation. Literature has a social responsibility to create and reinforce the best of human culture, and unfortunately some of cyberpunk is watered down and misguided in this regard, so this collection was carefully curated to represent the best of the genre. Cyberpunk is about being free to be who you really are, fearless in the face of stigma.

When you look at small and medium-sized publishers you're able to find a greater diversity of viewpoints than the biggest publishers muster, and that's what special about it all is finding those gems, and hopefully creating them for others to enjoy.

Thank you for having me.

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Thank you Mark for joining us here and for participating in these interviews! A separate interview with my own set of questions will happen later in the Cozy with Book's Cyberpunk-Filled April tour as a bonus interview. You can find Mark below at his website: markeverglade.com, and you can find Inertia in the below link as well: [LINK]!

And now, as we wrap things up, here is a quick spotlight for Inertia as well:

Title: Inertia
Author: Mark Everglade
Genre: Fiction, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Cyberpunk
Length: 293 Pages
Published: 11 October 2022
Publisher: RockHill Publishing LLC

LINKS:
Goodreads: [LINK]
Amazon: [LINK]

BLURB

Gliese 581g is the last remaining colony of the human race, located twenty light years from Earth. The planet was once tidal locked to its sun, with one side draped in darkness and the other half always bright. This changed after a radical group called O.A.K. increased the planet's rotation to bring daylight cycles to all in the name of equality. All was not well, however, as decades passed, and new generations dealt with continual floods as the newfound sunlight melted the icecaps. Entire neighborhoods went aquatic from rising sea levels.

Soon, the planet was spinning out of control, with sunrises occurring every few hours.

Ash Rivenshear works as a geophysicist at Geosturm, a company contracted by the New Order to monitor the geological crisis. As she investigates the planet's increasing rotation, she uncovers classified data indicating that someone is intentionally manipulating it to their own ends. An attack on her life is made to cover up the intel. After surviving, she contacts her estranged father for help, Severum Rivenshear. Having no idea he had a daughter, Severum agrees to help, but the tension of his absence throughout her life builds as he works to build a relationship with her.

Ash and her father discover a research lab where Severum uncovers a connection between Geosturm and the Old Guard, a scion of the now defunct Government of Evig Natt led by Eduardo Culptos. The Old Guard seek to restore their power over the hemisphere by accelerating the planet's rotation at breakneck speed, exacerbating the negative ecological effects, as they convince the public that the planet was better off in darkness. They're motivated by the wealth they obtained back when light was scarce and commodified, and seek a restoration of their influence. Severum catches glimpse of a scientist being held captive at the lab during his reconnaissance, but he's forced to back down due to being outnumbered, and unable at the age of sixty-nine to fight efficiently due to his war injuries.

Severum approaches K.O.A., an offshoot of O.A.K., for help at their commune where he obtains equipment, and cybernetic upgrades to offset the effects of aging. Eventually, he learns that most of those effects were in his mind and not actual limitations.

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Thanks for stopping by! Keep your eyes peeled because up next, we have an interview with Dr. Joseph Hurtgen, the author of Tower Defender!