Mark Everglade holds a Master's of Science in Conflict Theory, which drove him to write Hemispheres to soothe our divisiveness. His previous works have been featured in Exoplanet Magazine and Unrealpolitik. He has appeared on numerous podcasts and newscasts for his books and social activism and currently resides in Florida with his wife and kids.

Since you have a background in Conflict Resolution and the job of a writer is often to increase conflict, how did that work together?
Conflict is what makes people turn the page, and when you put different factions' motivations in opposition to one another, it emerges naturally. The phrase Variations on a Dream occurs multiple times in the book, within the context that each faction has their own interpretation of how to improve society, but in the end their underlying values are more similar than they think. Appealing to those underlying values is the basis of all conflict resolution, and in the book, promoting social solidarity.

Is turning the planet an analogy for the difficulty in creating real social change?
What a fascinating question! The dark side of the planet represents the relationship between creation and destruction. We see this in its inhabitants, whether it is directly stated by O.A.K. or whether it is Severum's nickname, which Akasha states is a variation of Shiva (the Hindu deity who destroys to pave a path to create).

The bright side of the planet references the fictional deity Orbis, which is based on the Hindu Vishnu, the preserver of reality. So, in this regard, yes, it is an analogy for the difficulty in creating social change. We must constantly balance the need to preserve society with the need to occasionally dismantle elements of our culture to create a new world, just as Vishnu and Shiva balance one another in Hindu belief (note that I am not Hindu, however).

Some astronomers think that there are many tidally-locked planets in the habitable temperature zone in our galaxy, and that one of these might be our best bet for a human colony. How did that theory inspire Hemispheres?
The planet's real, so I was able to consult scientific papers for exactly what the problems would be with colonizing it, from the UV to the heat currents and lack of liquid water, which resulted in the way I mapped out the civilizations and the Twilight region between them. The "no man's land" that was inhabited by machines was based on the work of anthropologist Marvin Harris as he analyzed how these neutral zones emerge after war. We're always captivated by the stars and escaping to these new worlds, but I must caution it's equally important to preserve the world we have.

After the events of Hemispheres, is there room for more stories set on your planet, Gliese 581g?
There is, but Hemispheres took 4,500 hours to write, and it's difficult to mentally live in such a dystopian world for that period of time, thinking about it non-stop. By the time the planet hits full rotational speed, the characters will be at the end of their lifespans as well. Digital Enlightenment will be a very distant prequel set on Earth, however.

I loved the ways you explore the differences between the two main characters, Severum and Thalassa. How do they end up finding common ground? Do you think one of them is more the "hero" of the story?
That's a difficult question because they're both so flawed. Severum, for half the book, just follows orders and accepts the status quo, while Thalassa is the fool archetype in literature, a shallow impulsive rogue who listens to nothing and no one. Kierkegaard would say she's at war with boredom, which she admits.

It's only when they're both severely injured and can't lift a blade or gun that they're forced to actually communicate with one another, and sometimes society needs to get to that point unfortunately where it's metaphorically injured and unable to stand -- to force people to recognize that if they can't go beyond their polarized thinking, they won't survive. Please understand these statements are not made to justify violence. As is typical in cyberpunk, both are antiheroes -- it's our ability as a species to communicate and forgive that is the true hero, the true protagonist.

What's funny is that a few people have criticized Severum's ability to find common ground with her as if it wasn't believable that it could occur, but perhaps that says more about how locked in we are within our own beliefs, than it says about the text itself.

Usually, in literature, you have "the hero's journey," which includes the protagonist meeting an older, wiser person, such as Obi-Wan or Yoda. Severum's wiser guide is the part of himself that he's suppressed in the name of following orders and making a buck, so I think he's heroic in the sense that he finally lives the life that is in accordance with his values since he had lost his own voice in life, as illustrated,

In-between the lines, he searches for something he can fill with his own voice, but finds no container to house it.

Dancing for the Gov'nor up there in The Towers, a king's pawn sent out for a gambit, vomiting chemicals to develop someone else's film.

I really enjoyed the supporting cast as well. I think Aurthur is my favorite. Who was your favorite supporting character to write?
Thalassa is the most fun because of her sarcastic biting nature. Impulsive characters drive the plot forth with ease for a writer. Aurthur is an allusion to the word author which is why the "u" was added to the spelling, since I basically wrote myself into the novel. He has to overcome his narcissism to become the kind of family man people want to be around.

This is your first published novel, and you have some short stories out. Do you prefer writing short stories or novels?
I discarded the first five books I wrote because they weren't up to standard and will never publish them. I prefer writing short stories in some regards because when you set back and look at it, if it doesn't work then you've only spent twenty hours instead of thousands of hours. They are more difficult, however.

What do you think has changed in sci-fi writing? What has stayed the same?
I asked Bruce Bethke this last week, who created the word cyberpunk and wrote the first story in the genre in 1980. I just gave a two-hour interview on this subject on YouTube, but I'll try to keep it short, paraphrasing his commentary. After Star Wars released in 1977, publishers realized there was big money to be made in science fiction. The greatest sci-fi authors were mostly rehashing old ideas by this point, so when cyberpunk hit, it was a fresh breath to the genre, and publishers flooded it with funds. But those who deviated from the formula were punished by the industry, and soon it began to all read the same before cyberpunk ended up being called dead in 1986.

The fears that sci-fi had forty years ago are less relevant today (hopefully). We've sent rovers to Mars and haven't found aliens. The Cold War is no longer at its peak like it was in 1983. The internet took off in 1991 without many of the fears that authors thought this tech would bring coming to fruition. I think sci-fi today is addressing different fears.

In books like Europa by Elias Hurst there's this fear of isolation, in Sherman by Dr. Joseph Hurtgen there's this fear of our nation's honor being made a mockery of, in The Man with No Name by Tanweer Dar there's a fear of A.I., and in Hoshi and the Red City Circuit by Dr. Dora Raymaker there's a fear of human rights being lost for those who are neurodiverse (such as autistic persons). While some books have covered these topics, we're basing conflict on a wider range of fears now that represent our zeitgeist.

As a writer, who or what are your inspirations?
My wife came up with the basic idea, but the philosophy behind it was inspired by philosophers Reza Negarestani, Georg Wilhelm Hegel, and sociologist Nicholas Luhmann. I love everyone from William Gibson to Charles Dickens, but the sections in virtual reality were actually inspired by Alice in Wonderland, which is why the guy in that part is named Carroll, after its author. The Mad Hatter is the ultimate inspiration for anyone trying to take a surreal look at the virtual subconscious.

I see you're in process on a new novel, Digital Enlightenment. Can you tell us something about it?
Sure! It takes place many hundreds of years before Hemispheres on Earth before the cosmic diaspora. It is a non-violent text that explores two civilizations, one in which writing is illegal, and one in which everyone's thoughts are captured by a brain implant and displayed on giant screens down each city street for the world to see, and how these civilizations relate. The whole thing is a commentary on freedom of speech being under fire, and the freedoms we give up by participating in social media and broadcasting our life to the world to be manipulated by advertising agencies with political agendas.

Hemispheres has clearly found its audience and is having a big launch. What have you found out about your audience from their reactions to the book?
The cyberpunk audience has different expectations than the general science fiction audience. They expect to be thrown into the action, somewhat confused at times, without a long exposition describing every technological device. They enjoy the metaphorical abstraction. The general sci-fi audience often likes a slower build-up, and the true hard sci-fi fans often abhor the poetic elements.

Are there any special promotional plans for Hemispheres our readers should know about?
We just had the book launch with legendary cyberpunk author Austin Dragon, and Matthew Goodwin, who many say is one of the top emerging cyberpunk authors. Due to Covid, I'll continue to do interviews and podcasts from afar, for now.

I really enjoyed the soundtrack to Hemispheres that is available on your web site! Where did that (amazing) idea come from?
I have to write to music. When I need to write an action scene, I need it to have a certain rhythm, so I blare Red Hot Chili Peppers. When I need a cold sounding scene, I blare Pineapple Thief. With writing my own music, the songs inspire the emotion of the story, and then the emotion of the story feeds back into the music, so it's a give and take between the two, a synergy. But honestly, like the idea of book trailers, it's really a desperate attempt to compete with video games and television multi-media that dominates so much of our life.

Is there anything else you'd like to tell us?
I think that covers it. Thanks for asking.

Where can people get the book?
It's available on Amazon and other websites in addition to independent bookstores in Vermont, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Florida. Thanks!

Special Bonus Story available for a limited time:The Mandelbrot Scheme by Mark Everglade