Michael C. Grumley is the author of the new novel Cold Storage, the second in his Revival series following Deep Freeze. He lives in Northern California.
Q: This is the second in your Revival series--how would you describe the relationship between the two books?
A: The books can be read separately, but Cold Storage goes even deeper into the overall Revival story line. You’ll find the same characters that readers loved from the first book (Deep Freeze), their humor, their diverse backgrounds, and bigger reveals that Deep Freeze set the groundwork for.
I think Cold Storage is going to surprise readers in a number of ways. Funny enough, several of my beta readers’ first responses after reading it were just “Wow!”
Q: What inspired the plot of Cold Storage?
A: There were a lot of big ideas introduced in the first book that I really wanted to pull back the layers even more on. Not just the characters and events, but the concepts that showed how possible this story truly is.
I think a lot of readers, myself included, enjoy fiction much more when they know the story is not just possible, but some elements are actually looming.
Q: Did you need to do any research to write the novel, and if so, did you learn anything that especially surprised you?
A: Oh, yes. I did a lot of research for both books. Many of the elements I was already familiar with, but I had to dive a bit deeper to make sure I got all the specific details right.
And what surprised me the most is just how much we’ve truly discovered around the reality of aging, life extension, and even age reversal.
I know it sounds like science fiction when I say that, but the ability to do things like re-lengthen our telomeres, which just a decade ago was thought impossible, is possible, and in some cases easier to do than we expected.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from the story?
A: It’s funny, I have trouble reading fiction when it just seems too unlikely that it will ever really happen.
The one thing I hope readers take from the Revival books is that a lot of this stuff is not simply “made up” for sake of the plot. That a lot of exciting pieces in this story line are much closer and much more possible than they think.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: Right now, I’m actually working on new storyline that I’ve been wanting to write for a long time. It’s a bit of a cross between a Lee Child Jack Reacher story and Michael Crichton.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: I really hate sounding cliché, but I honestly believe a lot of people are going to find Cold Storage to be a “Wow” type of read. I know that can sound pompous, but you have to trust me. Because my beta readers read a LOT. 😉
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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