SPSFC3 Author Interview - Daniel Musenga-Grant

1.       What inspired the world, characters, or core concepts of your story? Was it a particular event, piece of media, or a speculative scientific idea?

The events of Eco-Terrorism were inspired by the drone attack on the Saudi Aramco oil processing plant in 2019. This is the largest oil processing plant in the world, and they never found out who carried out the attack. Overnight 7% of the world’s oil production capacity was knocked out.

I remember reading the news story and immediately thinking, “What if this was done by environmentalist with the aim of driving up fossil fuel prices and speeding up the introduction of the green economy?” And that was the seed idea for Eco-Terrorism.

I could not get that idea out of my head and a few weeks later wrote a 2 page overview of the characters and chapters/plot.

2.       How did you approach the creation of your main characters? Were they modeled after real-life figures, or did they evolve organically as you explored the world of your story?

A bit of a mixture. There is one non-POV character, The Benefactor, who is the “first mover” of the events of the novel, and their identity is kept secret. They are based on a real public figure. My Prime Minister is also loosely based on a real politician and remains unnamed.

The rest of the characters were created for the story. For the three POV characters I knew their background, motivations and what they looked like based on the plot I had in mind. I did a google image search and found a picture of someone who resembled each character to aid with descriptions.

The character names came much later when I began the writing process. I was actually watching the 2012 film Dredd, with Karl Urban, while writing my first draft of the plot and this coloured the character’s code names. For two of them this made it into the final book as a kind of easter egg. Damon Read = D. Read = Dredd. Gemma Anderson = Anderson, his psychic sidekick. The final POV character was simply called Rambo for a while . . . because he ran around with guns.

The characters were initially created to drive the plot, but I allowed their personalities to come through and add depth to their motivations as the story evolved.

I was very keen to make sure different genders and races were represented in my POV characters.

3.   Science fiction often delves into questions of ethics, technology, and humanity. What central theme or moral question does your story grapple with, and why did you feel it was essential to explore?

The central theme of Eco-Terrorism is: How far is it morally acceptable to go to avoid climate change? If all of humanity is at risk, is any action too much?

I felt it was essential to explore this because it is one of the most pressing issues of our time. Climate protesters are turning to increasingly disruptive methods to make themselves heard. Governments are becoming increasingly militaristic in their efforts to clamp down on protesters. And, meanwhile, emissions continue to increase, and wildfires, floods, heatwaves, and migration are all being made worse by our changing climate.

My main aim with this novel was to say to the reader “You can be part of preventing climate change. What will you do?”

Eco-Terrorism asks the reader to decide where the line is. What actions become ethical if the human race as we know it is at stake? Violence? Removal of human rights? Destruction of infrastructure by armed para-military groups? Murder? Choosing to do nothing? Police brutality? Breaking the law? Peaceful protest?

If we follow utilitarian principles of the greatest good for the greatest number, does that mean it is acceptable to kill a few people if it prevents the suffering of all humanity?

Alongside this main theme I ask the question: who are the real eco-terrorists? Those who take drastic action to reduce emissions, or those who continue to destroy our environment for political or monetary gain.

4.       How did you approach the integration of futuristic technology or scientific concepts in your story? Did you base them on existing theories or let your imagination run wild?

I tried to make sure everything was as realistic as possible. You could say hard science fiction style, but this was made easier by the story being set in the near future.

I included the use of drones as a means of transporting people which was not possible when I wrote the story in 2021, but I have seen the first videos of a system very similar to the one I imagined being used recently, so that technological arch has continued in the way I predicted.

I also integrate many existing or evolving zero-emission technologies into the story. Advances in battery electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are present. So are various low-carbon energy generation means, each suited to their location in the world of Eco-Terrorism.

Much of the technology I used is in development today and I projected its advancement up to the time of Eco-Terrorism based on government or industry predictions and my own knowledge from working in the zero-emission vehicle sector.

5.       The sci-fi genre provides a canvas to depict diverse cultures, species, and worlds. How have you incorporated 6epresentation and diversity in your work, and why do you think it's vital for the future of science fiction?

I made sure when developing the story that there was room for an equal amount of diversity to what I see in the real world. I knew I wanted to have different genders and races represented in my POV characters, as well as the secondary characters.

Gemma is a black British woman. Damon is a white British man. Ravid is a British-Indian man and an immigrant. This diversity is continued across the other, non-POV characters.

It was very important to me to include representation and diversity in my work, in terms of race, sex, culture, nationality and faith because it is vital for every person to work together to combat climate change, regardless of background.

We often see “white washing” in the climate activism arena. White activists are given more of a voice and this bias can sometimes lead to a white saviour mentality being attributed to fighting climate change which is simply not representative of the community undertaking climate activism.

I was very keen to show that women undertake a lot of climate action, and especially black women, hence my choice of Gemma as one of the main characters.

I also wanted to challenge the myth that climate activism is largely a western pass time, and therefore have characters from all over the world.

Finally, there are some who use their faith, Christian, Muslim, or otherwise to argue for continuing to burn fossil fuels. I wanted to challenge this and show how a faith in God should drive you to try and prevent human suffering and look after the world i.e. try and do whatever you can to prevent climate change as part of your worship.

I think that diversity in characters in sci-fi generally is very important. On a positive note so that more people can be inspired or empowered by these stories and on a realistic note that as we increasingly become a global society the segregation of races and cultures will continue to decrease. The idea that we will continue to underutilise half of humanity (women) offers a bleak future. I prefer the vision of a brighter future where sexism is removed to the benefit of all.

7.  Every author has a unique writing process. Can you share a bit about yours? How do you manage world-building, plot progression, and character dynamics in such a complex genre?

My writing process is:

1)      Initial idea/spark.

2)      Let it marinade in “the leaf mulch of the mind” as Tolkien says for a few months.

3)      Figure out the story that explores the idea. What is the narrative?

4)      Create characters that will live out the story I want to tell.

5)      Map out the story chapter by chapter.

6)      Expand on these chapter summaries until I have an overview of the narrative threads and how each interact and achieve the ending I’m looking for. Weed out any plot holes.

7)      Begin writing. I write a chapter, then immediately redraft it. This catches both spelling and grammar, as well as tidying up my prose. Then I repeat this process for a few chapters or a book segment, before reviewing the whole and fixing any inconsistencies or adding foreshadowing. Then I repeat that process until I have a full draft.

8)      Because of the many reviews as I go along my first draft is generally in good shape. I do more specific editing passes, then send off to some trusted alpha readers for their first impressions.

9)      While they are reading I don’t look at my manuscript at all. After a few months I collect their comments into one world document. Then I do my own read through with fresh eyes, fixing anything I see. Then I work though alpha reader comments, choosing the ones I want and politely ignoring those I think don’t help the story.

10)   A few more read throughs and it is hopefully ready for submitting to agents or self-publishing!

I also try to read the same style of book as I am writing: genre, first/third person, structure, at least to begin with so I get in the groove.

For Eco-Terrorism the world building was easier because it is set in the near future. Therefore, it was more research than world building. I undertook a lot of research into each of the locations in the book and mapped out any new buildings my characters would inhabit. My professional background in sustainability meant that I already had a broad knowledge of zero-emission technologies.

My chapter-by-chapter summary allows me to ensure that there are no plot holes before I start writing the text. Knowing my main character motivations beforehand also lets me map out their changing character dynamics throughout the narrative. Both the summary and the characters can change as I go along and discover something new, but I always start with a strong framework.

8.       What's next for you after SPSFC? Are there any upcoming projects you can share with us?

I am currently working on an Epic Fantasy trilogy. It is an engaging character driven epic fantasy filled with political machinations, rich mythology and bloody action. The first book draft 1 is complete and I’m underway with writing book 2. Plenty of world building, new peoples and cultures to get my teeth into! Main themes are brotherhood, sisterhood and the nature of power.

This will be the first instalment in a much broader world and story I want to tell.

Competing with this are the various climate related sci-fi ideas that enter my mind. I have one completed manuscript, but it needs a bit more work, and I might allow myself to write another sci-fi story once my current fantasy trilogy is complete.