A Goodreads user asked Eugene Linn:

How did you get the concept for Red Dot? Also, what was your favorite part about writing it? :)

Eugene Linn Nice to hear from you, Ama Bemma. As for the concept, it occurred to me the likely extreme reactions of humans to approaching ETs hadn't been dealt with much. Most First Contact stories seemed to focus on battles between humans and aliens. But maybe the reaction of humans posed a bigger threat than the ETS. And here's what I wrote in a journal on the Red.Dot FB page:

"I think the idea of a mesmerizing red dot arose after I got interested in mindfulness meditation in 2013. As it developed, the idea of the red dot as an anchor for meditation faded. But it still proved to be a useful device.

"The sci-fi, space thing seems to go back to an article ... discussing the likely motivation of space aliens. A lot of people apparently thought these super-advanced beings would be entirely evil or supremely enlightened. It occurred to me there were many interesting possibilities in between. Exactly how red dots and the space thing got together, I don’t remember."

As for my favorite part about writing Red Dot, one thing I discovered about writing my first novel was -- it's fun. I enjoyed the whole process: from having ideas for dialogue or a plot development come to me (often while I was jogging) to sitting at the laptop and fleshing the ideas out. It was like reading a novel I enjoyed, only better because I got to make it all up.

Thanks for the questions, Ama Bemma. I hope that helped. Eugene

flag