Samantha Kaufman
asked
D.J. Molles:
What inspired you to write "Johnny" and where did you get the idea for the method of communication between Johnny and his people?
D.J. Molles
The idea for Johnny came a few years ago on a car ride up to Virginia with my wife. I'd been interested in Area 51 at the time and been doing some reading on it, and came across some theories about the aliens still being held prisoner there to this day. Dubious as those theories are to me, it got me thinking about how terrible it would be to be held prisoner millions of light years away from anyone you knew or cared about, and that's how the basic concept of "Johnny" came to life in my mind.
As for their communication, the root of this was a short story I wrote when I was younger that broached the concept of how disastrous mind-reading would be to our current society if we suddenly began to develop that ability. However, if a society were to ever survive that, I think they'd begin to advance very rapidly afterward. The "Collective" and "Harmony" was just the way I pictured it evolving over eons.
As for their communication, the root of this was a short story I wrote when I was younger that broached the concept of how disastrous mind-reading would be to our current society if we suddenly began to develop that ability. However, if a society were to ever survive that, I think they'd begin to advance very rapidly afterward. The "Collective" and "Harmony" was just the way I pictured it evolving over eons.
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