In the following email interview with author Jacob Holo about his new sci-fi action / adventure novel Freelancers Of Neptune (hardcover, Kindle), he admits coming up with the idea for this space story when he was supposed to be watching his 6.
To start, what is Freelancers Of Neptune about, and when and where is this story set?
The novel takes place over 50,000 years into the future, and while the stage is our own solar system, a lot of it has been reshaped by massive feats of macro-engineering and the construction of countless megastructures.
Captain Nathan Kade is a freelancer who lives on the orbital ring around Neptune. He’s just trying to make ends meet and keep his ship, the Neptune Belle, from falling apart. All he wants is a nice, simple job to put his finances back in order.
And then a beautiful ex-space pirate cat girl comes crashing into his life with a wild tale about a treasure trove of lost technology.
Where did you get the idea for Freelancers Of Neptune?
As strange as this may sound, I actually got the idea while playing [the sci-fi shooter video game] Warframe. While playing that game, I was struck by how alien and strange the setting and its inhabitants felt, especially since it all takes place within the solar system, and there isn’t a single alien in sight. (At least I don’t think so; I haven’t played the game’s more recent content.)
As you mentioned, Nathan meets a woman, Vessani S’Kaari, who’s a cat girl. But is she part cat and part female, or is she an alien who just looks like a cross between a cat and a human?
Vessani is basically a human whose ancestors were genetically modified to have cat-like features. Because, well, that’s what they wanted to look like, and the hyperintelligent machines caring for humanity at the time heard their request and were like “Sure, yeah, we can do that for you.”
Vessani’s race also has superior hearing and reflexes. I sometimes think of her as the party member with maxed out dexterity stats.
So, why a cat girl and not a dog girl or a rat girl or something? Because making her a cat girl, and giving her a cat suit on the cover, means people are going to automatically think of Catwoman, and then they’re going to expect Batman to show up, and then The Joker, or Riddler, and…?
Why not? [laughs]
Cat girls are a popular part of the cultural zeitgeist, and one of the ideas behind the many branches of humanity found in the setting is that someone at some point wanted to have those traits. I can think of a lot of people who wouldn’t mind going around with cute cat ears and a fluffy tail.
Freelancers Of Neptune sounds like it’s a sci-fi space opera story, albeit one that’s gritty, more like Firefly than Star Trek. How do you describe Freelancers Of Neptune, genre-wise?
Sci-fi action adventure. It’s a scrappy crew on a scrappy ship trying to make their fortune (and getting in way over their heads) across a solar system that’s seen a lot of changes.
If I counted right, and please correct me if I didn’t, but Freelancers Of Neptune is the fourteenth novel you’ve written or cowritten….
Officially, yes, the total is fourteen. But that’s just the Jacob Holo penname. I also help out with my wife’s Edie Skye penname, and I contribute to those novels to varying amounts, some to the point where I do the bulk of the first draft.
Got it. Anyway, are there any writers, or specific stories, that had a big influence on Freelancers Of Neptune but not on anything else you’ve written?
The non-fiction side of things was a stronger influence for this book. While a lot of crazy stuff happens — and even crazier stuff canhappen in the setting — I try to make sure everything is at least possible within our current scientific understanding.
What about non-literary influences; was Freelancers Of Neptune influenced by any movies, TV shows, or games?
Besides Warframe, which I mentioned above, I’d say the Isaac Arthur channel on YouTube has been a massive source of inspiration when it comes to speculating about future of technology, humanity, and our efforts to colonize the cosmos.
And what about your bossy cat, Nova? How did she influence Freelancers Of Neptune?
Sadly, Nova passed away last year. She was a beloved companion of ours and we miss her dearly.
However, in an unexpected turn of events, a relative found a small ginger kitten at a construction site less than a week after Nova’s passing. She couldn’t keep the kitten, so my wife and I adopted him and named him Dazzle. He’s been a continuous source of joy in our lives, though I will say he is far too scatterbrained to be anyone’s boss! [laughs]
So then how did Dazzle influence Freelancers Of Neptune?
That would be quite the trick, because I wrote the first draft before he was born.
Nova, Dazzle
Now, as it says on the cover, Freelancers Of Neptune is the first book in the Sol Blazers series. What can you tell us about this series?
This novel is a stand-alone story that focuses on how this oddball team comes together — and has their first death-defying adventure. There are plenty of other stories I want to tell with this cast and this setting, but I expect them to be fairly episodic in nature, so readers can jump in with whichever book sparks their interest.
Earlier I asked if Freelancers Of Neptune Series was influenced by any movies, TV shows, or games. But to flip the script, as you kids don’t say anymore, do you think Freelancers could work as a movie, show, or a game?
I suppose it could work as a movie…maybe? The special effects budget would have to be pretty big, though, given all the ships, locales, and creatures in the novel. One of the advantages of being an author is I basically have an unlimited “special effects budget.”
And if some had the budget to adapt Freelancers Of Neptune into a movie, who would you want them to cast as Nathaniel, Vessani, and the other main characters?
Oh, I don’t know. Umm. Let’s go with… Jenna Ortega [Wednesday] in the role of Vessani. She has the right look, and I’m confident she’d portray the character’s sassy side very well. And for Nathan…umm, err, well…how about Daniel Radcliffe [Harry Potter]? He’s clearly good at portraying the scrappy underdog.
Finally, if someone enjoys Freelancers Of Neptune, what sci-fi space opera novel or novella of someone else’s, which is also more Firefly than Star Trek, would you recommend they read next?
I would recommend The Godel Operation by James L. Cambias. His Billion Worlds setting feels like it mines from some of the same scientific and speculative inspirations I used for Sol Blazers, but he takes it in a very unique and interesting direction. Definitely worth a read.
