Today I’ll be interviewing American science fiction author Ron Jenkins whom I met on Goodreads. Ron and I immediately hit it off because of our similar love for Philosophy and I felt it would be wonderful to interview him for my blog insaneowl.com. Ron Jenkins is an author who loves to weave his philosophy into his science fiction. His Th3 Reborn Series is the talk of the town on Goodreads, and he is currently working on the second book of that series. It is a pleasure to have him here on insaneowl.com.
Biography
Ron Jenkins is a retired Information Systems Manager and Vietnam Veteran, USMC Air-Wing. He finally has time to do some of the other things he likes to do. One of his hobbies is Astrophysics.
Interview
Fiza: We met on Goodreads through our mutual friend Debbie and hit it off quite well. I would allude that to your affable and welcoming nature. Have you always been this way?
Ron: I think for the most part I have a good nature and am able to relate to people. I think sometimes people read into what I’m saying what they want to hear. But I think we all can do that from time to time.
Fiza: Tell my readers something about your journey till the time you wrote your epic science fiction title ‘The Great Frontier: In the Beginning’. What prompted you to pen this beautiful novel?
Ron: I’m retired now. My career was as an Information Systems Manager for server farms, online and off. I wrote a book that described a universe and the laws that governed it and described a main character that lived through most of it. It outlined the stories I wanted to tell about these characters as a series of books. The first 2 books are based on the first chapter of that book. The next book in the series will be out sometime in 2025.
Fiza: Why did you, after writing the first book in this series, go on and write a YA version of this same book?
Ron: The first book is a love story set in a future dystopian society. Love stories can get heated in the telling. I wrote the YA version for those a bit younger and those that don’t care for a lot of sexual innuendoes in their reading material.
Fiza: What do you plan for this series in the coming months? I’m really excited to read the second book in this series pronto because I think it is one of the best science-fiction books I’ve personally read in a very long time.
Ron: As I said this first book is a love story. Love stories often lead to war stories… Helen of Sparta’s love story led to the destruction of the city of Troy in the Trojan war.
Fiza: What is your opinion about religion? Would you say like Robert Browning and Mahatma Gandhi as mentioned in the Akashic records that there tends to be a huge difference between Religion and God and that the twain shall never meet? How has this then affected your science fiction books?
Ron: I consider myself a Gnostic, but I don’t even believe much of that religious belief system either. I think if I ever finish this series of books, it will be clearer what my religious beliefs are but for now your description might be accurate, although I would hope someday, we might understand what God really means. I work that out through my characters.
Fiza: Tell my readers a bit more about your life, especially your professional life prior to becoming a writer.
Ron: I started my technical career in the Marine Corps fixing communication equipment and radar altimeters for helicopters in the Vietnam war. I got my first understanding of computers in my training there, before computers were digital. When Apple and IBM brought them to the personal computer market, I was a service manager for the stores that sold them and went on to run the server farms that finally developed from their use and the invention of the internet.
Fiza: Choose one author from the following and give a reason why you choose this author: Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Carl Sagan, H.G. Wells
Ron: Isaac Asimov because he was the most contemporary to my favorite science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein. I like them all, but I started when I was quite young with Isaac and Robert at the local library, and went on to read the works of the others.
Fiza: Who are your author inspirations and mentors?
Ron: To repeat what I said before, Isaac Asimov because he was the most contemporary to my favorite science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein. I like them all, but I started when I was quite young with Isaac and Robert at the local library, and went on to read the works of the others.
Fiza: Would you say that religion is overrated and that there is more to the cosmos than structured religion can ever encompass?
Ron: I think there is more about what we think of as, God, than religion can ever describe. I say on the cover of one of my books, “Science is the ability to predict and manipulate the universe. The rest is Philosophy.”
Fiza: Tell my readers about your book ‘The Great Frontier: In the Beginning (Th3 Reborn: Mature, #1)’.
Ron: Mara Moriarty is a scientist from an influential family on Mars working at a hidden laboratory in the asteroid belt to link human minds together through a computer network of her own creation. Mara saves the life of Tom, who turns out to be a storied subject from the chimera experiments.
Fiza: Give my readers a few reasons why they should pick up your book among all the science fiction books out there available on Amazon.
Ron: The book isn’t about the science or the religion we’ve spoken about. It is a love story that could happen in any time period and has for thousands of years. People who don’t read science fiction say they enjoyed the book for all the things it has in common with things we are familiar with today in our own lives.
Fiza: You have even written and published a book called ‘Th3 Reborn: R rated, evolves’. What is that all about and what can my readers gain from reading it?
Ron: It is a meta-book for a series of books. It is written in the first person narrative. It primarily describes the science I will use to tell the stories of a character named Th3. It is a summary of a series of 12-14 planned books telling his story. It stretches from the near future until the end of our universe. That book has a lot of science in it, and I would not recommend it for the casual reader. It is more of a synopsis of a series of stories for my use in creating this whole series of books.
Fiza: You read and reviewed my short story ‘Caste Metal’ recently and I was touched by the way you felt the essence of my social issue fiction work. Have you experienced such brutality in the name of religion before reading my book or was this news to you? How did that short story validate or make you revalue your opinions about the way human beings have been treating each other.
Ron: I thought your story was very thought provoking. I felt it explained how others not entrenched in that religious philosophy might view a situation we might find rather common place and unremarkable as a society. At least not as it was seen by that society. I was familiar with the Hindu teachings but was not faced with how they worked through the society. I can’t say I was surprised that the misuse of religion is as common in India as anywhere else in the world. Prejudice is fundamentally part of religion. IMHO
Fiza: Choose one of the following classics and then give a reason for your choice:
Around the World in Eighty Days, Time Machine, Fahrenheit 451, War of the Worlds
Ron: “Time Machine” because that is what I want to create in this series of books. I want to take my readers to the end of time as we know it.
Fiza: Name some of the books that you read when you were a school kid and how they influenced your writing and professional life.
Ron: I’m going to pick just one. “Time Enough for Love” by Heinlein. Theodore Sturgeon said, “the mind of a man whose reach always exceed his grasp but who will never stop reaching” – a description that applies both to Heinlein and Lazarus Long. I suspect that it might be true for all good writers. I hope to be one someday.
Fiza: If you could ever change something about your life, what would that be?
Ron: Nothing, or I wouldn’t be who I am now or had the experiences I’ve lived through. Not to say I don’t have regrets, but I wouldn’t want the tapestry to unravel. Time travel 101…
Fiza: AI has become the most talked about topic this year in the age of Data Science. What do you have to say about it and how can it impact the lives of humans?
Ron: I don’t think it is quite as impressive as some would have you think. I think it has a long way to go before it replaces us or could stand alone without us. I use a projection of where it might go eventually in this first story of the series but that is a long way off despite what those who are invested in today’s AI might want you to believe.
Fiza: Elon Musk recently made a statement that: ‘If there was life in outer space, at least I would know (of all people) wouldn’t I!’ What is your answer to him in relation to that as a science fiction writer?
Ron: There are things Elon will never understand or know. He has about as much validity in his statements as any other rando on X…
Fiza: Choose one genre from the following that you LEAST like and give a few reasons for your answer:
Literary Fiction, Horror, Rom-Coms, Contemporary Fantasy
Ron: I wouldn’t pick any of them. I think my story has elements of all of them and I would hope the readers who read them will give my story a chance and read it.
Fiza: What are you currently reading?
Ron: Nothing right now, I’m busy with my new book’s sequel. Maybe a little research related to it but unless I hit a block in my thoughts I’ll stay on track.
Fiza: My personal favorite reading nook while in my Badlapur flat is my reading chair in my study while in my mother’s house in Bandra West, it is my bed. Which is your favorite reading nook?
Ron: Right now, my desk… I have everything I need within reach there.
Fiza: Where do you do most of your writing? Are you currently writing the second book in the Th3 Series in this place?
Ron: Yes
Fiza: Do you work better in silence, or can you also work in the hustle and bustle of a busy coffee shop?
Ron: You never know where an inspiration might rise into view.
Fiza: Where can my readers find your books?
Ron: Right now only on Amazon. I’m an Indie writer as you know.
Fiza: How can my readers reach you or chat with you about your books easily?
Ron: I can usually be reached on goodreads.com that’s where we met!
Conclusion
Fiza: I really enjoyed interviewing Ron Jenkins on my blog insaneowl.com today. You can find all of Ron Jenkins’ books easily on Amazon. Please feel free to reach out to him on Goodreads and do check out his amazing books. I hope to interview Ron once again soon in the near future on this blog which contains quality bookish content always.
Copyright © 2024, Fiza Pathan
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