April and Arclight

Happy April, everyone.

I've been in a bit of a blog-funk since the spammers and hackers decided to move into the neighborhood, but seeing as this is ARCLIGHT''s publication month, I'm going to give it another shot. I'm going to *attempt* a daily blog to give you a little more info on what's in store for you with the novel.

So here goes:

**ARCLIGHT IS SCIENCE FICTION**

You'll see it called dystopian, post-apocalyptic, and horror, but at its heart, Arclight is, and always shall be, old school sci-fi. (That's not to say it isn't set after the near-erradication of mankind, nor am I saying there are no monsters, because there are.) There are some (hopefully) chilling and thrilling moments. There will be times you want to jump, and others when you want to strangle someone on the page (don't worry about it, I wrote her that way...) but, I'm nerd and therefore I wrote a nerd-appropriate novel. (<--- call="" can="" genre="" i="" it="" my="" p="" s="" want="" what="">
When science fiction first exploded as a legit genre, it was more than simple fiction. Actually, aside from fantasy, it was probably some of the least "simple" fiction out there, and it served a purpose beyond entertainment. Amid the green skinned lizard men and the kooky cannons-to-Mars scenarios, there was cultural exploration and social commentary. In its golden era, sci-fi was a way to safely challenge convention and censorship. While one couldn't publicly denounce certain people or organizations by name (at least not without risk of retaliation), what they could do - in fiction - was turn those same people and organizations into aliens and have a hero stand valiantly against their oppression.

At its inception, the first sci-fi story (thank you, Mary Shelley) was an examination of the dangers and ethical implications of modern medical practices. This kind of thing is hard-wired into the genre's DNA, and it's the kind of spirit I've tried to instill in ARCLIGHT - the idea that actions don't happen in a vacuum.

There's also the idea that every choice made has a consequence, some of which can't even be fathomed in the early steps of progress. And the reality is that, sometimes, those consequences are handed off  and handed down to people who had no part in the acts that caused them. The best sci-fi raises questions, and it's my hope that these three are among them:

• How far would you go?
• How far is too far?
• Was it worth it?