An Interview with Bruce Golden

Bruce Golden’s short stories have been published across more than two dozen countries and 40 anthologies. New Myths magazine said of his novel Red Sky, Blue Moon, “With thematic echoes of Dune, Dances with Wolves, and The Last Samurai, it’s an epic tale of adventure and arrogance, discovery and desire, courage and greed.” Asimov’s Science Fiction described his novel Evergreen, “If you can imagine Ursula Le Guin channeling H. Rider Haggard, you’ll have the barest conception of this stirring book, which centers around a mysterious artifact and the people in its thrall.” His book Monster Town, a satirical send-up of old hard-boiled detective stories featuring movie monsters of the black & white era, has been stuck in TV series development hell for some years now.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

I was influenced very early in life by Robert Heinlein, Mark Twain, Rod Serling, Edgar Allan Poe, and Robert E. Howard.

What inspired you to start writing this book?

I was speculating on what might happen if a disease or other calamity drove mankind to extinction, and what kind of world the artificial intelligence that was left would create.

Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

I had narrowed it down to a few choices but, in the end, The Omega Legacy seemed to be the perfect fit.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

Probably something by DEVO.

Describe your dream book cover.

I like covers which are immediately eye-catching, but also have something to do with the book’s theme and storyline.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

I worked in journalism (magazines, radio, TV) before I decided to devote myself to only writing fiction.

What books did you read (for research or comfort) throughout your writing process?

I tried to find as many books as I could about artificial intelligence.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?

While you want readers to enjoy what you write, you also hope that when that last page is turned, you’ve given them something to think about.

Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.