Author interview: Ariel Agrioyanis, Panamanian Science Fiction books writer

Genticks is a series of science fiction books that narrates the adventures of Surina Iacobelli, a 12 years old girl that has been living her entire life on Mars, in a city that had been developed by prominent scientist in their reach of new discoveries, but Surina's life takes a turn after learning that she has been selected to study for two years at the most prestigious academy of science and technology on Earth: Genticks.


An interview with Genticks author: Ariel Agrioyanis

After been known in his home country, Panama, through the sci-fi Saga Genticks, Ariel Agrioyanis talks about the next book of this story, The Three Currents, to be published for English-speaking readers.

How would you describe the sci-fi saga, Genticks, to someone who has never read or hear about these books?

Genticks is a series of science fiction books that narrates the adventures of Surina Iacobelli, a 12 years old girl that has been living her entire life on Mars, in a city that had been developed by prominent scientist in their reach of new discoveries, but Surina's life takes a turn after learning that she has been selected to study for two years at the most prestigious academy of science and technology on Earth: Genticks.

Once on Earth, she uncovers a conspiracy plotted by the high members of the global government of the Earth that is even capable to reach her home planet Mars, for that reason, together with her new friends of the academy, they will use all their skills to stop what is planned to happen. What makes  Genticks   saga unique is that all the scenarios, technology, and scientific data, are based on real facts.

How many books make this saga?

When I first think about this story, I had pretend to write only three books of this series. But after a while, when I discovered that a fan club of the saga emerged, with many readers questioning and arguing about what has led the story to its beginning, I announced that the fourth book would be a prequel, which would tell the story of the founder of  Genticks   Academy.

Do this series of books, explain or explore the existence of non-human beings? What other things explore?

Well, the existence of life on other worlds, aliens and UFOs are elements that are pretended to be included in  Genticks   saga, but I can't say much as this can ruin the surprise of the plot. The other things that for sure I can mention, that explore these series of books, is the premise about what makes us human, why some people act kindly and others maliciously and if technology can change or affect our human nature.

In fact, at the beginning of the story, the main character, Surina, refer to real events concerning these thoughts as she looks for an answer to these questions.

Which real facts were the most interesting for you as you were writing Genticks?

I would say the description of how things really work. Actually,  Genticks   is a very descriptive book. As a system engineer, I wouldn't feel comfortable just narrating the use of technology that I don't understand, so, apart from that I had to learn how some things work to then describe them in these books, I also make a reference about some easy concepts of programming that I had taken from some SAP and other tutorials that I had used during my University years. But of course, that even with these facts the books have a lot of fantasy within, but most of all in the events and plots.

If readers would like to read up on some of the topics that you mention in this saga, Like UFOs, programing or even about Mars, are there any books you would recommend?

There is so much information about UFOs that can be easily found on the internet, but I would recommend visiting a website where I have been making some contributions:  Are UFOs Real?   on areufosreal.com

Also, if it possible, I would recommend you to travel to Peru, where many witnesses had shared to me their personal encounters with this kind of phenomenon. I would say the same about programming, there's a lot of information out there easy to understand, but if you complement this knowledge with a book like Programming Pearls by Jon Bentley, it will be easier for you. And about Mars, the best is to read all the information that is up to date on the NASA websites.

Where can be found your books?

The books of the sci-fi saga  Genticks   can be easily found in more than a dozens of websites if you search for them in Google, but I recommend looking directly on BetterWorld Books and the Barnes and Noble website.

Genticks book on BetterWorld Books

Also, I invite the readers to visit www.genticks.com to learn more about the saga and my person.

Finally, before finishing this interview, what tips can you recommend to those persons that want to write and publish a book?

First, to be inspired. Writing is something that requires enthusiasm and an author must always feel passionate about what is writing. In my case, I felt inspired through different kind of sci-fi stories that I could read and watch since I was a kid, like Green Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson, The Troya Horse by J. J. Benitez and movies like Star Wars, Back to the Future and anime like Robotech and Conan the kid from the future.

Once you have the inspiration, look for a location, a special place to feel comfortable when writing, in my case, I wrote my first book in a local café, where I used to spend all the afternoons. And finally to publish, at this time, there are more easy ways.

BetterWorld Books has a special platform for this and there are other services that can be easily found through the internet.

Also, I recommend to all new authors to enroll their manuscripts into literary contests which is a good way to know other authors and introduce yourself to the literary scene.

The interview was conducted by Hector Atencio, former TV Producer of MEDCOM Channel.

Yoann Bierling
About the author - Yoann Bierling
Yoann Bierling is a Web Publishing & Digital Consulting professional, making a global impact through expertise and innovation in technologies. Passionate about empowering individuals and organizations to thrive in the digital age, he is driven to deliver exceptional results and drive growth through educational content creation.



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