When writing MultiReal, Edelman challenged himself to stay away from conventional action scenes. “With Infoquake, I tried to bring out the drama and excitement in ordinary day-to-day business interactions like sales meetings and fund-raising pitches,” he said. “The climax of the novel took place at a product demo. MultiReal does contain one big action set piece — a chaotic dartgun battle between three different factions in the middle of a crowded auditorium — but for the most part, the action and dramatic tension takes place in governmental hearings, press conferences and product-development meetings. Trying to find ways to keep the reader on the edge of his seat while reading about a governmental hearing was incredibly challenging.”

When you’re done reading the interview, go check out JJA’s website and read about his anthologies Wastelands, Seeds of Change, and The Living Dead.

Quick excerpt from my response:

From a publishing perspective, series are absolutely not a barrier to gaining new readership. And there’s a simple reason why: more books on the shelves equals more bookstore real estate devoted to the author, which equals more of a chance that the author’s books will attract the attention of a potential reader. Once you’ve caught a reader’s interest, it’s easy enough for them to find the earlier books online, or (gasp!) special order them from the information counter.

You can also find responses from my editor Lou Anders, my pal Chris Roberson, my buddy John Joseph Adams, and a blogger named Joe Sherry who I don’t know from (John Joseph) Adam(s) but seems like a nice fellow. In fact, he linked to my website from his blog Adventures in Reading, so he must be a nice fellow. (And I’m happy to return the favor.)