The Big Idea — Whatever Scalzi

I had the opportunity to write a guest blog for John Scalzi’s Whatever website discussing the “The Big Idea” behind my book.

You can read it in its entirety here: https://whatever.scalzi.com/2025/01/28/the-big-idea-josh-mendoza/

Here’s an exceprt:

“Growing up, my family loved a good story: whether it was written on the page, viewed in a dark movie theater, or rented from the local video store (remember those?) My inclinations always gravitated towards a heavy dose of science fiction and fantasy. I was the kid you’d find sitting cross-legged in the SFF section of the local indie bookstore while his mom chatted up the owner. I spent my allowance on books and collecting the official VHS tapes of Star Trek: TNG. I devoured every expanded universe Star Wars novel—I read the classics, too: Le Guin, Huxley, Lowry, Herbert, Bradbury—needless to say, I was hooked. As I got older, I became a bit of a cinephile. I’ve always particularly loved Film Noir and the broken detective heroes who occupy them. In conceiving of Shadow of the Eternal Watcher, I wanted to have it all, my science fiction multiverse and my pulpy noir detective protagonist. I love a good genre mash-up, and this story is no exception to my eccentricities.”

Josh Mendoza The Big Idea: https://whatever.scalzi.com/2025/01/28/the-big-idea-josh-mendoza/