Temple of Geek Podcast: Episode 166 – Mike Chen Interview

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Live from Gallifrey One 2020, in this episode of the Temple of Geek Podcast, we talk to writer Mike Chen about his first two novels “Here And Now And Then” and “A Beginning At The End”. If you are a fan of Doctor Who or a fan of Star Trek, Mike Chen’s books are definitely for you. The appeal of his type of writing is the hope and the humanity in which the characters in his book live their lives. Today we will talk to Mike about his inspirations for each book and their characters.

Here and Now and Then

“To save his daughter, he’ll go anywhere—and any-when…

Kin Stewart is an everyday family man: working in I.T., trying to keep the spark in his marriage, struggling to connect with his teenage daughter, Miranda. But his current life is a far cry from his previous career…as a time-traveling secret agent from 2142.

Stranded in suburban San Francisco since the 1990s after a botched mission, Kin has kept his past hidden from everyone around him, despite the increasing blackouts and memory loss affecting his time-traveler’s brain. Until one afternoon, his “rescue” team arrives—eighteen years too late.

Their mission: return Kin to 2142 where he’s only been gone weeks, not years, and where another family is waiting for him. A family he can’t remember.

Torn between two lives, Kin is desperate for a way to stay connected to both. But when his best efforts threaten to destroy the agency and even history itself, his daughter’s very existence is at risk. It’ll take one final trip across time to save Miranda—even if it means breaking all the rules of time travel in the process.

A uniquely emotional genre-bending debut, Here and Now and Then captures the perfect balance of heart, playfulness, and imagination, offering an intimate glimpse into the crevices of a father’s heart, and its capacity to stretch across both space and time to protect the people that mean the most.”

Where to buy: Amazon

A Beginning at the End

How do you start over after the end of the world?

“A Beginning at the End is both a thrilling chronicle of the end of the world and a timely reminder of what is most important in life-family, love, and hope.” -Peng Shepherd, author of The Book of M

Six years after a global pandemic wiped out most of the planet’s population, the survivors are rebuilding the country, split between self-governing cities, hippie communes and wasteland gangs.

In post-apocalyptic San Francisco, former pop star Moira has created a new identity to finally escape her past—until her domineering father launches a sweeping public search to track her down. Desperate for a fresh start herself, jaded event planner Krista navigates the world on behalf of those too traumatized to go outside, determined to help everyone move on—even if they don’t want to. Rob survived the catastrophe with his daughter, Sunny, but lost his wife. When strict government rules threaten to separate parent and child, Rob needs to prove himself worthy in the city’s eyes by connecting with people again.

Krista, Moira, Rob, and Sunny are brought together by circumstance, and their lives begin to twine together. But when reports of another outbreak throw the fragile society into a panic, the friends are forced to finally face everything that came before—and everything they still stand to lose. Because sometimes having one person is enough to keep the world going.

Where to buy:  Amazon

About our Guest:

Mike Chen also writes for Startrek.com,  Tor.com, The Portalist, The Mary Sue and other geek sites.

In my stories, there are no epic wars or fate-of-the-universe events; instead, they’re tales of family and friendship and humor that just happen to have some time travel or an apocalypse.

You can find out more about Mike Chen on https://www.mikechenbooks.com/.

About Our Host:

Monica is the current host of the Temple of Geek Podcast. She is a cosplayer. She also dabbles cosplay photography. She can usually be found around the Southern California pop culture and comic book convention scene. You can check out some of her work here: https://templeofgeek.com/author/monica/  

Podcast Edited by Danniel Slade (@dannielslade)