An Interview with Fellow Hacker Fiction Author Katherine R. Dollar
Welcome to the April issue of Hacker Chronicles!
This month I have a new treat for you — an interview with a fellow hacker fiction author! A conversation with Katherine R. Dollar on her short story Deciphering Intentions, how she finds inspiration, and what she thinks our future holds, both fiction and real life.
Also a heads up that I will be reviewing The Matrix Resurrections in my next issue. So make sure you've watched it.
/John
Writing Update
Only two weeks until I have the audio version of Identified. That's exciting! It has moved on to post-production which means that the voice actor Kristin Price has already recorded the whole book. The final steps are proofing, recording of corrections, and then editing and mastering.
My cover designer Peter Karlsson has sent me square versions for the audiobook. They need to legible in much smaller format than an e-book.
As for my upcoming novel Submerged, I have received feedback from one of my development editors and will get feedback from all my alpha readers within a week or so. My second development editor is doing what's called a Manuscript Overview and it will take another month to get that feedback. I will start my rewrite this month.
April Feature: An Interview with Katherine R. Dollar
Katherine R. Dollar is an author in the cyber / hacker fiction genre just like me. We found each other online and I recently read her short story Deciphering Intentions. Below is an interview with Katherine about her writing. Enjoy!
Spoiler alert: Very minor spoilers in the interview. Nothing that reveals the plot beyond somewhat of the premise. Mostly just reasoning about the type of fiction it is.
Fiction vs Writing For Businesses
John:
I know you craft and tell stories for businesses in your daytime job. That's even mentioned in "About the Author" at the end of the short story. Still you have the urge to write fiction. How is that different and what makes you want to write stories that stand on their own?
Katherine:
Fiction writing is actually how I got into creating story-driven campaigns and content for technology as a contractor. I was able to use the skill of storytelling to help develop better campaigns and content that earn attention on social media, etc.
Writing for brands is different than fiction in that I have many more constrictions. I have to abide by the company's branding and legal guidelines of what I can say or how I say it.
We will see more technology brands creating story-driven campaigns that feel like entertainment – think documentary series or thriller streaming series that are actually case studies or use cases for their products and services. Or, companies we will want to sponsor and be showcased in the stories writers like you and I create.
Where Katherine Finds Inspiration
John:
Deciphering Intentions is near-future science fiction (in my view). Tell me how you find the ideas for such writing.
Katherine:
I intended for it to be near-future and it is less science fiction today since publishing in 2019.
Inspiration comes everywhere like reading tech articles or just watching what is introduced at conferences like CES. A big tip I received from IBM Master Inventor Romelia Flores is to look at your environment and imagine how technology could be used to improve a day-to-day life or process such as cooking, safety, health, or just entertainment.
My biggest blessing is the chance to interview people in the industry. The saying is true: Fact is stranger than fiction. My day-job gives me access to cyber security analysts and innovators who have incredible knowledge and experience.
Going forward with the sequel, I am leveraging contacts specifically to run through some plots.
Worries About Future Technology
John:
Deciphering Intentions is a bit dystopian. Do you worry about our technological future? Which things in the cross section of technology and society do you think we're getting right, and which are we getting wrong?
Katherine:
Interesting you interpreted it as dystopian! I do love hearing and discussing how people interpret the plots of science fiction. It's one of the best purposes of the genre.
I'm more concerned with human nature than I am technology. Sure, some technology or scientific developments create risk (nuclear is a common example) but selfish, greedy, entitled, unempathetic human nature is far more dangerous.
My concerns are in regards to the flip side of every benefit technology provides. For example, social media brings us together but it also isolates us. This will get worse for the people who start to only use social media, AI and other tools to communicate on their behalf or showcase a life that isn't physical reality. They will lose social skills.
What blows my mind? Governments and companies are making big pushes to use technology for everything from "smart cities" to agriculture to healthcare and so on … but we're still struggling to keep malicious emails from making it into employee inboxes.
The Battle Between Good and Evil in Cyber
John:
Deciphering Intentions involves both cyber crime and cyber defense, and features hackers that work on commission. How do you envision the battle between criminals and safety will play out in the digital space?
Katherine:
This is such an interesting topic because we see constant innovation on both sides. There's so much to this on-going battle across the globe and it truly follows the saying "fact is stranger than fiction."
Some things that come to mind:
- We'll continue to see nation states develop armies of hackers.
- We'll continue to see cyber gangs … those in existence for their own profit and benefit, those on a mission to bring "justice" to some cause, and a lot of those who fall somewhere between. The anti-heroes, so to speak.
- We'll see anyone in power or looking to gain power abuse what can be accomplished with technology. We'll see more use of AI in cyber crime. Unless someone develops a tech to decipher if an AI is a deep fake or a deep fake being misused, we're going to see a real rise in bad actors "winning" in cyber attacks.
Will There Be a Sequel?
John:
A short story only allows for limited world building and character development. Do you intend to write more in the world that you created for Deciphering Intentions? Even longer form? Share your writing plans, please.
Katherine:
You're correct. BUT short story is also more inviting as people know they aren't being asked to give a large time commitment like a novel. It's like a prologue to a longer story.
Of course, if you really enjoy the story, you want it to never end. That's a good thing! And that's what I'm doing with Deciphering Intentions. I am writing a sequel and I will keep subsequent books coming out until the plot or interest dies. I will also release books on a faster timeline.
I have other stories in mind that I have started but enough people want to know what happens in Deciphering Intentions that I am prioritizing that storyline first.
Reading Recommendations
John:
Do you have any book recommendations in the genres of hacker fiction or cyberpunk?
Katherine:
Dead Space for the Unexpected from 1994. It's not necessarily hacker fiction or cyberpunk but I think the same audience will appreciate it because we are seeing companies using surveillance and AI to monitor employees and workspaces and that data can easily be used against the company and the individuals.
And, of course, your story, Identified! Which is how we initially connected.
Currently Reading
I'm reading Open Source by Anna L. Davis. It's a modern cyberpunk story by another fellow hacker fiction writer and I hope to interview Anna about it later this year.
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