We chat with author Mike Chen about A Quantum Love Story, which is his first venture into love stories, as Carter and Mariana form a slow growing, emotional connection.
Hi, Mike! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hello there! (Said like Obi-Wan Kenobi.) I’m a New York Times bestselling author and my best-known works are the time-travel father/daughter story Here And Now And Then, the X-Files-esque family drama Light Years From Home, and the Obi-Wan/Anakin novel Brotherhood. I’ve also written a Star Trek comic mini-series for Deep Space Nine called The Dog of War. I’ve also covered geek culture for outlets like Nerdist and The Mary Sue, and before then, I covered the NHL for a bunch of places. I’m from the San Francisco Bay Area and I also really love dogs.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
Very early on. I drew my own comics when I was young. These were often inspired by my favorite franchises at the time, but I would write stories for them that took place in the downtime between TV episodes. For example, I remember very specifically writing some Robotech fan fic comics that took place in the mess hall to catch the characters when they weren’t fighting some giant high-stakes battle. Years later, I realized that I’m still taking that character-focused tone, mostly with my original work (though my Star Wars novel is very much a character study).
With it now 2024, have you set any goals or resolutions for the year?
Take more naps. Pet more dogs. And I am trying to consciously listen to more music throughout my day. I am a huge music nerd (very much documented in my novel Vampire Weekend) and I found that as I drive less due to work-from-home, I listen to less music. So I’m trying to make it more part of my chores and downtime.
Your latest novel, A Quantum Love Story, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Two people in a time loop!
What can readers expect?
It’s as close to romance as I can get, which is to say that it’s a slow burn between two characters who come to realize their feelings for each other as they sort out their own emotional trauma. It’s one of the benefits of being in a time loop, because outside of trying to escape the time loop, what else are you going to do?
Where did the inspiration for A Quantum Love Story come from?
This story has actually existed in quite a few forms over the past five years. The initial version came from a time when I was asked to pitch a licensed story for a major IP similar in tone to Here And Now And Then. It went through a number of changes in structure, tone, and age range, and I finally landed on the idea of using it for my follow up to Vampire Weekend.
As I was rebuilding the story outline again, this was mid/late 2021 and the trauma of covid was really on my mind – the combination of uncertainty and dread and frustration was everywhere, yet at the same time, I watched my young daughter become close friends with another girl purely through Zoom. It was somewhat miraculous because they wouldn’t have had that time together without the pandemic. (They’re still friends and see each other a few times a month for online games and movies; they’re actually playing Among Us together as I write this.) All of that built a new tone and theme for this story on top of the previous layers.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
One of my shortcuts in writing is to cast an actor in a role so I can see their facial expressions or hear their vocal cadence instead of having to invent one of my own. In this case, the character of Shay was based on Tawny Newsome, who plays Beckett Mariner in Star Trek Lower Decks. Tawny has a real infectious energy that comes through in both her performances and interviews, so writing Shay’s dialogue was very easy and a real kick.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: I know I read a bunch of chapter books as a kid but the first one that really stuck in my head was Ellen Conford’s A Royal Pain, which showed me how voice and pace could be used in a book.
- The one that made you want to become an author: About A Boy by Nick Hornby is the book that made me go “I want to really try this.”
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Revenge of the Sith by Matthew Stover is one of the greatest books ever written. Those who know definitely understand. I tell people it’s the closest to literary fiction you’ll get from Star Wars.
What’s next for you?
I have a few IP-related releases coming up. On February 13, the trade paperback of my Star Trek: Deep Space Nine mini-series entitled The Dog Of War releases. For any DS9 fans reading this, it takes place right after the episode His Way in season 6 and involves Quark trying to smuggle contraband in the form of a purebred corgi he names Latinum. This also ties into Sisko’s Bork PTSD and history with Jean-Luc Picard, and both of those stories intertwine into the larger story of the Dominion war.
October sees the release of my Marvel book: What If…Marc Spector Was A Host To Venom? This Moon Knight/Venom story is part 3 of a unique What If series (the first one involves Loki, the second one involves Peter Parker and Wanda Maximoff) with an overarching storyline driving the 5-book series. It’s designed to appeal to both longtime comic readers and casual fans who may have watched the MCU, and for my book in particular, it’s about unlikely friendships that build trust under extreme duress.
Lastly, are there any 2024 book releases that you’re looking forward to?
I got to read an advance copy of The Stars Too Fondly by Emily Hamilton, and that is a really fun romp that has total Star Trek Lower Decks vibes. And I’ll read anything by Peng Shepherd; her upcoming novel All This And More has a Choose Your Own Adventure twist to her trademark character-driven speculative fiction.
