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An Interview with N Joseph Glass, author of Overlap

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An Italian American born in New York and living in Milan, Italy. As a sci-fi fan, I enjoy interesting stories that fire the imagination. I love the genres of science fiction, action/adventure, and thrillers. I lose myself reading compelling novels and have taken inspiration to create characters and expound my stories from being captivated by reading.

My journey to creative writing just happened. As ideas entered my mind, I began visualizing scenes and the people in them. As my imagination added detail and depth, I put my fingers on my keyboard and started writing. Creativity became a cherished hobby at first.

Optimistic views of the future through art always interest me, as I believe ours will be bright.



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

When reading Dune and the Expanse series, I started to note author styles and how they expressed emotion., motivation, thoughts, and feelings that spoke to me. Although the situations were fantastical, the characters were relatable. When I mused over the modern “space race” and billionaires trying to get to Mars, I wondered what life would be like in a colony while waiting for terraforming to complete. What would their daily activities include? What challenges would they face and how content would people be after two centuries? I mentally added characters and events and realized I had a story, so I started writing.

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

Form youth and through school I’ve done many jobs from office cleaning to managing a cafeteria. For the last two decades I’ve worked in information technology. While I only got serious about writing during the pandemic, I always had that spark. As a child I created a comic book, wrote and filmed a short file with my Lego set, and even started a Star Trek film script. None of these survived, or could be considered any good. But the love of creativity was there.

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

It took a while. My first renditions were based on a use of the time travel chamber and one I worked for a while was “Vacations in Time.” This did not suit the story as that use is only a part of it, not the main focus. When I rewrote the chapter where Marcus explains the technology and how his machine creates an overlap in time, like a folded paper, the title came to me.

How did it feel when you first saw your book cover? Or when you first held your book in your hands?

I cannot express how amazing the feeling is of seeing a finished cover or holding the first edition printing of a book I wrote in my hands. While I have written three others, a trilogy, this one had a very different cover design that I think captured the essence of Marcus and his story.

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

I think “Every Teardrop is a Water Fall” and “Fix You” from Cold Play would make the cut, licensing issues aside. I can see “Stuck in a Moment” by U2 being a key song as well. Also, it would include “More Than a Woman” from the Bee Gees, which is referenced in the book.

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

I hope readers see that we all handle grief in different ways, and we can get on with our lives. Life is worth living, not wallowing over the past. We make mistakes, live the consequences of our decisions. Even if we find ourselves stuck in a moment, we can pick ourselves up and move on.

What was the most rewarding/meaningful part of publishing your book?

Having readers enjoy the story and to think about its message and/or impact afterward.

What new writing projects are you currently working on? Or, other projects that are not writing?

I have a related novel called Tomorrow in Las Vegas in beta review and a finished novel called Finding Idyllium in final review with an editor. I have started on a book that may be called To Gaze Upon a Darkened Sky (or Cloud) and have several other ideas currently in haphazard notes or outlines.


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