Ken Ballen is the author, with Wu Ming, of the new novel The Better Animal. Ballen also has written the book Terrorists in Love. He is a former federal prosecutor.
Q: What inspired you to write The Better Animal, and how did you and Wu Ming collaborate on the book?
A: I spent most of my career as a federal prosecutor and congressional investigator of the presidency. I have seen the Congress and presidency from the inside. And the burning question we all have now is: Where does the presidency go from here?
Q: How did you create your characters Jake, Wing, and Kit?
A: Largely from my imagination. But Kit is loosely based on one of my dogs, with traits of my other dogs. I have a house full of dogs!
Q: Why did you decide to set the novel in 2040?
A: I wanted enough distance from the present. And my co-author, expert in the research possibilities of AI, thought that was a realistic date for the technological advances portrayed in the novel.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?
A: There is hope—if we are willing to look at the world differently than we now do.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: Trying to promote The Better Animal!
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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