Mystery Author Terry Persun On The Inspiration For His Novels

Did you know I write technical articles for my day job? In addition to being a writer, I’m also an engineer, and when I write technical pieces, I do a lot of research. This gives me a basis in the technology so that I can write a solid piece that engineers, scientists, and other technology specialists will benefit from. I want to help readers better understand the components, materials, and devices they’re using and allow for some creativity and crossover from one industry to another.

In the technical business, this is called tech-transfer, meaning that when an aerospace engineer reads about technological breakthroughs in the medical field, they instantly apply what they’ve learned to their present projects. Whenever I can lead readers in that direction through article details, it’s even better.

My interest in technology, history, biology, and a host of other subjects (I’m very curious about a lot of things) also leads me to read magazines like Discover, ID, Popular Science, and Scientific American; and to watch television programs on the Discovery Channel and National Geographic. Not to mention all the business-to-business magazines I read for work.

All this information fills my mind with possible storylines for my fiction. Which is why I keep a notebook close by. Sometimes while sitting quietly, or even while watching television, I’ll skim through my notebook. Invariably, I come up with ideas for novels, short stories, or poems. Sometimes for other technical articles I might want to write. The world is filled with inspiration.

Writing novels and stories allows me to use all the technical information that I read, research, and write about. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to talk to people at NASA and SpaceX, Disney and Universal Studios, as well as students and professors at major universities. This means that most of the time, I’m confident that the technology in my novels is not only possible, but probable. When I write science fiction, I get to push these ideas a notch or two forward into the future, creating a story around that technology where characters interact with the science. Pushing technology forward is fun. Making sure the technology in my stories is as close to correct as possible is great, even though sometimes I twist things enough to fit the story and get creative for creativity’s sake. But that wouldn’t be possible without having real science at its foundation. The adage about knowing the rules before breaking the rules fits here, and I exploit it every time I get the chance.