An Interview with R. E. Kearney

1) What’s the story behind your career? I am writing because I am attempting to generate thought and conversation concerning what the world may be like in the near future due to the many changes which are occurring in the present, such as climate change, increasing use of robotics, biotechnology, nanotechnology, etc. I am a future fanatic.

I started writing as a television reporter in the late 1970s. Although, I’m not certain that writing a fifteen second story introduction and ten second stand-up wrap can truthfully be called serious writing. In 2004, I started writing scenarios for US and NATO military exercises. In 2009, I transferred to writing wargame scenarios for the US Army Future Warfighting Division. The wargame scenarios were written to occur in 2020 or 2030 and led me to my interest in what the future of the world will resemble.

Now, I am merging my military background with my business and economics knowledge along with my interest in the future to develop the Endless Fire series.

2) What makes your subject interesting? If it is interesting to anybody other than me, it is because it involves primarily two, very human individuals, Robert Goodfellow and Mugavus Komfort, attempting to prevent a war between the US and Russia in the near future that is the result of a cyber killer programmed to assassinate the US and Russian leaders. The story also involves a seasteaded corporate state named the Society Preserving Endangered Agriculture or SPEA. The corporate state of SPEA exists because it is turning the problems resulting from climate change into profits. An autistic citizen of SPEA, Pion, working on a SPEA coffee plantation in southwest Ethiopia is the controller of AIDAS and the only person who can stop the killings and prevent the war. Both the US and Russians are pursuing Pion. The title Future Furies refers to the Greek and Roman mythological Furies.

3) What makes you an interesting author? My previous experiences. My knowledge. My interest in the future. My view of the world.

4) Who are your favourite authors? I read far more nonfiction than fiction, such as Brave New War, Future War in Cities, The Naked Future, The Next Convergence. Fiction: David Baldacci and Tom Clancy

5) How much time do you spend writing? Three to four hours daily. Every afternoon and evening, if possible.

6) What are you reading right now? The Industries of the Future by Alec Ross – a nonfiction.

7) What’s the biggest hurdle to getting words on the page and how do you overcome it? Conceiving of how the future will look and transforming those possibilities into an interesting part in a fictional adventure. I overcome it by reading about new developments and then converting them into plot points.

8) How do you feel about ebooks vs. print books and alternative vs. conventional publishing? Love ebooks. They are the present and will be the future. Print books still have a place and many people still like the feel of a printed book. Conventional publishing is too controlled and the publishing houses are censors and blocks. Conventional publishing is a failing industry.