Quantum is an unusual book for me, in that I wrote the two halves of it almost seven years apart. I started Quantum straight after I finished Atrophy, when I wrote that first book of the series way back in 2008. However, when it became apparent I wasn’t going to be able to sell Atrophy, I put both of them away with a plan to get them out and reassess at a later date.

When I started writing this book, I actually took the idea from a romantic suspense I had written (and not published) years before. I don’t remember why, but I thought the stuck-in-the-wilderness trope was a good one—no doubt I’d read something that had inspired me to try it myself.

Years later, when Entangled told me they would take Atrophy and I was able to get Quantum out to finish it, all of a sudden, I wanted to include some space pirates. I still liked the beginning of the book in Zander and Mae crash landing in the middle of nowhere and needing to rely on each other to survive. But for the second half of the book, a whole bunch of new characters for the Atrophy universe presented themselves—most notably, Captain Qaelan Forster; illegal salvager and marauder, but not a space pirate, according to him.

I also wanted to write about a hero with a mysterious past, a secret concerning this past, and a shocking revelation about the truth of his heritage, so Varian Donnelly (who will be the hero for the 3rd book, Diffraction, coming out in November) was also introduced.

The Atrophy universe is a large one, and many elements have influenced me over the three books that I’ve written so far. But the most obvious one—Joss Whedon’s Firefly—remains constant. In fact, it might be time for a re-watch before I sit down to write book #4!A

About Jess Anastasi

Jess has been making up stories ever since she can remember. Though her messy handwriting made it hard for anyone else to read them, she wasn’t deterred and now she gets to make up stories for a living. She loves loud music, a good book on a rainy day, and probably spends too much time watching too many TV shows. Jess lives in regional Victoria, Australia, with her very supportive husband, three daughters, two hyper-active border collie dogs, and one cat who thinks he’s one of the kids.

Connect with Jess: Website | Facebook | Twitter: @JessAnastasi