Interview with Bradley Nordell, Author of The Second Sky

What’s the story behind the story? What impressed you to write down The Second Sky: And Other Stories?

Okay, first the story behind the title. The title got here from my pal Melinda’s daughter, who seemed on the sky and stated to her mother “that’s the Second Sky.” Mel advised me, and I used to be like “that’s a heck of an insight.” And I stored considering, what if she’s proper? What if there’s a hidden sky that all of us look previous. And that’s when the concept got here to create a group of tales about totally different hidden facets of actuality.

I grew up with Twilight Zone and Martian Chronicles and Philip Ok Dick tales, that are all in regards to the strangeness of the world, the size of different realities. The Second Sky is an ode to these with my very own twist and philosophical insights. As a quantum physicist, I discover these unusual however actual facets of components of actuality we don’t “see” or “experience” instantly, however which can be there. And so every story is part of actuality hidden to us. Parts which can be opened by new know-how and even love or grief. Only then, can we lastly see The Second Sky.

So, from that, most of these tales began as “what if…” and so they grew from there. For occasion, “To Build a Hope,” began as “what if you woke up after a storm and reality was being consumed by nothingness?” But on the coronary heart of each story is the human facet, whether or not or not it’s love, demise, loss, loneliness, or hope, the futuristic stuff is to move the readers to new worlds, new when’s and the place’s, however the human facet is all the time current.

If you needed to decide theme songs for the principle characters of The Second Sky: And Other Stories, what would they be?

Since there are a lot of tales (and therefore characters) right here, it could be a playlist that included: – Stars of the Lid – Zoe Keating – Olafur Arnolds – Explosions within the Sky – Clint Mansell – Miles Davis – Kind of Blue.

What’s your favourite style to learn? Is it the identical as your favourite style to write down?

I learn science fiction and literary fiction, horror, memoirs, poetry, speculative fiction, nicely, I learn principally every part. I write science fiction, literary fiction, and poetry.

I prefer to suppose of my fashion as literary sci-fi, the place I put so much of emphasis on character growth, blended with stunning prose, and vivid world-building. As if James Joyce, Stephen King, and Isaac Asimov morphed right into a single author.

What books are in your TBR pile proper now?

Well, I normally learn 6-7 books directly; one thing I’ve finished since I used to be a child. These will likely be totally different genres. So proper now, I’m studying: – Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt – Viper Rum by Mary Karr – And Hell Followed with Them by Giovanni Diaz – The Helios Syndrome by Vivian Shaw – Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky – The Geometry of Kerr Black Holes by Barrett O’Neil – The Ferryman by Justin Cronin.

What scene in your e book was your favourite to write down?

The two that have been troublesome or nicely, highly effective, have been: – The whole story of The Reaper Men was primarily based off a dream I had. I had the dream two-months earlier than the COVID Pandemic. I awoke, wrote the story out, and was like “shit, that felt so real.” Well, two months later the world is in a pandemic. I used to be apprehensive the Reaper Men may come true.

– And the story “The Color of a Rose,” the place the protagonist is blind. So, whereas writing I truly spent lengthy durations of time blindfolded so I can start to suppose, describe scenes, use metaphors and similes that had nothing to do with the visible senses. It was troublesome however I felt it turned me into a greater author and helped to broaden my creativeness of seeing actuality by a distinction perspective.

Do you might have any quirky writing habits? (fortunate mugs, cats on laps, and so forth.)

I’m going on lengthy walks and play out the character conversations and scenes I’m writing, virtually like I’m on a film set. People who cross me by most likely suppose I’m speaking to myself. I additionally like to sit down in a darkish room and play out the story or scene in my thoughts. I normally have Miles Davis or Pink Floyd taking part in within the background.

Do you might have a motto, quote, or philosophy you reside by?

“Your only limitation is the idea you are limited”, “do no harm,” and “always listen and act with loving-kindness.”

I prefer to suppose of myself as an japanese humanistic existentialist. I’m a quantum physicist, so I imagine within the transcendental energy of science in serving to the world and constructing a greater tomorrow. But we additionally want love, kindness, and a worldview of interconnectedness and nicely, social accountability. Hence, the japanese half describing the philosophy of Buddhism of “do no harm,” and that all of us interconnected.

In truth, we’re a sum of all issues, simply presently my wavefunction is a human, however at totally different instances I used to be a star, or sooner or later I’ll be half of a tree, a flower, a frog, this chair. Conservation of matter and vitality say that every one our matter and vitality will not be destroyed however solely transforms from one type to a different. And existentialism facet is that every one life is meaningless, within the absolute sense.

We create which means. We do that by magnificence, and artwork, and household. We additionally create the world, the human world we expertise. And so, it’s our social accountability when it isn’t working, to work collectively to assist make a greater one. I imagine fiction can assist with that. To learn is to turn out to be one other thoughts, one other story, to really feel with characters. And with science fiction, we’re weaving collectively doable worlds and tomorrows to construct on or not (therefore dystopias). The concept of taking part in out many eventualities and finally making a greater tomorrow collectively.

If you would select one factor for readers to recollect after studying your e book, what wouldn’t it be?

There is a deeper actuality than the one you understand. And the doorways to these realities can are available some ways, whether or not or not it’s the highly effective expertise of love and even demise, however it’s essential to maintain looking out, maintain hoping, conserving trying as much as the Second Sky.